Hello!
As usual I am just here to give some feedback to the Overwatch team regarding everything we have seen over the last season or so. All Feedback is given from the perspective of a casual diamond support player. So please be kind c:
1-3-2 (DPS Flex 6v6)
This mode is interesting to me because it feels like normal open queue but ever so slightly contained. Less chaos with insane unviable team comps right out the gate. I found that a lot of teams start with 3 dps and slowly realise that having the second tank is way too important and then switches to 2-2-2. With that in mind I suppose it is good for getting players in the match and through the spawn doors but ultimately we end up in 2-2-2 anyway (most of the time).As for how the matches ‘feel’? Fine. I find that even the largest healers (Ana, Moira, Baptiste) really have to focus healing only or the entire team stay critical the entire match. There feels like MUCH MUCH less room for any utility supports (Zen, Wuyang, Mizuki). Meaning there is less options for supports to make plays in terms of kills or damage. Whether you like that is up to you to decide. Heals feeling strained is the only major thing I can point out in my gameplay for now.
I also feel like the Tank Role queue specifically feels limited. It feels like you must always go main tank unless you have someone backing you up and swapping off DPS. You can’t solo tank as Zarya, you can’t solo tank as Wrecking Ball etc. Heroes like that only feel playable when you have a second Tank.
Brigitte Inspire Change
Please revert it.The reason I ask that this change be reverted is because it makes her feast or famine. Healing over time took the hardest hit with the global anti-heal passive, and this just makes that even worse. If there is one thing I do know objectively, it’s that players don’t like it when their character feels niche and playing them feels like an active downside to the team.
She is now stronger in the comps she was already good into and even worse outside of them. I think the feast or famine nature to this design change is inherently a bad one and makes her ‘feel’ worse to play. It was a change that I don’t see any value in and that no one asked for. If I had my way I’d just outright revert the change.
Stadium Cancelled
This is the most insane thing I think I have ever seen from team 4. I know what the stats say but I also know that the amazing devs on team 4 are not stupid. They are very talented people and I also feel they know WE as a community are not stupid either.Why do I say this? Because you cannot show us some numbers of a mode that is barely thriving and not take into account all of the various reasons WHY that mode isn’t thriving. Here I am going to list a few examples:
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Character roster is INSANELY small and doesn’t have a lot of beloved ‘mains’ in it, in a game that built a lot of its draw from its lovable characters and people’s commitment to them and maining/one tricking them. Therefore, if a character is missing from the mode, it’s less likely to draw people in.
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When characters are added, they are added with such niche kits where you MUST build them a certain way. This leaves no room for experimenting, which I would argue, is half the fun of stadium.
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Adding characters that are considered widely ‘unfun’ or ‘disliked’ and then balancing poorly. Adding characters like Doomfist, Hazard, Cat, and Vendetta so early and then making them SO STRONG is a large factor to why people clock out of this mode. If these characters are disliked in normal play, Stadium needed to treat them with INSANE levels of care. Alas, it feels like they were not.
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Splitting the queues between Quick-play and Comp. Stadium was a game mode where I felt like splitting the queues did more damage than good for the mode. The simplicity of clicking one queue was nice. It left more room for balancing around that one queue and how it functions in terms of rounds, powers, and power-spikes when you get them.
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Finally, slow updates. Kind of bleeds into the first one but slow support near the end of it’s life really killed any love for this mode I fear.
So, all this yapping aside, what is my point? My point, if anything, is that Team 4 has done a HUGE disservice to its players of this mode. I do NOT think it should stop getting updates and I think using the 3% metric without taking in the context of everything surrounding the mode is INSANELY disrespectful and insults our intelligence. VERY VERY upset about this.
Recent Seasons and Content (skins, balance, updates)
Everything is starting to feel... like there is less effort. I don't want to throw the term 'slop' around because I think the content is still thought through, but man it's getting hard to defend you, Overwatch Team.Mythics all feel identical with lack of individuality, especially in terms of themes. Mythics and their other content being removed from the pass and the battle passes feeling disconnected to the mythics. Customisation options still feeling so… Underwhelming for what mythics are supposed to be. Reusing the exact same animations for them (Mercy, Ana, Illari) on character select also feels very disrespectful, considering the skins cost a lot of money.
The very clear tone-deaf choice to make ‘Ultra rarity’ skins. Very expensive and starts dipping its toes into the mythic weapon and skins area, which then de-values the mythics. This, mixed with the skins starting to feel more washed down and underwhelming, - I think the general feeling is hopelessness around skin based content. Together with battle pass skins being less interesting than shop skins - and that hopeless feeling turns to rage for the player, as we start to see greed taking hold over quality.
Balance patches change some things that even as a casual I sit back and ask… Why? In theory I get the devs’ vision for these changes, but they never get rolled back or expanded upon when they misstep. Something else on the character’s kit just gets buffed instead and everyone moves on. This leads to players getting upset because needless changes on top of strange fixes leads to anger. It feels like something we treasure is being changed for…? Numbers sake? I don’t know.
That, along with releasing 2 DPS in a row TWICE, is very upsetting also. I think a better idea is a nice blend of all the roles, so everyone gets a little something every season.
Final Thoughts!
My sentiment around Overwatch from the start of this year has been getting worse and worse. I am not sure what is happening internally but something has changed and it feels like the Team is losing the ability to steer the ship. Morale is down, guys, and it isn’t getting better. We need changes and communication and we need it soon, or I fear there won’t be much luck getting even commited players back to the game.