Overwatch 2 Junkrat and Cassidy reworks are in development
Blizzard devs say Overwatch 2’s Junkrat and Cassidy are both in line for reworks as it aims to continue improving hero balance in its free-to-play multiplayer game. Answering questions from the community, the team also talks about changes to mitigate spawn killing, the importance of hero counters, and the development of a new Brigitte ult as Overwatch 2 season 3 rolls on.
Overwatch 2 took away Cassidy’s iconic flashbang grenade as the team stripped back crowd control tools for the sequel, replacing it with the pure damage of the cowboy’s new magnetic grenade. Lead hero designer Alec Dawson admits magnetic grenade is “rather flat in what it does” and hopes to “bring back some lost synergy” with a change to the ability. “We won’t be in full stun mode like flashbang,” he reassures players, but the reworked skill will “either enable Cassidy to line up more shots or provide newfound utility.”
A recent Junkrat nerf has seen the Aussie explosives specialist drop fairly notably in win rate, Dawson explains, but notes, “we understand that there are further pain points in his kit.” One big change the team has in mind is reducing the hitbox of his grenades after they bounce off a wall, which would make it harder for him to incessantly spam shots around corners with impunity. He explains that this change will require some additional tech, so there’s currently “no timeline as it involves multiple teams” to implement.
Dawson also lifts the curtain a little on the process of making changes, with hotfixes going along a conveyor belt from the balance team to designers, then to QA and live ops before they’re implemented. He addresses more complex overhauls including Brigitte’s upcoming ultimate rework, discussing the involvement of VFX,
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