(I do actually present solutions in this thread but the first half is explaining the problems as best I can)
So let’s just jump into this Let’s see if I can identify the problems people who are complaining have with Mercy, problems that apparently aren’t letting a mega thread die when D’va after her rework started to die down (indicating these two reworks are not equal)
- Impactful Feeling: the hero doesn’t feel impactful in anyway, Mercy isn’t getting kills her healing isn’t getting lifesaver worthy plays and rez if you’re using it at any time it’d be an impactful play means either the enemy were oblivious or someone else’s skill saved you (I.E tanks shielding you)
- Valkyrie is Too Good: what I mean by this is that Valkyrie encourages a passive playstyle because of how effective it is, there’s no way to bring up the value with skill aside from the battle Mercy moments and the ult itself just does everything for you.
- Rezzurect as an E goes against the design of the character: I understand that it needs counterplay if it’s going to be getting pulled off on a static 30 second cooldown but this ability as it is now is a jarring experience that both feels like a test of everyone else except Mercy AND concrete shoes feel awful on Mercy, I’d know I’m okay with the concrete shoes on other heroes like Rein with his shield but Mercy just does not feel right with them on for any reason.
Now I want to focus on problem number 2 for a second as I bring to your attention my hypothesis behind Mercy Players
I believe that Mercy Players are primarily the former RTS and MOBA players
Think about it, her high pickrate even when she wasn’t that great, the idea of multi tasking and switching around targets in the blink of an eye and all the situational awareness one has to have to use the base kit. Combined with all the questions that went getting value out of the old rez (tempo rezzes were ideal none of that hide and rez non-sense). It’s clear that the skills that are good on mercy but don’t translate are the kinds of skills that grab former MOBA players.
Skill such as switching priorities all the time knowledge of the area above that of an FPS etc etc.
If my hypothesis is true then Valkyrie regardless of how powerful is just the worst thing Blizzard could have given this fanbase because of how passive it’s ability is,
MY SOLLUTIONS
Problem 1: This is a simple problem that stems for Valks duration the ability cannot have enough raw power to have that impactful feeling because it’s spread out over two long of a duration, imagine if Transcendence lasted 15 seconds, that’s an ult that feels very impactful.
(Before anyone comments about some ults not being impactful, those ults are always both passive in nature (not affecting the play of the hero directly after they have been cast) and are on heroes who have impactful playmaking potential in their base kit.
The rest of the issue can be tackled simultaneously with other problems but for now, Duration must go down
Problem 2: we have to burn every passive power in the ultimate, this means the Nerfing or removal of chain beams and buffing of the main beam, we can do this by increasing healing/damage boost, make the main target get both powers or some kind of new thing like a damage reduction or similar.
Alternatively, we can also perhaps let Mercy battle Mercy simultaneously as the beam so decent/bad mercies would just latch the beam onto a tank and then tunnel vision but great Mercy’s would start switching the beam target and still find time to land some decent damage of their own during Valk
Problem 3: I’m going to be frank, I am not against the removal of resurrect as a whole at this point. If we have to remove this ability to make way for something that works better I wouldn’t be protesting as long as we get something in return, however, I think this ability can be balanced to have instant cast as something that isn’t a cooldown ability.
- We make it a mini-ultimate with a charge like Eeveea’s suggestion of something similar to Trobs scrap meter
- We limit resurrect to Valkyrie in some way, whether that be connecting it to the ult button or giving a new ability that can naturally evolve into rez.
The primary ability I had in mind was one on a 10-second cooldown
Angel’s Cry
If used on a living target it provides a 2-second shield that blocks 50% of incoming damage
If used on a dead target it will slice 2 to 3 seconds off of their spawn timer.
This ability would evolve to immunity for 2 seconds or resurrect upon Valk’s activation.
Alternate E abilities include
CLeanse/Burst Heal, something for an instant burst of healing
A slow on enemies. Of some kind
A burst of AOE healing (say 40 to everyone in rang instantly without disrupting the beam on activation)
Damage Mitigation shielding like in angel’s Cry.
Things like this would make far more enticing E’s on Mercy then what we have right now.
If you read all the way through thank you. I do appreciate it. And I hope some of you will have some ideas to help evolve this or some constructive feeedback.
As an aside, yes I know other heroes need help that’s part of the reason I’m doing or trying to do some legwork on this issue for blizzard because Mercy is still a problem that they’ll need to fix at some point and if someone on the team takes this up as a partially passion project that’d be a dream for me)