Bastion's Problems and Possible Fixes

General Discussion
1

First, we must address the problems that plague him then how to fix those problems

(all these suggestions are what I think would best help his situation and aren’t some sort of hard demand, just suggestions.)
His healing is clunky:

  • activation delay
  • can’t heal while preforming actions

This means it takes exceptionally long to heal after reloading or swapping modes because you have to swap/reload which already takes time, then add the activation time upon that. This also means he cannot heal for very long periods because you can’t while preforming an action.

fix:

  • reduce activation delay
  • allow healing while preforming actions.

I’m not sure if shooting should count as “an action” but I think it wouldn’t meaning he still can’t shoot while healing. He could use it while transitioning from any mode into any mode promoting the ability to actually go from sentry into recon without dying instantly. The sped up activation time will help with all around effectiveness, he has the healing to survive things but even tenths of seconds can mean life or death.

He’s horrible on his own in sentry:
(this is all assuming he doesn’t have a pocket healer or tank)

  • dies too fast
  • kills too slow

Since everybody wants him dead due to PTSD he is always the first to go when a fight starts unless he’s being pocketed. This means he either needs to kill them faster, or survive longer. The problem is we’ve always had the two extremes and they don’t work too well without one another. First it was low spread and headshots but he died to a sneeze (I like this version though :P), then ironclad with horrible spread and no headshots. Sentry also seems like it would deploy unreasonably fast if we were to buff it.

fix:

  • reduce spread
  • add bloom
  • directional ironclad (explanation below)
  • increase recon into sentry swap speed from 1 second to 1.5 seconds.
  • while in sentry reduce external healing by 20%

This means he will take as long to heal as a hero with 360 HP (self healing does not get reduced)(there are none but that doesn’t matter) instead of one with 300 HP meaning external pocketing by healer is less powerful. Directional ironclad means the damage reduction is higher based on the direction the damage came from. The idea is he’d have some on his back, more on the top and sides, and the most on the front, like this:

20%/25%/30% (it goes back then top and sides then front in that order) So it’s 20% on his back, 25% on top and sides, and 30% from the front. Maybe it could be 25%/30%/35% but some people didn’t seem to get the memo that nano doesn’t stack with ironclad, it stops at 50% so he can’t tank a D.va bomb.

With the addition of direction based ironclad and being able to hit things again with sentry he gains the strength he needs in both categories. He isn’t deleted but also doesn’t delete people like before while also being able to hit things past 15 meters. PharMercy counter ftw!

the slower swap into sentry speed makes it much harder to use in the thick of things but with the other changes it becomes more dangerous once you are in sentry.

overall, he becomes a bit slower when it comes to sentry and is much harder to pocket, but it hits much harder in a good way.

Recon is just a bad Soldier
why use Recon at all when Soldier is better?

fix:

  • increase ammo to 35

His whole identity seems to be more on oppressive fire and tank busting now so give him the ammo to do it in Recon (lower dps but I mean he just doesn’t have to reload as often)

His ultimate is too squishy:

  • he dies to himself a lot
  • isn’t tanky enough

fix

  • gets directional ironclad like sentry does
  • no self damage (still gets knockback)

He basically dies to himself less often and doesn’t die to sneezes.

An additional favorite idea of mine
Anyone who’s seen my rework threads probably knows what this is going to be.

Tankmode on E!

  • 120 damage
  • 5 ammo in a clip
  • 2 second reload time
  • no self damage
  • 1 second transform time
  • gets directional ironclad like sentry

This gives him some accurate burst for smaller heroes that are closer to you because of the splash and since it’s a projectile as well as rocket jumping outside of his ult
Overclock ult to go along with that!
While ulting

  • duration increased to 10 seconds
  • Swap into sentry speed changed to 1 second
  • Swap into recon speed changed to 0.25 seconds (it’s normally .5)
  • Swap into tankmode on E speed changed to .5 seconds
  • tankmode on E just gets buffed to what his current tank is
  • recon has movement speed buffed by 50% 25% ironclad and infinite ammo
  • sentry gets CC resist and infinite ammo

_All modes would get a buff that suits their best role while also allowing you to move between modes at a rapid rate to take advantage of all the variations of his ult to best fit the situation.

