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I had to get the Lucio "Boop", only way to compleet the boop squad. Sombra, Lucio, Bastion.

Just bummed I didn't have the Widow skin, oh well. I got the Noire one, so I'm good.

Currently having a lot of fun with Zen. He's way better than people make him out to be. for QP he's on a 75% winrate for me.

Sadly QP and Comp is such a crapshoot in solo-que and it is such a gamble. I got a great team for a few matches and climbed like 300 SR. Just to lose most of that again because people don't know what a payload/objective is or what teamplay is. Seriously, my supports have around 3 minutes on average contesting the payload/KOTH objective because any Tank or Defense characters didn't. Imagine Zen the weakest in health of the supports doing that and getting around 20 objective kills on average. Any clue how horrifying it is being there alone as Zen and seeing an entire team running at you. I'm just happy I didn't lose a lot of SR per match because of stupid high stats on some characters.

TL;DR: I just had to rant a little.

I've just seen Sty's new video. Blizz thinks Hanzo needs buffs? Oh, wow.

The thing about Hanzo is that most people aren't very good at him. In the pro level he's fairly balanced IIRC, maybe tweak his cooldowns a bit or make him be less hard-countered by barriers, but in the hands of a really good player he's just fine.

The Grumpy Eldar impressive win rate with Zen! I play him a fair bit but are only like 55-60% QP winrate. And yeah, solo que comp is really risky. I only solo que for comp when I feel like I can do well with any hero role, because you have to be prepared to fill any slot. So far I'm still in placement games.

 gnome_idea_what wrote:
The thing about Hanzo is that most people aren't very good at him. In the pro level he's fairly balanced IIRC, maybe tweak his cooldowns a bit or make him be less hard-countered by barriers, but in the hands of a really good player he's just fine.

To be honest, if you want to "fix" Hanzo?

Scatter Arrow is what needs to be dealt with. It's never been used for what it is intended to be(y'know...scattering around corners and whatnot). It's "I pop it, fire it at their feet or point blank and ensure an instagib".

Make it so that rather than firing one arrow that breaks into a gazillion smaller arrows, he instead gets to fire a spread of arrows in a horizontal(or if we want to be fancy--let him tap the triggers and do a vertical) line.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Knight wrote:
I've just seen Sty's new video. Blizz thinks Hanzo needs buffs? Oh, wow.

This really shouldn't come as a surprise.

Blizz thinks that Soldier 76 shouldn't get more bullets in his rifle, yet thinks Sombra has too few in her SMG.
They think that Genji needed a fire rate improvement/accuracy bonus to his shuriken.
They think that the abuse of the quick-scope for Widowmaker's rifle would be fixed by having a "charge-up".

Etc
Etc

They are, and have been since they launched Arenas during Burning Crusade WoW, hopelessly out of touch with the "average" gamers and only listening to those they personally find impressive/noteworthy.

It's something that has seeped over to all of Activision's companies as well, with Bungie and Destiny being an incredibly notable example(the majority of balance changes are effectively in response to Twitch-streamers' complaints).

 Kanluwen wrote:

 gnome_idea_what wrote:
The thing about Hanzo is that most people aren't very good at him. In the pro level he's fairly balanced IIRC, maybe tweak his cooldowns a bit or make him be less hard-countered by barriers, but in the hands of a really good player he's just fine.

To be honest, if you want to "fix" Hanzo?

Scatter Arrow is what needs to be dealt with. It's never been used for what it is intended to be(y'know...scattering around corners and whatnot). It's "I pop it, fire it at their feet or point blank and ensure an instagib".

Make it so that rather than firing one arrow that breaks into a gazillion smaller arrows, he instead gets to fire a spread of arrows in a horizontal(or if we want to be fancy--let him tap the triggers and do a vertical) line.

Scatter is intended to be used around corners? I thought it was anti-tank/flanker, but whatever. The problem with an attack that's intended to be used around corners is that you need either widow's ult or pulse arrow (both of which are on long cooldowns) to actually see what's around the corner without peeking, and if you can't see then it's basically a crap shoot. Firing an ability which can be so useful around a corner when you can't confirm that you're firing at anything isn't really good game design. Plus ricochet abilities are really difficult to aim anyway, so there's that problem too.

