Summary
Overwatch 2recently teased some adjustments to the Perks system coming in Season 16, including new choices for Sombra, Mercy, Juno, and Mei, as well as nerfs to one of Tracer’s most powerful picks. These changes and more will be implemented as a part of theOverwatch 2Season 16 update on April 22.
Perks, a new system introduced inOverwatch 2during Season 15, give each hero exciting ways to evolve their kit during battle, such as Ana’s “Double Nano” Shrike and Bastion’s Lindholm Explosives. However,Overwatch 2confirmed that Perks would be adjusted and replacedin the future based on popularity and performance to keep the feature fresh.
Now, with Season 16 right around the corner, thefirst major batch of Perk adjustmentsis almost here. In a recent Director’s Take,Overwatch 2’s new associate director Alec Dawsonrevealed some of the new Perks that would replace less-picked choices in the next update. Sombra’s Stack Overflow Major Perk is being replaced with Viral Replication, which allows Virus to spread to additional enemies, while Mercy’s Angelic Recover Minor Perk is swapping out for Angelic Resurrection, an ability that grants 100 Overhealth when using Resurrect. Juno, on the other hand, is having several Perks changed, with the Re-Boots Major Perk replacing the Hyper Boost Minor Perk, and the new Locked On Major Perk providing a cooldown reduction for Pulsar Torpedoes for each enemy hit.
Unfortunately, some heroes are having their existing Perks nerfed instead. While Dawson admitted the devs didn’t want to do so often, Tracer’s Flashback Major Perk –one of the best Perks inOverwatch 2– is being tweaked to make its impact a bit less profound.
There are undoubtedly more Perk adjustments coming in this update as well. While Dawson didn’t reveal all the changes, he did hint thatMei would be receiving a new Major Perk inOverwatch 2Season 16 that might allow her to freeze enemies as she could in the original game, similarly to how Hanzo and Orisa can replicate old abilities like Scatter Arrow and Orisa’s Protective Barrier respectively. Fans will have to wait until the patch releases on April 22 to see how else the Perks system changes.
Fans looking for an even greater twist on hero kits need look no further than Stadium, anew game mode also coming toOverwatch 2in Season 16. The best-of-seven grudge match features a third-person camera mode, Powers and Items that completely change how each character plays between each round, and even brand-new maps specific to Stadium, promising a drastically different experience than what fans have ever experienced before.
