Junkrat has always been in-between for players of Overwatch as he’s never been exactly a prominent part of the meta. However, Blizzard has been recently active in making this explosive character even better through buffs and changes.
In Overwatch, Junkrat is one of the toughest characters to master due to the nature of his primary attack, which is hard to become accurate with. However, if players get the hang of his explosive attacks and skills, players will be rewarded with a hero that can easily decimate groups of enemies.
Just recently, the developers made a few changes to Junkrat. Some of the changes include higher speed on his grenades and a larger explosion for his Total Mayhem passive. Not all changes were positively received, though, as the increased speed of his Concussion Mines resulted in Junkrat losing one of his primary tricks.
Concussion Mine changes a nerf not a buff
Cloud 9 Twitch streamer Jamison ‘PVPX’ Moore explained why Junkrat’s Concussion Mine changes are actually a nerf. According to the popular streamer and eSports player, the increased speed on the active ability made it harder for Junkrat to use side mining.
Junkrat’s Concussion Mines propel enemy heroes and Junkrat if it explodes. Junkrat doesn’t take damage from this, but he does benefit from increased mobility. If players do it properly, Junkrat can soar into the air using his Concussion Mines. At the new speed, however, this has become nearly impossible to do.
More changes planned along the way
Overwatch developers are quick to respond to the recent criticisms on Junkrat’s Concussion Mine changes. In a post on the game’s forums, they note that they will be making more changes to Junkrat while making sure that the effective buffs will remain in place.
The developers are now looking for a way to make the Concussion Mines faster while still giving players the ability to double jump or side mine using the ability. The goal of the developers is to make Junkrat a viable option even in the higher ranks on the game’s competitive modes. This means making sure he remains as mobile as possible while making sure that he can still cause significant damage.
Overwatch devs continue to change the game’s meta through balancing, nerfs, and buffs. However, some of the changes don’t always go their way, and it’s good that the community is quick to point out the flaws in the tweaks.
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