link to newer v2 rework thread: The Dodo Compromise Mercy Rework v2
This is a suggestion that I believe will keep Mercy players who are already happy with her current state happy, while appeasing or possibly even pleasing some (but not all) of those who are unhappy with her current state. I am not pushing for this change, as I like Mercy as she is now, but I wouldnt be opposed to it
Blizzard/Devs: I take no credit for this suggestion and you are free to use it in part or full if you wish without any fear of claims from me for credit or compensation of any sort. I fully release you here and now from any such liability whatsoever
If you are a Mercy player who is unhappy with Mercy for one or more of the following reasons, you may find some value in this proposal
In no particular order of importance:
- I would prefer that rez be removed from Mercy altogether
- I dont like my movement being slowed when using Mercy’s cooldown ability
- I dont find Valkyrie to be engaging enough, it is spectator mode for me
- I want Mercy to have some form of burst healing
- I want Mercy to be able to heal someone at a much higher rate (higher than the current 60) when in Valkyrie mode
The changes I am suggesting below would require animation changes and ergo would be a rework rather than a simple buff/nerf. Though both changes could be released separately, I personally think it would be best if they are packaged together in a single rework
Any aspect of Mercy not mentioned/addressed below remains as it is, unchanged
Change 1: #BigMainLittleChains
This change provides some relief to those players who identify with complaints 3, 4, and/or 5 above
I cover this a bit more extensively in a thread of its own (linked at the end of this post), and there is some good commentary there as well
Essentially, in Valkyrie mode only, the main beam from the staff heals (or damage boost) at a greater rate, while the chains heal (or damage boost) at a lower rate
I suggest healing be 80main/40chain, while damage boost be 35main/25chain, but these numbers can be changed as Blizzard deems fit until acceptably balanced, as long as the main beam remains significantly stronger than the chains
This will encourage the Mercy player to prioritize the target of the main beam to whoever the player feels is in the greatest need of it - this also relates to the “beam juggling” skill that many Mercy mains speak of, a skill that doesnt come into play nearly as much when every teammate in the vicinity is getting the identical treatment via the current version of Valkyrie
Change 2: Invigorate
This change provides some relief to those players who identify with complaints 1, 2, and/or 4 above
Essentially, the resurrect cooldown ability is renamed to Invigorate (or it could be Revitalize, or Revive, or some other name that would represent the ability well); and the renamed ability can be used on a LIVING target -OR- a DEAD target (soul marker?), at the choice of the given Mercy player. If used on a dead target, it would work exactly as rez does now. If used on a living target, it would a) not cause a reduction in the players movement speed, and b) would cause a short lived healing “explosion” (strongest effect on the targeted individual, lesser effects the further away one is from the targeted individual), with a strength best determined by the devs, though I’d suggest around 200-300 on the target, ie roughly the same number of HPs restored by a rez on a DPS character. Strength of this effect can be adjusted for balance in many ways (radius, duration, max effect, etc) until a satifactory balance is achieved
Those who want rez removed entirely might say that this doesnt remove rez, which is true. That said, with this change, a player that feels this way can get value out of the cooldown ability without ever using rez - effectively removing it from their game without removing it from everyone’s game
Other QOL changes
I’d like to see targeting for GA to be a bit more forgiving, so one can get to that widow teammate on a high ledge who just wont come to the edge so Mercy can GA to her
I’d like to see the existing beam if any remain attached when Mercy starts Valkyrie
I openly acknowledge that doesnt provide much (if any) relief for the many players whose main (or only) concern is getting mass rez back.
I also openly acknowledge that doesnt provide much (if any) relief for the many players whose main (or only) concern is having a ultimate that offsets/negates an enemy ultimate
All comments/criticism/input is welcomed
EDIT 1: Is this a buff or a nerf? I see this set of changes as being a buff in some ways and a nerf in others. If one does the math on healing 80main/40 chains and assuming 5 teammates, the total potential healing is lesser than 60/60, yet generally not all teammates are being hit equally as hard, and as such I think the real healing will generally be higher, especially with proper juggling of beams. The options with Invigorate make the cooldown slot quite a bit more versatile, but I dont think healing is greater than rez. YMMV. I can say I dont intend this set of changes to be a buff or a nerf overall; and if it is felt that it is, the numbers for each change can certainly be raised or lowered until it is neither
the old thread discussing #BigMainLittleChains: