Symmetra is getting a redesign in Overwatch, starting with a second Ultimate Ability
Blizzard is redesigning Symmetra in Overwatch and these changes will be released on the Public Test Realm soon. And by soon, that means right now.
Changes to Symmetra have been in the works for quite some time, and according to the the development video above featuring game director Jeff Kaplan, not only will the character have adjustments and improvements made, but she will also have a second Ultimate ability.
The team wanted to change the character as she was being played in a very "situational" manner.
Symmetra will be the first hero in the game with two buildable objects for her Ultimate. Like other characters, when her Ultimate bar is full, it will light up and at first players will see the Teleporter Ultimate as it currently stands. This will continue to work the same as always.
However, with her new Ultimate, players will be able to toggle between the two and put up a Shield Generator. This is a built object just like the Teleporter but it is a much more substantial shield than her previous one. It will shield all teammates within radius and it ignores line of sight.
More health was also added to the Teleporter and some of it is shield health which will help teammates regenerate.
Her shields are also being revamped in order to be a more "fun element instead of a chore." This new element is called Photon Barrier and it is replacing her shields. It will be similar to Reinhardt's or Winston's but is instead projected on a track of movement.
Sentry Turret changes are also in the works, and will allow Symmetra to start with six rather than three which is current. Each will also regenerate in ten seconds instead of 12 seconds which is the current regen time.
Primary fire and secondary fire will stay the same with one exception: her primary fire has more range. The laser distance is only slight, but should help matters.
In the video, Kaplan also said the Oasis Map, which was announced at BlizzCon 2016, would be released on the PTR after the Symmetra changes -as close to the end of 2016 as possible. This is in line with the December release promised at the show.
Finally, a new social feature called Stay With Group is in the works, but Kaplan isn't sure at the moment which section it will be made available on. How it works, is when a match is finished and all the stats have popped up, a small button will appear. This is the Stay With Group button, and it works exactly as it sounds. It allows teammates to stay together regardless of whether they are on one another's friends list.
The video above goes into further details, but that's the short of it.