Overwatch's Jeff Kaplan Discusses Hanzo, Symmetra, & Torbjörn Updates

Published: April 3, 2018 11:08 AM /

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overwatch hanzo symmetra torbjorn

Overwatch Game Director Jeff Kaplan took to the game's official forums this weekend in a series of posts to update fans about upcoming changes for Hanzo, Symmetra, and Torbjörn.

The first of the posts details Hanzo's upcoming "Rapid Shot" ability, which will replace his current Scatter Arrow ability. The changes for the Japanese archer originally emerged in mid-February. Hanzo will be losing his Scatter arrow ability and he will gain a Rapid Shot. This ability allows him to quickly shoot five arrows at a time. Additionally, Hanzo will be getting a horizontal leap that should allow him to escape from dangerous situations. Overwatch's Lead Concept Artist Ben Zhang created a mock-up of what the new Rapid Shot ability will look like:

hanzo rapid shoot concept
Overwatch Lead Concept Artist Ben Zhang illustrates what Hanzo's new Rapid Shot ability may look like.

The concept art comes with the disclaimer that it can change in the course of development. A Battle.net user stated that it looks "a little too obvious" which prompted Mr. Kaplan to respond that it's a deliberate choice so that players will know he has the ability active. The horizontal dash is confirmed for his upcoming changes, and Sonic Arrow is being adjusted to make it easier for players to move around on the fly.

Symmetra is another character currently in line for an overhaul. The developers have done "a lot of experimentation with her". Unfortunately, Jeff Kaplan states that nothing has really "clicked" just yet. The team is still trying to figure out how best to make Symmetra more viable in the game.

Finally, work on Torbjörn is falling by the wayside in favor of the changes being made to Hanzo and Symmetra. The delays for Torbjörn's updates have also halted due to work on "someone else". The specifics of that work has unfortunately gone unmentioned. In any case, it seems that more changes to the heroes in Overwatch are well underway. We're likely to see something come to fruition in the coming weeks and months.

What do you think of the changes to Hanzo currently in the works? How do you think Symmetra and Torbjörn could become more effective heroes in Overwatch? Let us know in the comments below!

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