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Overwatch is a team-based game. That’s the core mechanic behind the Hero shooter that’s contributed a lot to it reaching this level of popularity. It can be frustrating for those queuing up on their own, but it is just part of playing a team game. However, it seems Blizzard is getting a bit extreme in their efforts to fight this frustration. According to the latest dev update, OW passive self-heal is coming to all characters starting in Season 9.
The last few weeks for Overwatch have seen some big changes get instituted. A lot was focused on balancing out Mauga, a character whose been controversial so far in OW Season 8. However, it’s not the new characters nerfs but the major alterations coming in Season 9 which have really caused chaos. A lot of the game’s community is up in arms right now about the baffling changes that coming to the game next season. Perhaps the most confusing of these is the decision to give every hero a passive self-heal.
That’s an ability that’s normally only accessible to support. The support players then use their weapons and abilities to heal everyone else. However, with these Season 9 changes, we’re going to see every character in the game receive a watered-down version of the self-heal. Hero passive has gotten complicated. It’s also raising the question of what the point is in having differentiated Hero roles if they’re trying to erode the idea of relying on a team.
Source: Blizzard
Why is Blizzard Adding OW Passive Self-Heal?
The OW passive self-heal is getting added with Season 9 to Tank and Damage. The official notes on this change point towards cutting down on frustration from your team. Rather than having to deal with a team where your support isn’t healing, you’ll be able to heal yourself a little bit.
The changes make sense in the abstract, removing those frustrations of getting paired with bad players. In focus though they’re a bit more confusing. Stripping away the parts of the game that come from relying on each other seems contradictory to Overwatch’s core gameplay. What’s the point in the title if you strip away all of the teamwork?
It’s going to be a controversial change when it’s actually instituted, once the current Overwatch season ends. It might prevent some annoyance from players, but it will change up what the idea of a well-coordinated Overwatch team is.
The new changes here do seem like they’re going to help make the game better for a more casual player. However, there are plenty of games out there that already cater to this style of gameplay. Something a lot of fans have highlighted in their reaction is how much of Overwatch’s identity is as a team-based game. Attempting to remove that element strips away part of what made it unique.
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