His tank cannon and welder aren’t gold
I think we can all agree this is what’s holding him back the most. He needs his golden tank gun and welder!

Why is it I can never make a short post about Bastion?

5 Likes
2

This is Extremely Well Written/thought out… O-o

I’m still currently reading through it, and… Wow.
That’s a Lot of Data.

Lets Add onto It…

Hmm… I have one single thing to add:
What you said about the Overclocked Ultimate, Having Infinite ammo in Recon Specifically… What if it just had a SUPER FAST Reload speed?

I have noticed this on Soldier 76 in particular… He still has a Reload, it’s just So fast that you can still do Major damage.

Would that work, Or… Destroy everything? :thinking:

Probably because Bastion doesn’t have Small Problems.

2 Likes
3

Interesting post. A couple thoughts:

  • The healing is a bit clunky. However, probably just apply this to his Sentry form instead of Recon, while Recon stays with a similar system (this is due to Recon being able to move out of a firefight, while Sentry lacks this option)
  • The Sentry changes are interesting. Maybe just focus more on the tanky side, with a slight buff to spread and a nerf to damage (so he can soak more, but can’t kill stuff quite as quickly). This is mostly what you have done, but some suggestions (such as the recon swap speed) are a bit odd.
  • Recon form could probably use a mobility buff so he can, you know, do recon.
  • Tank form changes look pretty good. Maybe also give him a bit of an armour buff when he is changing forms there so he doesn’t die once he starts transforming.
  • Give him an E ability (the Tank form suggestion doesn’t look that good; we all remember what happened to Mercy…). Not sure what, but perhaps have it change depending on mode you are in (or you need to be in a specific more for it).
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Bastions problem is that everyone at all times want to kill the bastion. That will never, ever change. He’s like pharah and possibly brigitte. If bastion could get the drop on people he’d be less situational. But currently I can hear a bastion running across the map in someone else’s game and I don’t even have OW open. He is that loud.

4 Likes
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My own list of possible, (mostly) mutually-exclusive solutions:

BUFF RECON (Rifle)

Accuracy

Reduce the speed at which the Recon Rifle’s bloom expands, and/or increase the speed at which it recovers. If Bastion is supposed to have any reliable long-range weapon, and this is supposed to be Bastion’s only reliable long-range weapon, then it needs to actually be reliable. Between its inaccuracy and Bastion’s large hit-box, Bastion still wants to avoid using it, since there’s no duel at any range which he can win in Recon.

And if Bastion isn’t supposed to have a reliable long-range weapon, then he needs one of the other proposed buffs.

BUFF RECON/SENTRY (Mobility and Positioning)

Horizontal

As a cool-down E ability in Recon Mode: Bastion transforms his legs into his tank treads, allowing him faster horizontal movement and the possibility of making farther jumps.

Either way, Bastion gains a little more ability to safely and quickly traverse the map, as well as to reach better firing positions for Sentry Mode, while still being less mobile than the other Defense heroes. This ability might also work in Tank Mode, or else Tank Mode might get a passive buff to speed.
.

Vertical

As a cool-down E ability in Recon Mode: Bastion climbs walls at half the speed of Genji or Hanzo, or fires grappling wires like Widowmaker which fly out just as fast, but which reel him up at half speed or less.

Either way, Bastion gains a little more ability to safely and quickly traverse the map, as well as to reach better firing positions for Sentry Mode, while still being less mobile than the other Defense heroes. This ability might also work in Tank Mode.

BUFF SENTRY (Resistance)

Anti-CC

As a cool-down E ability with short duration: in Sentry Mode, Bastion applies anchors to the ground which prevent him from being moved from that position or knocked out of Sentry form by abilities like Halt, Charge, or Hook. The cooldown for this ability doesn’t start until he leaves Sentry Mode.

