Overwatch 2’s hero bans mean changes for Sombra, Zarya, and more

Blizzard Leisure rolled out its hero ban feature for Overwatch 2 in April, and for those who’ve been enjoying any aggressive video games throughout season 16, you’ve most likely observed that sure heroes (e.g., Sombra, Zarya, Symmetra, Ana, Mercy) are among the many most persistently banned characters. Newly published data from Blizzard reveals that to be the case, with some {qualifications}, and it appears the frequency of banning these heroes will in the end have some penalties. Some heroes might get rebalanced or extra considerably modified, the developer says, partly on account of their constant bans.

“Sombra leads the PC pack with a formidable 85% ban fee, adopted by Zarya at 59% and Doomfist at 43%,” Blizzard stated in a weblog publish. “On consoles, Sombra is banned much more, with a 93% fee. She’s adopted by Zarya at 57% and Symmetra at 23%.”

Gavin Winter, a senior programs designer at Blizzard, says that the previous month’s price of hero ban information might be used “to assist inform steadiness adjustments” in Overwatch 2. “Heroes which can be extra area of interest or map particular might must turn into extra generalized in the event that they’re at all times banned the place they carry out nicely,” Winter stated. “Heroes which can be very unpopular would possibly see extra changes no matter efficiency. Finally although, there aren’t any particular adjustments within the works primarily based on this information but, and Hero Ban information alone would by no means dictate how Heroes are balanced.”

Precisely what meaning for characters like Zarya and Symmetra is clearly unclear, but when a personality like Sombra is unavailable to play in 85% of aggressive video games of Overwatch 2 as a result of gamers hate going through her, that’s a giant downside. What’s the purpose of investing in a personality for those who can solely play them competitively so hardly ever?

That stated, minus some tie-breaking decision-making quirks within the hero ban system, Blizzard is “proud of the way it works total.” Winter stated, “We consider the system is assembly most of its objectives, and we’re excited to see how Hero Bans evolve over time, particularly as soon as we begin releasing extra information about our Hero win charges and choose charges sooner or later!”

Blizzard will give gamers extra management over how matches play in season 17, due in late June, when it rolls out a brand new map-voting characteristic.