Blizzard Explains D.Va's Nerf In Overwatch

Blizzard Entertainment explains the changes they made to Overwatch's D.Va in the Public Test Realm, showing why the nerf should bring more balance to the game.

Chris Pereira of GameSpot reported that Geoff Goodman, Principal Designer at Blizzard, posted in the Overwatch forums, replying to player feedback about the nerf given to D.Va in last week's update. Many players were concerned about how weak the spread of her weapon shots had become in the PTR. He explained how there was no change to how the spread on her weapon worked and said that her damage is more consistent now because her shots are filled into her spread. He referenced this video from the live version of the game uploaded by user Angel and said, "For example, in the video provided from the live game, if you take that same shot multiple times you'll see a greater diversity in damage results than you would on the PTR, because sometimes some of those bullets would just miss. Overall though, the change to her damage is intended to be a small nerf."

With regard to her decreased armor, Goodman said that damage dealers like Reaper and Roadhog weren't able to consistently penetrate her defenses, making them ineffective. Now that her armor isn't as tough, she can be countered while still being able to counter other heroes.

Goodman promised that he and the team will "be watching her impact closely after these changes," so fans can rest assured that Blizzard will make the necessary changes to D.Va if the new nerf doesn't work out well. These constant updates and the fact that Blizzard listens to player feedback is what makes Overwatch one of 2016's finest titles.