Blizzard, are you trying to kill the main/off-tank concept?

I have mixed feelings about the PTR patch. For those who haven’t seen it, here it is:

People are saying that Orisa was gutted, but honestly with the global armor revert and the +50 armor, I think she’ll do “OK”. On paper, in isolation. The Rehenhard buff (speed reduction while holding shield + 50% knock back reduction) is going to make him dominant again. Orisa, a slow tank, is going to get obliterated.

Sigma. I am actually kind of upset by this. Blizzard, you said he was a main tank. At launch his ability to main tank (without Orisa) was iffy, at least for most people. He is the most mechanically demanding tank out of the roster. But nerf after nerf, his survivability, especially against flankers, has gotten worse and worse. After his -600 shield reduction (Orisa got -300), his ability to “main tank” will be non existent. He will be considered by everyone as an off-tank.

Now to get to the meat of the topic…

I read a comment where someone said that perhaps you were trying to simplify tanks to the point where they are just “tanks”. In other words, do away with the main tank and off tank “roles” and just have “tanks”

If this is the case… can you say so? Can you release a blog post or developer video outlining your thought process? If so, this is a quite interesting approach and I would like to know more. I don’t know what it would do to the game… but I do see the merit.

I am really hoping this is the case and not another sledge hammer. Because I’m not sure I can take more otherwise.

Yes actually they are trying to kill off the distinction between main and off roles… most definitely, they are moving away from that if you look at Sigma and WB, and Baptiste as examples. I am so happy too, we need more variety. I don’t recall the source but I believe Jeff or Geoff basically said this not too long ago.

The goal is how you play it designates what you are, so one game say Sigma acts all main tanky, then the next game he might let Rein do it, and he act more like a DPS off-tank… same things happening to healers, hence the Moira nerf in part. Not her last either, there’s more coming.

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Everything is still pretty much knee jerk reactions but my three rounds on ptr so far tell me that Sigma is still a main tank.