Junker Queen, the newest addition to the Overwatch 2 lineup, is already in line for a balance adjustment as game director Aaron Keller has announced the Tank hero will be nerfed ahead of launch.
Junker Queen, the first new hero revealed for Overwatch in almost three years, arrived as part of the latest Overwatch 2 Beta. However, the Aussie Tank won’t have quite the same impact by the time PvP enters early access on October 4.
Despite just a brief taste through the second Beta that wrapped in July, Junker Queen has already been noted down for key changes. Having been a popular pick right out of the gate and defining the meta in the Overwatch League since, her power has been the source of much contention.
Addressing the criticism head-on, Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller took to social media on August 21 to clear the air and confirm nerfs are already in the pipeline.
In light of recent OWL matches along with “internal playtests,” Blizzard’s hero team has “decided to bring the overall power of Junker Queen down,” Keller announced.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Hi everyone! The hero team has been monitoring the latest @overwatchleague play, plus our own internal playtests, and have decided to bring the overall power of Junker Queen down. The change will roll out after Summer Showdown and will be included for #Overwatch2 launch. 😊
— Aaron Keller (@aaronkellerOW) August 21, 2022
Although revealing the tweak well ahead of time, it won’t be reflected in-game for quite some time yet, he continued. With the 2022 Summer Showdown event now underway, as teams look to qualify for the Toronto-based LAN event spanning October 8-11, devs opted to hold the next patch.
As a result, Junker Queen’s nerfs will be implemented after the Summer Showdown and thus will be “included for launch” when Overwatch 2 reaches early access.
Exactly what said nerfs look like is yet unclear. We could see anything from general damage nerfs or move speed adjustments to major ability reworks. Given the scope of many Beta updates in recent months, the hero could be in store for some considerable changes.
We’ll just have to wait and see exactly what the devs have in mind when the time comes. For now though, pro players at the highest level of competition will continue to face full-power Junker Queen over the next few weeks.
