I opened a poll up on r/SymmetraMains asking whether people preffered 2.0 (Shield Gen) or 3.0 (Current Symmetra). I will outline the votes and the replies stating what they loved about 2.0, what’s missing from 3.0 and what they love about current Symmetra.
If a developer stumbles across this, I’d appreciate it if you take the time to read the feedback given by the Symmetra subreddit.
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The Votes
The Votes
At the time of writing this post, 2.0 Symmetra has 80 votes, and 3.0 Symmetra 58 votes.
This means 58% of Symmetra players prefer pre-rework Symmetra over the current Symmetra.
Why would they prefer a “worse” version?
The answer is simple. People “main” heroes due to the enjoyment said hero brings. People loved 2.0 Symmetra for various reasons (I will outline feedback later in the post) and they do not care too much about “balance” if they are still having fun.
Arguably, 3.0 Symmetra is actually worse than 2.0 Symmetra. Looking at Overbuff, Symmetra’s pickrate and winrate are both lower than before the rework. Of course, statistics don’t completely represent balance, so take this with a grain of salt.
The Feedback
Their Feedback
There are a lot of quotes here, so I will provide a TLDR section for people that don’t want to read them all.
One user: I liked slow orb that went through barriers.
My reply: It was a great way to build at least 50% ult charge at the start of a defense round
One user: The new one is good but frankly more boring, I’d like 2.0 back with throwable turrets and maybe the new secondary fire.
One user: I love support Sym, I wish they tried more balanced with her rather than not changing her for a year then giving us 3.0. I hope one day we would get a mix of the two [versions of Symmetra] but I can dream
One user: I miss 2.0 so much. I loved how unique her play style was with finding good spots for TP and shield gen and setting traps.
One user: I adored 2.0, the only thing I prefer in 3.0 are the throwable turrets.
One user: 2.0 is superior.
Because 2.0 was a relic of the time when Overwatch still at least tried to cater a lot more to casual players. Remember when that was a thing and OW wasn’t just one of many competitive shooter for tryhards?
3.0, the current Sym, in this vein is a sign how everything needs to [cater] to eSport, even if it doesn’t really work. Did the rework of Sym to 3.0 make her viable? No. She still isn’t used in the Comp scene or the OWL. So was the rework necessary? No. Did we lose players because of it? Yes. Did we get new players because of the rework? Yes. Why did we get these new players? Because suddenly her gameplay was more in line with other existing characters. Did the players lost stop playing OW completely as they haven’t gotten an alternative? Yes, these exist.
Now all that really is up for debate is the actual numbers and ratios, but honestly, for me the yes/no thing is already enough to call 3.0 a failure in intent and execution.
One user: I like playing 3.0 sym, but I really miss having her old kit*(especially the shield generator) and having her as a support (as besides for Symmetra and Sombra I only play supports). The only thing I would want Sym 2.0 to have from 3.0 sym would be the secondary fire movement speed and having the turrets being thown instead of being manually placed.
One user: i like symmetra’s current turret setup and her teleporter (more specifically when it wasnt infinite). the beam change was needed as it was near impossible for the average player like myself to go against [the lock on beam], but im glad they buffed her damage to balance her beam out. i do miss having photon barrier on hand though, like what 2.0 had. it was fun blocking shatters with one button press, now i have to press two buttons and click.
Feedback TLDR
TLDR
- The Symmetra mains that do prefer 3.0 are not satisfied with infinite teleporter and would like it to go back to being temporary.
- Most of the feedback suggests they prefer the new throwable turrets.
- Lots of people miss Shield Generator and the old Photon Barrier.
- Some people are unhappy with the developer negligence of 2.0 Symmetra. She recieved no balance changes before being reworked.
- Several people have proposed a “new” rework that combines aspects of 2.0 Symmetra with 3.0 Symmetra.
- Several people stated that they prefer the new secondary fire due to the increased damage and speed.
- Moving Symmetra from the Support category to the Damage category has left many Symmetra mains feeling out of place.
This specific feedback was not in the thread, but is what I’ve heard of from speaking with other Symmetra players on Discord and Twitter. Many Symmetra mains also play Mercy, Moira and Brigitte.
So what now?
That’s up to the developers. The way I see it, there are four options:
- Revert Symmetra back to 2.0. Perhaps provide some tweaks.
Symmetra would perhaps have to be kept as a DPS, as I’m not sure a non-healing Support would work with 2-2-2 role lock. - Rework her again, but combine her 2.0 kit with her 3.0 turrets and secondary fire.
- Revert infinite TP, make it temporary again.
This solution is the most basic and easiest “solution”. There will be many Symmetra players still unhappy with her rework, but the Symmetra mains that prefer 3.0 would be happy. - Have two version of Symmetra on the live server.
This would likely be a technical nightmare, but it would keep all Symmetra mains happy. 2.0 was very strong on defense, and 3.0 on certain offense maps. Allowing Symmetra to switch between kits would make her a flexible pick. She would need to have a second hero icon so the enemy team knows which kit she’s playing with.
In my opinion, the best option is number 2. Combining aspects of both 2.0 and 3.0 is a middle ground for Symmetra players with a divided opinion.
EDIT: I’ve made a poll for all players. I’d appreciate your responses! It shouldn’t take more than 30 seconds of your time.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GB8JCJC
EDIT 2: The survey is now closed!
Here is the follow up thread going over responses: