Overwatch 2 is making massive changes to most of its hero roster, something that is a requirement given the switch to 5v5 play. Obviously, the biggest adjustments are tied to tank heroes, as every character in that role will need to be moved from an off tank to a main tank. Likewise, they will be doing a lot of the work when it comes to carrying a team, so Blizzard needs to buff certain Overwatch tanks to make them more viable in that position.

However, with the Overwatch 2 tank changes has come the announcement that support heroes are also being reworked. While this may surprise and worry some fans when they first hear about it, the decision actually makes perfect sense. Further, the change will leave the Support heroes playing much like they always have, meaning that it should not prove too bothersome for those who main certain heroes.

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Why Overwatch 2 Is Changing Support Heroes

Overwatch 2’s support hero changes will not see each hero’s abilities being adjusted like what is happening with tanks. Instead, they will all simply output less healing than they do in the current version of Overwatch. While this can be viewed as a nerf, this is not necessarily what is happening, as the changes to team size will make the adjustment feel fair.

Overwatch 2’s 5v5 format removes a tank from each team, which means that there is one less person to heal. Considering how much tanks need to be healed, this means that one big source of healing will be gone. Less damage will also be inflicted, which means that there will be less healing that needs to be done. If healers were allowed to do as much as they could in the original Overwatch, then fights would last too long, as good Supports could easily keep their whole team alive. With each support hero healing for less, they will essentially be putting out am amount of healing that is on par with what they could do in the past, even if they are technically healing for less.

The Goal Of Overwatch 2’s Support Hero Changes

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As Blizzard explained when the support hero changes were first mentioned, the goal is to keep fights from feeling “drawn out or frustrating.” 5v5 fights should ideally be faster and more plentiful, with smaller skirmishes happening often as opposed to only a few big pushes taking place in a round. The other Support change will see heroes in the role auto-healing, something that should allow them to focus completely on keeping their team alive. This too should keep things fast paced, as players can focus on their job instead of taking a break to help themselves.

Understandably, this will take a bit of getting used to for those who enjoy playing as Support heroes in Overwatch. Coordination with the other support hero on the team will be more important than ever, as both healers will have to work hard to keep the team’s lone tank alive. There will be new standards for what is considered a “good” amount of healing, much like there will be new benchmarks for solid damage. Still, Support heroes’ abilities being kept mostly the same provides a nice head start, as gamers will not have to re-learn how to play their favorite healer.

Overwatch heroes healing for less because there are less characters to heal is a no-brainer, and it is a natural response to the 5v5 change. While it remains to be seen if this switch is going to be beneficial or harmful for Overwatch 2, it is clearly leading to a lot of work for Blizzard. Several heroes need to be re-designed, and with changes for Tracer and other characters recently mentioned, no role is safe. For better or worse, it seems clear that Overwatch 2 is going to play a lot differently than the original game did.

Overwatch 2 is in development for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.

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