At this point, Jesse McCree is more than just a beloved Overwatch character. He's quickly becoming one of the most iconic faces of modern shooters. Unfortunately, even everyone's fan-favorite cowboy will need an overhaul upon the release of Overwatch 2. As the sequel aims to offer an expanded PvE experience, fans are being given the perfect opportunity to explore more of McCree's history with the Deadlock Gang, which to this point is largely shrouded in mystery. However, McCree's PvP tailored gameplay kit will likely need a bit of tweaking to keep him feeling fresh and relevant in Overwatch 2.
If the initial mixed reactions to McCree's aesthetic rejigging taught the developer anything, it's that it can't afford to tinker too much with a good thing. While McCree does need an overhaul—as do all characters in the new mode—any changes to the gunslinger's kit should be done in a way that's faithful to his character.
McCree's Peacekeeper
Because he boasts such a simple kit, balancing McCree has always been a complete nightmare. Despite continued efforts to fine-tune his kit, McCree is usually under or overpowered. The same is going to be true within the PvE aspect of Overwatch 2. For the uninitiated, Overwatch 2 will be introducing a talent tree system within its PvE content that will offer incremental power-ups as players level up during their playthrough. It's through this talent system that the Peacekeeper should see the majority of its buffs or nerfs as any attempt to mess with the basic properties of a simple weapon like the Peacekeeper is fated to become problematic. Though it's difficult to say at this juncture, the PvE content will likely be a faster-paced alternative to PvP play, so changes to McCree here should be primarily to do with the speed of his kit.
In PvP modes, a longer time-to-kill (TTK) is often necessary for the sake of gameplay. In PvE modes, where there are crowds of enemies, the opposite is true; a short TTK is crucial to maintain an engaging pace. For the PvE in Overwatch 2, McCree is going to need less of a delay between his shots, and perhaps even a cut down on his reload time. There's also an opportunity to get creative with talents such as a split-shot, a more effective final bullet, or something similar. He needs to have the ability to crush a hoard of enemies rather than just pick them off one by one with precision. A few small tweaks to the Peacekeeper could go a long way.
Combat Roll
In lieu of a talent increasing his base reload time, the game could simply add more charges of McCree's Combat Roll. This would kill two birds with one stone by also bolstering his lackluster mobility which may feel painfully slow within the Overwatch 2's PvE story and missions. There's also the possibility of adding increased movement speed after a Combat Roll, which could make McCree substantially more enjoyable in the PvE mode, but also avoid making him feel too powerful.
Flashbang
It almost should go without saying that this ability needs the largest overhaul. As a recent video showcased, a stun launcher like in Warzone can be devastating in PvP, but a short stun often has almost no place in PvE play. As is, Flashbang will function as a handy escape mechanism as well as an offensive tool for setting up shots, but it has the potential to be so much more in the forthcoming modes.
To begin, in PvE the stun radius of Flashbang has to be dialed up. If McCree's Flashbang can only reach a few enemies, it's going to be quickly overlooked in favor of continued damage output, especially if players find the casting time tedious. This is the same reason why developers had to play so often with Junkrat's Concussion Mine.
There's a fine balance to be struck between a cumbersome casting time and one that's too fast. Simply put, McCree's Flashbang needs to offer player's a great enough reward to cast it, otherwise, it'll just be viewed as an ability that interrupts a player's shooting rhythm. There are also ample opportunities to look at increased stun duration or perhaps even a lingering effect like a cloud of smoke that stuns or adding more damage to Flashbang.
Deadeye
Deadeye has always felt a bit at odds with the rest of McCree's kit. He's always been about maximizing efficiency and constantly putting damage into the fight, and his ultimate basically makes him a stationary target that pauses for a couple of seconds. In PvP, when used correctly Deadeye is absurdly effective. It can help a player pick off a mobile enemy, or load up enough damage to take out the opposing tank. But, again, in PvE, this ultimate is going to feel painfully slow. Like Flashbang, McCree's ultimate is in jeopardy of being overlooked simply in favor of continuing to shoot and put out damage.
Luckily, the fix for Deadeye should be fairly obvious. The talent tree either has to cut down significantly on the charging time or it has to allow for McCree to lock on to more than 6 targets. While the latter would look odd with a single revolver that only holds 6 bullets, there are plenty of ways to work around this, like a quick reload in between barrages or even having McCree briefly imitate his mentor Reaper by dual-wielding.
Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.