One of the core mechanics behind Overwatch is that it is a team-based game. This has contributed significantly to its popularity, although it can be frustrating for solo players. However, Blizzard is taking extreme measures to address this frustration by introducing passive self-healing to all characters starting in Season 9, according to the latest dev update.
Over the past few weeks, there have been significant changes to Overwatch, with much focus on balancing out Mauga, a character that has been controversial in OW Season 8. But it’s the major alterations coming in Season 9 that have caused the most chaos within the game’s community. One of the most baffling changes is the decision to give every hero a passive self-heal ability, which is usually only accessible to support players.
With these changes, every character in the game will receive a watered-down version of the self-heal ability, raising questions about the differentiation of hero roles and the erosion of the team reliance concept.
Source: Blizzard
Why is Blizzard Adding OW Passive Self-Heal?
In Season 9, Blizzard is adding the OW passive self-heal to Tank and Damage roles to reduce player frustration with their team. Instead of relying solely on support for healing, every hero will have the ability to self-heal to some extent.
While the changes make sense in reducing frustrations, they are also seen as contradictory to the team-based gameplay that is at the core of Overwatch. The controversial nature of the changes is likely to alter the idea of a well-coordinated Overwatch team once Season 9 begins.
Although the changes may cater to more casual players, they also risk stripping away what made Overwatch unique – its identity as a team-based game. Many fans have highlighted that there are already plenty of games catering to a less team-reliant style of gameplay, and attempting to remove that element from Overwatch could diminish its appeal.
