Overwatch 2 players are calling Season 4’s meta the “worst” since the game’s release, with Junker Queen taking over the tank role, and sniper DPS heroes like Widow and Hanzo taking center stage.
When Season 4 rolled into Overwatch 2, it sought to shake the meta considerably with the release of Lifeweaver and a rework to Brigette’s Rally. When the midseason patch came, it threw a wrench into the meta with the numerous buffs to Junker Queen.
However, it seems the changes were not for the better. During the ending weeks of Season 4’s meta, certain heroes seem to dominate lobbies. With Junker Queen being an obvious pick with her big buffs, as well as Lifeweaver failing to shake up the meta in a meaningful way.
The changes were so drastic throughout Season 4 that even the Overwatch League announced it would stay on an earlier patch of Season 4 until the end of Midseason Madness.
And it seems players are upset by it as well, as they are now calling Season 4 the “worst season” so far since Overwatch 2’s launch.
In a Reddit thread, a player heavily criticized Season 4’s meta as “stale”. Saying the same rotation of Junker Queen, Widowmaker, Hanzo, Mei and Sombra is making the current meta boring.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
It seems a lot of players with the current mixture of brawl and poke meta. One player commented, “The Widow/Hanzo meta f***ing sucks. By the time I go Sombra just to deal with her, she’s picked off three of [my] team members.”
Other players proposed that the change to 5v5 rather than 6v6 has only benefitted sniper heroes, as now the lack of a second tank leaves the back line vulnerable.
Despite the focus on Widow and Hanzo, heroes with high damage like Ashe and Cassidy are also dominating competitive lobbies.
The double sniper meta has long been a boon to Overwatch, even before its transition. With it being so prominent in higher levels of play that the comp helped the San Francisco Shock win the 2020 OWL Championship.
The devs have teased potential “nerfs” to sniper heroes with one-shot capabilities like Widowmaker and Hanzo, but we are yet to see it.
