Bastion Changes Planned For Overwatch PTR

Published: January 31, 2017 4:15 PM /

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bastion-cover

In a reply to a Battle.net forum post complaining about the current state of the hero, Principal Designer Geoff Goodman has revealed planned changes to Bastion that will be coming soon to the Overwatch Public Test Realm.

The gentle giant of Overwatch, Bastion has long been considered the "noob-trap" of the game. A seven-foot tall transforming robotic soldier, Bastion's skill at holding an area in his Configuration: Sentry mode can seem an invincible barrier to new players. The jaunty jingle of his Ultimate Configuration: Tank can similarly bring them to tears, as a mobile tank merrily blows their team apart. On the flip side of the coin, Bastion is something of a non-factor in the professional scene, due to the ease at which a skilled player will counter him. Even moderately skilled players are seemingly much less likely to choose Bastion as their primary character. It's a bizarre imbalance and one that Blizzard was unlikely to tolerate for much longer.

Overwatch Bastion Sentry

The proposed changes, which Goodman makes clear are still in a developmental stage, would see changes being made to Bastion's core abilities. Changes to his default Configuration: Recon form would reduce the spread of his gun, and increase the size of the magazine, making the form more useful in long-range and sustained firefights.

Changes to the Configuration: Sentry mode would see the form maintain its flavor, keeping the high-DPS "tank-busting" that Bastion is so known for. The balancing to the mode would focus on an increase in weapon spread, lowering accuracy, and the removal of headshots. These changes would make Bastion less immediately deadly against smaller characters, while still retaining the ability to shred large tanks like Reinhardt and Roadhog. Further changes to the mode would see Bastion taking less damage while in Configuration: Sentry, though it's unclear whether this will be in the form of more health, armor, or some other form of damage reduction.

Bastion Overwatch

Finally, Blizzard would like to see Bastion's Self-Repair healing ability given some more love. As it stands now, Bastion's heal can only be used while stationary and is interrupted by damage. The improved self-repair would be usable while moving, and no longer be interrupted by damage, changes made in order to increase the viability of a more mobile Bastion in Configuration: Recon mode. To balance out the problems this would introduce, the ability would work on a resource system similar to D.Va's shield.


Quick Take

While I've never had too many problems with Bastion (being an avid follower of the game before it came out meant I knew how to counter him before I played the game), I can appreciate that the character has become a somewhat stale member of the Overwatch cast. Blizzard's willingness to chop-and-change their home-brewed Overwatch cast has been exemplary over the last few months - long may it continue!

What are your thoughts on the proposed Bastion changes? Are you looking forward to seeing the new and improved Bastion, or is it too little too late? Let us know in the comments down below!

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More Info About This Game
Learn more about Overwatch
Game Page Overwatch
Platforms
PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC
Release Date
May 24, 2016 (Calendar)
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