OW2 players slam devs as Tank now invincible thanks to OP buff
Blizzard EntertainmentThe mid-season patch for Overwatch 2 Season 11 dropped with a lot of surprises, but many fans were shocked when they saw the buffs that Mauga received.
Mauga was quite overpowered when he was first released in Season 8, and this is not beyond the norm for new Heroes. Through patches, though, the devs ended up nerfing him to a place that most players were satisfied with.
However, thanks to the mid-season patch, Mauga is now almost unkillable, as he can heal up to 800 HP in three seconds with his Cardiac Overdrive.
The Lifesteal of the ability was cranked up 100% in the patch, and the damage reduction Mauga gets was increased to 40%. This is a considerable buff, even though the ability doesn’t last as long as it used to.
It’s presenting some serious issues in games. Players have shared videos of how Mauga can now easily survive Roadhog’s Ultimate. In one of the more shocking reveals, he can also survive a full Bastion clip in turret form through Baptiste’s amplification window while Cardiac Overdrive is active.
Mauga wasn’t the only one to receive buffs either, as all Tanks received some changes. This led to frustration, as players feel that the devs have lost sight of what meaningful balancing are and that they don’t know how to make a 5v5 setup work anymore.
For example, Junker Queen’s Commanding Shout now gives 175 overhealth, and the healing multiplier on Adrenaline Rush was increased to 2.5x. While it may not be quite as bad as the changes Mauga received, it’s still making her incredibly difficult to deal with.
“If you’re going to make solo Tank work, it’s not with changes like these. You address pain points, not necessarily flat buffs, and you continue to shift Tanks visual/psychological presence to represent something closer to the other roles,” Overwatch Coach Spilo shared on X.
As a result, the community are bringing up the fact that 6v6 should have never been removed from the game. This conversation is not a new one, but it’s a sore point for many more than ever after these Tank changes. As one player put it, “ 5v5 is like trying to fit a square in the circle hole.”
Given that Overwatch 2 has been out for a few years now, many fans feel that the devs should have a better grip on how to balance out Heroes. Instead, though, it’s turning into a case where Tanks are becoming “Raid bosses,” and DPS and Supports are left with their abilities not meaning much in matches.
Whether bringing back 6v6 or changing the way balancing is introduced is the answer, it remains that players are getting frustrated with the state of the game and how unfun it becomes when these kinds of changes are made.