Last week Overwatch got a big update with a new character and a bunch of balance tweaks. The new sniper Ana got a lot of attention, but some of the less obvious tweaks are just as big a deal. Chief among them: A remarkably involved buff to the mech-driving pro gamer D.Va, which has transformed her into the high-flying terror Iāve always wanted her to be.
Since Overwatch came out, D.Va has been the character I most wanted to like, despite not actually liking playing her. She has jet-boosters that let her get to high vantage points, guns that never need reloading, a defense matrix shield that blocks incoming fire, and if her mech blows up she gets an āextra lifeā with a surprisingly deadly blaster pistol. It all sounds great! The problem was, every time Iād charge into combat, Iād get blown up in record time. D.Vaās mech is a humongous target for the other team, and she just didnāt have defensive capabilities to compensate for that and keep them from shredding her.
She needed a buff, and she got one. Hereās how Blizzard describes the changes to her character in last weekās patch notes:
Defense Matrix
Cooldown decreased from 10 seconds to 1 second
A new resource meter has been added. This meter will deplete while Defense Matrix is active and then recharge when itās not in use.
Defense Matrix takes 10 seconds to reach full charge from empty
At a full charge, Defense Matrix will last for 4 seconds
Defense Matrix will now remain active as long as its assigned hotkey is held
Defense Matrix has been reclassified as an alternate fire and is now bound to secondary fire (by default)
An option to āToggle Defense Matrixā has been added under Options > Controls > D.Va
Self-Destruct
Ultimate cost decreased by 15%
Explosion delay reduced from 4 seconds to 3 seconds
Explosion no longer damages D.Va (the player who activates it)
Even just on paper, that is a hell of a lot of tweaks for a single update. In practice, itās as thorough as it seemsāD.Va almost plays like a different character.
Her defense matrix shields are now available much more often, which lets a quick player get in and out of hairy situations (or sprint for the nearest medkit) without getting killed. Her jet boost still recharges very quickly, which means she can baaaasically fly; itās much easier to get out of a sticky situation alive. Her ultimate ability is hugely improved; it detonates faster and doesnāt damage you, meaning itās possible to get much more aggressive with it.
I spent the weekend playing D.Va almost exclusively and Iām hooked. Sheās become a highly mobile tank that excels at flanking and ambushing the other team and is infuriatingly difficult to kill. I usually boost my way up to an unexpected vantage, fire down on the other team, back off if they start to return fire, then boost my way to somewhere else.
Her guns still donāt do much damage on their own, which I could see being a turnoff for players who prefer sharper-edged characters like Soldier 76 or Reaper. However, with her ability to climb to a high points and fire without reloading, she works really well as cleanup, mopping up opposing players whoāve already taken some damage. Incoming D.Va fire is also distracting as hell, even if itās coming from across the room and isnāt actually doing that much damage.
If the other team manages to take out my mech, I still get that maddening extra life as a hard-to-hit ranged character. And as a bonus, two or three times per match, Iām able to launch a room-clearing nova bomb into the opposing team.
As D.Va, I am a terror. Iāve gone a bunch of matches where Iāve died only once or not at all; her survivability has been hugely increased. She plays like a tankier, less immediately deadly version of my top girl Tracerāanother highly mobile flanker who can pick off stragglers and drive the enemy team into fits of rage. Thatās probably why Iām liking her so much.
D.Vaās update has further underlined one of the best things about Overwatch: just like when I discovered Tracer, I feel like Iāve gotten a totally new version of the same game. The smartness and depth of the buff also reinforces my confidence that team at Blizzard really knows what theyāre doing, not that I really had any doubts on that front. When discussing potential D.Va buffs, my friends and I came up with the obvious ones: Make her guns do more damage, increase her armor, that sort of thing. That Blizzardās actual buff is so much more elaborate and ultimately effective is a nice reminder that, yes, they made this game, and they know what theyāre doing.
When other players on my team pick D.Va Iāll hop over to my buddy Tracer for a faster, even more irritating backline harasser. But as long as D.Vaās available, Iāll be in a mighty mech. Whether weāre on attack or defense, escorting or taking control points, D.Va has finally truly become best girl. Until I discover a new favorite character, that is.
