The Overwatch development team has never been shy when it comes to tweaking and re-balancing the game's 25 heroes, regularly introducing changes to the character roster in order to keep things fresh. The latest character to undergo tweaks is none other than the explosive-loving Junkrat, who some players believe is in need of a buff.
In a new thread over at the Blizzard Forums, fans have suggested a series of minor changes to Junkrat in order to increase the character's viability, such as reducing the cooldown and increasing the damage of his Concussion Mine, as well as increasing the damage of his Steel Trap. Responding to the thread, Overwatch principal designer Geoff Goodman confirmed that the development team is working on very similar tweaks to the aforementioned fan suggestions and will likely introduce these changes during the next PTR phase.
Goodman also revealed that the current internal testing build of Junkrat has two charges of his Concussion Mine, thus adding an extra element of offense and defense into Junkrat's arsenal. Furthermore, this also allows the demolitions expert to do various new things like launching into a Pharah while still having an extra charge to kill her without needing to first wait for the cooldown, or launching in and out of a battle without any worries. While it has not yet been confirmed whether this change will be final, Goodman says that the results have been positive so far.
In addition to the changes to Junkrat's normal assortment of tricks, Goodman says that the team is looking into making the character's RIP-Tire Ultimate ability better and more reliable in battle situations. Specific details have not yet been locked in yet, but the Overwatch team are experimenting by increasing the speed and health of Junkrat's RIP-Tire, though Goodman states that it is likely both things won't be added to the final build.
These changes will be the first tweaks made to Junkrat in some time, though it is not the only thing that Blizzard is working on at the moment. Goodman recently stated that Junkrat's buddy/enforcer Roadhog may be getting an additional defensive buff following his recent nerf, while Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan revealed that the development team has been working on an updated penalty system in order to counter toxic players more effectively.
It remains to be seen what changes are ultimately brought to Junkrat, but hopefully the character will by used more often in a more positive playing environment when the re-balanced demolitions expert hits the PTR soon.
Overwatch is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.