I don’t get this whole argument. Who actually cares if it’s a beam with a forgiving hitbox that has an animation that makes it look like a lock-on or if it actually is a lock-on with a small “attach angle” or whatever. Like what difference does it actually make
Moiras weapon is a cone which attaches to the closest enemy. And when it attaches the cone will be a little wider. A lock-ons hitbox is either a half-cycle or a full cycle.
It has a fixed radius that damages a single enemy that enters it. The radius does not change when an enemy is being damaged by it.
In other words, the hitbox is a cylinder/cone (One might even call it a “beam” ). No locking on occurs outside the animation.
It’s important to be clear about these sorts of details when making complaints to the devs. “Remove Moira’s lock-on” doesn’t really mean much. It’d be like asking them to “Remove Hanzo’s hitscan arrows”
It is pretty special weapon that is unique to her… But it is not a ‘lock on’… Lock on would be what Mercy has on Caduceus Staff. When you attach beam you can look about and do not care about aiming it any more… But she has to track enemy so it is NOT a lock on…
Moira have a beam, and does indeed work like a beam weapon. In fact, it’s exactly like Symmetra’s old beam lock-on, just a hidden lock-on with a much wider radius that require less aiming on the player’s behalf.
Functionally it acts like a beam with a couple extra rules as to if someone enters first or not.
You wanna sit in your little box and go “BUht… LOCK ON”… feel free to call a watermelon a berry and pat your own back on being technically correct (you’re still kinda not) and watch that not matter to anyone or be any sort of useful input in ANYTHING.
We had/have functionally significant lock ons. Old sym Beam. Current mercy heal. Both of them have the same trait that actually matters in that once they ATTACH they have a different effective range outside the conditions which attached them and a delayed detach.
It is a beam gameplay wise (cannot be blocked by Defense Matrix). It is like a mix of Zarya’s or Sym’s beam and Winston’s. Lock-on is Mercy’s beam which works even when the target is not in LoS.
I’m mostly copy / pasting this from another comment of mine, and it’s mostly for clarification. I often see the whole “it’s just like Zaryas beam!” (Not that either of you said this: again, just clarifying and explaining for anyone interested), but it’s actually quite different. Time for the copy / pasted bits:
Theres definitely some appreciable differences.
Note in this first one I make a tether to the first bot, then shift left- It stays tethered to the first bot- But as soon as the first bot dies, it immediately tethers to the second, close bot.
This tells you that the closer bots hit box is intercepting and is a “valid target”, but it stays connected to the further bot.
You try and do the same thing with zarya, you get different results.
Which i tried to show off a bit better in this second video, along with some other things. I made sure that positioning was exactly the same here- pushing into the same corner completely perpendicular to the bots.
Note that as soon as i move my cross hairs with zarya from one bot to the next- the target changes. I can attack either the front bot, or the rear bot, depending on where that hitbox from her beam is
When i go to moira? And i want to emphasize this: I literally cant even attack the front bot.
If shes “just producing a beam” like zarya is- why cant i hit the front bot?
Its because theres attach and detach angles, which make LoS checks to the center of the targets youre aiming at.
This is also why Moira cant hit sombra while she is stealthed.
These LoS checks to center are important (a lot of abilities actually do this in overwatch) Which i try to show off a bit better in this one:
The moment the center of the front bot is blocked, i cant tether to it. Doesnt matter where I aim- Cant hit it. The moment i shift literally an inch to the left and expose the center (which i do at the 5~ second mark)- I can tether to it all day long.
Go get zarya- Stand in the exact spot, what happens?
I can target that bot anywhere my beams hitbox touches it. I can shift all the way to the right until the only thing i can even see it just the tip of its guns just past that barrel- I can hit it.
Again, the angles are so tight that crying/complaining about it being “lock on” is dubious and silly to me. It has nearly the same aim tolerances as her ult- so if youre not complaining about her ult, dont complain about her primary.
But its very easy to demonstrate that it does not function the same as a typical “beam” in the game.
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And from one other post:
To be more specific: She goes by LoS checks to a specific center on targets
That area where the beam physically attaches to the target? If she doesnt have LoS to that area- She cant tether her beam.
Again note a few things here: I come to the side and stand out and show / circle the “Area” the beam is tethering to.
I then use the monitor/keyboard to block LoS to that area.
The moment that center area is visible between the monitor/keyboard- I can tether to them. The moment it gets blocked off, I cant.
To emphasize the importance of this “Tether point”, i change targets- From Rein to Reaper, as the tether point is different due to their heights. This is made obvious by the proximity i have to scoot up to the console compared to rein vs reaper to make a tether. I have to be closer when dealing with rein, because his is higher up.
Go do the same thing with zarya, do we have the same interactions?
Nope. Whether im crouching or standing, i can hit them anywhere i can see through the console
Moiras beam is not fundamentally like other beams, such as Zaryas. It has attach and detach angles, that have LoS requirements to a central point on the enemy youre attempting to attack. Other beams dont follow these mechanics.
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Blah blah blah. I feel calling it a lock on is a bit dubious when you consider the context of how it works- especially compared to other lock ones already on the game. But it doesn’t work like other beam weapons ether.
By saying that the hitbox is a cylinder/cone you’re implying that when this cylinder/cone meets the hurtbox of the target a hit is registered. Moira’s secondary does not work like this.
You can go to the training room, pick a training bot and position yourself so that most of the bot is hidden from view but its guns are still visible. If you’re on Zarya, you can hit the bot by aiming at its guns that are sticking out of the wall (there is a hitbox vs hurtbox check here). If you’re on Moira, you can’t hit the bot no matter where you aim your crosshair at.
Moira’s secondary does not take the shape of the target’s hurtbox into the equation. It calculates the angle between your crosshair and a center point (of the target) that must be visible to you.
). No locking on occurs outside the animation.
