Yesterday, the second beta phase of Overwatch 2 started. This brought several changes, including a nerf for Symmetra. This hero has been a problem for Blizzard for years and is constantly being reworked. The community, in turn, is confused about why she was even weakened.
What has changed about Symmetra? The hero has undergone two major reworks in Overwatch since her release six years ago. She is also struggling with the new 5v5 format from the second part.
However, she was not too strong, but rather too weak for many. Nevertheless, Blizzard has made some nerfs:
- Her maximum ammunition for her primary fire has been increased from 70 to 100, and the projectile speed of her secondary fire has been increased from 25 to 50. Those were small buffs.
- However, there were several nerfs in return.
- She no longer generates ammunition when dealing damage to barriers.
- The projectiles from the secondary fire are now smaller, and their damage has been reduced.
- Her teleporter is no longer permanent but disbands after a maximum of 10 seconds. Additionally, the cooldown has been increased from 10 to 16 seconds.
The changes are not going down well with players. They criticize that Blizzard lacks a clear concept for the hero.
Which heroes were the strongest in the first beta of Overwatch 2, you can find out in this video:
Blizzard seems a bit clueless about Symmetra
What are the players criticizing? Many players are annoyed that Blizzard has no clear concept for Symmetra. There are repeatedly comments expressing disappointment with the changes:
- In the official forum, user SwankyOrc complains that a “seldom-used hero is being heavily nerfed” with Symmetra.
- On reddit, users express disappointment who had expected a bigger rework and no clear nerf after the announcement.
But Symmetra is in a strange situation overall. The reddit user GuilRosmer illustrates the previous evolution of her reworks:
She has essentially no identity outside of her teleporter and her sentry turrets. They really seem to be afraid to focus too much on one of these abilities:
– Sym was once a support character who provided regenerating shield HP.
– Sym was turned into a damage dealer with 2 unique ultimates and a movable shield.
– Sym lost her two ultimates in favor of a barrier-melting machine with her own, largest shield in the game.
– Sym has now lost her abilities to destroy barriers but still had her own largest shield. Overwatch 2 has almost completely removed barriers.They have no idea what to do with her. It’s kind of painful to watch. Her original design didn’t work, and they are still struggling to find a place for her. At this point, they should just bite the bullet and think about giving her a complete Orisa remake.
What else has changed for the second beta test? With the update, all heroes received a new “Overwatch 2” look. Additionally, there have been adjustments to pings, the scoreboard, and the lighting on some maps.
Besides Symmetra, 12 other heroes have also been balanced.
Anyone hoping for a major innovation was also not disappointed. A new hero, Junker Queen, was released. More about her here:
Overwatch 2 shows Junker Queen in the gameplay trailer and excites fans: “She looks so fun!”
