Overwatch 2 devs confirm “harsh” Mauga nerfs amid community backlash

Mauga’s been an absolute menace in the Overwatch 2 meta since he was released into Competitive modes, with many claiming it’s a meta comparable to the much-languished Brigitte meta in Overwatch 1. Now, devs have confirmed we’ll be getting nerfs.

Though Mauga was a tank hero people were excited for when he was initially revealed and released into the wild, that excitement quickly turned to disdain as he completely took over the meta.

Mauga and heroes that work well with him became the best options in every scenario, making the meta fairly one-dimensional from top to bottom, especially for tank players: Pick Mauga or lose.

As a result, Mauga is getting nerfs that have been termed “harsh” by Overwatch 2’s lead hero designer, Alec Dawson.

Mauga nerfs locked in to combat oppressive Overwatch 2 meta

As far as hero releases go in Overwatch 2, most of the new additions haven’t been too overpowered. While someone like Illari was pretty strong on release and needed some slight nerfs to bring her back in line, it’s not like players were forced to pick her if they wanted to win and she had her fair share of counters.

Mauga, however, sorely lacks counterplay, and many players are already tired of the hero despite him only being in the game for a few weeks.

As a result, some big nerfs are coming to try and switch up the meta and bring him down from his massive pedestal as the best tank in Overwatch 2.

Targeting early next week for Mauga changes.

What to expect: Survivability nerfs, ammo nerf, and more. Changes may be harsher than what's necessary.

Why harsher? We've had some recent tech issues (a failed nerf hotfix before break). Want to be on the safe side of not strong.

— Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) January 5, 2024

While the full notes haven’t yet been revealed, Dawson gave us an idea of what they’ll be focusing on:

“Survivability nerfs, ammo nerf, and more. Changes may be harsher than what’s necessary,” he explained.

The devs want to be “on the safe side” with Mauga considering how strong he is, and it seems they’d rather overnerf him than have another patch with him dominating the game.

However, it remains to be seen what these nerfs actually entail. Will they just nerf his numbers, or will mechanics be removed from his kit entirely to keep him from being the jack-of-all-trades tank he’s proven himself to be?

Regardless of what actually changes, Overwatch 2 players seem happy that Mauga’s reign may finally be ending.