Aaron Keller, the director of Overwatch 2, recently revealed in a blogpost that the development team is planning to introduce a passive heal effect for all DPS and tank heroes. This change to the game’s core gameplay design aims to maintain the delicate balance of hero roles while providing more opportunities for survival in intense teamfights.

Community Response to the Update

Following the announcement, the Overwatch community has expressed mixed reactions to the potential impact of this update on the game’s dynamics. Some players, particularly support mains, are concerned about the potential reduction in the importance of dedicated healers in competitive play. On the other hand, there are those who believe that this could disrupt the current health sustain meta and allow for more individualistic gameplay. The specific details of this change are still unknown, leading to speculation within the community about its potential effects on the game.

According to Keller, the update is set to go live with Season 9 of Overwatch 2 on February 14. The self-heal effect will function as a scaled-down version of what support heroes currently have, potentially leading to longer passive regeneration times or reduced healing per second. The intention behind this change is to alleviate the pressure on support players and make certain matches less reliant on strict teamwork. Blizzard aims to bridge the gap between player skill and team play, providing DPS players with additional opportunities to survive challenging battles.

Overwatch 2 Takes a New Approach to Gameplay

Blizzard’s experimentation with Overwatch 2 reflects a commitment to evolving the game through quality-of-life features and reworks while preserving its identity as a team-based hero shooter. In addition to the passive heal effect, the development team is introducing new features such as the Quickplay mode called Hacked, party frames displaying team member health, a dynamic spawn system, and spawn camping protection. Despite the potential impact of these changes, Blizzard has a history of swiftly removing features that receive poor reception. Only time will tell if these updates will positively contribute to the game and become permanent fixtures in the core gameplay loop or if they will unexpectedly shift the meta.