Blizzard has shared an official statement regarding Overwatch 2 player frustrations regarding one-shots and other powerful hero abilities. The topic has become increasingly controversial since the launch of Overwatch 2 and the release of new character Sojourn. Sojourn isn't the only Overwatch 2 character that's been seen as too strong or broken in a given meta, of course, but is certainly the focus of the current discussion revolving around Blizzard's balance efforts.Those who have yet to play Overwatch 2 may be surprised to hear that when Sojourn was introduced she had the ability to one-shot many of the game's heroes. Widowmaker also had this ability, of course, but was required to "charge" her sniper rifle to build enough power for a one-shot headshot. Sojourn also had to "charge" her weapon, but once it was charged could one-shot headshot with a flick. Further, using her ultimate ability allowed her continuous shots with one-shot headshot potential.What was perhaps the most frustrating issue with Sojourn wasn't her ability to one-shot, however, but that Blizzard chose not to nerf Sojourn throughout the entire first season of Overwatch 2. It's worth keeping that in mind when reading Blizzard's statement on the subject. Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller dropped a lengthy developer update on Friday discussing many topics, but his comments on one-shot abilities are likely to be the most interesting for many Overwatch 2 players.
Unfortunately, Keller is noncommittal on the topic. Keller says that "one-shots and frustrating hero mechanics" are being discussed not just by the community but by the development team, too. Keller explains that these discussions involve a lot of nuance, involving "mechanics, trade-offs for using it, the overall power level of a hero, how often the hero is played, as well as things like a hero's fantasy." He then follows that up by saying that feedback is welcome and that the developers are listening.
Ultimately, Keller is limited in what he can say here. As most video game players are familiar with in modern game development, discussing specifics regarding game design and planned changes can be a controversial thing to do before those changes are ready to be delivered. Plans change, don't work out, or take longer than expected to implement. As such, teams like Blizzard have to be careful about what they discuss until they can deliver them.
Overwatch 2 players seem to be running out of patience on the subject, however. As noted, Blizzard sat on Sojourn without meaningful changes to her power for the full launch season of Overwatch 2, which caused some frustration with players.
Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.