Overwatch community confused as Reinhardt bug prevents big Earthshatter

Alan Bernal

A strange glitch in Overwatch cursed one Reinhardt’s Earthshatter ability moments before they got hit with the same ult from the other team.

At the peak of the stairs on Oasis, a Reinhardt can be seen lining up what would have been a devastating Earthshatter on the enemy team.

But the moment of glory was quickly taken away from the player, seeing as a bug stopped the effects of the hammer slam in its tracks. Adding insult to injury, moments later, an enemy Reinhardt countered with his ultimate that managed to connect despite what had just happened.

The Overwatch community have a long history with bugged Reinhardt ultimates.

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Reddit user ‘luthien790’ was on the team that had the bugged Reinhardt ultimate, an instance that managed to confuse everyone involved.

“It was our team that ‘missed’ the slam and then got counter slammed,” they said. “Even the enemy [Reinhardt] was like ‘WTF WAS THAT??’”

If the ultimate would have landed, then it could have taken with it at least three players with the possibility of a few more.

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Another user quipped that the botched ultimate must have been “divine intervention,” but at first glance, it looks like that’s the only explanation.

To put more salt in the wound, the replay clearly shows that the bugged Reinhardt ult connected with the ground as its imprint lies inches away from the slam that ultimately stunned them.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a random glitch. More players have encountered these kinds of bugs, especially with the Earthshatter ult.

Both Earthshatter imprints are shown, but only one connected.

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“Hammering on angles has mixed results,” user ‘liquiddil’ explained. “I main [Reinhardt] and this s**t happens all the time. Strange thing is that if you’d hammered at the bottom of the stairs it would have worked.”

It isn’t the first time people come across a problem with Reinhardt’s ability kit, as another person described an even more bizarre moment.

User ‘Krampus_Kringle’ said: “Yeah I’ll never understand this. I was playing a game and got shattered upstairs, in a room, not in [Reinhardt’s line of sight]. I love [Reinhardt] but unfortunately, his ult and pin are wonky.”

Even after the 1.45 patch, people have been encountering a strange interaction between Zarya and  Reinhardt that warranted the attention of the devs.

Overall, players would like Blizzard to patch these kinds of bugs that make Reinhardt’s Earthshatter and other abilities unpredictable in nature.

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About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?