‘Overwatch 2’: Latest update makes playing Mercy more difficult
The latest update for Overwatch 2 has made it more difficult to play as Mercy within the game.
Today (February 7) sees the launch of the first-person shooter sequel’s third season, which has introduced various changes to the Mercy hero.
The tweaks are as follows (via PC Gamer):
- Guardian Angel cooldown increased from 1.5 to 2.5 seconds
- Holding the backwards directional input and cancelling the ability with Jump now moves 20% slower
- Caduceus Staff healing-per-second reduced from 55 to 45
- Healing is increased by 50% for allies under half health
- Regeneration Passive removed (she retains the support one though)
- New Passive: “Sympathetic Recovery” where she heals herself for 25% of healing done with the Caduceus Staff
Blizzard states in the patch notes that the changes will “empower Mercy even more as a triage healer and enable her to more often save low health allies”. However, none of the nerfs directly target the character’s ability to damage boost allies.
The updates encourage Mercy to stay in orbit of her team rather than teaming up with a single DPS hero. The tweaks double down on healing as her primary role, and it’ll be important for keeping yourself alive.
Additionally, season three sees supports are on the rise. Lucio, Zen, and Brigitte received slight buffs, while Lucio and Moira have their ults up faster to save their allies more frequently.
Zen has five more shots to fire at enemies, with Brigitte’s Repair Pack being able to instantly heal allies for 25 health as well as its HoT component.
The latest iteration of Overwatch 2 continues to target heroes who can get near-instant kills. Junkrat’s Concussion Mine has had its damage decreased by 20 to make one-shot combos with his grenade more difficult to achieve. Elsewhere, Reinhardt’s Earthshatter ult has had its damage reduced and stun duration increased. Widowmaker, meanwhile, is down from 200 health to 175.
Late last month, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller outlined the numerous season three changes including “more clarity” for players looking to determine their ranked skill.
Keller recently spoke to NME about the challenges behind balancing heroes in Overwatch 2. He also teased several upcoming game modes, and revealed that the shooter’s next two heroes will be supports.
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Tom Skinner
NME
