Summary
Blizzard has confirmed that Mauga,Overwatch 2’s next Tank hero, will be receiving a buff that’ll increase the character’s survivability. Mauga was recently revealed during BlizzCon 2023 ahead of a weekend trial where the hero became temporarily available for allOverwatch 2players to try out. The hero is set to go live alongside the launch of Season 8 in December, which will bring the new Clash game mode along with its Hanaoka map.
Thenew SamoanOverwatchTank impressively weilds two massive chainguns, one in each hand. His incendiary chaingun has the ability to ignite targets while his other gun deals critical damage to targets who are on fire, leading to a fun strategy of setting opponents ablaze from afar and then capitalizing with the normal chaingun for extra damage. Mauga’s passive ability, Berserker, plays into this dynamic, as dealing critical damage gives Mauga temporary health. Overrun sees Mauga charge forward and slam the ground, damaging all enemies in the area, and Cardiac Overdrive allows Mauga and his nearby teammates to heal by dealing damage. As for his ultimate, Cage Fight traps opponents in a cylindrical barrier and gives Mauga unlimited ammo for the duration of the ability.
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It seems Mauga’s test period has raised a concern within Blizzard regarding the new Tank’s ability to stay alive.In speaking with Dexerto,Overwatch 2’s Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson expressed the team’s intention of buffing Mauga’s survivability before his release for Season 8.ManyOverwatch 2playerswho tried out and played alongside Mauga found that he’s too reliant on his supports and “melts” too quickly when they’re not around.
While his Cardiac Overdrive can sometimes help Mauga stay alive in a pinch if he’s able to dole out enough damage, the Tank lacks any serious mitigation tools. His Overrun can help him get out of the frontline and into cover if he starts melting, but as a Tank it can be a bit clunky to use as an escape move. Dawson didn’t specify exactly what this buff to theunreleasedOverwatch 2herowould entail. The team could simply increase his health, or tweak the amount of self-healing done with Cardiac Overdrive. Additionally, Mauga’s Berserker passive could be a target for the buff, increasing healing done when dealing critical damage to burning targets.
One thing we learned recently even with Mauga, we are tuning up some of his survivability numbers…we got a great look in that preview weekend and how people were performing and where he was in the cast - Alec Dawson
As Season 7 ofOverwatch 2winds down and fans look ahead to the arrival of Mauga in Season 8, it’ll be interesting to see if the new Tank will rely less heavily on his supports than he did during his trial. Until then, Tank players cangive Roadhog’s new rework a try, as it has just gone live today.
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Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
