Overwatch is currently in a lull as Blizzard focuses its development efforts on Overwatch 2. That means new content for Overwatch is rare, and the meta is quick to be stale even when changes are made. Luckily, Blizzard recently introduced a new Experimental Mode full of exciting changes for players to check out. This round of the Experimental Mode allowed content creators to pick the changes, and they took full advantage of the opportunity. A clip of Mei recently shared on Reddit captures the fun of these adjustments, and also why they'll never be released on live servers.
The clip in question features a Mei player showcasing one of the experimental changes made to her kit for the limited-time event. Mei uses her Ice Wall ability to climb to an upraised area of the map. She then charges to where the action is below her, leaps into the air, and uses her Cryo-Freeze ability mid-air. Normally, doing this would result in nothing other than Mei's frozen body falling to the ground, leaving her invulnerable until she unfroze. In this Experimental Mode, however, Mei became a giant ice missile.
After using her Cryo-Freeze, Mei plummets onto the enemy team and absolutely destroys them. She gets four instant kills, including a Reinhardt with his shield up. Mei broke right through and brutalized the opponents, and they never even see it coming.
The victims likely don't expect to be destroyed, as in the base version of Overwatch, the Cryo-Freeze doesn't do any damage. In the Experimental Mode, though, Mei's Cryo-Freeze does a staggering 2,000 damage. Basically, if Mei can maneuver so that she lands on top of her opponents with Cryo-Freeze, which is relatively easy since she has an Ice Wall that can elevate her, she can instantly kill any opponent so long as they don't run away.
Some will say that Mei's new Cryo-Freeze is overpowered, and they're absolutely correct, as 2,000 damage is a lot. But at the same time, Experimental Mode is for experimenting, and this is a huge success of an experiment. It's exciting to think that a Mei player has the power to force a team to spread out. It's an ability that adds interactivity, making Overwatch a more dynamic experience.
Obviously, this feature will never make it to Overwatch's live servers, but perhaps Blizzard will be struck by inspiration. The developer could experiment with the Mei's Cryo-Freeze knocking opponents back and then shattering when it hits the ground, or perhaps it'll briefly freeze targets who are hit instead of doing a straightforward amount of damage. Experimental Mode is all about thinking about Overwatch in a different way, even if a few teams have to be team-wiped in the process.
Overwatch is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.