Widowmaker Rework Proposal (again, since no one read)

General Discussion
1

Widowmaker is a unique and iconic hero, but her one-shot potential and playstyle can feel oppressive tbecause it just doesn’t have any counterplay.

At the same time, her identity as a sniper with pinpoint accuracy is a core part of her kit and appeal. This rework aims to address community concerns about counterplay while preserving her lethality and skill-based gameplay.

Proposed Changes

1. Laser Sight for Scoped Mode

  • Change: When Widowmaker is scoped in, a visible laser sight appears to show the direction of her aim.
    • How It Works: The laser starts tenuous and gradually becomes more crisp and clear over 5 seconds as Widowmaker remains scoped in. This mechanic rewards quick-scoping players who rely on raw aim, while giving opponents clearer counterplay against players who stay scoped for extended periods.
    • Goal: Adds more counterplay, highlights skilled quick-scopers, and introduces an additional layer of tension for both Widowmaker and her opponents.
    • Balance: Preserves her one-shot kill capability while giving players visual feedback to adjust their positioning.

2. Alternative Visual Cue: “Scoped Warning”

  • Change: When a player is in Widowmaker’s scope, their screen edges turn red.
    • Goal: This is a softer alternative to the laser sight for players who may not want to rely on direct visual tracking of her aim.
    • Balance: Still maintains tension and counterplay without overly diminishing her power.

3. Venom Mine Rework

  • Change: Transform the mine into a skill shot rather than a lobbed projectile.
    • How It Works: Widowmaker can now shoot the mine directly to place it anywhere within her line of sight. Upon activation or destruction, it releases a poison cloud in a small radius that applies a 2-second slow to affected targets.
    • Goal: Enhances the mine’s utility, making it more precise and versatile for Widowmaker to use tactically without adding extra damage.

4. Infra-Sight (Ultimate) Adjustment

  • Change: During Infra-Sight, Widowmaker’s laser sight is disabled.
    • Goal: Encourages aggressive and strategic play during her ultimate. This change allows her to leverage wall hacks to secure critical kills without giving away her position.

Summary

This rework aims to enhance Widowmaker’s counterplay and utility while preserving her identity as a high-skill, high-reward sniper. By adding a gradually intensifying laser sight for scoped mode, reworking Venom Mine into a skill shot with added utility, and tweaking Infra-Sight for more dynamic usage, Widowmaker remains a fearsome threat while offering opponents more opportunities to adapt.

What do you think of these changes? Feedback and ideas are welcome!

2

I’m a widow hater, but this pretty much just reads as “be able to know where widow is looking most of the time”

3

Which, as you can tell, is the only counterplay she could have BEFORE you are dead.

I don’t get why people believe that counterplay means knowing where she is AFTER she killed you, or swapping to a dive hero.

And I’m no Widow hater by the way. Those are just my 2 cents because I always read posts complaining about Widow in the forums.

4

Because counterplay isn’t just killing Widow, it’s reducing her effectiveness to as close to zero as you can?

If you, as an unbelievable Tracer main, are capable of dodging EVERY shot she gives, and occupy and get her undivided attention for 8 minutes, that counters her. If you as a Pharah manage to consistently boop her off her perch every time after she uses grapple hook, that counters her. If you block every shot with Rein’s barrier, do the stupidly broken strafe and crouch spam (as admitted by OWL pros) so that your DPS can hit her, spend a sleep dart cooldown to keep her sleeping, rez her targets, give suppressing fire so she can’t peek… she can get countered by all of those options.

It’s unbelievable the historical revisionism/hive minded hate/in a vaccuum armchair balancers that this game’s community has, as if Widow had been an unstoppable force with a 100% pickrate across every season and every pub match with randos. Even in Classic.

Which… she hadn’t.

5

The maps are small enough that you have a pretty good idea where widow is going to be with some experience. This idea would help very new players or for the few seconds at the start of a match but not much else.

I do like trying to intergrate her poison element more.

1 Like
6

It’s not about knowing where she is, its more about if she’s going for you…