Overwatch 2 Hero Bans: Sombra’s Reign and Potential Balance Changes Looming

Overwatch 2's hero ban system, introduced in April, has revealed some surprising trends, particularly the dominance of certain heroes in the ban lists. Blizzard Entertainment's recent data dive into Season 16 competitive play shows that characters like Sombra, Zarya, and Symmetra are consistently sidelined, prompting the developers to consider significant balance changes.

The data reveals a stark picture: Sombra leads the pack with an 85% ban rate on PC, soaring to 93% on consoles. Zarya consistently follows behind with ban rates close to 60% accross platforms. This dominance raises a crucial question: What happens when a hero is effectively unplayable in a vast majority of competitive matches?

Gavin Winter, Senior Systems Designer at Blizzard, emphasized that this data will be used to inform future balance adjustments. "Heroes that are more niche or map specific may need to become more generalized if they're always banned where they perform well," Winter stated. "Heroes that are very unpopular might see more adjustments regardless of performance."

In their blog series *Weekly Recall*, Blizzard dove a bit deeper into the bans, showcasing ban rates across different ranks and regions. For example, at Master rank or higher, D.Va is also heavily banned.

While Blizzard is "happy with how it works overall with the system", Winter mentioned that they're considering adding a tiebreaker to deal with the 42% of all games that occurred where vote ties happened.

The implications of these trends are significant. How can Blizzard ensure hero diversity and maintain player engagement when certain characters are consistently excluded? The potential rebalancing could reshape the Overwatch 2 meta, forcing players to adapt their strategies and explore previously underutilized heroes. The question isn't just about balancing individual characters but also about the overall health and dynamism of the game.

Blizzard plans to introduce a new map-voting feature in Season 17, giving players more control over match play. Will these additional changes ultimately address the issues highlighted by the hero ban data? Only time will tell.

What are your thoughts on the Overwatch 2 hero ban system? Which heroes do you find yourself consistently banning, and why? Share your opinions in the comments below!

• Blizzard
• Overwatch 2
• Sombra