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Overwatch Team Internally Testing Big Changes To D.Va
Today on the Overwatch forums on Battle.net, Blizzard principal designer Geoff Goodman discussed some of the changes that Blizzard has been tinkering with for its popular tank character, D.Va. Goodman appeared in a thread titled "D.Va Rework ideas thread" where several community members were discussing how they'd propose Blizzard shuffle things up with the mech-based character.
Goodman began by saying that the team has been working on changes internally for a while now, before outlining what some of the proposed alterations are. You can see the changes in his words below:
- Defense Matrix: Energy drain increased by 2x. This means her effective uptime for this ability has been reduced by 50%.
- Boosters: D.Va can now use her Fusion Cannons while flying.
- New ability – Micro Missiles: D.Va launches a long salvo of small missiles that explode on impact, dealing damage in a small radius around them. This ability can be used while using her other abilities or firing her Fusion Cannons.
Goodman continued, saying that D.Va's damage-dealing capability comes at the cost of her Defense Matrix, which blocks all incoming projectiles and bullets. However, Goodman indicates that the Defense Matrix ability is still incredibly powerful, but that players need to be more judicious with its use, as the up-time of the ability is so significantly decreased. He also explains that the Micro Missiles combined with her ability to fire while boosting gives her more options against more heroes. Goodman specifically names Pharah as a hero that this new ability suite is effective against.
These are just proposed changes, and that when these changes make it to players, they could be different. No ETA was given on when any such changes could be implemented, but Goodman says he hopes that Blizzard can get a new PTR up soon for PC players to check out these changes for themselves.
[Source: Geoff Goodman on Battle.net]
Our Take
As a big D.Va player, I think I'm on-board with these changes. On the one hand, the nerfing of her Defense Matrix means it's less spam-able, which I think is a good thing, while the ability to fire when boosting, and new missiles could make her an even more aggressive character to play. Regardless of my thoughts on the proposed changes, I'm still blown away by how open Blizzard is about any changes made to the game. It shows how in-tune with the community the developer is.
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