Overwatch 2 players baffled by Symmetra nerfs: “it’s painful”

Ryan Lemay

The Overwatch June 28 update made some significant hero balance updates — including a very surprising nerf to Symmetra that has left players confused.

Overwatch’s second beta is officially live and for the very first time, players on console can test Overwatch 2. The June 28 update also made the beloved character Junker Queen an official member of the Overwatch 2 roster.

D.Va and Mercy received well-welcomed buffs as part of the update, but some heroes were not as fortunate.

Symmetra is arguably one of the weaker DPS characters in Overwatch 2, and the most recent update only makes her more irrelevant in the current meta. Players took to Reddit and voiced their displeasure over drastic nerfs.

Symmetra on Oasis.
Symmetra can be a huge threat when powered up.

Overwatch players slam “painful” Symmetra nerf

As seen in the patch notes below, Symmetra’s Photon Projector maximum damage was decreased to 90 from 120, the ammo cost for it increased from seven to 10, and Symmettra no longer generates ammo when damaging barriers.

One user argued, “they have no idea what to do with her. It is kind of painful to watch. Her original design did not work and they are still struggling to find a place for her. At this point, they should just bite the bullet and consider giving her the full Orisa remake.”

Symmetra can deal solid damage with her primary Photon Projector, but at the moment, more mobile heroes can expose her glaring flaws.

A common complaint from users in the thread is a lack of concrete direction for the hero. One user added, “[t]hey should just completely kill her current design and just go for another direction. Her current concept, no matter how many times

Orisa received a “totally different” redesign for Overwatch 2 and the developers may have to consider a similar approach for Symmetra.

About The Author

Ryan is a former games writer for Dexerto. Ryan graduated from Ithaca College in 2021 with a sports media degree and a journalism minor. He gained experience as a writer for the Morning Times newspaper before joining Dexerto as a games writer. He mainly writes about first-person shooters, including Call of Duty and Battlefield, but he is also a big FIFA fan.