Jeremy Gan
Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2’s July 9 patch has been dubbed the “worst” update ever by players as the devs roll out a slew of controversial Tank buffs.
Before Season 11’s midseason update, Lead Gameplay Designer for Overwatch 2, Alec Dawson, teased that the balance team was “going bolder” with this one, focusing mainly on Tanks.
The update was very bold, buffing every single Tank and the role’s passive, however, the devs may have gone too far, with some of the game’s peskiest Tanks getting substantial upgrades.
Immediately after the update dropped, players are already dubbing it the “worst patch ever”.
me thinks this is no good pic.twitter.com/JoNhLImQMA
— Hydron (@KingHydron) July 9, 2024
It wasn’t just Tanks that got directly buffed, as other classes got nerfs as well. The DPS role passive will now only be half as effective against Tanks (meaning a 10% healing reduction now), with Ana’s Sleep Dart duration on Tanks decreased as well.
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“This patch is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Overwatch 2 streamer, Jay3.
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Flats, a fellow OW2 streamer and Tank main blasted the patch, saying, “Guys… what are we doing with this patch… The amount of people who don’t understand that Tank feels like s*** to play DOES NOT mean that they aren’t strong.”
To illustrate just how strong Tanks have become, pro player Hydron showed that a Bastion in turret mode, with Mercy damage boost, and Baptiste window, would lose to a Mauga using only Cardiac Arrest with zero heals.
Another insane clip by OW2 streamer Eskay sees a nano’d Bastion, with a Mercy damage pocket, in turret form, barely doing damage to the health of a Ramattra in Annihilation with a single Bap to heal. This means Tank busters like Bastion and Reaper will be much less effective now.
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im scared pic.twitter.com/SguNa0mXKy
— eskay (@EskayOW) July 9, 2024
One of the main reasons Tank has been buffed significantly is likely due to its low play rate in comparison to the other roles, to the point Diamond players are in the Top 500 for the role, but it will have to be seen if these buffs were too much.
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However, if there is one person celebrating the tank buffs, it is LhCloudy, the ever-dedicated Reinhardt main.