First of all, if you’d like to join our merry band of outcasts and discuss the following changes and other concepts for Bastion changes, feel free to visit the two Bastion megathreads, which are rapidly approaching 10,000 posts between them.
Old megathread (uncapped): Bastion is being forgotten - #5104 by DrClan-1789
New megathread (almost to 5000 posts!): 💔 Bastion ISN’T being forgotten, he’s being ignored - #4243 by ChibiFox-11511
Anyways, the concept:
Bastion Rework 2
Ironclad
- Now applies 50 armor while in Sentry or Tank instead of 20% damage resistance
- Allows Bastion to see silhouettes of enemies through allies (all forms)
The passive damage resistance proved too difficult to properly balance due to how much it promotes pocketing by healers. 50 extra armor should serve the same purpose while in Sentry and Tank. The nature of Bastion’s role in many teams means he will spend most of his time behind teammates, often causing them to block Bastion’s line of sight. Instead of having to transform and move again, being able to see enemy silhouettes through allies will allow teammates to properly protect Bastion while not sacrificing Bastion’s line of sight.
Configuration: Recon
- Bullet spread begins to take effect after 3 rounds are fired instead of 1
Increasing the accuracy of Recon alone would leave Soldier: 76 largely obsolete. Instead, the accuracy has been heavily increased. This change should allow for Recon to function at a safer distance to compensate for Bastion’s large size, while also better differentiating between Soldier’s medium range consistent damage and Recon’s mid-long range burst damage.
Configuration: Sentry
- Maximum spread reverted to pre-rework value
- Can now deal 2x crits
- Now deals 1.5x damage to barriers
- Ammo capacity reduced from 300 to 250
- Damage per round decreased from 15 to 14
Bastion’s previous rework left Sentry largely underwhelming after its defensive capabilities were nerfed. It struggled due to a lack of consistency from its large spread, and the fact that it didn’t have the survivability or range to be a powerful option while immobile. The spread reduction should serve to remedy this. Additionally, the skill ceiling has been increased by reducing Sentry’s base damage and ammo capacity slightly, while allowing it to land headshots and reward good aim. The bonus damage against barriers should serve as incentive to more heavily focus down enemy barriers.
Self-Repair
- No longer has a cast time; now begins healing as soon as button is pressed
- No longer consumes resource while at full health
- Maximum healing increased from 300 to 350
The cast time of Self-Repair generally served more as an inconvenience than a balancing tool, and the consumption of resource while at full health lead to the same problems. These have simply been removed as a Quality of Life change.
Configuration: Tank
- Now Bastion’s E ability
- Damage per round decreased from 205 to 120
- Now has a maximum ammo capacity of 4, does not reload, recharges instead
- Regenerates at a rate of 1 round per 2 seconds
- Tread SFX volume decreased by 30%
- Transformation time reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1.0 second
- Reversion time reduced from 1.0 second to 0.5 seconds
Much like Torbjörn and Symmetra, Bastion’s biggest issue was a lack of flexibility. The reworking of Tank as Bastion’s secondary ability will grant him more reliable mobility and burst damage, while also making him a stronger pick on offense. The recharging rounds mean they must be managed carefully, and so doesn’t step on the toes of the better mobility, utility, and overall damage of other explosive-based heroes like Junkrat and Pharah.
Overclock
- Bastion’s new ultimate ability
- 8 second duration
- Gives 150 additional armor for duration (doesn’t stack with 75 extra armor while in Sentry or Tank)
- Halves transformation and reversion times
- Gives infinite ammo
- Increases Configuration: Recon movement speed by 30%
- Immune to CC while in Configuration: Sentry
- Increases damage per round in Configuration: Tank from 120 to 205
- Emits lights and klaxons for duration
This ultimate allows Bastion many more options than Configuration: Tank ever did. The additional armor allows for more aggressive plays, further augmented by the infinite ammo and faster transformations. The increased movement speed while in Configuration: Recon allows for better initiations and escapes. The immunity to CC while Configuration: Sentry allows Bastion to far more effectively lock down an area, serving to truly emulate the structure after which he is named. Configuration: Tank is simply restored to its previous state, providing the same incredible burst damage as before.
The overall goal of this rework is to expand the capabilities of Bastion, increasing his flexibility, while simultaneously raising the hero’s skill ceiling. As a result, he should be much less of a “noob destroyer” at low ranks and a “throw pick” at high ranks. This should serve to make Bastion a more healthy character overall, while retaining the rapid transformations that make Bastion such a special character to play.
Edits:
- Bonus armor reduced to 50
- Recon ammo kept the same
- Damage multiplier against barriers reduced to 1.5x
