This is kind of the same as the earlier discussion about turning it into a single-person Zarya-like barrier. Photon Barrier can do the same thing and more so it would basically be a downgrade. Especially if you just lower Photon Barrierâs cool down.
Plus with how much people call Sym no-skill, I like that Photon Barrier takes good coordination, planning, and positioning to use effectively.
Yea but that just prove that my idea is better, you put a 200hp barrier on your ally an let them do the work while being protected against huge damage direct hit
Edit she should be fine with more barrier up time as both kind have its own flaw and counterable
PB is very hard to make work as well as a Zarya bubble, it potentially can but not anywhere near as often or as easily or as reliably. The ability to throw a personal shield around say a Pharah as she ults is so much better than trying to get up and behind her before then cast the PB. Ease of use is the advantage, combined with more versatility at the exchange of lower direct strength.
True but like I edited into my last post, I donât want to give people the satisfaction of being able to call Sym completely no-skill, so Iâm fine with Photon Barrier being mechanically harder to use if it means having higher potential value, because thatâs what Sym lacks the most: potential value.
Kind of, I like your idea but I see no way to make it work in game, it seems very complicated and difficult mechanically. My problem with b0th current PB and your idea is that while they are good in theory itâs almost impossible to get the best use of them in an actual fight. For me the answer to fixing the problems with Sym is to try to simplify and give her a more clear role, though I can see how someone who likes Sym as she is now may disagree.
Itâd be nice if the barrier could be slowed down/stopped at will. Maybe it could rapidly take damage when held.
I REALLY like the sound of an overshielding mechanic, and I feel like this could effortlessly be added to the barrier without really changing it.
For example, when the barrier hits the environment and breaks (but still has HP left), that remaining HP is distributed equally between all allies in 30 meter LOS as decaying shields. Decay rate = 15 shields lost per second.
This would essentially refund a barrier that didnt get much use, and justify its insane cooldown.
Interesting, Iâm of pretty much the opposite opinion. XD I think her kit is too simple for what it advertises and doesnât give player skill enough room to increase the value with her, which is where a lot of anti-Sym complaints also come from - that her value is too frustratingly consistent even if itâs low value. Itâs good to see where we both stand, this has been an interesting conversation.
Iâd personally like more synergy between her abilities, especially regarding the idea of setting up a defensive matrix. Her gameplay is more strategy than mechanical but it has very little effective strategy currently, so that leaves it feel very lacking overall.
The barrier itself is not strong but its potential is actually higher, sym main know what will be the threat and track on it like pharah or tracer ult, as they can predict and use it to stop them. Photon barrier has the potential but to make it success require a huge luck aspect, my idea let her do it easier as long as the player can predict same as before. And since this thread is about the barrier, i wont address fully the ideas that i made for her LShift and ult but i will keep it short
LShift: build a portal and let allies move back and forth
Ult: tele: reduce allies spawn time
SG regen shield on hp bar and barriers, cannot be interrupted unless naded by ana
Edit: she will become a strong utility support that you would want on your team and she will be viable as well
Just for the record here is the changes I want made to Sym
1: Her turrets are semi-invisible when not firing and now have health of 10, still squishy but you have to put a little aim in to kill them quickly and they can be more in the open.
2: The overshield idea to replace PB as right now her ult is her only really support value, but with essentially a slightly weaker Zarya bubble on a lower CD she gains a role as a enabler, push maker and can more easily assit fights more often and more reliably.
3: Finally merge her ults into a teleport that grants a shield to those near it,going through it gives the overshield free and she can place the base plate whenever but only activate it when ult charge hits 100%.
With this she becomes more of a support as her turrets can cover the map and give information she can more easily help people in fights and her ultimate works better. We also remove some of the weirdness of her being a tank-melee-support, and turn her into a melee-support as well as simplify her ult. Give her a clearer role that shes better and and I feel we will see her become a useful hero again but right now something needs to change.
Not bad ideas but not strong enough to stand with other supports with heal
Your ideas arenât bad but they have a pretty big flaw. While she isnât no skill at all her aim requirements and self heal should make her low-skill, yet that abilities your talking about require really high skill. No other hero is built that way, most being medium-high or low-medium but your pitching low-high which might be great for Sym mains but will ensure I will never play her as she is built too weird when right now I play her a little, not much but way more than most. It might be what you want but it isnât what she needs.
I kind of agree, I just think its the best possible version of Sym without fundamentally changing everything. My goal when thinking of those was how to make her viable(ish) without overhauling everything instead making smaller changes or giving her a heal, as I like the idea of a support that doesnât heal. Thatâs a hard hero to make.
Yes, and i believe that high skill requirement will make her becomes a good hero in higher ranks as she can be great if the playerâs game sense and prediction is good as well.
h ttps://youtu.be/qSxQCSNyb1I
Check out my video about me using Photon barrier to block things. The new barrier will help me do more things like this
Krikenemp, Thank you.
I am afraid that Blizzard might cave in to pressure from people who do not appreciate Symmetraâs design and change Symmetra in ways that donât fit her true spirit.
I loved what they did in 2.0 rework and I wish they build on that rather than change it.
Yea it sounds like a powerful ability. I donât want to see Photon Barrier go because 1v1 Photon Barrier is superior Imo.
You guys want it to be added in addition to the Photon Barrier?
I can get behind adding abilities to her existing kit in theory.
But in reality if Devs decide to add more abilities to Symmetra then they are unlikely to buff the weaknesses of her Turrets and Photon Barrier, which is what Symmetra needs right now.
but maybe they fix all of it, I donât know. So letâs ignore that and explore this ability a bit.
