The team is planning to nerf counter-swapping in an attempt to make Tank more entertaining, Lead Gameplay Designer Alec Dawson disclosed in an interview with Overwatch 2 streamers Flats and svb.
The Overwatch 2 community has been very vocal about the rock, paper, scissors method of Tank counter-swapping, and 6v6 has been suggested as a potential remedy.
But as Aaron Keller pointed out, a major factor in the team’s reluctance to make the switch is the extremely low number of players who are ready to play Tank, which would result in significantly longer wait times.
In order to try and stop swapping in 5v5, Alec Dawson disclosed that the development team has been exploring some different internal solutions, but that the problem is difficult to resolve.
Dawson clarified, “It’s not just that the Tank is swapping for you; the DPS is swapping for you.” “I think there are ways we want to look at alleviating that frustration because that part can be frustrating.” We wish to examine a few of those stiff counters and attempt to soften them a little bit.
Dawson stated that, despite counter-swapping being an issue, they would never want to force players to play a single hero for the duration of the game and that maintaining hero-swapping is a top goal for them.
“We’ve conducted several internal experiments. We’ve examined restricted swaps, and the possibility of earning swaps, conducted some experiments, and are currently having discussions about it. In the live interview, he asserted, “It’s kind of made its way up the list of things that are top-of-mind for the team and things we’re looking at.”
Developers of Overwatch 2 acknowledge Tanks might be under too much strain.
Flats retaliated to Dawson, saying that the Tank role’s one-person burden may be too much for the typical player to bear and that there might not be a way around it in the current arrangement.
Flats asserted, “I think it’s really reached the point where it’s unhealthy.” “The average player can’t legitimately handle the amount of pressure that higher ranks put on them; not even elite players can.”
The seasoned OW streamer and Tank main clarified what is required of the role, acknowledging that he exaggerated in response to the contentious Tank buffs and that players are supposed to 1v9: “I’m not even sure whether that pressure can be sustained because it’s so high.”
Without any argument, Dawson concurred that teams have high expectations for their Tank players.
It’s a topic we discuss often. Is there a way that the entire player base can be educated more effectively? They play a part in the composition of the team, after all. Additionally, your support players are interchangeable and can take on different roles. But Flats, I believe you’re right. The group thinks its tank can sort of do everything.
A few balancing adjustments won’t erase the societal stigma surrounding Tank and its significance to the team, but Dawson and the group are working on long-term solutions to try and make Tank more pleasant and less make-or-break in terms of winning games.
After all, if more people were interested in playing the role, line times wouldn’t be an issue.
