Blizzard’s been doing its thing again, right? So, they unleashed this hero ban thing for Overwatch 2 back in April. And if you’ve hit up any competitive games in season 16, you probably noticed certain heroes always seem to get the boot — you know, Sombra, Zarya, Symmetra, Ana, Mercy — the usual suspects. Blizzard’s latest stats kinda paint that picture, but yeah, with some twists and turns.
Sombra, my friends, leads the pack with a whopping 85% ban rate on PC. She’s basically the uninvited guest at a party, with Zarya and Doomfist lagging behind her like, well, unwanted sidekicks at 59% and 43% respectively. And oh boy, console players aren’t letting Sombra off easy either — 93%! Zarya and Symmetra are trailing her shadow, but not by much. Makes you wonder why folks have such a grudge against them, right?
Here’s a twist – Gavin Winter, one of Blizzard’s senior systems designers (what a title!), mentioned that they’re gonna use these ban statistics to figure out balancing changes in Overwatch 2. The heroes that are all special and map-specific might get a bit more… generic if they keep getting shut out where they shine. And the unpopular kids, well, they might get some tweaks too. Yet, no major changes are happening just from these numbers. It’s more complex than that. Typical Blizzard style — keeping us in suspense, right?
What does this mean for Zarya or Symmetra? That’s the million-dollar question. But if Sombra can only show up for 15% of competitive matches ’cause everyone hates playing against her, it’s like, what’s the point? Almost like owning a fancy car but never driving it. What fun is that?
Blizzard does say they’re content with the hero ban system, a few quirks here and there aside. Maybe they’ve got rose-tinted glasses on, or maybe, just maybe, it’s working? Anyway, they’re all pumped to see where the system goes as more data spills out, especially about win and pick rates. Gotta keep things spicy, I guess.
And get ready for season 17 in late June, people. Blizzard’s giving us more say with some fancy map-voting feature. Here’s to hoping it brings some fresh winds and doesn’t just get tossed on the “who cares” stack.
