CHANGES:
Deploy time reduced from 2s to 1.5s.
Interact radius increased from <1m (?) to 2-3m with faint blue circle indicator.
The teleporter now ignores railings and will always spawn under Symmetra’s feet. The teleporter will not self destruct under any circumstances, and will be pushed if colliding with terrain, exactly as B.O.B. is.
Optional changes:
*Range increased from 25 to 30-35
*Duration increased from 10s to infinite.
*The particle effect showing the direction of the exit pad is now more prominent.
Rationale:
Symmetra struggles as a DPS hero because she has no instant damage. Turrets take time to travel and activate while remaining destructible. Secondary fire requires a wind-up time.
For a utility DPS hero (you may prefer the term “gimmick” hero) to be viable, their utility needs to be strong and reliable. The teleporter, due to its plethora of placement glitches, self-destruct glitches, minuscule interaction radius, and slow set-up, is neither. The reason to pick Symmetra over ANY other DPS hero is her teleporter. It absolutely needs to be strong and as bug-free as possible if she’s to see any play besides as a taxi servant to another niche hero.
My proposed changes would make the TP much more team-friendly, as teammates would be able to better gauge when they’re in range of it. They would be able to access it more easily, not worry about it expiring after they go through it, and they would have a better idea of where it goes. The Sym player would have more play options for it as well, and fixing inconsistencies would make teleporting objects, such as sentry turrets, more consistent.
The only DPS heroes who are easy prey when jumped should be heroes with excellent long-range killing potential, ie snipers. Sym isn’t one. Right now she’s as vulnerable as a typical support hero when jumped on because, unless she happens to be near a turret nest, she does 60dps as a 200HP squishy. She has no panic button / steroid / defensive ability / on-demand escape etc.
In a fast-paced game such as Overwatch having to spend time wrestling with the TP’s deployment, the chance for it to spawn wrong, or worse, destroy itself, is completely unacceptable.
Here are a few videos showing the glitches and problems plaguing the teleporter, linked at relevant timestamps for your convenience :
I know I make a lot of Sym posts, but I’m passionate about the character. She’s my favourite by far and to see her with such glaring flaws that could be easily addressed is extremely frustrating. It’s almost as if it’s a lack of awareness of these issues, a lack of care, or a fear of making her not F-tier. I just want her viable. (Not meta, viable.) This thread encapsulates what I think are her most significant flaws, and from my experience talking with Sym mains much more highly ranked than I am, they agree. I am going to to my best to keep this thread alive until it is noticed.
Symmetra was one of the original 12 heroes announced in 2014. She had 2 reworks and is still hated by the community at large because she is simply outclassed and heavily countered by many heroes. She deserves better.
EDIT: adding additional videos as they surface below: