Overwatch players call for DVa’s April Fool’s buff to be permanent
Blizzard EntertainmentOverwatch’s April Fool’s experimental patch has once again captured the hearts of the game’s players, but one novelty buff has absolutely stolen the show: D.Va’s mega Call Mech ult. Now, fans want it to stick around.
Whether zooming in her MEKA or strolling outside of it, people generally seem to love D.Va. During the April Fool’s experimental patch, Blizzard developers simply added to that joy, making it a delightful experience to transition from being Baby D.Va (or “Zero Suit D.Va,” depending on who you ask) to MEKA form.
In the silly new patch, the devs gave buffs to every single hero in the game, as well as the now-beloved googly eyes. Amidst the chaotic shenanigans, D.Va’s buff has really stood out — the “Call Mech” went from dealing 50 damage on impact to…600, enough to take out a full HP Roadhog.
While many would agree that the buff is too powerful, most seem to have fallen in love with it. Following a flurry of obnoxious highlights, Overwatch fans are hoping that the change can be made permanent, albeit possibly with a damage compromise.
In one popular clip, you can notice ‘uwuokie’ sneakily creep up behind some enemies in a stairwell as Baby D.Va, only to call their mech down and kill all three in an instant. This example, while exciting for D.Va fans, also shows why the ability could be implemented practically.
At 150 health, Baby D.Va is one of the weakest characters in the game. Creeping up on a Moira and a Doomfist in a closed space is always a very high-risk endeavor in Pilot mode, if not outright suicidal. But, with this new buff, it’s also high-reward.
To pull off the Call Mech kills, you need to put yourself at risk by getting very close to the enemies while having very little health and escapability. Like Pharah’s Barrage, the ability’s lethality is balanced by serious susceptibility to counterplay. Still, the 600 damage might be overkill.
In another clip, shared by ‘gramkrakerj,’ they stroll up to enemies trapped in a teammate’s Graviton Surge and call their MEKA down to get four kills — including a Nano-Boosted Reinhardt and a Winston. That’s what we meant by “might be overkill.”
Since one Nano Reinhardt swing and a tickle of Winston’s Tesla Cannon could kill the Baby D.Va immediately, the capacity for counterplay is still there. But most agree that 600 damage, enough to kill such hefty tanks, is probably too much. After Reddit replies suggested they keep the ability permanently, one commenter suggested 150 damage could be a good compromise.
That might even be too much compromise, though. If you halved the damage, to 300, then Baby D.Va could still effectively kill most DPS and support heroes when calling her MEKA. Given how risky the maneuver is to pull off, this could be a fun change to make permanent — and, from social media reactions, the game’s fans are all for it.