While most of us were busy trying out Overwatch's recently added Competitive Mode, the development team over at Blizzard snuck some other changes into the game. Thanks to a recent post on the Overwatch subreddit, we now know that there have been new hero options added to the game for the heroes Soldier 76 and Mercy. For Soldier, you now have the option hold to sprint, and as Mercy, there is now the option to turn off the toggling interaction of Guardian Angel.
Soldier 76 is meant to be an easily accessible hero. As long as you've played at least one other multiplayer FPS before Overwatch, his playstyle should come easily to you, and this latest Overwatch update only strengthens this idea. Before, Soldier 76's sprint was activated by pressing whatever button you have the ability mapped to, and to stop sprinting you had to press it again. Now, if you so choose, you may set the game to where holding the sprint button down activates the ability, and Soldier stops sprinting when you release the button. I think it's safe to assume that this option was added so that Soldier 76 plays more like soldiers in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield.
This isn't the first time that Soldier 76 has had this option. In the game's original beta, this option was present. However, this customization option was apparently buggy, so Blizzard removed it from the game in time for the open beta and Overwatch's actual release.
Mercy also received some new hero options thanks to the Overwatch update that brought Competitive Play to the game. Her default settings have it so that when you use your Guardian Angel ability, you dash all the way to your teammate. Now, however, you can set it so that you need to hold down the button mapped to your Guardian Angel ability in order to dash all the way over to an ally. That means that tapping the button will only send you partway. For example, if you look up at an ally Pharah and only tap your Guardian Angel button, then you will only fly up into the air a little, but if you hold down the button, you will dash all the way up to her.
While these changes may only seem minimal, it's important to remember that they are part of a much bigger whole. Competitive Play is a massive new addition for Overwatch. Check out this article on how exactly Competitive Play works. Overwatch is currently available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Quick Take
Although I completely understand the Soldier 76 change, I don't really get how the new Mercy option for her Guardian Angel ability could be that useful. I mean, you can already cancel a dash simply by pressing the mapped button for it again. Having to hold down the button just seems like too much extra and unnecessary work for a hero that already has a lot on her plate. Maybe you guys can enlighten me in the comments as to why this is a beneficial option.
