Overwatch 2: Is the Support role more difficult now?

Overwatch 2 has finally arrived after much anticipation, bringing a whole lot of new additions and changes. Despite its controversial launch, the game has amassed a large player base within a short period of time and is still loved by fans despite its flaws.

Overwatch 2 offers its players three roles to play - Damage, Support, and Tank – each with its own set of responsibilities in the match. One of the roles that is being discussed recently is the Support role, with fans of the series claiming that the new title has been harsh on the said role in many aspects.

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Why are Support players finding Overwatch 2 difficult?

Support Heroes are a crucial part of any team. They assist their allies by healing them, boosting their damage, and providing other utilities such as speed boosts as and when needed in the match.

While the role is already challenging, fans are now claiming that Overwatch 2 takes this difficulty factor a step further.

Reddit user u/CardDons posted his concerns regarding the laborious task with healing, stating that it is now easier for him to find a match when he queues as a Support character, while implying that only a handful of people are picking the role in Overwatch 2.

He then adds that the game is faster in pace compared to the prequel and this has some players pushing further, while others are left behind. This often gets the Support Hero targeted by enemy players as they are the main healing force for their team.

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Overwatch 2 features two teams of five players each compared to its predecessor's 6v6 matches, making games faster and more intense as previously mentioned by u/CardDons. A Twitter user @Why_The_Heo states that Support Heroes should now be removed from the title altogether and adds that healers are facing their worst experience with the new title.

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Redditor u/the5pacepope commented that healers were being specifically targeted throughout the match. While they provide support to their teammates, the team fails to protect them from their foes, implying that the game has forced players to be more selfish now.

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Other users had similar complaints. u/PintoBeanSalad states that being a healer now means just sticking to the objective while his entire team pushes forward and risks dying without support.

Due to the game being more fast paced, the apparent trend is gamers moving away from the main objective of eliminations without a healer assisting them in their fights. Eventually, this leaves the healer alone while their teammates await respawn, by which point the enemies have control of the objective.

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u/Far_Bandicoot5935 points out that medics are probably at their worst right now. It not only gets them constantly targeted by their enemies, but they also have to bear the complaints of their allies for not providing them with supexplained further explains that it is not possible for them to heal teammates if they themselves are targeted by the enemy at all times.

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@MJeincd tweets that in Overwatch 2, healers are now more vulnerable, which makes support one of the least played roles in the game. Mercy is one of the best Support Heroes to play in the game, but with the nerfs to their mobility stats, the entire category of healers seems to be lacking and unable to keep up with the game's new meta. Moreover, as previously claimed by fans, healers are easier to target, making them vulnerable without proper assistance from their teammates.

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According to user @the_Sonnyboi, Overwatch 2 has completely rendered the support role to be ineffective. He claims that all Support characters are nerfed while non-Support characters are buffed, suggesting that players should instead be playing the Tank role. He states that the Support characters die too fast and aren't worth picking.

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Conclusion

Based on everything fans have said, it is evident that Support characters are the least viable Heroes in the current meta. With the game being faster in pace now due to 5v5 game modes, it invites more aggressive passages of play which leads Damage and Tank Heroes to move away from the objective and push into the enemy base.

This leaves Support players unable to heal their teammates once they're out of sight. Moreover, the recent nerfs to the Support characters have resulted in them becoming less mobile, making them an easier target.