Overwatch players slam “low skill” Junkrat buff
Blizzard EntertainmentPlayers complained that the buff to Junkrat issued on February 21 has not improved the gameplay experience for advanced players, but just lowered his skill floor.
Blizzard released some patch changes to Overwatch 2 on February 21 that affected the likes of D.Va, Zarya, Zenyatta, and others.
One of the Heroes that was changed was everyone’s favorite explosives-obsessed demolitionist, Junkrat, who received some exciting buffs.
Blizzard made alterations to Junkrat’s “Concussion Mine” ability. The cooldown was reduced from 8 seconds to 7, the maximum damage increased from 110 to 120, and the minimum damage increased from 20 to 55.
Some Junkrat players were happy with the buffs, but others felt that it made the Hero too “low skill” – and some others even thought it didn’t change the Hero at all.
Overwatch 2 fans torn over Junkrat buffs
One fan shared their thoughts on the buff to the Overwatch 2 subreddit: “It finally happened!”
The original poster went on to continue to complain that the change did “nothing” major to change Junkrat for advanced players. But, the reduced cooldown and higher minimum damage on his Concussion Mine ability did lower the “skill floor,” something they were not happy about.
“A low-skill floor is what makes heroes annoying, and a high-skill ceiling is what makes heroes fun. Blizzard is actively ruining this hero every time they change him,” complained the player.
Some blamed the change on Blizzard trying to make the game easier to attract casuals to the franchise who might purchase skins:
“A low-skill floor ceiling is what attracts the types of people to spend money on the game. This is why they do it,” claimed another.
However, others didn’t mind the change and even thought that it would make the character less annoying in the long run.
“One shots should be removed tbf and Junkrats was pretty annoying. I hope they can build his kit more toward aoe damage and displacement with mines instead,” praised one player.
Still, as with most patch notes, only time will tell whether the changes affect gameplay positively as the meta re-balances in Overwatch 2 yet again.