Why Zenyatta's Boop Is The Smartest Addition To Overwatch 2

Overwatch 2 has a lot riding on it, and fans aren't sure it has made up for its hype just yet.

The first round of beta testing is officially complete, and players are dishing out feedback in their droves, as the new era of Overwatch closes in around them. It's an exciting time for sure, and despite the general feeling that this is an incredibly late way to get back onto the game's hype train, hints at new heroes and the announcement that the game will be free-to-play have helped to ease stress.

Minor and major tweaks have touched every character across the roster, with Orisa becoming an entirely different character, and the likes of Mei and Cassidy suffering the losses of their stuns.

But one change, that was surprisingly first introduced when Overwatch first launched is causing some uproar. But it's secretly the smartest buff that any of the characters have received yet.

Zenyatta's New Boot Isn't Going Down Well

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Though he hasn't experienced massive changes for the wider game, support powerhouse Zenyatta has received a tweak that fans aren't too sure about.

The character, designed as something of a glass cannon, can dish out serious damage with his Orb of Destruction ability, aiding teammates with heals using his Orb of Harmony and leaving foes at a disadvantage with his Orb of Discord. But, he's got a new ability.

Zenyatta's melee attack, his big floating kick, has been seriously amped up - remaining at the same damage output, but now dealing huge knockback, putting some real distance between him and his foes.

This "boop" isn't precisely new, as it appeared in the first game's experimental mode for but a few hours before it was discovered to be seriously bugged, and was removed. It has, however, just become a point of contention.

A lot of fans feel as though this makes Zenyatta much too overpowered, given an ability that was once really owned by Lucio, a support hero whose speed and agility play into the effectiveness of his Soundwave ability. But it's not as black and white as many players think it is.

Why Zen's New Boop Is Genius

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This new speedy dispatch has come under fire for somewhat stealing the thunder from Lucio - but to be perfectly honest, it's not likely to change a thing about his pickrate.

The draw for Lucio, especially those who choose to play him as though he were an Offense character (which probably makes up about 80% of his players), is his sheer agility - and though Zen's boop still helps him to get some distance from enemies, it's hard to conceive him getting as many boop kills as Lucio with such limited movement when compared. Zen's not replacing him any time soon.

Plus, it's a smart addition that helps Zen to work back an advantage. With both his primary and secondary fire, he excels at medium-to-long ranges, so putting a little distance between himself and his foe gives him another chance to rebalance the battlefield.

It's a reasonably minor change for the character, but it's one that has given him a little more edge. Boops are a big part of Overwatch, like them or not, and a new one is going to do Zen very nicely. Sorry to you defensive DPS Lucios, but there's a new boop on the block.