The second Overwatch 2 beta launched last night, feeling a lot more fleshed out than the one we got back in May. New character models to peep, a new hero to tinker around with and numerous changes to existing heroes. Some changes are pretty decent, like Pharah’s concussive blasts. Others, not so much.
That’s where poor Symmetra comes in. Six years and two major reworks down the line and Blizzard still can’t seem to get her right. She struggled to find her place in a new 5v5 format during the first beta, lacking survivability and appropriate damage. Blizzard promised “some rather meaty adjustments” that would arrive in this month’s beta. Well, they’re here, and nearly everyone hates them.
While maximum ammo on her primary fire has been increased, along with projectile speed on her secondary fire, a lot of nerfs have been put in place to compensate. Her primary fire no longer generates ammo when damaging barriers and the secondary fire projectiles are smaller, cost more to fire, take longer to charge and do less damage. Her teleporter is no longer permanent either, now only lasting for a maximum of 10 seconds before poofing away.
so_symmetra_is_getting_some_very_big_nerfs_going from r/Overwatch
The changes haven’t gone down too well, with players flooding the Overwatch subreddit and forums to criticise the new Symmetra. “They have no idea what to freaking do with her. It’s kind of painful to watch,” one Reddit comment lamented. Blizzard’s inability to give her a cohesive vision is a widely shared sentiment, with many believing respeccing her back to support is the most viable option right now.
Symmetra isn’t the only one getting the short end of the stick. Despite promising they’d make Mercy’s super jump an actual ability (and easier to execute), the whole thing feels horrifically clunky. It’s made flying over to dead teammates for rezzes a nightmare and has been another common complaint across socials. On the bright side, people seem to be having a ball with new tank hero Junker Queen.
It’s still early days on the beta—as I write this it hasn’t even been 24 hours. It feels like Blizzard is very much taking a ‘throw everything at the wall and see what sticks’ mentality, and betas are the best time to do that. But with the launch just over three months away, it’ll be interesting to see what state Overwatch 2 releases in.
