Superpowered D.VA Defense Matrix in Overwatch would be terrifying
Blizzard EntertainmentAn Overwatch player has used the Workshop to create an absurdly powerful version of D.Va’s Defense Matrix.
DarwinStreams has been responsible for some of the most popular Overwatch Workshop modes so far, producing everything from useful practice modes for Ana and Reinhardt, to fun modes like “Torbjörnball 2k19” and Overwatch Pictionary. His “D.Va Racing” mode is also one of the top 10 most popular so far, according to Blizzard.
His latest creation, however, is likely to have D.Va players salivating – and everyone else terrified.
D.Va’s Defense Matrix has always been one of the most powerful abilities in the game, capable of soaking up incoming damage and even completely nullifying some powerful ultimates, most notably Zarya’s Graviton Surge.
As a result, D.Va has been one of the few heroes to have a near permanent place in the meta throughout Overwatch’s lifespan. With Darwin’s new mode, however, Defense Matrix becomes even more formidable, capable of not only vanishing abilities, but even actual players.
Eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed that the players don’t appear in the kill-feed, suggesting they haven’t simply been killed by the ability, but the Workshop doesn’t have a ‘de-spawn’ feature – so what’s happened to the disappeared enemies?
Darwin offered a peak behind the curtain, revealing that instead of literally removing the players from the game, Defense Matrix actually teleports them 500 meters into the air, where they’re deposited on top of a skybox – invisible obstacles used by the developers to keep everything contained in the map or block off particular areas.
D.Va players can only dream of a buff like this.As a result, the “improved” Defense Matrix is actually even more powerful than it first appears – players who get “eaten” by it don’t have a chance to even respawn, instead relegated to watching the game play out from a distance.
Fortunately for anyone who isn’t playing D.Va, Blizzard have actually recently nerfed the ability in the standard game, reducing its range as well as updating the visuals to make it clearer for enemies, so even a reversion to its most powerful state seems unlikely any time soon, let alone anything close to this absurdly powerful version.
While the superpowered Defense Matrix is largely just a joke, quirky changes like this to see what the Workshop is capable of are always interesting, especially considering that such ideas could later be incorporated as elements of unique new modes.
Anyone that wishes to try out this mode, or take a look at the rules behind it in order to incorporate similar effects into their own game modes, can do so with the share code 27VKP.