I like the idea of an ability where you place a permanent Barrier on certain Enemies and make them Burst through it.
Itâs like a reverse Zarya Barrier. Itâs pretty cool concept.
However if we want to see this type of ability in the game, whether in Symmetraâs or that of any other hero, then we must think about how it effects the players in the game.
This type of Barrier is kind of broken on heroes that have low DPS., because it will take them a while to break through it. Winston takes ages just to destroy a 400 hp TP/Shield Gen.
This type of Barrier is kind of broken on heroes that only do spash damage, with no other way of dealing non-splash damage like Pharah.
You would have to make this type of Barrier have like 200 health so Brigitte, Winston, Moira and Pharah, arenât pulling their hair out from having this on them every few seconds.
Symmetra is a Melee hero who often finds herself in melee range in chatoic fights and is very vulnerable to enemies who deal damage at mid to long range.
Photon Barrier is great for pushing into enemy lines, and so allows Symemtra to close the gap and get into melee range of an enemy without taking much damage.
Photon Barrier is great for blocking burst damage at close-mid range.
Photon Barrier is great for shutting down Sniper site lines, becuase as it moves closer to the Sniper it takes up more and more of their vision.
This is exactly the type of ability she needs.
i wouldnât have it any other way. Photon Barrier is perfect for Symmetraâs kit!
I think instead of a slow-moving barrier, a barrier which she can manipulate and change the direction o, is much more useful.
Symmetra doesnât need to be blokcing damage all of the time. She doesnât need to have more than 1000 damage blocked per game. Her barrier is tehre to prevent BURST damage, and CC.
Burst damage from Helix rockets. Burst damage from Widow snipes. Burst damage from Dva Bomb. Burst damage from Pharah Ult, Doomfist Ult.
And CC like Rein shatter, Whole Hog, Flashbang, Hook.
So it isn;t there for blocking small amounts of damage,and you donât need to use it for that because for that you have Shields from Shield Generator, which absorbs chip damage.
I do think that Shields from Shield Generator should count towards Damage blocked so as a Player, you have a better idea of your contribution on Symmetra.
Symmetraâs Turrets slow enemies and create Targets for them to shoot down instead of your team.
Sheâs always weaving this Web of Turrets that enemies are constantly getting stuck in and have to keep tearing down.
She can block lethal burst damage and hard CC with her Photn Barrier.
In Mobas this is called Cleanse. Cleanse removes CC after the fact. Photon Barrier prevents the CC before it effects you.
Thatâs exactly why Photon Barrier should either have a lower cooldown or be more effective at what it does.
That type of over shield cannot protect against the vast majority of things like Burst damage and CC that Photon Barrier protects against.
Depends on how it is reduced.
Since when do you have to coordinate Photon Barrier with your team lol?
The great thing about Photon Barrier is that it moves and it does not need any coordination from your team.
Exactly. Photon Barrier increasess the Skill ceiling of Symmetra. The different betweeen PL and GM syms is how good their Photon Barriers are.
Thatâs because itâs not a Zarya bubble. Itâs a faster and unidirectional version of Rein shield.
So Roadhog throws a Hook, and you knock it away with your Photon Barrier and prevent yourself from dying. Are we to understand that that is not good use of the Barrier in an âactual fightâ?
Doomfist Ults on top of you and you use Phton Barrier to completely negate all his damage. Are we to understand that that is not good use of the Photon Barrier in an âactual fightâ?
Your team is pushing into the Point on Ilios Well and you cast photon barrier in front of them negating all frontal pressure. Are we to understand that that is not good use of the Photon Barrier in an âactual fightâ?
Cmon dude. At some point you have to realize that you are wrong about Photon Barrier and its strengths.
You have no idea of its power. 
See my Improvement #4, where it maintains the identity of the Barrier as a moving Barrier but opens up utility similar to that of a stationary barrier and more.
The devs also liked that and so they gave it to Brigitte! 
Who by the way also has a peronsal shield. 
Thatâs ebcause her skill doesnât come from mechanical aim, but rather it comes from strategizing and positoning like in an RTS.
Symmetra is basically the RTS hero of a FPS shooter. 
Itâs why I 
Symmetra. So unique!
What luck aspect?
They have to at least remove the Red outline on them until they fire. That way you cannot see them from a distance.
Her Ultimates are in a good place and do not need any more buffs. What needs buffs is her Sentry Turrets and Photon Barrier.
That said Ultimates can use some QoL buffs like -
I was not suggesting the reverse Zarya Barrier be permanent. Like Zarya barrier it would only last for a couple of seconds
How about having the barrier stop when pressing the button again? I feel this would make it less situational. For other ideas Iâve always thought it would be cool if Sym could construct a jump pad. It will allow heroes with no mobility to get high ground which can be huge.
I also like the idea of a reverse Zarya bubble. I think it could get away with having a decent amount of health if it had a long enough cooldown. It would have to be between that and have low health but a shorter cooldown. Since allies would also be able to shoot the barrier off of someone, I donât think it would be that bad for the lower DPS heroes, especially if it also had a duration that they could just wait out. It would make them bigger targets for sure since it would also distract more of their team. I wonder if it should also prevent damage from the outside coming in as a tradeoff, or maybe amplify damage coming in the cooldown is comparable to Resurrect. Lots of possibilities.
Splash damage would be the biggest problem - but imo they should just get rid of self-damage on the last remaining heroes who have it.
Splash damage would be the biggest problem - but imo they should just get rid of self-damage on the last remaining heroes who have it.
Pls no. This would be a huge nerf to Photon barrier.
Personally I think Junk and DVA should never have had their self-damage taken away.
Errrr this luck aspect:
https://youtu.be/qSxQCSNyb1I