Then why did they give dps a passive that makes them keep some of their ult when swapping heroes?
Iâm guessing the marketing team is trying to push a narrative where a lot of the things people âhatedâ about OW1 are being removed, which includes counterpicking for some reason?
Meanwhile gameplay designers are still creating with that in mind, with the usual higher up influence.
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Because if they canât figure out how to give them a passive without being OP but have already promised role passives, give them a useless one that wonât harm balance too much.
2 Likes
Looks like the one hand doesnât know what the other hand is doing.
Also I am very interested on how they plan to remove (or at least tune down) counter picking.
That would mean reworks for at least 1/3 of the roster 
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From playing the beta, the game was less about counter picking but it was still there in some instances. The DPS role has the most heroes and the most versatility in the game if OW, so gaining some ultcharge back when swapping off is not that bad of a tradeoff. Its not perfect but it usable.
I played a ton of zen, and i had a much easier time playing into my counters in OW2 than in OW1. The kick was incredibly helpful to help even the matchup between a tracer or genji pick. I still got murked a ton by them, but the fight felt more fair.
I beleive that that feeling is what Blizzard is hoping to display. If you are a similarly skilled player as your âcounterâ you have a better chance of winning the duel, than being kneecapped to a rock paper scissors matchup.
Obviously there are still outliers, and the dev team didnt say they were getting rid of it, just that theyre working on it being less prevalent.
2 Likes
Says the game isnt about counter picking, adds a cleanse to the new hero
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It will always be about counters. They are just attempting to sway those of us upset about heroes being locked behind the BP.
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Yeah, how could they possibly make Pharah not require a counter pick?
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Many heroes donât have dramatic holes in their kits anymore no, but their are plenty of strategies that your pick might struggle with. Yet another hero would work just fine in.
you do need to have a base line amount of skill with the hero your swapping onto. Be it if you do you can level the playing field rather quickly.
It seems like theyâre struggling to find a passive for DPS that makes sense and doesnât break the game.
We also donât know what the new ranked ruleset will be so maybe it makes more sense after we learn what those are.
Lol yea, after Junker Queen nonetheless. What a clown move.
DINGG DINGG DINGG!!!
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They never said that they removed counter picking. Only hard counters that force you to swap even when they cant really play the hero.
They really set themselves up for an impossible task. They say hero matchups and counterpicking are things that exists in OW2, but they are trying to make hardcounters a thing of the past, so that every hero can be played in any given situation, making heroes being locked behind a battle pass a fair thing that wont disrupt the competitive scene in any way.
Who here really believes they can truly balance the game in a way where counterpicks are a thing, but hardcounters are not. The balance in OW1 wasnât exactly great either. A meta will eventually be formed in competitive play, and if a battle pass hero is top pick in any given meta, GG, youâve failed MISERABLY.
3 Likes
Well that attitude came from OWL⌠just saying
So the Devs said fine⌠and added the passive to encourage switching
Clip her wings 
Thatâs exactly the issue with the direction the are saying they planning to go.
If they do it, then it inevitably leads to heavy hero equalization and loss of hero identity.
If they donât do it, then they should have never talked about it.
They just basically gave people an official free pass on soft throwing by sticking to a hero despite getting countered into oblivion.
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I believe what they were saying is itâs not as much about counter-picking, but itâs still relevant, not that counter-picking was completely wiped off the board.
If they are only intending to âdecreaseâ hard counters then it really doesnât work as a justification for locking heroes.
It feels like they have no intention of making the balance changes required to reduce hard counters and only said what they said to try and make people feel ok about locked heroes.
The only evidence of this direction that I can think of from the beta is Zenâs kick. Surely if this has been the plan all along then they should have already been balancing for this in the beta?
Except that theyâve already rebalanced some characters, removed some stuns, withdrawn some shields⌠Iâm not saying it justifies anything, but theyâve already been doing it.
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Yeah, I guess going 5v5 has removed the need to counter specific tank combos.
âNo, no, we said the game is no longer about snitching. Weâve removed the report feature.â
2 Likes