Overwatch developer Blizzard is making big changes to the support class as part of next week’s Hammond update.
Wrecking Ball has been given a July 24 release date on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
As part of the accompanying update, Blizzard is experimenting with balance changes for its support heroes.
With the exception of Zenyatta, Blizzard is updating Moira, Mercy, Lucio, Brigitte and Ana.
Blizzard outlined the plans in a new blog post: “Ana has a very strong and unique toolbox, with the potential to dish out more healing than any other hero in the game.
“That said, she has a couple disadvantages that can be difficult to overcome, such the potential to miss your targets, not having any mobility options, and having a more difficult time keeping herself healed up.
“Her ultimate can be very powerful but often feels like it can be difficult to use effectively unless it is used in combination with other allied ultimates such as Genji’s Dragonblade.
“This new change allows Ana to use her ultimate as a clutch save on a dying teammate, or even use it in combination with her Biotic Grenade for a huge instant heal on even the biggest of tank health pools.”
Brigitte, meanwhile, is said to be too powerful because of the short cooldown for the Shield Bash ability, while Lucio’s Crossfade aura will have an increased radius.
As for Mercy, Blizzard continues: “Mercy is intended to be able to consistently pump out more healing than any other healer over the course of a match.
“While this is currently true, the difference in healing is so significant that it makes it very difficult for other healers to compete with her for a spot on a team.
“Reducing her healing output will close this gap a little, but she will still maintain her status as the go-to pick for raw healing power. We’ll keep an eye on her to make sure she is still a strong pick.”
Finally, Moira has undergone minimal changes, with Blizzard increasing the healing resource base regeneration rate.
Ana
• Nano Boost additionally heals the target instantly for 300 HP.
Brigitte
• Shield Bash cooldown increased from 6 to 7 seconds.
Lúcio
• Sound Barrier effect increased 50% from 500 to 750 shields.
• Crossfade aura radius increased 20% from 10m to 12m.
Mercy
• Primary fire healing beam reduced 17 percent from 60 HP/s to 50 HP/s.
Moira
• Healing resource base regen rate increased 20%.
