xQc claims he ‘literally shit his pants’ reacting to February Overwatch PTR patch
L: Robert Paul for Blizzard EntertainmentFélix ‘xQc’ Lengyel had an unconventional reaction to the patch notes for the latest Overwatch PTR update.
Though xQc has expanded his streaming repertoire into a variety of games, the former Overwatch pro still returns to the game in which he made his name, even after proclamations that he might be done with it for good.
During his stream on February 26, xQc took some time to go over the patch notes for the most recent Public Test Realm (PTR) update, which introduced a new hero, Baptiste, as well as made a host of balance changes.
Upon reaching the section about Knockbacks – an aspect of the game that effects one of xQc’s go-to heroes as a main tank, Reinhardt – xQc was shocked by what he’d read.
xQc made his name as a professional Overwatch player, but left the OWL early after multiple controversies.Knockback
- Knockback distance is now more consistent
- Heroes that are flying can now be knocked back and slowed
Developer Comments: Knockbacks are now less affected by how the enemy was moving when they were hit. Instead of having small or large knockbacks that depend on chance, knockbacks will feel similar regardless of the enemy’s movement leading up to the knockback. Allowing flying heroes, like Mercy when using her Valkyrie ability or D.Va using her Booster ability, to be properly knocked back makes for more fluid, realistic gameplay.
Upon reading this section of the patch notes xQc paused, before reacting in a manner that was extreme even by xQc’s standards.
After reading through the notes again, xQc admitted that the extremity of his reaction might have been a result of him misreading them, but argued that the change still constitutes a lowering of the skill ceiling.
Previously, players could play around knockbacks by deliberately moving towards or away from them to vary how far they’d be pushed, allowing them to retain some control over their positioning.
Now, however, the knockback distance will be the same regardless of how the player being knocked is moving, removing some of the counter-play and clever tricks that could previously be accomplished.
While the change is currently still on the PTR and hasn’t reached the live servers yet, it does seem likely that this update will be moved to the live game unless any bugs with the change are identified on the PTR.