Overwatch 2 director announces a'small balance patch' to the new Junkenstein’s Lab mode which has managed, two weeks after its launch, to attract 15% of daily players.
Junkenstein's Lab, part of Overwatch 2 Halloween celebrations, was added two weeks ago. This was a twist on the usual seasonal event that involves Junkenstein, but this time it was PvP. It may even rival the standard Overwatch 2 mode.
In Junkenstein's Lab, players can choose from a limited number of heroes. The only heroes available are D.Va and Orisa from the tank category, Soldier 76 and Genji from the DPS category, Pharah and Reaper for support, and Kiriko and Mercy from the support category. There are only a few choices because each hero has multiple mutations that change their abilities and how they can be played.
The players start the objective match with two mutations. As the game is won by the first three players, you can have up to six mutations after five games. The mutations can also be categorized into four categories: common, uncommon and rare. Reinhardt, for example, has common mutations such as Early Grave, which reduces the ultimate cost of his ability by 25%. Uncommon mutations include Hellfire Strike, which increases Fire Strike’s projectile width to 25%. Rare mutations include Scorched Earth, which causes Fire Strike to leave a lava trail on the ground that can cause burn damage. Legendary mutations include Annihilation, which causes Charge impacts to create an explosion within a three-metre radius.
Each hero has a unique mutation that will change their abilities or improve certain aspects such as health or armor. These mutations are also descendants of Overwatch 2's scrapped abilities and skill trees, which were part of the previously-promised PvE experience. I enjoyed seeing what might have been, and I've spent a lot of time replaying Junkenstein’s Lab.
Aaron Keller, Overwatch 2's director, gives a "Quick Update on Junkenstein’s Lab." The event has been extremely popular! Two weeks after the launch, 15% our daily players still jump into the mode. Tomorrow, we will release a small patch to help support the mode. "Have fun!"
It's great that Blizzard is recognizing Junkenstein's Lab's popularity. The fact that it'll be receiving some small updates makes me hopeful that Blizzard will keep this game mode after Halloween celebrations have ended. It seems like a waste to limit this mode to seasonal events.
Along with these patches, we also received some news that players can expect even larger changes. Alec Dawson, the lead gameplay designer for the game, says that a small balance update will be released tomorrow along with the Junkenstein Lab changes. We'll find out what the balance patch brings us later today. It's possible it will make some changes to DPS hero Sombra. The last patch made some major changes to her outfit, which some players did not enjoy at all.
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