Although Overwatch 2 is still in development, new details have been emerging since the recent Overwatch League playtest. Fans have recieved updates on Sombra, Bastion, and Junkrat reworks in the Damage category, and Orisa and Sigma in the Tank category. In Overwatch 2, almost every hero is changing to some degree. Now, players have learned a little more of Brigitte’s overhaul.
According to a new post on the Overwatch Reddit, a thread asking what support characters would look like, the community manager posted some details from two of Overwatch 2′s developers. While there wasn’t as much detail as fans would like, considering fans have already known one way that Overwatch 2 is changing Brigitte will be “removing the stun from Brigitte.” However, that wasn't the full answer.
Brigitte's shield won't stun enemies anymore, but “It can go through barriers once again,” Lead Hero Designer Geoff Goodman confirmed in a recent AMA on Reddit. This means Brigitte can still Shield Bash the likes of Reinhardt, Sigma, and many others through their own shields. However, to compensate for the lack of a stun effect, the ability has been buffed in a few new ways. Not only does it “deal more damage,” but it also comes with a reduced cooldown, travels further, and even triggers Brig’s Inspire passive.
Similar to her other forms of damage, striking with a Shield Bash now gives Brigitte a healing aura as well. “You can Shield Bash enemies to trigger Inspire and move to safety without ever lowering your shield,” the devs explained. Anyone that plays with her knows that Brigitte’s Shield Bash is a huge part of her kit and while a character getting "nerfed" can be hard to hear, it is nice to know Blizzard kept certain aspects of characters even in Overwatch 2 reworks. Doubling its range, activating Inspire, and having a reduced cooldown will make her feel new and gives her new mobility.
In general, the whole of Overwatch 2 Support roles will be changing. While most of the Support heroes will still play mostly the same, they will all have less healing output in Overwatch 2. According to AndyB, this was due to there being less damage output because of the 5v5 on the field instead of six, and so healers have proven to be far too effective with the new team comp.
Everything in Overwatch fits together smoothly, so changing an aspect will cause everything else to shift around it. Fans will need to adapt to the changes if they want to move on. Whether these changes actually result in a large shakeup of the Overwatch 2 meta, the new skill trees, or simple character changes, everything points toward the title being a very different experience.
While much of this information is being leaked slowly, fans could see Overwatch 2 release as early as Q2 of 2022.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
Source: Blizzard - Reddit