The latest round of Overwatch 2 updates has seen a big update to Soldier 76’s gear. The Damage Hero was already considered one of the game’s best-performing characters, and players can’t believe he’s been buffed in every department.
The July 11 update has been and gone, dropping major Overwatch 2 changes. One of the biggest talking points has been the subject of Zenyatta’s Discord Orb. There have been various other changes too, but none have got the community talking quite as much as the Overwatch 2 Soldier 76 tweaks.
One of the strongest Damage characters, Soldier 76 has a well-rounded kit. His Heavy Pulse Rifle is accurate and hits hard, his Helix Rockets can easily finish opponents off, and his Biotic Field makes him a rare Damage Hero with healing properties. So, it’s been a surprise to the OW2 community to see Soldier 76 receive multiple buffs.
Soldier 76 receives major buffs in latest Overwatch 2 update
The sentiments of the player base were summed up by Reddit user Neo_Raider who said: “There’s no way they buffed Soldier like that.” The OP explained: “I literally can’t believe what I am seeing. Buffed his primary, his secondary, and his healing ability. Basically, his whole kit was buffed in a single patch! Hero that was viable and pretty ok or even strong. I don’t know what else to say but why?”
According to the official patch notes, his Rifle damage was increased from 18 to 19, his Rockets went from 80 to 90 damage, and his healing went from 35 up to 40.
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“I just love how yesterday some dude on here was all like, ‘Soldier is the least problematic hero. Literally, no one complains about Soldier.’ Blizzard: “You activated my trap card!” said one player, and another fan chimed in: “Prepare to see a pocketed soldier every game.”
One comment claimed that “buffing his entire kit except sprint seems a bit much” and another OW2 player believes that Blizzard has been trending in a certain direction with their buffs.
“I don’t know why, but recently the balance team has had this weird obsession with randomly changing heroes that are already in an okay spot. It’s really starting to feel like they just throw a dart at a spinning wheel to pick who’s getting buffed or nerfed out of nowhere. They seriously need to learn that a Hero not being top of the meta is okay. Sometimes the best balancing you can do for a character is to just leave them alone,” they said.
The Overwatch 2 Soldier 76 changes have certainly taken players off-guard. But the Hero is not only the only one to receive significant updates. After all, Kiriko has finally been given the chance to be on her bike.