Overwatch 2 Season 11 Mid-Season Patch Dubbed "Worst Patch Ever"

The Season 11 mid-season patch for Overwatch 2 has arrived, and while many players were tentative about how the developers would address the game's current issues, no one expected it to be as divisive as it is. Dubbed "the worst patch" by many players and streamers alike, it seems that Blizzard is in hot water after the recent update essentially turned the game into a Kaiju battle.

The patch focused solely on tanks, and Blizzard's philosophy seemed to be making them as strong as possible. Let's go over the details of this new patch and why it has been so badly received by much of the Overwatch 2 fan base.

Players Are Fuming After Blizzard Drops the “Worst” Patch for the Season 11 Mid-Season Update

If you haven't checked out the most recent patch notes for the mid-season update of Season 11 (which, we highly doubt), you might not be aware of the waves made by Blizzard as they took a very unexpected route to address players' concerns since Season 9. The patch essentially buffed every single tank in the game, and while there were some changes to DPS and Support heroes, the tank buffs completely overshadowed those changes.

me thinks this is no good pic.twitter.com/JoNhLImQMA

— Hydron (@KingHydron) July 9, 2024

This approach has been deemed excessive by many Overwatch 2 players, with popular streamers like Jay3 stating, "This patch is one of the worst things I’ve ever seen in my life," and Flats remarking, "Guys… what are we doing with this patch… The amount of people who don’t understand that Tank feels like s*** to play DOES NOT mean that they aren’t strong."

This sentiment encapsulates what most players find so distasteful about the patch. As Flats, who mains Tank, pointed out, players were dissatisfied with how Tank felt relative to the other roles. Simply buffing them to the moon won't fix that. It worsens the experience for all, making the Tanks feel like they’re in a Kaiju battle, while the other roles are left to watch, shoot against the brick walls that tanks have become, or get rolled by the enemy tank.

im scared pic.twitter.com/SguNa0mXKy

— eskay (@EskayOW) July 9, 2024

To illustrate just how strong Tanks have become, pro player Hydron showed that a Bastion in turret mode, with Mercy damage boost and Baptiste window, would lose to a Mauga using only Cardiac Arrest with zero heals. Another clip by OW2 streamer Eskay shows a Nano’d Bastion, with a Mercy damage pocket, in turret form, barely damaging a Ramattra in Annihilation when blocking with a single Baptiste healing him.

Ultimately, these changes do make the tank role feel more "exciting" to play, but they lessen the overall enjoyment of matches. If your tank is weaker than the opposing team's, you're going to get squished. If you're stronger, your team rolls. If you're at a similar skill level, it's a Kaiju battle. This is ultimately not what many Overwatch players want—matches should be balanced, giving advantages and disadvantages equally, making the game exciting and fair.

We hope Blizzard sees what the fans are saying in response to this patch and that Season 12 can bring some more balance to the game as it currently stands. But for now, enjoy your Kaiju fights, stomping out the supports on the backline, and we'll see you all in Season 12.