Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller has revealed some big changes coming to Wrecking Ball and other tank heroes with the start of Season 10.
Wrecking Ball’s rework has been a long time coming and starting in Season 10, players will get a revamped Hammond to roll around with.
In a blog post, Keller delved into a series of hero changes coming on April 16 with nearly every aspect of Wrecking Ball’s kit being adjusted to add some much-needed oomph.
The biggest, and probably most impactful change, comes in the form of his Adaptive Shields. As Keller explained, “Now after using Adaptive Shields, you can reactivate the ability to transfer up to 300 overhealth to nearby allies, capped at 75 overhealth per ally.”
This will make diving with Wrecking Ball even more effective when coordinated with DPS allies. A Genji or Tracer in your backline with an extra 75 HP is a scary thought, especially when you also have to contend with a giant hamster ball spinning around.
Speaking of spinning, Hammond’s Grappling Hook is getting a reduced cooldown when not at ramming speed. He can now also retract himself from where the grapple is attached by using either primary fire or jump.
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“This change should give Wrecking Ball more capability of protecting his allies and initiating engagements, defining features of what we want to see in Tanks,” Keller remarked.
Wrecking Ball isn’t the only tank hero getting buffs either. Reinhardt’s Earthshatter ultimate and Junker Queen’s Carnage ability are getting upgrades in order to “cut through better in the post-Season 9 world.”
Keller didn’t reveal what those changes could entail, but there are a number of ways they could go about improving it. A simple damage buff to Earthshatter or a slightly-longer stun duration would be easy fixes, but the devs could have something a bit more unique up their sleeves.
Season 10 is set to go live on April 16 along with the arrival of the game’s newest DPS hero, Venture.