Overwatch 2’s next season will be introducing some major changes to the tank and DPS heroes in the form of new passive abilities.
A slew of updates are headed to Overwatch 2 in Season 9 including anupgraded Competitive mode, changes toburst damageand even passive abilities.
Passives in Overwatch 2 have been quite controversial with many players unsure on what the right approach for them is. Currently, DPS heroes get an increased reload speed after securing an elimination while tanks takeless knockbackfrom certain attacks.
Supports, meanwhile, automatically get their health restored when out of combat – something Overwatch 2’s Game Director Aaron Keller says will soon affect other roles as well.
DPS and tank heroes getting new Overwatch 2 passive ability
After reiterating plans for significant balance changes and modifications to how chunks of damage are dealt, Keller revealed that the support healing passive will be shared with other roles.
“In Season 9, both Tank and Damage heroes will get a modified, tuned-down version of the Support self-healing passive,” he explained. “This should give non-Support players more options in terms of sustaining themselves.”
He went on to note how these updates should take some pressure off supports who feel overwhelmed with keeping their teammates topped off health-wise now that other heroes have more control over their HP.
“A change like this shifts that balance a bit. This is something that we are constantly evaluating. We still wantOverwatchto be defined by team strategy and mechanics, but we feel this can be pulled back a bit now and possibly more in the future,” he added.
In the same blog post, Keller also revealed thatlong-awaited features to team playsuch as a PvE-style UI addition are in the works along with the possibility of a mini-map.
Expect to learn more about the upcoming Season 9 update and the major ranked overhaul in the weeks ahead.
Michael Gwilliam is Dexerto’s Deputy Entertainment Editor in the US. He expertly covers trending stories across Twitch, Kick, YouTube, TikTok, as well as Overwatch, GTA, and Smash Bros. You can contact him at: michael.gwilliam@dexerto.com
