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‘Overwatch’ Issues: Healers Receiving Less Skill Rating, Blizzard Claims Issue Is Taking Time To Be Fixed’

By Bryan Star
Published on: 15:59 PST, Apr 16, 2017

Overwatch is seeing large updates in regards to its content, and the most recent patch brings PvE (Player Versus Monster) content to forefront.

However, there are problems that exist below the surface. While Overwatch gets its fun and hype by the kills and combat of its characters, Kotaku reports that healers seem to be getting less skill rating in matches. While it started out as nothing more than a bit of speculation, trends across social media are reflecting something far more definitive.

Everyone loves a great kill ultimate. It’s always fun to see Roadhog hook and obliterate a victim. We love watching justice rain from above by Pharah. However, the healers don’t seem to get as much spotlight. While it’s to be expected with how they function — though there are still times where the play of the game goes to a great healer — the “On Fire” status is more dominant toward those who rack up kills and deal out damage.

Overwatch players and fans have sparked quite a bit of concern with the skill rating that healers receive. Because of their inability to gain status like others, the overall gain in skill is low. This is being reflected in tested environments, and Blizzard Entertainment’s developers appear to be looking closely into the matter.

Jeff Kaplan, game director and vice president at Blizzard Entertainment, took to forums to address the issue with healers and their low gain of skill rating.

“We fixed an issue that was causing Mercy’s contributions to be lower as it pertained to Skill Rating reward at the end of a competitive win,” Kaplan began. “We’re still investigating though to make sure the issue is entirely fixed. The fix we put live was integrated on Tuesday but we’re still hearing some reports. We’ll keep working to fix it if it in fact is still broken. We’re trying to verify right now.”

It looks as though the concern was more than justified, and Blizzard is hoping to relieve healers of their woes with a system that will balance out the gains. Still, players are buzzing with the notion that the fix given by Kaplan and developers hasn’t done much at all.

According to a post on Battle.net, quality assurance lead Max Thompson reported that the issue had been fixed. However, it’s also being said that the problem is taking a while to fix. Could this turn players away from wanting to heal? Even worse, could this push characters like Mercy to take on the mindset of needing a mass revive to get anywhere in the ratings? Hopefully not.

In a report by PvP Live, you can see multiple instances by players where those on offense are gaining more skill rating than those healing. This is certainly a negative impact on those attempting to increase their skill rating, as death would be more profitable than life. Obviously, the notion of such players won’t truly be welcome in Overwatch with much riding on the line in the way of competitive matches.

“While we always appreciate additional information, effective communication, and well documented bug reports, some issues take time to understand and implement,” Thompson said in reply to those inquiring about the issue’s resolution. “The competitive play system in its entirety is a complicated piece of code, and we do not make changes to it lightly.”

Ultimately, it’s understandable that Blizzard wants to take its time in ensuring fixes for all players involved. Despite a lot of focus going to those who deal damage, healers are just as important to a successful competition.

How do you feel about Overwatch in its current state? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Featured Image By Blizzard Entertainment]

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