With the latest update for the PTR of Overwatch, several changes have been made, especially affecting Reaper. The flanker is being significantly adjusted and his ability “Shadow Step” is getting a considerable buff.
What is being enhanced? Reaper’s teleportation ability “Shadow Step” is being revised and made significantly stronger in many ways, after Reaper was nerfed in the last patch. According to the PTR patch notes (via blizztrack), several changes are being made to the ability:
- Shadow Step can now be used in the air
- The time to exit Shadow Step has been reduced from 1 second to 0.5 seconds
- Reaper is now invisible while exiting Shadow Step
- the teleportation now works on objects that would break, like railings
The reason for the change, according to the developers, is that Shadow Step was too situational. It is now intended to provide more flexibility and no longer be a “niche ability”. Reaper should be able to use Shadow Step more offensively.
The effects of the changes: Especially the ability to use Shadow Step in the air opens up completely new paths for Reaper. He can reach places that only Lúcio or Pharah could effectively reach before.
For Reaper, it becomes possible to jump around corners and simultaneously teleport, which is made even easier by the change involving breakable objects. He can even utilize jumps into an abyss for flanking.
However, the prerequisite for this is a good knowledge of the map layouts to avoid jumping to death. Some fans have already taken the time to create videos showcasing new possibilities for Shadow Step.
This is how the fans view the change: The buff is received almost exclusively positively. Reaper players are excited that they can now flank more effectively and play more offensively. They are already looking for new ways to fulfill their role and hope to withstand the new strength of the “anti-tank” against the unpopular GOATS meta.
Even players who only play against Reaper find the changes good. The user Diedwithacleanblade writes on reddit:
I’m not a Reaper player, but it looks like Reaper should have functioned this way since day one.
Some players still criticize that the short invisibility does not help much. Reaper can still be killed by Widowmaker if she roughly knows the outlines of his body. Others demand that Reaper should be silent when teleporting.
What do you think of the changes?
If Reaper really becomes strong against GOATS, it could be good for the Overwatch League:
