Symmetra has been a bit of a mixed bag. Her skill set was very helpful, but as Blizzard’s game director Jeff Kaplan admits, she’s been a very situational choice in the past, and not exactly the kind of character that could serve as the cornerstone of a player’s repertoire. She was more of an acquired taste, which led to her receiving less screen time than her more capable counterparts.
According to Kaplan, Symmetra’s redesign will include a few new tricks that should increase the number of players willing to take a chance on the hard-light-wielding scientist. First up, Symmetra is getting an all-around boost to her hit points, and a buff to her turrets – she’ll now be able to deploy six instead of just three.
What about those new powers? Well, she’s getting a new ultimate that players will be able to use instead of a teleporter, which is her traditional ultimate.
Don’t worry, the old one isn’t going away, she’s just getting another option for those times when a teleporter isn’t the best strategic choice. The new ultimate deploys a shield generator instead of a portal, which lends nearby allies a damage-absorbing shield.
Since she now has a generator to shield allies, she no longer needs the ability to just pop her shield on any passersby. Replacing that ability will be a new one called “Photon Barrier” which is reportedly a barrier that moves along a trajectory once fired — like a mobile version of Reinhardt’s big blue shield.
According to EuroGamer, the new Symmetra update is slated to hit the public test realm sometime after the release of the Oasis map teased at BlizzCon earlier this year.
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