What you need to know
- Overwatch 2 Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson has revealed that the game's newest hero, Lifeweaver, is getting some big buffs soon.
- Specifically, his Healing Blossom ammo is getting increased and its slowing effect is getting reduced, his Thorn Volley spread is shrinking, Tree of Life is getting more health and healing, and the Parting Gift passive is being removed entirely.
- These buffs will come with the Lifeweaver controls rework that's coming on April 25.
- Insight about these buffs is coming on April 21 in a blog and Q&A livestream from Overwatch 2 Game Director Aaron Keller.
Overwatch 2's newest support hero Lifeweaver has only been out for about a week and a half, but Blizzard is already acting fast to address some concerns that the community has about the character. Earlier this week, Game Director Aaron Keller revealed that Lifeweaver is getting a rework for his controls in an upcoming update, and now Overwatch 2's Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson has confirmed that he's getting some large buffs at the same time.
Specifically, Lifeweaver's Healing Blossom ammo is being raised from 12 to 20, and the slowing effect that happens when you charge it will only occur a full second after holding a full charge. Thorn Volley's spread is also being tightened, his Tree of Life Ultimate is getting increased from 1,000 to 1,200 HP, and the Tree's bursts of healing will now regenerate 75 HP instead of 50. Finally, Blizzard is completely removing the Parting Gift passive ability that left behind a health pack-like item wherever Lifeweaver died.
"These changes look to increase Lifeweaver's healing capabilities and smooth out a few of his weaknesses, said Dawson in his Twitter thread. "We'll continue to monitor his effectiveness over the next few weeks and see if additional changes are needed. These changes are in addition to the control scheme updates already mentioned."
These changes are in addition to the control scheme updates already mentionedApril 20, 2023
These are some major improvements to Lifeweaver's kit. With almost double the Healing Blossom ammo, much less of a slowing effect to deal with when charging the ability, a tighter Thorn Volley spread, and more health and healing for the Tree of Life, Lifeweaver's ability to both heal and fight effectively is getting a big boost. The removal of Parting Gift also ensures that Lifeweaver players can't accidentally heal enemies with it by dying in a bad spot, though it also means that his teammates won't be able to take advantage of the passive either.
These changes will be added to Overwatch 2 on April 25 in the same patch as the one that contains Lifeweaver's highly-anticipated control rework, which means that both will be live when Lifeweaver is made available in ranked Competitive play. This rework will move Rejuvenating Dash to the double jump input (similar to Hanzo's Lunge), with Petal Platform moving to its original input. This will make it possible for players to switch to and shoot Thorn Volley with the alternate fire button, similar to how Moira's Biotic Grasp works.
Dawson has also announced that additional insight about these buffs is coming in a new blog and Q&A livestream from Aaron Keller. Both are scheduled for April 21.
Overwatch 2 is one of the best Xbox games on the market for fans of multiplayer shooters, and it's available now on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Windows PC, PS5, and PS4. Overwatch 2 Season 4 is live, too, bringing both Lifeweaver and its new Battle Pass to players. If you're a new player and want a head start on progression, consider getting the updated Ultimate Battle Pass Bundle. It includes Premium Battle Pass access, 20 instant Battle Pass levels, 2,000 Overwatch coins, and several Starwatch skins.
