The recently releasedOverwatch 2is being enjoyed by a huge catchment of players both new and old to the franchise, with most of these players becoming more and more acquainted with the new heroes and changes that the sequel has made to pre-existing ones. With these changes opening up even more avenues for gameplay for certain heroes, there are certain combat roles that are now seemingly more viable than ever.
One of the most growingly popular subsets of hero gameplay is that of the Battle Mercy, with this particular style of play perhaps being one of the most unique and even controversial play-styles currently withinOverwatch 2. A massive juxtaposition from her standard and more commonly used combat role, the intricacies of a Battle Mercy are definitely worth understanding, whether players want to try it out for themselves or learn the best ways to counter it.
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Mercy in Overwatch 2
Many of even the most casual fans of theOverwatchfranchise will be familiar withthe playable hero Mercy, with the character possessing one of the most unique and important combat roles while also featuring in media and memes outside theOWcommunity itself. Being one of the original heroes that launched with the firstOverwatchin 2016, Mercy has been a mainstay of the franchise and is considered as one of the defining support characters within the IP.
When compared to the othersupport heroes withinOverwatch 2, Mercy can be said to be the most dedicated healer. Possessing a staff that can provide consistent dedicated healing to a teammate, the ability to revive dead teammates, and the ability to launch towards allies, Mercy has a very useful support skill-set that fosters a huge amount of maneuverability and healing output.
Battle Mercy in Overwatch 2
Battle Mercy gameplay sees the traditional healing-focused and passive gameplay that often characterizes Mercy and turns it on its head. As the name suggests, a Battle Mercy plays much more aggressively, not being afraid totarget enemies with Mercy’s Caduceus Blasterweapon and get actively involved in the fight.
It is true that the concept of Battle Mercy has always existed alongside the character, however recent changes made to Mercy inOverwatch 2make this peculiar style of play all the more viable. As well as receiving significant upgrades to the verticality of her flight movement, Mercy also received a unique regeneration passive ability, making her recover huge amounts of lost health over time more so than any other support hero.
A Battle Mercy can utilize this movement buff and health regeneration much to their advantage, being a more difficult offensive target that is able to take much greater combat risks. Battle Mercy’s often become most aggressive after using theirValkyrie ultimate ability, which enhances all the hero’s abilities and allows her to fly freely for a short time. This ultimate is usually used to boost the effectiveness of healing, but can of course be used to similar levels of success from an offensive point of view.
While a dedicated Battle Mercy can be a fantastic addition to a team dynamic when used in the right scenarios, it is also important to denote the downside of having what is otherwise an extremely important healer focusing too much on damage, as has recently been seen with an influx ofDPS Moira players inOverwatch 2. It remains that a Battle Mercy is a very interesting style of play for what is otherwise a rather one-dimensional hero, and can be used to huge success in the right combat situation.
Overwatch 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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