Blizzard has done a lot of fine-tuning to the Tank heroes in Overwatch 2 to make sure that they still feel balanced with the changes coming to game modes. This detailed guide discusses all of the changes made to Tanks in Overwatch 2 Beta.
Almost every tank hero has seen adjustments to their abilities and passives and we will cover all of them in detail and share our opinions on what we think about these changes.
How are Tanks Changing in Overwatch 2 Beta?
Since Blizzard is making Overwatch 2 a 5v5 shooter (by eliminating 1 tank from each team), Tanks had to be balanced for them to feel normal, as each team now only has one tank.
Most Tank heroes have had their HP increased, and heroes like Orisa and Doomfist have seen major changes in their functionalities. Some of these changes might seem insignificant at first, but they can play a major role in tipping the match in either team’s favor.
So, let’s get into it and see how each Tank Hero is being changed by looking at their HP, Primary & Secondary abilities, and their Ultimates.
Doomfist
Doomfist’s Hand Cannon has seen a reduction in its damage from 6 per pellet to 5 per pellet, but his Ammo Regen has increased from 0.65s per shot to 0.45s per shot. Doomfist’s Rocket Punch impact damage has been reduced from 50-100 to 15-30, based on how much you charge it.
Doomfist can Rocket Punch multiple targets now, and his Uppercut has been replaced by a new move called Power Block, where he blocks 100 damage, turning the absorbed damage into a supercharged Rocket Punch.
The next Rocket Punch deals 50% increased damage, travels twice as fast, and if you target multiple enemies, the radius of the punch will be twice as large. If your targets get thrown into a wall, they’ll be stunned for 0.5 – 1 seconds.
Doomfist’s Seismic Slam changes its behavior based on where you aim it. It’ll go horizontal if you aim straight or vertical if you aim it high. If you slam the ground using Seismic Slam, it now deals 50 damage and slows movement speeds by 30%.
Sigma
Sigma has seen an increase in his HP from 400 to 550, whereas his Shield was increased from 100 to 250. His Accretion ability now deals 100 damage instead of 70.
Winston
Winston’s total HP has seen an increase from 500 to 550, raising his Health from 300 to 350. He now has a Tesla Cannon secondary that fires a jolt of electricity, dealing 50 damage to enemies that are within 30 meters. (using the secondary costs him 20 ammo per shot).
D.Va
D.Va’s total Health has increased from 600 to 650, but her base health and Armor have also been adjusted. Her base health is now 450 instead of 300, and her Armor has been decreased from 300 to 200.
Her primary fire movement speed penalty has been reduced from 50% to 40%, allowing her to move faster & her weapon spread has also been reduced from 4 to 3.5.
Zarya
Her HP has been increased from 400 to 475, where she saw an increase of 50 points in her Health and 25 points in her Shields.
Her Barrier abilities now start getting ready for use as soon as she casts them, instead of waiting for them to expire and then getting ready for the next use. You can, however, bubble the same enemy twice now for 2 seconds.
Orisa
Orisa’s Health has increased from 450 to 500 (Buff). Her Augmented Fusion Driver now shoots 10 Plasma Projectiles per second, and it shrinks over range. Orisa no longer uses ammo for her weapons. Instead, her weapon has a heat mechanic that needs to be cooled down; otherwise, the weapon jams for 3 seconds.
Her Javelin Spin ability allows her to destroy incoming projectiles for 1.75 seconds, and your movement speed will also be increased by 60% while the skill is active. Terra Surge (her ultimate) pulls enemies in after a charge up of 4 seconds, dealing damage over time and slowing them down by 30%.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt’s overall HP has increased from 500 to 600, increasing his Health from 300 to 350 & his Armor from 200 to 300. He now has Tank role Passive, allowing him to be 30% more knockback resistant and reduce his Ult charge time by 30% if he takes damage.
The Barrier Field Shield’s Health has been reduced from 1600 to 1200 & its Regen rate has also been nerfed from 200 health/sec to 144 health/sec.
Wrecking Ball
Wrecking Ball’s HP has increased from 600 to 700, increasing both his Health and Armor by 50 points each. His Adaptive Shield now has a range of 10 meters instead of 8 meters.
Roadhog
Roadhog has not been tweaked that much in Overwatch 2. His HP has been increased from 600 to 700 and his Take a Breather ability now restores 350 health instead of 300.
Are Tanks Still Worth it in Overwatch 2?
Now that we’ve mentioned all of the changes coming to Tank Heroes in Overwatch 2, the bigger question is whether tanks are still worth it in Overwatch 2 or not. The answer to that is an absolute Yes!
The main purpose of rebooting Overwatch as a new game was to shake up the meta completely and allows players to develop new playstyles and synergies.
Sure, not having 2 tanks in your team might feel odd at first, especially if you are an Overwatch veteran, but the new tanks have better capabilities this around, making them way more versatile if played by someone who understands their role.
These changes ensure that Tank players also feel like they are contributing more in the match by alternating between Tank and Pathfinder roles. Since their HPs have been buffed, they are…well, TANKIER now.
Overwatch 2 Tank Role Passives
Like every other role in Overwatch 2, Tank heroes are also getting their own passive buffs. They’ll be difficult to push back this time around with mines, concussion rockets, and other pushback attacks.
Another thing that has changed is the amount of ultimate charge they’ll provide to the enemies whenever they are shot. This change is great because now enemy DPS players can’t just rush in, keep hitting the tank and spam their ultimates.
As players play the Overwatch 2 Beta and provide feedback, things might change, and Blizzard might further tweak the Tanks in Overwatch 2. Stick with BRGeeks to learn everything about Overwatch 2 in the upcoming months.
