Overwatch 2 players urge Season 9 supports to deal more damage

The changes made in Overwatch Season 9 caused a big stir in the community, but some experienced players are suggesting Supports focus on dealing more damage than ever before.

The changes teased as Blizzcon 2023 have finally arrived in Overwatch 2 Season 9, introducing a completely overhauled ranked system, a new rank called Champion, and a massive gameplay overhaul.

For several seasons, the Supports within Overwatch 2, their role, and how strong they are has been hotly debated by the community. The amount of healing and utility they were capable of, and the mandatory nature of several have been huge topics of discussion, even after multiple nerfs.

Season 9: Champions has altered a lot of this. It features one of the biggest gameplay overhauls ever in the game, and a new DPS passive means there is overall less healing in the game. This makes the ‘healbot’ nature of Support tougher, making the role more complex and less impact-driven. This has some members of the Overwatch 2 community, like a former contender and popular creator Awkward, saying that Supports should be focusing on dealing more damage to adapt.

Overwatch 2 players blast “healbotting” in Season 9

The popular Overwatch 2 figure blasted “healbotting” in Season 9, claiming that it is more important than ever for healers to up their damage numbers.

“I’ve been an advocate of doing damage as a Support for years. In Season 9 of Overwatch, after 7 years, the game has been updated to TELL YOU to consistently deal damage,” Awkward said.

I've been an advocate of doing damage as a Support for years.

In Season 9 of Overwatch, after 7 years, the game has been updated to TELL YOU to consistently deal damage.

"Healbotting" has NEVER been a playstyle, and those who were listening are winning.

— Awkward (@awkwardOW) February 15, 2024

“‘Healbotting’ has NEVER been a playstyle, and those who were listening are winning,” he continued.

Some people backed Awkward’s claim, and argued that Tanks’ prioritizing using cover was more important than ever and that they should no longer rely on the healing from supports to keep them alive.

“I’ve always argued that it is everyone’s responsibility to mitigate as much damage as they can by playing sightlines/cover,” they said.

Other players joked that their main Hero had forced them to adapt to dealing damage as well as healing a long time ago, specifically, those who played Moira and Bridgette.

“Jokes on you I play brig doing damage is how I heal.” teased one player. “Jokes on you, I play Moira and tell my team that my left mouse click is broken,” another retorted.

Players initially disliked the massive overhauls made to the meta in Season 9, but now some are finding they are actually enjoying the challenge of adapting to the new play style. However, the debate about the controversial new patch, as well as the meta is still solidifying.