TEAMWORK QUALITY OF LIFE “BUFF”
Sentry Gun Laser Sight
Just as Lucio kept his song-circles to help teammates know where to stand to enjoy his speed boosts or healing, Bastion’s Sentry Gun should have a laser pointer to inform his teammates (but not his enemies) where his gun is aimed so that they know where they can expect his fire-support.
The safest place for Bastion to be is behind his allies and as high off the ground as possible, so the frontline can easily fail to realize where their Bastion is and what line of sight the Bastion can use to support them.
A laser pointer in Sentry Mode would help them to recognize when engaging an enemy team around a corner will leave them without a Bastion’s fire-support.
BUFF RECON (Rifle)
Accuracy
Reduce the speed at which the Recon Rifle’s bloom expands, and/or increase the speed at which it recovers. If Bastion is supposed to have any reliable long-range weapon, and this is supposed to be Bastion’s only reliable long-range weapon, then it needs to actually be reliable. Between its inaccuracy and Bastion’s large hit-box, Bastion still wants to avoid using it, since there’s no duel at any range which he can win in Recon.
And if Bastion isn’t supposed to have a reliable long-range weapon, then he needs one of the other proposed buffs.
CHANGE RECON (Rifle)
Shotgun
If the Sentry Gun and Recon Rifle aren’t going to be made any more reliable at long range, then consider replacing the rifle with a shotgun that gives him more self-defense at close-range.
BUFF RECON/SENTRY (Mobility and Positioning)
Horizontal
As a cool-down E ability in Recon Mode: Bastion transforms his legs into his tank treads, allowing him faster horizontal movement and the possibility of making farther jumps.
Either way, Bastion gains a little more ability to safely and quickly traverse the map, as well as to reach better firing positions for Sentry Mode, while still being less mobile than the other Defense heroes. This ability might also work in Tank Mode, or else Tank Mode might get a passive buff to speed.
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Vertical
As a cool-down E ability in Recon Mode: Bastion climbs walls at half the speed of Genji or Hanzo, or fires grappling wires like Widowmaker which fly out just as fast, but which reel him up at half speed or less.
Either way, Bastion gains a little more ability to safely and quickly traverse the map, as well as to reach better firing positions for Sentry Mode, while still being less mobile than the other Defense heroes. This ability might also work in Tank Mode.
BUFF SENTRY (Resistance)
Anti-CC
As a cool-down E ability with short duration: in Sentry Mode, Bastion applies anchors to the ground which prevent him from being moved from that position or knocked out of Sentry form by abilities like Halt, Charge, or Hook. The cooldown for this ability doesn’t start until he leaves Sentry Mode.
This buff could be packaged together with the grapple-wire idea proposed for Vertical Mobility.
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Extremely Weak Shield
Give Bastion’s Sentry Mode an even more limited version of Zarya’s shield as an E Ability. He cannot fire while using it. It can only recharge in Recon Form. It has a short duration, and only protects from the front.
Can protect against Charges, Hooks, and explosives like Pulse Bombs, Helix Rockets, and Pharah primary shots. He can still heal or shoot while using it.
BUFF SENTRY (Burst DPS)
Rockets
As an E Ability that doesn’t go on cooldown until Bastion leaves Sentry Form. Either something quick like Soldier:76’s Helix Rockets or slow like D.Va’s Micro-Rockets, but either way, it gives Bastion back some of the linear, long-range killing power he lost.
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Railgun
As an E Ability that doesn’t go on cooldown until Bastion leaves Sentry Form. Most similar to Helix Rockets, but trades small AOE explosion for hitscan.
Could possibly have a “kick” powerful enough to knock Bastion back and instantly out of Sentry Mode.
REWORK SENTRY (Mobility)
Hovercraft
As a way to address complaints that Bastion is “too immobile” for the game that Overwatch evolved into, how about this?
Sentry Turret loses Ironclad but gains the ability to slowly drift around, with no ability to jump. There’s a slight delay before Bastion begins to shoot, as first he needs to stop hovering and drop to the ground (lore-wise) “for the traction needed to handle the Sentry cannon’s recoil”. (This is also the lore reason why Tank Cannon forces Tank Mode to use treads instead of hover machines.)
Hovercraft mode can crouch, which sets Bastion down without needing to shoot, allowing Bastion to shoot immediately upon clicking the Primary Fire button.
This brings Bastion more into line with Orisa and Hammond, who sacrifice speed when they want to shoot at things. It gives Bastion some means of potentially escaping from corner-peaking Hanzos instead of slowly (or quickly) dying without a chance to counter-play.
BUFF SENTRY/TANK (Toughness)
Ironclad
Apply Ironclad as soon as transformation to Sentry or Tank Mode begins; increase Ironclad percentage for Tank Mode to 30%.
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Armor
Remove Ironclad, bring back bonus armor that applies as soon as transformation begins; apply lesser armor bonus to Sentry.
BUFF TANK (Toughness)
No Self-Damage
Remove self-damage from Tank Mode shots. This is a minor buff which can be applied together with any other buff on this list.
Bastion’s Tank Mode accuracy beyond short range is horrible, Bastion can’t gain altitude like Pharah and Junkrat, and Junkrat doesn’t even take self-damage from any of his explosives anymore. No one should need to master Rocket Jumping to make an Ultimate somewhat useful.
BUFF TANK (Accuracy)
Projectile or Reticle Size
Increase the hit-box size of Bastion’s tank projectiles to something much larger than a tiny bullet, such that clipping someone or something with the animated projectile will trigger its explosion. Currently, you can miss anything by a hair as the projectile clips through it and keeps sailing far past your target.
Or at the very least, remove the large hexagon around Bastion’s tank-mode reticle – it’s deceptively large and inaccurate.
BUFF TANK (Unpredictability)
Abort Ultimate like McCree
Allow Bastion to end Tank Mode prematurely by pressing Shift to enter Sentry Mode, just as McCree can prematurely end his own Ultimate when he needs a faster firing rate.
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Variable Ultimate Duration
Change the duration of Tank Mode so that the Ultimate does not end until Bastion has fired a certain number of shots, so that Bastion may continue to behave like an ambush predator by laying in wait for prey… and allow Bastion to end Tank Mode prematurely by pressing Shift to enter Sentry Mode, just as McCree can end his own Ultimate.
BUFF TANK (Flexibility)
Additional Ultimate Mode: Artillery
Give Bastion’s Ultimate an additional, immobile Mortar Mode as an analogue to Sentry Mode, which fires the explosive shells in an arc that can clear walls and land on roofs, like Junkrat’s primary fire.
MAJOR REWORK
Change Bastion's Modes
Remove Tank Mode from the game entirely, make old Sentry Mode into Bastion’s Ultimate, and replace current Sentry Mode with an immobile Mortar Mode that arcs explosive shots over walls and onto roofs, like Junkrat’s primary fire.
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Overclock Bastion's Modes
Reduce Tank Mode to a vastly nerfed E Ability reconfiguration with a speed buff. Tank Cannon would be comparable to Pharah’s primary fire, without the advantages afforded by Pharah’s flight.
Bastion’s new Ultimate would instead improve the performance of all of its modes, returning Sentry Mode and Tank Mode to their former glory for a short time and making the Recon Rifle better as well.
REVERT
Blasphemy
Revert Sentry Mode to its old bloom and restore its headshot ability. Reward Bastion players for having good aim.