Is another Overwatch 2 Hero set for disabling due to a bug?
While there's a lot to be positive about in regard to the Overwatch 2 launch, the number of bug problems requiring a fix is becoming near-comical. Since the game's October launch we've seen Bastion, Torbjorn, and Mei all turned all for extended periods of time due to game-breaking bugs and interactions. All of these removals also came with nary a word from Blizzard about what was wrong or when a fix might happen.
Well, yet another Overwatch 2 Hero bug happened, but in the case of Tracer, this may not see an immediate fix.
A post on the Overwatch 2 subreddit over the weekend alerted fans to a bug with Tracer that involves damage drop-off. In Overwatch, a mechanic built into damage scaling will cause the damage of individual shots to decrease the further away the player is from their connecting target. Despite the fact that some Heroes do not have significant weapon drop-off, the feature is vital to preventing heroes like Tracer from becoming too powerful.
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The problem with Tracer
As shown in the video above, Tracer's typical damage drop-off of that occurs under 20 meters simply isn't happening, meaning that every shot within that range is doing the max amount of damage. Obviously, this means that Tracer's biggest weakness of required proximity becomes less of a problem.
As one Reddit user remarks, "I just thought I was a good Tracer." Sorry, bro.
In a surprise move, Blizzard not only responded to the post but gave a roadmap of sorts for a fix, if any.
Hi all. We’re currently investigating and planning to address this bug in a future patch. However, this has seemingly been in the game for the last few builds(we just verified it in the Halloween patch), and while the sharp damage drop off for Tracer is definitely a bug, her overall power level has been ok. We are not planning to disable Tracer, and when we fix the bug, we will also look at additional changes to her kit to compensate.
After the extended removal of three Heroes since launch it's a relief to see that Tracer is not heading for the freezer. The more interesting note here is that the significant change to how Tracer deals damage isn't seen as a problem by the developers, choosing to leave Tee-racer in as she is now. Given how many dangers currently exist for Tracer in the current meta we should all take it as a holiday blessing that Overwatch's resident speedster is being left in the game.
If any more Overwatch 2 Heroes become busted you can bet that esports.gg will cover it.
