Overwatch 2’s Lifeweaver is set for control and balance changes on April 25th

Introduced in Season 4 on April 11, 2023, the Overwatch 2 Lifeweaver Support Hero has quickly become a popular choice for players due to its vital healing and usefulness. However, feedback from players and data collected by Blizzard led to the announcement of control and balance changes scheduled for April 25th.

Lead hero designer Alec Dawson shared details of the upcoming changes on Twitter, which include tweaks to Lifeweaver’s abilities like Healing Blossom, Thorn Volley and Tree of Life, and the removal of the parting gift. These mods are intended to address concerns about the hero’s control scheme and balance at different skill levels.

I noticed a blizzard That Lifeweaver’s win rate is higher for low-skilled players than for high-skilled players, suggesting that some aspects of his deck may be punishing for more experienced players. Player feedback also indicated that its control scheme, specifically switching the weapon between damage and healing, and using the Petal Platform for alternate shooting, can be awkward to use.

In response to these feedback, Blizzard will change the default control scheme for Lifeweaver in the April 25th patch. Thorn Volley will be moved to alternate shooting, Petal Platform to slot 1, Rejuvenating Dash will be activated with a double jump, and Petal Platform will be canceled by pressing the button again. In addition, the passive reloading of an unused weapon will be slowed down. Players who prefer the original control scheme will still have the option to use it.

Along with these control scheme changes, many of Lifeweaver’s capabilities will be modified. The slow effect will begin to heal in just 1 second after a full charge, Tree of Life will receive an increased health and healing boost per hit, and the parting gift will be removed.

These changes to Lifeweaver provided Blizzard with valuable insights into hero development, including the complexity of heroes, the introduction of unique abilities, and balancing heroes at launch. The company understands that the complexity of Lifeweaver can be overwhelming for some players, but they believe that simplifying its deck and control system will make the hero more accessible and fun.

Blizzard also noted that while not every hero in the future will be as complex as the Lifeweaver, there is room for more heroes with unique, high-impact abilities. For new hero balance, Blizzard aims to ensure that new heroes feel balanced at launch and will continue to make adjustments based on player feedback and data analysis.