Overwatch 2 Devs To Keep Making Complex Heroes Despite Lifeweaver Complications
Lifeweaver has been a huge source of controversy since he was released in Overwatch 2 thanks to his more complex and unique ability kit, which is seeing some big changes in the near future. But Overwatch developers have confirmed that future heroes will probably follow in his delicate, petal footsteps.
It’s no secret that Lifeweaver is much different than previous heroes. His interesting abilities are focused on positioning and he has a lot more going on than support heroes before him. This has created a bit of frustration for players, with his controls feeling wonky and his abilities underwhelming.
This was addressed in a new blog post. Game Director Aaron Keller admitted that Lifeweaver may have been a little too complex compared to previous heroes, stating that removing Parting Gift and making other changes to his kit will make it easier for players to pick up the new healer.
“Lifeweaver is a complex hero, and he has an amazing kit with abilities that can have a high impact in a match. However, these factors can make it harder to balance a hero at launch,” Keller said. “Could there be aspects of his kit, like the slow while charging heal, that punish high-skill players? Could the auto-aim on his heal have a much higher benefit for low-skill players?”
While his kit has brought a lot of complications to Season 4’s launch, developers are not deterred. In fact, players should expect more complex heroes going forward.
Said Keller: “The number of unique/high-impact abilities on Lifeweaver can be seen as a bit of a departure for Overwatch hero design. In the past, we might have spread these abilities among more than one hero — this is how Genji and Hanzo were created.”
Keller added that there’s a lot more to explore with Lifeweaver and look forward to developers and gamers learning the ins and outs of the complex support hero. There’s a “big range” of ways that Lifeweaver can impact a match, unlike previous support heroes like Zenyatta and Mercy that have a very clear playstyle.
Not every Overwatch 2 hero will be as complex as Lifeweaver, but Keller said there will be more heroes like Lifeweaver in the future.
The next hero will be a support, according to an official hero timeline. It’s rumored that the support will be a mecha-fixing pilot from D.Va’s lore called Overlord. Fans have speculated that Overlord will have a lot of aerial capabilities and will be focused on improving his teammate’s abilities or disrupting opponent’s ultimates. If he is as complex as Overlord, this kind of gameplay will have a lot of possibilities.
For now, however, Overwatch 2 players will have to wait and see what Season 6 brings. Meanwhile, Lifeweaver and other heroes are continuing to get buffed and nerfed in an attempt to keep the ever-growing roster balanced. Mei and Brigitte are heroes that have fallen out of meta that developers are hoping to improve, helping them keep up with Lifeweaver and other Overwatch 2 additions that are a bit more aggressive and complex.