I've never really played WoW. Don't know how they've handled PvP and PvE aspects over there.

I do find that the more the company listens to their top/popular players or forces e-sport aspect, the less enjoyable the game becomes for me. Purely my experience. Maybe players are secretly looking forward to alpha strike Hanzo.

 gnome_idea_what wrote:

 Kanluwen wrote:

 gnome_idea_what wrote:
The thing about Hanzo is that most people aren't very good at him. In the pro level he's fairly balanced IIRC, maybe tweak his cooldowns a bit or make him be less hard-countered by barriers, but in the hands of a really good player he's just fine.

To be honest, if you want to "fix" Hanzo?

Scatter Arrow is what needs to be dealt with. It's never been used for what it is intended to be(y'know...scattering around corners and whatnot). It's "I pop it, fire it at their feet or point blank and ensure an instagib".

Make it so that rather than firing one arrow that breaks into a gazillion smaller arrows, he instead gets to fire a spread of arrows in a horizontal(or if we want to be fancy--let him tap the triggers and do a vertical) line.

Scatter is intended to be used around corners?

You seriously didn't know that Scatter Arrow is intended to be used around corners?

When Hanzo uses it, quite often he makes comments about geometry, angles, etc. The name of the achievement for killing three people with one Scatter Arrow on XB1 is "Simple Geometry".

I thought it was anti-tank/flanker, but whatever. The problem with an attack that's intended to be used around corners is that you need either widow's ult or pulse arrow (both of which are on long cooldowns) to actually see what's around the corner without peeking, and if you can't see then it's basically a crap shoot. Firing an ability which can be so useful around a corner when you can't confirm that you're firing at anything isn't really good game design. Plus ricochet abilities are really difficult to aim anyway, so there's that problem too.

Did you ever stop and wonder why he has the Pulse Arrow?

And honestly, the cooldown on PA isn't that bad. And it's not like you can't see enemies peeking around etc.

I haven't had many issues fighting enemy Hanzos, but if Scatter Arrow needs to be nerfed somehow, why not make it damage himself?

 General Annoyance wrote:
I haven't had many issues fighting enemy Hanzos, but if Scatter Arrow needs to be nerfed somehow, why not make it damage himself?

Because the problem isn't that he uses it in situations where he could be damaged, but rather that it's used incorrectly period because Blizzard sucks at making game mechanics that aren't pants on head stupid?

Scatter Arrow breaks apart when it hits a target. You follow?
It then angles the "scatter" a particular way. That's why you tend to see people firing the Scatter Arrow at someone's feet--the arrows are forced to scatter upwards and instagib most characters.

Scatter Arrow, however, was meant to be a way for Hanzo to deal with someone who was LOSing his shots. You tag an oncoming group with Pulse Arrow, then poof--Scatter Arrow at an oblique angle to get kills. I do it all the time on maps like Hanamura or Watchpoint Gibraltar.

But much like Dragonstrike--it's become a way to ensure a quick kill rather than being a truly special ability.

 Kanluwen wrote:
Scatter Arrow breaks apart when it hits a target. You follow?

You don't need to patronise me - I know how Scatter Arrow works.

I've seen a lot of Hanzos fire Scatter Arrow at their feet to deal with close range heroes that would otherwise trash them in close quarters if they fail to get a shot at them. Self damage would negate that as a strategy, in the same way Soldier's Helix Rockets can't be used in the same manner for close range targets, unless you want to kill yourself and look like a complete tool in the process.

Hence the proposal. Another proposal if that is not the main issue would be to have Scatter Arrow always available as an alternate arrow, but reduce the damage of it to a point where it cannot instakill a target. Might be too harsh a nerf, but it would at least nullify its use as an instagib ability, and perhaps solidify its use as an angle killer.

The only other way would be to somehow alter the way the Scatter Arrow breaks, but then I feel like that would nullify the intended use too if the spread was maybe wider.

