Playing Mei in Overwatch is about to change, potentially in a big way. A new post from Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan revealed that the game is looking to roll out more nerfs for the defense hero.
Kaplan’s post came in response to feedback from Overwatch League (OWL) players and coaches. Some of these players have been voicing concerns about Mei’s overuse and potential imbalance in both OWL and the base game. The way that Mei has been rotated out in the game has made some fans upset, and this frustration over the hero rotation system isn’t new.
Besides letting slip that Mei would be nerfed, Kaplan also touched some of the current issues with the Overwatch Hero Pool system. Recently the Hero Pool system banned Echo, a character who had been out for less than a week, which frustrated some of the game’s community. Kaplan acknowledged there are issues, and remarked that there are no perfect solutions to be found but that the dev team will have to make “trade-offs”.
The Overwatch director has a history of engaging openly with players in the conversation about making the game more balanced. Kaplan is often on the Blizzard forums and has asked for feedback on tricky issues in the game such as balancing 2-capture point maps.
The Blizzard team encourages players to give constructive feedback, and there is plenty of that to be found on the Blizzard forums and on Reddit. Issues like Mei’s imbalance are often improved by a combination of players and their hours in the game, and the developers’ commitment to constantly work on meeting players’ needs.
For now, it’s uncertain how the nerfs to Mei will work, as Kaplan didn’t elaborate on Reddit. He also commented on the Hero Pool and how it “isn’t a solve to balance issues,” but that the developers are constantly looking for ways to improve the balance of the game. Adjusting the Hero Pool has been a continuous work in progress for Overwatch, and it’s probable that there will be even more changes and nerfs to heroes in the future.
Despite issues like these, Overwatch continues to be a popular game, and OWL games are still going strong. It looks like the developers are still listening and engaging in a dialogue with the community, which is a good sign for all Overwatch players. When the Mei nerfs are released, players can take their reactions and concerns to the forums.
Overwatch is available now for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One.
