Ashok Gupta
Blizzard Entertainment’s 5v5 first-person hero shooter, Overwatch 2, has been a hit since its release. The title gives its players the freedom to choose from a large roster of heroes from different classes.
Overwatch 2 kickstarts its fourth season on April 11, 2023, and Blizzard Entertainment has revealed to the world a new support hero named Lifeweaver. The Support class has been lacking in diversity, and Lifeweaver is a welcome addition.
Lifeweaver to receive ability changes, balance changes and more in Overwatch 2 Season 4
The Lifeweaver grew in popularity as soon as it was released in Overwatch 2. The game’s developers are surprised at how easily she took over the reins of the support class and changed the meta. Having said that, players were critical of some of the protagonist’s key bindings, abilities, and overall balance.
While Lifeweaver is a complex hero to master, his abilities have the potential to make a huge impact.
A Blizzard Entertainment developer had the following to say in this regard (via blog post):
“We’ve also heard from players that their control scheme feels awkward, with weapon swapping between damage and healing and the Petal Platform on alternate fire being the most cited.”
There were two issues most players faced: the lack of healing and the clunky control scheme. Behind the introduction of the Lifeweaver was the idea of a supporting hero who could bring more than just healing to the battlefield.
While Lifeweaver brought game-changing abilities, his treatment was a bit lackluster compared to other support heroes in Overwatch 2.
Balance changes to Lifeweaver’s abilities
Blizzard Entertainment has decided to make the following changes to Lifeweaver’s abilities in the next patch update:
- Lifeweaver’s healing slow effect will take effect only a short time after it is charged. We are currently testing this in a second. This was originally designed to discourage players from permanently possessing a healing charge, but the current implementation is much stricter.
- Tree of Life will gain a health buff and heal more per pulse.
- The parting gift will be removed.
Changes to Lifeweaver’s control scheme
Blizzard Entertainment has also addressed community issues with the preset control scheme for Lifeweaver. The changes to the controls are as follows:
- The Thorn Volley would be moved to alternate fire.
- The Petal Platform will be moved to Ability Slot 1.
- The rejuvenating dash will be activated with a double jump.
- The petal platform will be canceled by pressing the button again.
- Passive reload will be slowed for any weapon the Lifeweaver is not currently using.
Players will also have the option of playing with the current default controls if they so choose.
This mid-season patch will quickly address the issues players were having with the Lifeweaver and make him a better support hero in Overwatch 2.
The developers at Blizzard Entertainment have done a great job in tackling the problem and coming up with a quick fix.