'Overwatch' PTR Nerfs Too Much? Console Players Worried About Ana

Overwatch itself is two different games: one for PC and one for console. Whenever Blizzard wants to buff or nerf a champion, change around the aspects of a map or just mess with the game in any way, they need to think about how it will affect players on both systems. No matter what, a console joystick has less control than a mouse, making aiming a lot more difficult. That raises the skill cap needed to be good on an Xbox One or Playstation 4, especially with high accuracy heroes like Widowmaker or Ana.

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Which is why players are a bit worried about the Ana nerfs on the Overwatch PTR. A new update went out on Monday night, which decreased the damage on her Biotic Rifle and the healing and damage of her Biotic Grenade. That’s not enough to knock her off the face of the planet on PC< but a strong change like that affects her viability on consoles by a wide margin.

Ana is used way less on console already, because unlike other supports who don’t require aim like Lucio or Mercy, she needs to stick the barrel of her gun at whoever she wants to heal. Reddit user Ritualx checked the numbers for Ana play on PC and console, and noticed how little she was played on the latter option. Pushing these nerfs through to the live servers on every Overwatch platform could mean bad times ahead for Pharrah’s mom.

I’m not saying these nerfs aren’t necessary on PC, where Ana is extremely overpowered. This reddit thread is full of angry Ana ragers who believe she should get nerfed to the ground, and their anger is justified. Playing against a good Ana, who can heal all of her allies with little worry about control stick movement is insane, especially in Overwatch’s current three tank meta game. Get through a Reinhardt, Roadhog and D.Va while they are getting healed constantly and see how you like it.

The Ana Overwatch PTR changes could slaughter everyone’s favorite healing parent on console, or it could just make her balanced. If the Overwatch team didn’t just release the train wreck that was the Bastion rework, then I might be more inclined to believe in them.