Blizzard made a small patch to Overwatch 2, introducing new support hero Illari to competitive mode. However, just two weeks after her release, the team decided to nerf her due to her strong performance. The patch notes for Aug. 24 include changes to Illari’s abilities to promote better balance and counterplay. While these changes may affect her flexibility, Illari should still remain a viable hero in the game.
Illari Hero Balance Changes in Overwatch 2 Season Six
| Ability | Change |
|---|---|
| Healing Pylon | Heal decreased to 30 (from 40) Shields decreased to 50 (from 75) |
| Captive Sun | Projectile Impact and explosion can now be blocked by barriers Projectile size decreased to 0.75 meters (from 1.5) Sunstruck duration decreased to six (from seven) |
The developers explained that the changes were made to address the balance between Illari’s healing and damage capabilities, as well as to provide more counterplay against her abilities. The Healing Pylon was weakened to make it easier to destroy, as it was often placed out of sight or at odd angles. Captive Sun’s ability to ignore barriers was not intuitive, so the projectile size was reduced to require more precision when blocking or destroying it. Additionally, the duration of the Sunstruck effect was shortened to make it more manageable to avoid the detonation damage threshold.
Despite the nerfs, Illari’s healing throughput should still be powerful with her Solar Rifle secondary fire. However, she may need to focus more on healing and provide less supplemental DPS due to the decrease in Healing Pylon’s effectiveness. The changes to Captive Sun should not significantly impact her viability as a hero.
Overall, while Illari has been nerfed, she remains a strong and useful hero in Overwatch 2. Players can expect to see her frequently in competitive games.
Source: DOTESPORTS
