Blizzard has been gearing up for some new “Overwatch” changes recently. Apart from the Deathmade mode and Junkertown, they’re introducing some new hero changes – specifically Mercy and D.Va. These two heroes are often the topics of a negative stigma, but D.Va has finally found her place in the dive meta recently. In line with this, Blizard has swapped off her defensive options for some more firepower. Mercy, on the other hand, swapped her ultimate ability for an extra power charge.
D.Va’s Defense Matrix
Unlike other tanks in the game, D.Va doesn’t use barriers and instead relies on her Defense Matrix to “swallow” attacks.
This ability doesn’t have a health bar but has a limited time usage. In the latest developer update, game director Jeff Kaplan mentioned that the trade off for a heavily reduced uptime is her missile ability. Players will have to time when they plan on using her Defense Matrix lest they waste it. These changes should allow D.Va to still perform her role as a tank but with more offensive capabilities. She can also fire while shooting which makes her a good counter against flying heroes like Pharah. Kaplan also mentioned that they have a few other things planned for her, but didn’t disclose what these things are.
Mercy’s ultimate ability
Moving on, we have Mercy who has been a controversial hero for lacking any actual skill.
Her main play style revolves around hiding behind cover and waiting for her team to die. Once dead, she swoops in and revives them with her ultimate ability. This skill is now her second ability, meaning she can only revive one hero on a cooldown limit. As for her new ultimate ability, it’s called “Valkyrie” and amps up her abilities.
Everything has been enhanced and her rez cooldown has been reduced to 10 seconds. She can also fly, meaning she can create her own escape without having to rely on other heroes. This should make Mercy more active on the “Overwatch” battlefield instead of just waiting for death.
Reinhardt’s shield
Finally, Reinhardt has also gotten a small change in the latest PTR update.
With his shield up, you can press the primary fire and look around the field without putting down your defenses. While this may not seem like much, it gives Reinhardt players a better sense of surroundings, thus knowing when to strike back or shield other teammates. All of these changes are now live in the PTR build which is only available on the “Overwatch” PC version.