What I'd say, is change it to a single ricochet arrow, but up the number of times it bounces, and have it pierce until it finishes.

Could you imagine a skilled Hanzo using it to get headshots around corners? I could. I could also see a Hanzo baiting a Tank into a narrow hallway or between two pillars, then shooting an arrow that bounces back and forth across the gap, skewering the tank each time.

It basically preserves the purpose and utility of the ability, while also making it less aggravating for the enemy.

If Hanzo could instagib himself with his I'd be so happy. I've been killed by Hanzo and his lag compensation arrows so... so... so many times. It will get worse now he just going to "Lulz, suprise wall climb shots!" I hope they revert that buff asap.

It's already the most infuriating thing there is, having to see Hanzo miss by like a centimeter and still killing you. But because they have that "Favor the shooter" thing implementing Hanzo arrows are bs.
Just because I have 3-5 ping and the other guy a ping of +60 or more it's fair to favor him?

I played HotS with an old friend from Qatar, and we nabbed the skins.

Officer D.Va... might actually be a skin that I want to use regularly. HotS isn't too bad either, at least on Braxis Holdout, which was a tonne of fun to play on

HoTS, especially after the update is the most enjoyable MOBA I've played. Really love the taunts, sprays and voice lines on quick key.

Playing exclusively in QP for practice for next season has really made me reckon that Overwatch needs a Competitive Practice mode; something that has the same format as Competitive but without SR/MMR being involved, where people can take the game seriously outside of Competitive.

Not that I have a problem with people not taking the game seriously, but jeez... Quick Play is almost impossible to work with when you want to practice any character that isn't a healer.

 General Annoyance wrote:
Playing exclusively in QP for practice for next season has really made me reckon that Overwatch needs a Competitive Practice mode; something that has the same format as Competitive but without SR/MMR being involved, where people can take the game seriously outside of Competitive.

Not that I have a problem with people not taking the game seriously, but jeez... Quick Play is almost impossible to work with when you want to practice any character that isn't a healer.

Way too much coming up in wargaming. i already slowed my roll just trying to build, paint or storage my old models.

also stopped playing comp altogether and now degraded to 3k

makes me a little sad but the game was becoming repetitive so not that big a deal.

I stopped before touching Diamond when my training at work ceased and I transferred to the floor. Now I'm comfortable, I want to play in next season for as long as it takes to get to Masters

 General Annoyance wrote:
I stopped before touching Diamond when my training at work ceased and I transferred to the floor. Now I'm comfortable, I want to play in next season for as long as it takes to get to Masters

Im sure you can do it

it aint that hard

Really?

What about Grandmaster?

 General Annoyance wrote:
Really?

What about Grandmaster?

Iv gotten close then hit a wall.

and im a pretty casual player

Remember, you get more MMR (or whatever it is) if you play a less-played character, because you're 'competing' with everyone else's skill with that character at that rank.

So play, I don't know, Junkrat or Torbjorn or Sombra or something.

Or just not play comp....sheesh, how often can a team split up and leave a medic holding the front line...

As a QP veteran I've lost track of the times that I've been left to hold the line as Mercy. It happens constantly

Anvildude wrote:
Remember, you get more MMR (or whatever it is) if you play a less-played character, because you're 'competing' with everyone else's skill with that character at that rank.

So play, I don't know, Junkrat or Torbjorn or Sombra or something.

Seems silly to ditch D.Va now that I've amassed all that practice time and development with her; she's not as popular as Reinhardt or Roadhog, so I have that at least.

The other two I'm practising are Lucio and Mercy. I would have practised Soldier or Tracer, but DPS is usually a slot that is quickly filled, and is honestly not a place that I excel in.

 War Kitten wrote:
As a QP veteran I've lost track of the times that I've been left to hold the line as Mercy. It happens constantly

Competitive has a lot less of that, mainly because compositions are typically decent and people typically use group tactics/coordination to win. That's been my experience for the most part at least.

It's still full of morons/trolls/toxic people, but much less so than QP.

