Overwatch developers confirm D.Va buff to be included in patch 1.45
D.Va has been the subject of many iterations over the years in Overwatch however Blizzard has teased that balancing is far from over as the Tank hero is set to receive another slate of buffs in an upcoming patch.
Patch 1.45 is right around the corner and Blizzard has been teasing what the Overwatch community can expect with the next wave of balancing updates.
On January 6 Jeff Kaplan teased that Baptiste’s Immortality Field has been a large focus behind the scenes, and off the back of those comments, developers have been quick to tease another character that is bound for change with the spotlight now on D.Va.
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Taking to Blizzard’s very own forums on January 7, Overwatch developer Josh Noh responded to a post surrounding the popular Tank hero and addressed a change that will be implemented in the next patch.
“We’ve actually been playtesting a Boosters cooldown reduction recently,” he outlined. Currently set to a five-second period, D.Va’s Boosters provide a great deal of mobility for an otherwise slow-moving and grounded tank.
Reducing the cooldown would allow her to maneuver around the map, challenge for high-ground control, and generally be a more difficult target to hit with much greater frequency. Admitting that the idea initially “sounded kind of intimidating on paper,” Noh ensured that the change actually “hasn’t been that crazy in practice.”
The full comment ensures that D.Va will be adjusted in the near future.
At first, the developers implemented a three-second cooldown that allowed “D.Va to play the midfield more freely, which works well with the current 10 meter Defense Matrix range.”
Until a full set of balance updates is released, it’s impossible to gauge quite whether D.Va will work her way back into the meta due to this adjustment.
“Some version should make it to the next [Public Test Region] cycle,” the developer concluded. Patch 1.44 was implemented across the PTR on December 11, 2019.
Given that more hints are popping up with each passing day, it’s likely that the upcoming 1.45 patch is right around the corner. It remains to be seen whether this drastic D.Va alteration will make it into the update in time, however, or slip into a patch further down the line.
While D.Va hasn’t seen a great amount of play throughout the current double-shield meta, the hero could be returning to the front-lines soon.
D.Va has been an integral component in a number of previous meta-defining compositions though none more prevalent than the divisive GOATS period.
Whether the Tank will see a resurgence in play or remain a niche pick depends on just how significantly her kit is reworked. It’s evident, however, Blizzard is unhappy with D.Va’s current state, so expect more changes to be outlined soon.