Overwatch 2's Illari Faces Pre-Competitive Nerfs Amidst Strong Debut
Overwatch 2's new support hero, Illari, garners attention with her potent healing and surprising damage capabilities.
Players were welcomed with a wealth of new content to discover with the launch of Overwatch 2's Season 6, including fascinating PvE objectives and the ground-breaking Flashpoint game style. The new support hero, Illari, was the game's most recent addition, and she was the centre of attention.
Illari gained notoriety after her release because she was a formidable opponent, possessing not only exceptional healing abilities but also unexpected damaging potential that occasionally resembled that of a damage dealer rather than a support hero. Illari developed a name for herself right away, helped by her remarkable vertical mobility, reliable healing, and incredibly high damage output.
The devs are already working to balance her potency in advance of her competitive debut, in a rapid turn of events just days after her debut. It has been reported that the forthcoming update would scale back both her ultimate ability and Healing Pylon.
When Illari enters Competitive next week, she will receive nerfs to Healing Pylon and Captive Sun.
— Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) August 17, 2023
Overall, we've been very happy with her release and the response has been great! Still aiming for her to be impactful when she enters Competitive, but a little tuning is needed.
Alec Dawson, the lead hero designer for Overwatch, provided insight into the upcoming changes. "Over time, we'd like to position our changes to mostly keep her aggressive nature intact and hit the amount of sustain she provides," he said. These adjustments were made with the intention of enhancing Illari's character identification and teamwork. Even though her ultimate power might be adjusted, it now commands attention in the way it is.
Dawson went on to clarify that Illari will be subject to nerfs to both her Captive Sun and Healing Pylon abilities once she entered the Competitive arena. Despite their satisfaction with her initial release and the favourable feedback she received, the creators admit that she still needs a little fine-tuning before making her competitive debut. Her having a substantial impact in the competitive environment is still the aim.
It's vital to understand that these changes won't result in her kit being completely overhauled right now. Her aggressive personality will be preserved, and the development team will pay close attention to the amount of sustainability she provides. This tactical move aims to preserve her individuality and improve her team dynamics compatibility.
Dawson declined to give a specific date for when she first entered competitive play, however specifics on the improvements that specifically target each skill are still unknown. Given that Blizzard has a history of releasing updates on Tuesdays, it is logical to anticipate that Illari's release will follow suit.
