Blizzard Entertainment has always taken careful steps before they make drastic changes for any hero in “Overwatch”. Several characters have undergone changes since the game launched back in May 2016. While most of the changes aim to improve their overall usability, there are some heroes that might be considered by other gamers as being too overpowered. Doomfist was recently nerfed due to his Rocket Punch skill’s hit box being too large. However, it has been suggested that D.Va join some of the other characters that will receive some notable changes.
‘Overwatch’ official forums confirm D.Va’s planned changes
“Overwatch” principal designer, Geoff Goodman, has listed their planned tweaks for D.Va on the game’s public forums. The last changes made to the South Korean mech pilot was when her armor and health points were adjusted. Now, the developer plans to allow her to fire her Fusion Cannons while in boost/flight mode. On the flipside, her Defense Matrix will be nerfed via a larger energy drain, which shortens its usage time by half.
While her defensive capabilities have been reduced, the developers also added a new skill for the hero. D.Va will reportedly get a new ability called “Micro Missiles”, according to Goodman. Her new attack is described as “a long salvo of small missiles that explode on impact.” These apparently cause damage to “a small radius” and can be fired simultaneously with her other skills and even during her Fusion Cannon fire.
More PTR updates expected as Gamescom 2017 continues
Blizzard has not yet given an exact time frame other than “soon” for D.Va’s changes to reflect on the Public Test Region. It seems that the development team wants to perform more tests before they allow players to play around with her new tweaks. Her new abilities along with changes to other heroes are sure to shake up the games current meta.
Other characters that were confirmed to receive modifications are Junkrat, Roadhog, Orisa, Doomfist, and Widowmaker.
A more aggressive D.Va in the works
According to Geoff Goodman, the “Overwatch” development team wanted to change how D.Va works in the game. The principal designer notes that their goal “is to reduce her reliance on Defense Matrix and make her more fun to play.” They also pointed out that her Micro Missiles will allow her to engage certain heroes like Pharah, which is considered to be usually out of her range during matches.