I just usually play Comp placement matches and then go. "Meh." Soloque comp is a crapshow anyway.

At first it's oh you easily win, here you go, I'll give you people that think that they are god tier snipers but actually can't hit anything. I know it's not all them, it's still frustrating. Since I know I should be able to climb really fast if I could actually win more in soloque. The game is giving me about 40 SR per win and takes way less away when I lose. But yeah, solo tanking and healing is sooooo much fun... because everyone and their mum only plays dps it seems.

And thus I tend not to play Comp at all anymore.

Anyway, the anniversary is coming up next week. Lots of items. Probably Sombra sit emote, Hanzo skins, Zarya skins etc. Jetpack cat might still be a thing, just not a hero. They hinted that it might be Torb's cat puffing around.

The bad news. There probably will come Diablo, Starcraft and WOW skins to overwatch. Not immediately but... Please don't Blizzard. Keep that in HOTS, it doesn't fit with OW.

A week or so back I returned to Overwatch after a very long break.
I instantly fell in love with Orisa and played her a fair bit. However I noticed the omnipresent Tracer and Genji are even more of a pain than they used to be, as are a number of other things (scatter arrow).

I visit the forums for an explanation and it turns out Orisa is really bad. Not only that, Blizzard decides to nerf her. What on earth.

Looks like I am going on another break. I guess I return when she is buffed... assuming she is not made fotm. *Peers at Ana*

My friend plays Orisa. He's doing extremely well at the moment, apart from some weird positioning on his part.

From my experience Orisa is pretty damn great. As far as I know the nerf to her between the PTR and live was a reduction in her magazine size for the Fusion Driver from 200 to 150; there may have been something else, but I can't remember.

I don't pay attention to the forums really; chances are most people on them are too busy complaining to actually have a worthwhile contribution based on skill. Hate to bring in the "you aren't good at the game, hence your opinion is invalid" trope, and I'm not saying that Overwatch doesn't have balancing issues at the moment, but seriously... the Overwatch community stinks.

Slightly hypocritical point since I've only played Orisa for a total of 2 hours, but I don't exactly main a character that is considered by the community to be on meta either. If I had a pound for every time I got "pls don't play D.Va, play Reinhardt"...

 General Annoyance wrote:

Anvildude wrote:

 War Kitten wrote:
As a QP veteran I've lost track of the times that I've been left to hold the line as Mercy. It happens constantly

Competitive has a lot less of that, mainly because compositions are typically decent and people typically use group tactics/coordination to win. That's been my experience for the most part at least.

It's still full of morons/trolls/toxic people, but much less so than QP.

I disagree, I have had a way worse experience in Comp than QP. People regularly drop out of Comp matches and Blizzard punishes you if you don't want to sit through 5 more matches getting your face beat in now that you have lost mates on a team that was already a spastic mess.

QP is at least one and done, or two and done. Comp forces you to grind through having your face beat in match after match with no way to leave without getting punished.

It's the same random mix of folks, only now you are locked in and Blizzard wants to be a dick about it.

Anyway people, new maps for a new gametype most likely. But can be for 3v3 or 1v1 to.


So Dorado, Eichenwalde and Temple of Anubis themed

 Maniac_nmt wrote:
I disagree, I have had a way worse experience in Comp than QP. People regularly drop out of Comp matches and Blizzard punishes you if you don't want to sit through 5 more matches getting your face beat in now that you have lost mates on a team that was already a spastic mess.

QP is at least one and done, or two and done. Comp forces you to grind through having your face beat in match after match with no way to leave without getting punished.

It's the same random mix of folks, only now you are locked in and Blizzard wants to be a dick about it.

Personally I've only had 3 dropout matches, but I know it is a problem that a lot of others are facing.

It sucks when it happens, but there isn't much that can be done to improve the system.

I've been solo queuing and have had pretty decent results, although I've noticed that a cesspool of toxicity surrounds the high Platinum/low Diamond region of the Competitive Ladder...



Those new maps look pretty sweet - can't wait to see what they're for, but I'm pretty sure they'll be for 3v3.