When Overwatch first launched last May, and even earlier during beta periods, players took to forums in droves to complain about the character Bastion. Its turret ability, self-healing, and range made it one of the most popular characters, capable of taking out nearly every opponent in just a second or two. Since then, however, it has become significantly less useful due to other characters’ improvements, but an update could be in the works to make the usually friendly robot more viable again.
Writing on the official Overwatch forums, designer Geoff Goodman revealed that several changes for Bastion are most likely going to be included in the next public test realm update — this PC-only environment sees tweaks and changes tested before they’re pushed live to the rest of players.
Perhaps the most notable change will come to Bastion’s “sentry” mode, which transforms it into an immobile turret capable of decimating anyone who steps in front of its line of fire.
“To that end, we’re testing stuff like increased spread and removing headshots, but taking less damage while transformed,” Goodman said.
This change appears to be somewhat similar to the one we saw with Torbjörn several months ago, which decreased the damage of his turret (on consoles) to stop it from serving as an automatic killing machine. Increasing Bastion’s damage resistance in this form should make it easier for players to displace, however.
“Recon” mode, which is Bastion’s default configuration, will also be getting a decreased shot spread and an increased magazine size — right now, it’s usually preferable to turn into a turret whenever Bastion comes across another player.
Bastion’s self-repair ability has also undergone an overhaul. It can now be used while moving and can’t be interrupted, but it will now use a resource system to stop players from spamming it at all times.
Which characters do you think should be changed in Overwatch? Symmetra underwent the most radical update, but a number of other characters like Winston, Hanzo, and McCree could benefit from some performance boosts.
