Overwatch 2’s second beta is currently playable for both console and PC players until July 18. This time around, the player base is being treated to an Open Queue and Role Queue in a Quick Play mode that simulates the original Competitive game mode, but without SR. In addition, many were excited to see how the newest tank to join the roster, Junker Queen, played alongside a team, withJunkrat’s trap returning to the gameand the new Hybrid map Paraíso being added to the lineup as well.
While most people seem excited with the overhauls made to theOverwatch 2beta, there have been certain new elements that players are banding together to speak out upon. For example, Soldier 76 mains may not be as pleased with how the hero’s damage output has been reduced, though it makes sense now that the double shield meta ofOverwatchprime can no longer occur. Arguably, the changes that have caused the most outrage have been the ones for the game’s angelic support hero, Mercy.
RELATED:Overwatch Clip is Reminder of Just How Powerful Symmetra Used to Be
Overwatch 2 Mercy Changes Feel “Awful”
According to Patch Notes released from Blizzard on June 28, Mercy has had two major reworks done to her kit. In this beta, she can no longercancel Guardian Angel by crouching for a vertical boostthat fans dubbed her “Super Jump”. Instead, this mega leap is an automatic feature that occurs when they reach the end of Guardian Angel’s range, which is around 30 meters. This leap will send players flying up into the air before they land next to an ally. to mitigate the jump, PC players must press the space bar to avoid being catapulted into the sky where enemy snipers are looking for targets.
ManyMercy mainshave commented that the movement feels very odd, as having to manually cancel such jumps seems less productive than simply jumping when they actually wanted to. Others complained that part of the appeal of playing Mercy was mastering the “Super Jump,” which they could use to go backwards and, if necessary, control the height of the jump, leaping earlier than the automatic one will allow.
Without full control, a few players have commented that they feel like sitting ducksin the secondOverwatchbeta, unable to avoid other heroes' abilities like Reinhardt’s Earthshatter or Doomfist’s Meteor Strike. Some players even noted that they’ve been losing critical resurrections because they haven’t pressed the correct buttons to keep from launching up and away, or they can’t avoid it because they need to fly across the map to revive a dead ally. In a higher-ranked game, this predictable movement is likely to get her killed.
The other alteration Mercy received is seen in her Angelic Descent which will now “additionally slow ascent speed if held, not just descent speed” according to the developer’s notes, as long as users hold down the proper move button. A note underneath mentioned that she will now be able to dampen vertical knockbacks,like Junkrat’s Concussive Mine, and reduce the amount of height that the Guardian Angel vertical boost gives. This change is much less controversial but is still disliked by some Mercy players, mostly if they have her secondary fire mapped to a different button than where it’s intended to be.
RELATED:Why Activision Blizzard Removing the Original Overwatch Is a Mistake
Fans Think Blizzard Should Buff Mercy Not Nerf Her
A Reddit user in a thread on the new changes wrote “Mercy feels AWFUL right now” while another said “they have officially massacred Mercy. I seriously want to cry right now.” HavingOverwatch 2lower the skill floor for a hero who already doesn’t have any wildly extreme abilities certainly left some players feeling insulted, though that isn’t to say Mercy was an easy character by any means.
One Reddit user wondered if this “philosophy of dumbing things down” would begin to occur in other characters, citing a scenario whereWrecking Ball would be able to use his Piledriver abilityat all times due to an increase in his jump height, rather than rewarding those who have taken the time to master the difficult Tank character.
A fewOverwatchplayers are calling for the opposite of what Blizzard has done with the new Mercy changes, and asking for the support hero to remain the same or have her skill floor raised. Her mobility tech is what some say makes her interesting, and giving her what she needs to continue evading DPS heroes could make her that much more critical in thenewOverwatch 25v5 format.
While many users have shared their concerns about Mercy’s reworks, it is likely that Blizzard will address the criticism in the coming weeks, or at the least by the next beta. The developer explained in a post on May 24 that it isexperimenting all the time withOverwatchhero changesand that it’s a “never-ending cycle of balance” as Blizzard tries to evaluate whether the changes done are effective or not. TheOverwatchcommunity will have to hope that their voices are heard, which certainly worked in the past beta with Roadhog and Zenyatta.
Overwatch 2will be available in early access on October 4 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
