Summary
Overwatch 2is enjoying fresh content in Season 9, which officially launched on February 13. While the seasonal updates for the title are always filled with interesting content, Season 9 is already being lauded as one of the most jam-packed seasons in the game’s history.
Season 9 ofOverwatch 2comes with brand-new co-op experiences and a huge competitive play overhaul, as well as a wide range of balancing changes for the release’s growing roster of playable heroes. Many of these changes have been welcome, and yet there is still one Tank hero in particular who is being driven further down the hierarchy of the title’s top picks. Despite being one of the most longstanding heroes inOverwatch, it is clear that Reinhardt needs some comprehensive changes in the near future to be made more usable on the battlefield.
Overwatch 2’s Reinhardt Has Been Left in the Dust in Season 9
TheTank roster forOverwatch 2has been expanding rapidlysince the game’s launch, with new heroes like Junker Queen, Ramattra, and Mauga all being added and shaking up the meta of the title.
With Mauga being added to the game in December 2023,Overwatch 2is still fine-tuning the balancing of its playable heroes. Thesebalancing changes are a core part of Season 9’s content, with Reinhardt getting some positive changes that fans of the hero have been calling for:
Reinhardt May Need a Rework to Re-enter Overwatch 2’s Fold
The Season 9 buff for Reinhardt is definitely a step in the right direction, but these changes do not address the core issue of the hero, which is that his ability kit is simply outdated. Reinhardt was one of the original heroes available inOverwatchfrom launch, with his abilities and weapons having remained almost exactly the same ever since. Of course, since 2016,Overwatchhas undergone a huge range of changes, with thegame’s roster having risen from 21 to 39 heroes during this time.
WhileReinhardt’s massive health pool and wide shieldsaw him become one of the most potent Tanks in the original state ofOverwatch, the increased avenues of attack and counters of the game’s newer heroes negate a lot of the purpose that he once held. Every single other Tank hero got a buff alongside Reinhardt in Season 9, negating any increased utility that the longstanding Tank may have otherwise gained.
One of the most ambitious gameplay changes thatOverwatch 2has introduced to the franchise is complete reworks for certain heroes, with many other Tanks like Orisa and Roadhog famously being the subjects of them. Blizzard may be hesitant to make such sweeping changes to one of the most iconic characters in the franchise, but the obscurity that Reinhardt is falling into in his current state makes a rework a very viable option. The Season 9 balance changes forOverwatch 2could have been a great opportunity to bring Reinhardt back into the fold, and yet the amount of viable Tank options has seen the hero fall further than ever before.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
