I don’t think it’s wrong to say that Shield Tanks are not in a great spot right now. Two of them were nerfed pretty hard, and one is basically a must pick because of this, he’s the only one who can effectively do his job at this point. But another interesting thing is, people are not complaining about Rein himself, really they are more concerned with how often he’s picked. Rein as a hero seems to be well liked, why?
I’ve dabbled in this before in other threads but I think it’s time I really write down my thoughts here in the hope something will change. So, no more beating around the bush, what makes Rein work as a Tank?
The simple answer, is how Rein MUST Commit to his choices. He cannot Shield and Damage at the same time, if he attempts to deal damage his team is vulnerable, but if he uses his shield he can’t defend himself if he is pressured. This creates oppourtunites for the opposing team or player, but not only that, it means Rein does NOT require switching or hard counters to defeat. He can be beaten if you understand how to bait him into making a bad choice.
Now with that said, my question to you is simple, why not apply this concept to the other shield Tanks? If you look at Orisa, the main reason she feels difficult to beat without switching or using a hard counter is because the moment you break her shield, she can replace it with another, if she can’t, she’ll just use Fortify. She has an answer to everything, and therefore not much weakness. Same can be said for Sigma, at least at launch. When he deployed his barrier, he had so many options. He could peck you with his orbs, you push on him and he will throw the rock, if you tried to damage him he could absorb it and restore health. Both of these heroes have so many options but leave nothing for the enemy to oppose them with. They need weaknesses to exploit, a way they can be outsmarted. I am hoping with the suggestions below this can be fixed.
Disclaimer: I am using this thread to base the Barrier health and regen numbers (By the Numbers: DPS of all Heroes)
Orisa
- Barrier Health is now 1200
- Barrier Regen Rate when stowed is 300 health per second
- Barrier now has a weak spot to it when deployed, this weakspot is located behind the barrier on the ground where the barrier is projected out of. And when shot, it is treated as a critical hit. Doubling the damage for most weapons.
- Orisa can now recall her barrier up to 7 meters away to begin recharging it.
- When in play, the barrier will NOT regenerate or start a cooldown
- If broken, Orisa will have a 4 second cooldown before it begins to regenerate
What will this do?
This will force Orisa to commit to where ever she wants to stall out the enemy. Because now she can no longer place a fresh barrier down when it is damaged or when it is destroyed.
Before, this created a placebo effect of having a much stronger barrier. For example, she could have a 1200 hp barrier, with another ready to go and place another down when that barrier is halfway or fully destroyed. Effectively giving her a Barrier with 2400 hp. Now that is no longer the case, her barrier will break if pressured hard, forcing her to use fortify as a retreat.
Also, if the enemy flanks her, and forces her to move her barrier, she can be overwhelmed from the frontline. Or the flanker can shoot the barrier weakspot to destroy it more quickly. If she doesn’t, she can use fortify to help her eliminate the Flanker, or save it for when the barrier is broken.
Either way, the enemy has a strategy in dealing with her. Flank her and force her to use to move the barrier, or break it.
Orisa also has a new strategy she can use as well, she can recall the barrier when the enemy team wipes, let it recharge, then place it back down in a different angle or spot if needed. Allowing her to shake up her placement if needed.
Sigma
- The experimental barrier has 1000 hp, with a regen rate of 250 health per second when not placed
- The experimental barrier will no longer block damage while it is being placed.
- The barrier is now a projectile that when placed, expands to block incoming damage.
- The experimental barrier cast time is now back to 0.4 seconds
- The experimental barrier has a speed of 20 meters per second, so it can be placed slightly faster to compensate for the changes
- When broken, the barrier has a 2 second cooldown BEFORE it begins to regenerate, meaning the total time before it fully recharges is 6 seconds
What will this do?
This means the way to counter Sigma is to bait him into moving his barrier, rush him from an unexpected angle and he will move it. This means while moving the barrier he and his allies are vulnerable to damage, unless he uses grasp to absorb it BEFORE moving it, but even then his team is still vulnerable to damage. This means you don’t need to try and burst the barrier down to beat him, he needs to plan ahead with his rock and grasp usage. Meaning they can also be buffed to compensate for this change.
Winston
Honestly, the big guy is fairly fine, but, I want to entertain some changes.
- Winston’s current primary fire is now his alt fire
- Winston has a new primary fire, a single beam of lightning with 14 meters of range, a width of 0.2, and deals 80 damage per second.
- New primary fire can NOT pass through his barrier
- Winston now has a weak spot in the Barrier, the generator when shot will take double damage to the barrier.
- Winston now has a quick melee damage of 40, with a knock back as well to keep people from entering the barrier to shoot it.
Just wanted to entertain the idea of adding just a bit more mind games to him.
Rein…for now, I would say he is fine, if needed they can add back the Steadfast changes, maybe increase the swing speed of his hammer slightly. Or increase his barrier health regen rate.