Overwatch Director Says Balancing D.Va Was His ‘Low Point’ Of The Year

It ’ s no hidden that Overwatch players are cute about the bet on ’ s balance changes. On the internet, fans act as armchair game devs, flooding the Overwatch forums with strongly-worded opinions whenever there ’ s an unpopular or surprising change. Most recently, the forums overflowed with salt after the popular tank bomber D.Va received a brutal nerf, making her far less brawny. For months, players begged Blizzard to revive the previous D.Va.

Overwatch

At an Overwatch anniversary consequence in New York on Wednesday, Overwatch game film director Jeff Kaplan told me that his personal “ moo point of the year ” was tied to that remainder temporary hookup. But he does not regret nerfing D.Va. His gloomy point, he says, was leaving her overpower for besides hanker .
late stopping point year, the Overwatch team gave the champion D.Va a huge buff. She became an agile combatant, more mobile while firing her gun. Her mech courtship ’ s health skyrocketed from 100 to 200. And it became much easier to charge her ultimate ability, which often kills two or three enemies at a meter. In the mend notes, the Overwatch team explained that the changes would help the tank hero “ defy attacks, which will allow her to keep pressuring enemies ” .

then, Blizzard turned off its lights for Christmas, postponing any proportion changes for at least a few weeks. “ People were burned out, ” Kaplan said. He and Overwatch ‘ s seven early designers took a break to visit their families over the holidays, when Blizzard basically shuts down. Of course, Kaplan and Overwatch ‘ sulfur dev team didn ’ t take a vacation from games, or, apparently, from looking at Overwatch bet data. D.Va was way overpowered. She had become excessively essential to the meta and besides unmanageable to kill .

“ We [ Overwatch tip graphic designer Geoff Goodman and I ] were literally talking through Steam chew the fat about how we ’ rhenium gon na nerf D.Va and ampere soon as we got back, ” Kaplan said. ( He wondered whether Valve president Gabe Newell was reading his chats, laughing, “ All Blizzard secrets are probably available in Steam chew the fat. ” )
Overwatch
Overwatch

Players got used to D.Va ’ s lastingness over that Christmas violate. so, in January, when Blizzard nerfed her, the forums went huffy. democratic complaints described the fresh D.Va as spongy, ineffective and not a true tank bomber. Kaplan doesn ’ triiodothyronine regret the nerf, though. Of her current state, Kaplan says, “ D.Va is wholly fine. ”

In a few instances, the Overwatch team has been agile to roll back dramatic changes after potent player feedback. In March, Bastion received a huge rise that Blizzard reversed good a few days late. Players scantily had a probability to learn how to counter him. It ’ s easy to forget that there ’ s a learn curve after developers make big changes. Describing his decision to scale down Bastion ’ mho power, Kaplan wrote in an Overwatch forum mail, “ Balance changes can be very unmanageable to make when emotions run thus high in the community. ”
Overwatch
Overwatch
But why was Bastion scaled back then promptly ? “ Part of the agile reply to Bastion, it ’ second sort of like, D.Va ’ s our Alamo, ” Kaplan said today. “ If we put something in and leave it for besides long, the players will gravitate towards that and it ’ randomness going to be unvoiced to back people off. ”