Summary
Multiplayer games with many unique characters, likeOverwatch 2, are a nightmare to balance sometimes. Each hero needs to feel strong and fun to play, as otherwise, there is no reason to use them. However, Blizzard also needs to be careful not to make a character so powerful that they’re a must-pick in every map or game mode. There are also adjustments to be made if new heroes or abilities get added to the game. If there’s a balancing nightmare that’s been haunting theOverwatch 2team since its release, it’s the shielded support hero Brigitte.
The character has ridden a vicious wave of being over-buffed and over-nerfed sinceBrigitte’s March 2018Overwatchrelease. She has been a polarizing hero since launch, as she’s currently the only support that can deploy a shield of her own — a trait often reserved for tanks like Reinhardt and Sigma. Brigitte is also a melee hero, which when combined with her other defensive capabilities, breaks the mold of the squishy backline support. These characteristics make her unique from other heroes in her role. However, it can also be argued that they make her, and the rest of the game, difficult to balance. In fact, Brigitte is getting a nerf in Season 8 because of this ongoing issue, even if many players feel she does not need one.
Brigitte was seen as a response toOverwatch’s dive compositionmeta at launch. Tracers and Genjis used to dominate this era of the game because they could get into the enemy’s backline, and assassinate squishy supports. Brigitte could stop these slippery damage dealers in their tracks with her shield bash, letting her and her allies move closer to their teammates for safety.
There’s alsoBrigitte’s Whip Shot, which lets her launch her flail forward and cause enemies to move back. It was clear from the start that she was the anti-dive solution, and she was effective at her job. As such, she became a must-pick for serious ranked games and pro matches, an aforementioned sign of an overpowered character. Because of this, fans complained that the then-new hero slowed down the game and made it less exciting to play and watch. This problem only worsened toward the end of the firstOverwatchgame’s lifetime.
How GOATS Comp and Role Queue Affected Brigitte’s Pick Rate in Overwatch
Brigitte became the fixture ofthe GOATS comp(named after the team that popularized it), which comprised three shield tanks and three supports. This became the meta in the upper echelons of ranked and pro play. Teams who played damage heroes just couldn’t keep up with the tankiness and sustain of GOATS. As such, they’re forced to play the same comp, which often results in slow, shield-heavy rounds that snowballed toward the end. This meta was an interesting experiment at first, but it soon became a boring and frustrating game to watch for average spectators. TheOverwatchteam put a stop to the GOATS madness by introducing set roles (two supports, two damage dealers, and two tanks) in the middle of 2019. Therefore, Brigitte’s usage statistics fell off during Overwatch League 2019’s Fourth Stage and subsequent Playoffs and Finals. However, she saw a resurgence in the 2023 season, as dive comps became popular again.
Brigitte Being Less Viable in Overwatch 2 Does Not Help Her Case
Role queue and theOverwatch 2launch put Brigitte in a tough spot. Her anti-flank kit became less relevant due to the removal of her shield bash’s stun, and the meta has favored more consistent damage dealers like Soldier: 76 and Sojourn. Even when they’re faced with Tracer and other backline menaces, support players just don’t want to play Brigitte because she’s just not as enjoyable to use compared to more dynamic heroes like Ana and Kiriko. That’s what’s difficult with balancing Brigitte. During the times that she’s must-pick, she breaks the game, as evidenced by GOATS comp. In her current state, she’s just uninteresting to use for some players. Brigitte has the lowest competitive pick rate at the time of writing, and theSeason 8 nerfs to her Whip Shotmay only make that statistic worse.
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.
