Junkrat isn’t the only hero getting major changes in "Overwatch". Along with the announcement today of a new escort map, Junkertown, coming to the game soon, Blizzard developer Geoff Goodman revealed that there are likely major D.Va changes coming to the PTR soon.
Changes to 'Overwatch'
In short, D.Va will be getting several new changes to her character. Her Defense Matrix ability's uptime will be reduced by 50%, she will be able to use her cannons while flying, and she will gain a new "Micro Missile" ability that allows her to deal more damage.
D.Va’s defensive capabilities are being nerfed while Blizzard is allowing her to do more damage.
The Defense Matrix was a powerful ability that completely absorbed most attacks sent against it. D.Va players would time their usage of the ability in order to block damage from the enemies and protect their teammates. If D.Va can no longer use the ability as often, it's unclear how her playstyle will change. The developers at Blizzard have been testing this version of D.Va and report that the new D.Va is very fun. While maybe fun, are these changes really what D.Va needs?
D.Va’s role
D.Va belongs to the Tank category of heroes in "Overwatch". Her role used to revolve around taking damage for the team or completely negating it through her Defense Matrix. While extra damage output and missiles are cool, and the ability to shoot while flying was something many had been hoping for, it is unclear whether the shift from making D.Va more defensive to more aggressive was necessary.
"Overwatch" is already chock full of aggressive heroes who dish out incredible damage. A Tank is not meant to fulfill that same job; they are not damage dealers so much as damage soakers. They draw the attention of the enemy and protect their allies.
With a weak Defense Matrix, D.Va loses much of that important function. Sure, she is still a large target and can distract the enemy, perhaps even more easily now with her extra aggressive capabilities.
But I find it strange that they would nerf her only means of defense to such an extent. Their reasoning was that by nerfing Defense Matrix, they would make D.Va rely less on the ability and thus “make her more fun to play.” But this move seems to also take D.Va further from being a tank and put her in the offense category.
It is impossible to know if these changes are good or bad yet; they have not even made it to the PTR for players to test them out. This is all speculation. How do you feel about these proposed changes?
