Fans finally got what they were hoping for in “Overwatch”: Doomfist. The gauntlet-wearing villain the 25th hero in the roster and the 8th hero in the offense department. He is currently live on the Public Test Realm, a test server that only PC players can access.
Interestingly, as reported by Forbes, developer Blizzard has already nerfed Doomfist in “Overwatch” just a day after his initial release. Implementing changes is to be expected, most especially he is in the testing phase. However, the time needed to implement the changes was, well, quick.
Doomfist gets nerfed
The nerf has something do with the hero’s alt-fire charge up called Rocket Punch, a skill that allows him to charge an enemy into a wall. It has been reduced about nine meters when fully charged. This is truly a significant change considering how players exploit this kill. Perhaps, the studio has already thought or planned this nerf way before the hero arrived in PTR, but they want to do so first in order to cross-check their findings. Indeed, they were correct, otherwise, the nerf would not happen.
Interestingly though, the PTR in “Overwatch” is usually meant to squash bugs and resolve issues, not entirely implement balance changes. Although Blizzard has done this numerous times already in the past, they have not really used the server to gauge a character’ flaw.
Regardless, Doomfist seemed to be an exception, as the hero got nerfed just a day after his arrival on PTR.
Was the skill really overpowered?
This is perhaps the one million dollar question every “Overwatch” fan wants to ask, but judging from the way the skill impacts a fight, it sure is overpowered in one way or another. Of course, the only catch is that players need to be accurate and timely when using the skill in order to succeed.
The problem really with this skill is its ability to be fired from afar, and once the charge is completed, it can one-shot an enemy with no sweat. This is not to mention the fact that he can use it to move from one place to another, making him a tremendous mobile hero.
It is safe to say that reducing the length or range of the Rocket Punch in “Overwatch” is only right.
This should at least give players a moment to think twice before charging. More importantly, it makes the hero more fit to fight other heroes without a ridiculous advantage. But since he is still new on PTR, players can expect more changes for him in the next few days or so.
