Overwatch 2, released last week, has three types of heroes: Tanks, Damage/Attackers, and support. Naturally, players who prefer attacking are mad at support players for not healing them. And healers are, in turn, frustrated by tanks and attackers who run off to die, ignoring how Overwatch 2 is a game entirely built around teamwork. Needless to say, the discourse is a mess and Moira mains have ended up in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
In many ways, Overwatch 2 is just the first Overwatch with additional maps and heroes. But there are some smaller, under-the-hood changes to the game — like the number of players on each team, the way heroes are categorised, and how some character kits work — that have changed the overall feel of the sequel. These tiny changes have led to a current meta that feels faster and deadlier than the original Overwatch. And this has, naturally, reignited the debate around healers, bad team members, and when you can blame a support player.
Across Reddit and Twitter, you can find countless threads and comments from players who primarily play as support and who are frustrated that so many of their teammates run out and endlessly die in lopsided fights, only to use chat to blame the healers. In my experience with Overwatch 2 — as someone who mostly plays support for the XP boost and fast matchmaking — I’ve experienced Winstons and Reapers zooming past me and the other support player, only to wind up dead moments later, putting the entire team in a bad spot. It’s frustrating for sure and something I experienced in the first game, too.
On the flip side, some players are annoyed by supports who fail to heal, opting instead to stand around while injured players beg for heals during a quiet moment between team fights. I’ve also experienced this and it’s hard to know how much of it is new players trying to learn how the game works or jerks who don’t care about supporting their team.
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The ongoing debate gets even more heated when players bring up support heroes who can deal a lot of damage and rack up a ton of kills during a round, like Moira. Some players seem to use Moira less as a healer or support unit and more like an attacker. While this can sometimes be effective, especially if you have a skilled Moira main or you are competing against a disorganized team, it puts even more pressure on the other, remaining support.
Moira has even become somewhat of a meme online, with players joking about DPS-only Moiras ignoring their team for kills. Some Moira mains have responded to the memes and ongoing debate, pointing out that not all Moira players are focused on damage or kills. Or that some are pretty good at both. But that doesn’t matter, as it’s become common to see players yelling at Moiras in the chat, telling them to switch to a “real support” or healer.
Take care of your other support; we can promise Moira isn’t. pic.twitter.com/vBEBxCiToL
— Los Angeles Gladiators (@LAGladiators) October 12, 2022
I’ve seen this at least twice in the last few days. Both times, the Moiras had done very little damage and a decent amount of healing. But it didn’t seem to matter to one angry Solider 76 on our team, who demanded they switch. This led to Moira eventually ignoring the angry player and healing our tank instead, which naturally led to more anger and a spiral of toxicity that reminded me why I barely play competitive.
The reality is that the answer to all this Overwatch discourse and debate is pretty simple: Adapt to your team and work with them. End up with a Moira that is going for kills all the time? Fall back, stick closer to your main support and try to keep them alive. Stuck with supports not healing? Swap to 76 and try to heal others when you can, or swap to Roadhog and heal yourself. People pushing too much, not organising at all, and dying over and over? Check Twitter. The match will end soon and you can find new players.
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