It seems some heroes are almost carried on a golden throne when they are strong, and many players eat it up. “When Reinhardt is strong, the game is healthy” gag why? The most uninspired, basic “tank” archetype in the game being strong makes the game healthy?..
Yet when characters like Sym, Hog, Sombra, Junk, Mercy, D.va, Genji (who I HATE, but he belongs on this list too) and others are strong, people LOSE THEIR MINDS and cry endlessly until they are practically put in the trash next balance patch.
It feels like people are okay when Rein, Ana, Soldier, McCree, and others are strong. There is rarely outcry or lit torches (even if Ana has been a game destroying monster for FAR FAR too long imho…)
So why is that do yall think? Why are some characters (generally) beloved regardless of how strong they are currently, and when others are buffed into being actually USEFUL, they are obliterated one patch later?
This is NOT a debate of who is strong right now or who anyone thinks is strong, but why the general reaction varies so wildly within the playerbase depending on which character is largely considered strong.
Bottom line: Skill is the deciding factor on whether a hero is overpowered or oppressive.
A character can be very OP in the right hands, but middling bad in the hands of someone unskilled.
Blanket statements regarding a character should largely be ignored unless it’s regarding game mechanics or specific abilities that a character has that is overtuned in ALL hands playing it.
The issue with balance, is that all humans aren’t created equal. Some people are not as mechanically inclined. Some players use a substandard method to play the game (PC Master race here) and some may not have the reflexes to pull of the combinations required to secure easy kills.
It’s difficult to balance a game with so many variables.
A lot of casual players are content to run down mid for most of the game, and Reinhardt plays well with that strategy in mind, so a lot of people like Reinhardt. Since they like the character, when he’s good, the game is healthy (and I am guilty of sharing this mentality with characters I like too, admittedly).
Reinhardt is also generally seen as an “honest” character. He has clear strengths and weaknesses, and not much in the realm of frustrating gimmicks, kind of like how Winston is usually pointed to for an example of a well-balanced and healthy Tank.
Hero matchups also play heavily into player perception, like a D.Va player is probably going to have a stronger perception of Zarya than a Bastion player. Point is, there’s a ton of variables that go into player perception, so it’s hard to pinpoint any one cause.
I know that, but I mean the GENERAL outburst that occurs here on the forums. Again, I admit I HATE genji with a passion, but that poor dude is made strong, then the forums go NUTS, and he is obliterated again next patch.
Reinhardt becomes quite strong, arguably a top pick tank, and nobody seems to mind. That is the difference I find curious.
said characters are very frustrating to play again when they’re strong, and usually force interactions. rein, ana, soldier, mccree (don’t get me wrong i detest soldier and mccree) don’t have as many get-in-your-face gimmicks so i don’t mind those as much
Reinhard has counter play and trade offs for everything he does. That’s what makes playing him and playing against him fun.
Sym I don’t understand myself and I disagree with the anti-Genji sentiment, but the other heroes all have less counter play to their kits. A strong Junk just taps you in half a second, Hog is a bullet sponge and that’s just boring, Sombra is perma invis which is annoying and Mercy just sits behind a wall damage boosting someone.
That’s what makes them different. A good, healthy, character is one with counter play to their kit. That makes playing against them fun even when they’re strong.
Rein has needed some love for a long time. His mechanics are dated, and he’s somewhat hamstrung dealing with ranged opponents. Thankfully he has tools to close the distance and poke damage at groups. That allows him to shore up some of those offensive gaps.
Bottom line though: Skill is arguably the largest deciding factor when it comes to the success or failure on a character.
A couple of yall have mentioned “gimmicks” and I can see that. Rein is a pretty “cut and dry, black and white” character with little to no cheese. As opposed to when someone like Genji is strong, he has absurd mobility, an obnoxious deflect, a strong ult AND given power to back it all up…makes it feel “cheap”. Like Widow haters, which I also get. She may have glaring weaknesses, but getting one shot from halfway across the map never feels good, and I can see why she is never looked highly upon when buffed.
Ana and Soldier have both received a lot of complaints for being too strong for the effort they put in. I don’t think anyone’s allowed to be META for more than a week before they start getting hate mail.
Lol I mean yeah, that much is true. There isn’t a single character on the roster that doesn’t piss off SOMEONE. To be fair though, Ana belongs on the hate list of many. Blizz seems most terrified to touch her in the slightest XD
Oh, if you want my most hated character, hands down it’s Doomfist.
My favored game mode is Total Mayhem, and he’s a complete monster in that game mode. Cooldowns are so quick, it has him flying across the map like One Punch Man.
Just about the time you think you’ve got him on the ropes, he does his groundslam for airtime and punches into infinity and beyond. Grabs 3 health packs from around the map with his hyper mobility, and is back like nothing happened 5 seconds later to rinse and repeat.
Can he be tamed in that mode? Most certainly, but it requires some coordination, the right characters, and a considerable amount of twitch reflexes.
More like the only tank who is actually a tank in the game and for some reason he is the only one who is allowed to be strong.
How about actually buffing the other tanks to his level?
Nooooooo…rein only might hit you with a random firestrike as you walk around the corner with no fall off damage…or you walk around said corner and right into a charge that WILL kill you as dps or support XD
Hog…and I dont want this particular thread to go into balance issues, is USELESS outside of hook. Sure, he can run, heal, reduce damage and not die, but once you bait his hook, he just runs around, taking a breather and accomplishing very little =( He also has zero ways of protecting his team in true tank fashion beyond being fat XD
Hog, 0 ways to protect his team, say what? No, he can hook from New Mexico and land it in California. His hook was specifically designed to displace characters, whether it be squishies, or tanks. Someone gets in your back line, he could easily hook and bring them to the middle of the group. It can be used offensively, or defensively based on the scenario.
From a protection standpoint, sure, standing behind a shield is more protection, but shooting and trying to hit anything from behind it with a huge character model in your face can sometimes be challenging.
Usually it’s Memes. Both haha funny joke memes and “This is what the Pro Gamer on Youtube said so” memes
I’ve always hated reinhardt personally- especially back in the days of Double Tanks and stronger barriers.
Also this is just me being a curmudgeon but I always found it annoying when people act like rienhardt is so crazy and unique for having a MELEE WEAPON??? IN AN FP SHOOTER???
…Y’know, even though some of the most iconic weapons associated with the genre are a Crowbar and a Chainsaw.
