Blizzard Entertainment has obviously found great success with their team-based shooter “Overwatch.” Fans have unanimously praised the game for its consistent balance changes based on feedback from fans and internal factors as well. Additionally, the developers also continue to support the game post-launch with additional content like new maps, new heroes, new loot box items, and seasonal events.
The most recent change made to the game was the addition of the Horizon Lunar Colony map. Jeff Kaplan also announced that they are improving the loot reward system to lessen duplicates.
However, it seems that they have made some changes that apparently nerfed Mercy. Meanwhile, these changes are currently limited to the game’s PTR (Public Test Region).
Unannounced character balance tweaks
Usually, Blizzard regularly makes balance changes to “Overwatch” in order to benefit its meta gameplay. It is also quite common for the developer to be met with a substantial amount of disapproval from their fans. Eagle-eyed PTR players reportedly discovered that Mercy had been nerfed by the developers.
According to their observations, the support hero can no longer execute her ultimate while she is within the spawn area in the game. Changes like these made in the PTR are usually applied to the retail versions of the game only after it has undergone extensive testing.
According to other players, the surprise changes made to Mercy possibly seeks to address complaints from other users. Her ultimate ability prior to being nerfed, actually allowed her to resurrect allies while she is still inside the spawn area. Maps like Watchpoint Gibraltar and Temple of Anubis currently have design layouts that allow the support healer to revive her teammates while she is safely at the spawn point.
Given her low health, this is quite advantageous for users who prefer to keep away from the combat and still activate her ultimate skill.
Recent buff prior to reported nerf
The hero was also recently buffed with some changes that allowed her to revive squad mates more effectively. Before the buff, players usually end up sacrificing her during their attempts to resurrect their buddies.
However, the buff renders Mercy and her revived teammates invincible for a few seconds after using her ultimate ability. It rebalanced the support meta during professional games where players actively target her to prevent any turnarounds later in the match.
Changes not yet final
Mercy being nerfed is of course not yet final and still being tested via the PTR. On the other hand, professional players are expected to adapt to the changes ASAP just in case the change becomes official. “Overwatch” Fans are expecting new content along with the latest changes to roll out together with the next seasonal event, which is suspected to be called the Summer Games 2017.