This buff could be packaged together with the grapple-wire idea proposed for Vertical Mobility.
.

Extremely Weak Shield

Give Bastion’s Sentry Mode an even more limited version of Zarya’s shield as an E Ability. He cannot fire while using it. It can only recharge in Recon Form. It has a short duration, and only protects from the front.

Can protect against Charges, Hooks, and explosives like Pulse Bombs, Helix Rockets, and Pharah primary shots. He can still heal while using it.

BUFF SENTRY (Burst DPS)

Rockets

As an E Ability that doesn’t go on cooldown until Bastion leaves Sentry Form. Either something quick like Soldier:76’s Helix Rockets or slow like D.Va’s Micro-Rockets, but either way, it gives Bastion back some of the linear, long-range killing power he lost.
.

Railgun

As an E Ability that doesn’t go on cooldown until Bastion leaves Sentry Form. Most similar to Helix Rockets, but trades small AOE explosion for hitscan.

Could possibly have a “kick” powerful enough to knock Bastion back and instantly out of Sentry Mode.

BUFF SENTRY/TANK (Toughness)

Ironclad

Apply Ironclad as soon as transformation to Sentry or Tank Mode begins; increase Ironclad percentage for Tank Mode to 30%.
.

Armor

Remove Ironclad, bring back bonus armor that applies as soon as transformation begins; apply lesser armor bonus to Sentry.

BUFF TANK (Toughness)

No Self-Damage

Remove self-damage from Tank Mode shots. This is a minor buff which can be applied together with any other buff on this list.

Bastion’s Tank Mode accuracy beyond short range is horrible, Bastion can’t gain altitude like Pharah and Junkrat, and Junkrat doesn’t even take self-damage from any of his explosives anymore. No one should need to master Rocket Jumping to make an Ultimate somewhat useful.

BUFF TANK (Accuracy)

Projectile or Reticle Size

Increase the hit-box size of Bastion’s tank projectiles to something much larger than a tiny bullet, such that clipping someone or something with the animated projectile will trigger its explosion. Currently, you can miss anything by a hair as the projectile clips through it and keeps sailing far past your target.

Or at the very least, remove the large hexagon around Bastion’s tank-mode reticle – it’s deceptively large and inaccurate.

BUFF TANK (Unpredictability)

Abort Ultimate like McCree

Allow Bastion to end Tank Mode prematurely by pressing Shift to enter Sentry Mode, just as McCree can prematurely end his own Ultimate when he needs a faster firing rate.
.

Variable Ultimate Duration

Change the duration of Tank Mode so that the Ultimate does not end until Bastion has fired a certain number of shots, so that Bastion may continue to behave like an ambush predator by laying in wait for prey… and allow Bastion to end Tank Mode prematurely by pressing Shift to enter Sentry Mode, just as McCree can end his own Ultimate.

BUFF TANK (Flexibility)

Additional Ultimate Mode: Artillery

Give Bastion’s Ultimate an additional, immobile Mortar Mode as an analogue to Sentry Mode, which fires the explosive shells in an arc that can clear walls and land on roofs, like Junkrat’s primary fire.

MAJOR REWORK

Change Bastion's Modes

Remove Tank Mode from the game entirely, make old Sentry Mode into Bastion’s Ultimate, and replace current Sentry Mode with an immobile Mortar Mode that arcs explosive shots over walls and onto roofs, like Junkrat’s primary fire.
.

Overclock Bastion's Modes

Reduce Tank Mode to a vastly nerfed E Ability reconfiguration with a speed buff. Tank Cannon would be comparable to Pharah’s primary fire, without the advantages afforded by Pharah’s flight.

Bastion’s new Ultimate would instead improve the performance of all of its modes, returning Sentry Mode and Tank Mode to their former glory for a short time and making the Recon Rifle better as well.

