Overwatch 2’s Mercy has ‘never felt worse’ after polarizing season 9 update

Some feel she has "no impact" now.
Mercy running in Overwatch 2
Screenshot by Dot Esports

It’s been just a few days since Overwatch 2’s massive, game-changing season nine update, but the opinions about the new-feeling shooter are continuing to flow in droves.

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The latest hot take is from a fan of support hero Mercy (of which there are countless), who feels as though the buffs to projectiles and overall hero health have made the popular staff and pistol-wielding doctor feel less than optimal.

Mercy wearing red.
Waiting for a buff? Image via Blizzard Entertainment

“Feel like I have no impact now,” one Mercy player said in a Feb. 14 Reddit post. “Can’t do anything other than heal constantly. People soak up so much damage. Have to stay glued to a tank. It’s just M1 spam while hiding behind a corner. Can hardly find any time to damage boost the pathetic amount that you boost now. No point in flying because you’ll get shot down instantly by the giant bullets everyone has now.”

Many replies were quick to suggest other heroes, which is valid, considering that hero-switching is a core game mechanic in OW2, and has been since the original game launched nearly a decade ago.

“I’ve started playing Moira as a replacement and it feels a bit better,” one fellow Mercy enjoyer said. “Consider switching to healers who are generally freer to do damage as well if you miss being able to fight more.” Another suggested Zenyatta, who feels “way better now.”

Others feel that, in OW2’s new higher health world with bigger projectiles flying faster, Mercy is just more of the same as what she used to be when it comes to playstyle and the original poster perhaps isn’t playing the hero properly now.

“At least in my experience, Mercy has always been best as a ‘pocket your good DPS and make sure you have a good second support character,'” another reply said. “This change just moves it 10-times in that direction. You should be 80 percent damage beaming right now because your DPS’s target can’t get really good heals anymore.”

Mercy has always been a controversial hero in Overwatch, with “Mercy main” memes taking over the community since the very beginning. It appears that won’t change any time soon as the original poster was forced to add on to the thread.

“To the 100’s of people commenting ‘good’: I would love for you to explain why it’s good to have a character that feels bad to play in the game,” they said. “Get over your moronic hatred of a character and realize it’s a video game where the numbers matter.”

As is the case with any hero, if they don’t currently feel great to play, the option to switch to another in the same role is always there. But support players aren’t the only ones who feel strongly about season nine as tank players are feeling “miserable” while DPS players are loving life.

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Author
Scott Duwe
Staff Writer & Call of Duty lead. Professional writer for over 10 years. Lover of all things Marvel, Destiny 2, Metal Gear, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and more. Previous bylines include PC Gamer, Red Bull Esports, Fanbyte, and Esports Nation. DogDad to Yogi the Corgi, sports fan (NY Yankees, NY Jets, NY Rangers, NY Knicks), Paramore fanatic, cardio enthusiast.