Overwatch 2’s Lifeweaver “needs to be good,” Blizzard says, pointing to the stats underpinning the most recent Overwatch 2 character. However the easy fact is that he isn’t; his win charge is struggling and lots of assist gamers simply aren’t selecting him. Overwatch 2 recreation director Aaron Keller thinks he’s discovered the reply, and it’s that there’s simply not an interesting cause to choose up Lifeweaver within the multiplayer recreation.
Regardless of a latest overhaul to Lifeweaver skills that reworked his controls and buffed his total efficiency, he’s nonetheless having a tricky time on the market. Lifeweaver’s win charge has gone up, Keller says, however solely to “round 45%” at low talent tiers and rapidly dropping off at greater talent scores. Regardless of that, he claims that the new-look Lifeweaver gives “a fantastic base to construct off of.”
Therapeutic-wise, Lifeweaver’s output is “one of many highest within the recreation,” which Keller says “aligns with our imaginative and prescient with the hero, and we’re pleased with.” Alongside this, he provides, “Lifeweaver has one of many lowest, if not the bottom, demise charges for assist heroes” regardless of his quite chunky hitbox which means “he’s nonetheless taking a constant quantity of injury – within the center to higher vary of different helps.”
“That needs to be good, proper?” It’s not. Whereas it’s simple to level at excessive therapeutic output and really feel like a profitable assist, the very fact of the matter is that Lifeweaver’s therapeutic is excessive as a result of he actually doesn’t have quite a bit else to do. With a view to preserve his staff alive, he must be always pumping out therapeutic, and in contrast to heroes equivalent to Baptiste and Ana he can’t simply deal injury to enemies on the identical time.
This typically means he’s discovered hanging on the very again of the battlefield, tossing out heals and conserving an eye fixed out for teammates he wants to drag to security, which retains his demise charge decrease (particularly at decrease tiers, the place gamers are much less inclined to dive into the backline) regardless of getting simply pinged from vary. His Life Grip and Petal Platform provide some utility, however they’re very reactive skills; heroes historically excel far more after they can provide proactive strikes.
Keller admits as such: “Life Grip and Petal Platform each will be game-changing skills, however they’re additionally inconsistent… Many instances they’re ready for use or simply not getting used properly, both by Lifeweaver or his staff.” As such, he lands on the actual query, asking, “what’s a robust incentive for swapping to Lifeweaver?” At present, whereas his instruments are enjoyable sufficient, they don’t allow you to allow your staff in the way in which that many different helps do; I don’t ever take a look at my staff and assume, “Lifeweaver will actually make this comp pop off.”
This, then, is Blizzard’s aim. Whereas elevated injury buffs and a smaller hitbox are doubtless nonetheless on the playing cards, Keller says that “in the end we’ll have adjustments focused at additional saying Lifeweaver’s strengths and clearly defining his position in your staff. This might be leaning tougher into his therapeutic effectiveness via a brand new passive or bringing further advantages to a few of his utility-focused skills.”
These upgrades are on the playing cards for season 5, so it’ll be some time but earlier than we see any extra adjustments. Within the meantime, Overwatch League caster and former professional participant Jake ‘Jake’ Lyon says we shouldn’t anticipate to see any of him on the high stage (exterior of the occasional troll decide), and it’s more likely to be the identical story elsewhere. For now, then, the numbers don’t lie, and so they spell catastrophe for Lifeweaver in season 4.
Our Overwatch 2 tier checklist ought to offer you loads of higher picks within the meantime as Overwatch 2 season 4 rolls on. Alternatively, you possibly can all the time browse the most effective FPS video games on PC for lots extra satisfying shooters when you look ahead to the Thai healer to seek out his spot.