REVERT

Blasphemy

Revert Sentry Mode to its old bloom and restore its headshot ability. Reward Bastion players for having good aim.

7

Isn’t Bastion the size of at least 2 or 3 Soldiers?

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I think it might mess with the whole “use all the modes while ulting” thing if you have to reload right in the middle.

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The last thing he needs is a damage nerf. The damage is fine, his spread is horrible.

how does that work

Yeah but instead of “spectating” you’re killing all the things.

10

I really don’t want Bastion to have any additional survivability. He’s already pretty hard to kill outside of a coordinated team effort. I think he’s meant to be played around rather than be really effective on his own.

1 Like
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If you haven’t noticed he can’t tank 6 people at once. That’s basically the only way people attack him. Not out of necessity, they just do anyways.

Also meant to be babysat sounds kind of underpowered. He sucks until his team does some of his jobs for him.

1 Like
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I’m ok with that. He’ll never be fighting 6 people at once unless he’s completely away from his team for some reason. I like that he’s situational and requires a bit of team effort to pull off. With as much damage as he can do, it really shouldn’t be easy to play him, especially without coordination.

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I never said he should be easy, just that he will work without being pocketed and the heal nerf makes him harder to pocket.

You may be fine with him sucking, but I’m not.

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I don’t think he sucks at all. He’s incredibly powerful when the team plays around him, which isn’t unreasonable in a team-based game. If they made him more feasible to play solo around the map, they’d have to nerf his damage by a lot, which would kind of defeat the purpose of his existence.

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Or they could just nerf something other than his damage? That’s why I suggested reducing external healing and increasing swap speed from recon into sentry. sentry becomes slower, harder to pocket, but it becomes more independent.

How many times have I told people this, that’s not Bastion being powerful, it’s his team pocketing him.

He should be powerful if he isn’t being pocketed.

2 Likes
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Well, I disagree. Just because you’ve told people something a lot of times doesn’t make it true. I simply believe that he’s not meant to be very powerful on his own, but you think he should be. There we are.

2 Likes
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Except it is true, Bastion is not being powerful when multiple other heroes are doing basically all the jobs he should be able to do without them, that’s his teamates doing it. If I nanoboosted a Mercy and she goes and kills some people that doesn’t mean she’s a powerful dps because I supplied the damage as an Ana, she just held down LMB with her pea shooter.

2 Likes
18

The spread needs improvement. However, fixing that means you run the risk of having too much sniper Bastion. As such, reduced damage could be better. Maybe instead consider some fall-off if he doesn’t have it at the moment?

I was referring to

It looked a LOT like putting an Ultimate ability on a regular ability key, which is pretty risky.

I was talking about the E ability. It is likely to end up being nerfed so it deals barely any damage and stuns him after every use. THAT is what I mean by “We all remember what happened to Mercy…”.

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Sniper Bastion has never been a thing. Shooting at a corner prevented peaking though.

BTW he has falloff at 35 meters and even old spread would start missing then.

it has a much lower dps than Junkrat. Junkrat fires faster for the same damage and has mines for burst.

Mercy got a 90%+ pickrate and I doubt that’ll happen to Bastion.

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Ok. Still good to proceed cautiously with too many buffs (and I know you have provided some nerfs, but that makes him less reactive and also reduces benefits from playing as a team, so iffy on them).

When combined with the other abilities, it could still be too powerful. And plus, Res was pretty much weaker by itself, but Valkyrie provided MASSIVE enabling power.

He could become a must-pick on defence or even attack. After all, Bastion meta was a thing for a few days (and that was being too tanky, but the situation could easily return).

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Why? The only other ability he has available that doesn’t just turn off the minitank is his healing but that means he’s not shooting.

That was because nano and ironclad stacked so nano + 35% ironclad was 85% damage resist and he was face tanking nukes with health to spare.

they capped damage resist at 50 so that wouldn’t work anymore.

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