With the launch of the second Overwatch 2 Beta came widespread changes to more than a dozen heroes. While some may look positive on paper, others like Mercy’s Guardian Angel tweaks have quickly left players fuming and hoping for a remedy.
Six weeks on from the end of the first Overwatch 2 Beta and the second test build is now live for select players around the globe. This time around, not only can fans go hands-on with Junker Queen for the first time, but there’s also a number of drastic gameplay changes keeping everyone on their toes.
More than a dozen heroes were adjusted to some degree with the June 28 patch as some fan favorites received hefty buffs while others were hit with significant ability overhauls.
Not all of these changes have hit the mark, however, as fans have already been plenty vocal on their displeasure with Symmetra’s “painful” nerfs and now Mercy’s overhaul too.
As a result of the new update, Mercy mains no longer have manual control over the ‘super jump’ trick that’s made her a viable Support in previous years. Naturally, fans aren’t all too pleased by the adjustment.
“Guardian Angel can no longer be canceled using crouch for a big vertical boost,” the latest patch notes outlined. Instead, this movement ability now “automatically” launches Mercy into the sky, though only if players reach the end of its range.
While this change legitimizes the longstanding movement trick, evolving it from an earlier bug into an intended function of the ability, it now directly limits the control players have over the hero.
“They have officially massacred Mercy. I seriously want to cry right now,” one player said on Reddit, helping kickstart a larger conversation around the Support character.
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New players and veterans alike were quick to chime in with their criticism of the change. For most, it’s the direct removal of an easy-to-execute yet difficult-to-master trick that hasn’t gone down well.
“They took away every single thing that was a tiny bit complex about Mercy’s gameplay, that actually made her fun to play at higher skill levels,” another player explained. “They lowered Mercy’s skill ceiling.”
More directly, others have argued this change will now “get her killed half of the time in higher ranked matches” as the end of her Guardian Angel ability is much more predictable.
“As a Mercy main, this is pretty frustrating to see after spending so much time mastering all the tech that came with the super jump and its variations.”
“This change is so annoying,” Reddit user ‘Museberg’ added. “Messes up all the usual tricks.”
Given the new iteration of the Beta only just went live, Blizzard is yet to address the latest criticism. Though as it’s live for a few weeks, there’s every chance things change along the way.
Furthermore, as it is just a Beta, new tweaks can always be reverted ahead of the full launch on October 4. We’ll be sure to keep you updated here as any further Mercy adjustments surface in the near future.