Sure! Here’s a totally human take on that Overwatch 2 hero ban thing:
—
So, Blizzard Entertainment dropped this hero ban thing for Overwatch 2 back in April. Have you been playing Season 16? I have, and wow, you can’t help but notice heroes like Sombra, Zarya, Symmetra, Ana, and Mercy are constantly getting the boot from games. Anyway, Blizzard put out some data — I mean, sorta reaffirming what we suspected — saying, yep, those heroes are the top benchwarmers. Their frequent bans might mean they get a tweak or maybe a full-on overhaul. Or maybe nothing. Who’s to say?
So get this. Blizzard, in their blog post, went all, “Guess what, Sombra’s sitting at an 85% ban rate on PC and even crazier, 93% on consoles. Zarya’s next with 59% on PC, then Doomfist hits 43%.” It’s kind of wild but not shocking. Console-wise, Zarya’s got 57%, Symmetra’s chilling at 23%. Are you still with me?
Gavin Winter, Blizzard’s senior systems wizard — or designer — whatever you wanna call it, says they’re gonna use hero ban data to possibly tweak balance. Heroes that are niche or super specific to certain maps might get more universal powers if they keep getting the axe. And, like, heroes that nobody picks might get changes just for the heck of it. But, don’t hold your breath, there’s no magic patch arriving tomorrow or anything. Heroes won’t get buffed or nerfed based solely on these bans.
So, like, what’s the deal with heroes like Zarya and Symmetra, huh? Who knows — it’s a bit murky. But Sombra’s story? If she’s mostly banned because players dread facing her, doesn’t that defeat the purpose of developing her character? I’d probably rage-quit if I couldn’t use who I wanted in almost every match!
Still, Blizzard seems chill about how the system works. Hero bans seem to be hitting most of their targets, and Winter basically said the same thing. They’re excited about the bans evolving — sounds kind of sci-fi, doesn’t it? And, oh! New data on win and pick rates might be on its way — like, eventually.
Oh, and heads up! Season 17’s rolling out late June, and they’re giving us a nifty map-voting feature. Should be interesting, right? Or it might tank. Who knows with these things?
