Blizzard promised to show off new Overwatch 2 gameplay footage at the Overwatch League Grand Finals, and it held true to that promise. Those looking forward to Overwatch 2 were treated to fresh looks at how two Damage class heroes will be changing in the sequel, including the divisive Bastion.
Blizzard was not kidding when it said that Bastion was getting a rework. The Bastion rework in Overwatch 2 is significant, making sweeping changes to how the character functions and removing some of his abilities. These changes may make Bastion feel like a completely different character almost, but that may be what Blizzard is going for. After all, Bastion has long been controversial in Overwatch, so perhaps these changes will make him a more welcomed character by the game's community.
Here is what Overwatch 2 fans can expect from the Bastion rework.
Bastion's New Configurations in Overwatch 2
Something that makes Bastion unique in Overwatch is his ability to transform from one mode to the next. In his current state, Bastion can choose to be mobile, but that comes at the cost of being able to use his more powerful turret gun. In Overwatch 2, Bastion's Recon and Sentry forms are getting significant makeovers. While in Recon mode, Bastion's fire rate will be reduced by 50%, but he will be more accurate at long range. Furthermore, Bastion's weapon spread is being reduced to 0, so he will be more accurate in general.
As far as Bastion's dangerous Sentry mode goes, Bastion can move while in Sentry mode in Overwatch 2. His weapon will also have unlimited ammo, and while this seems like two massive buffs for Bastion, there is a drawback that fans of the character will need to keep in mind. These new abilities for Bastion has come at a cost to his overall damage output, with Bastion dealing 40% less damage in Overwatch 2.
Bastion players in Overwatch 2 won't be able to swap between his different configurations whenever they want. They'll need to be tactical about when they reconfigure Bastion, as switching from one form to the next will now take eight seconds and there will be a 10 second cooldown associated with each transformation. Players should also note that Bastion's self-repair ability is being removed, so he will no longer be able to heal himself and will have to rely on Support class heroes a bit more than he has to in the current version of Overwatch.
Bastion Ultimate Ability in Overwatch 2
Bastion's Ultimate in the original Overwatch allows him to transform into a mini-tank, significantly increasing his damage output and giving him a health boost. This is being replaced with a new Ultimate attack in Overwatch 2 called Configuration: Artillery. Whereas Bastion's previous Ultimate allowed him to be more mobile, Configuration: Artillery does the opposite, rooting the robot hero in place to send out an artillery strike.
It seems like Bastion's Configuration: Artillery Ultimate will be similar to air strikes in other first-person shooter games. Bastion players will be able to select three different areas on the map to send their artillery strikes, which seems like it will prove to be a huge help when it comes to moving enemy players away from choke points.
Bastion Tactical Grenade
With Bastion's self-repair ability removed in Overwatch 2, Blizzard is giving him an offensive ability to replace it. In Overwatch 2, Bastion players can look forward to utilize the tactical grenade, which can bounce off walls, stick to enemies, and knocks back anyone unlucky enough to be caught in its blast.
All told, Bastion is getting a significant rework in Overwatch 2, and it's clear that it's going to shake up the meta big time. It will be interesting to see what changes the other Overwatch characters will be bringing to the table whenever the game finally launches.
Overwatch 2 is in development.