Did They Change Mercy’s ULT? A Deep Dive into Valkyrie’s Evolution
Yes, Mercy’s Ultimate Ability, Valkyrie, has undergone several significant changes since Overwatch’s initial launch. These adjustments have dramatically altered her gameplay, shifting her role from a purely reactive healer to a more proactive and impactful force on the battlefield. Understanding these changes is crucial for both Mercy players and those who play against her.
A Brief History of Valkyrie
Initially, Valkyrie was a far simpler ability. When activated, it allowed Mercy to fly freely, boosted her healing and damage amplification range, and granted her unlimited ammunition. Perhaps most significantly, it instantly resurrected all dead allies within a radius. This version of Valkyrie was incredibly powerful, often leading to game-swinging plays and frustrating counterplay opportunities.
However, this power came at a cost. Mercy’s resurrection ability, Resurrect, was then a standard ability with a long cooldown. Many felt that Valkyrie’s mass resurrection overshadowed her other contributions, reducing her gameplay to hiding during team fights and waiting for the perfect moment to revive the entire team. Blizzard recognized this and decided to rework her kit entirely.
The Rework and Its Aftermath
The most significant change to Mercy’s kit involved moving Resurrect from her ultimate to a standard ability with a single target and a shorter range. Valkyrie was then redesigned to enhance her existing abilities and grant her new movement options. This meant increased healing and damage boost potential, chain beams connecting to nearby allies, and the ability to fly freely with increased speed.
This rework was initially met with mixed reactions. While it addressed the “hide-and-rez” playstyle, some felt it made Mercy less impactful and more difficult to carry games with. The subsequent patches fine-tuned Valkyrie further, adjusting its duration, healing output, and movement speed to strike a better balance.
Current State of Valkyrie
Currently, Valkyrie remains a powerful ultimate, but it requires strategic thinking and proactive engagement to maximize its effectiveness. It enhances her healing and damage boost capabilities, allows for swift movement and positioning, and enables her to pocket allies effectively. It allows Mercy to play more aggressively, supporting her team from advantageous angles and quickly reacting to threats.
While Resurrect is no longer a part of Valkyrie, it still synergizes well with her ultimate. The increased mobility allows Mercy to reach fallen allies more easily and safely, ensuring they can rejoin the fight quickly. However, it’s important to remember that Resurrect leaves Mercy vulnerable, so proper positioning and timing are critical.
In summary, Valkyrie has been significantly altered from its initial implementation. It’s gone from a mass resurrection tool to a versatile ability that enhances her healing, damage boost, and mobility, making Mercy a more dynamic and engaging hero to play. This evolution reflects Blizzard’s ongoing commitment to balance and improve the Overwatch experience. Education in game design and the impact of changes in characters can be found on the Games Learning Society website, https://www.gameslearningsociety.org/. Understanding these changes is an integral part of appreciating the complexities and nuances that drive the meta of Overwatch.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Mercy’s Valkyrie
Here are 15 frequently asked questions about Mercy’s Valkyrie ability, providing additional valuable information for players of all skill levels.
1. What exactly does Valkyrie do now?
Valkyrie transforms Mercy, granting her the ability to fly freely, increasing her healing and damage boost range, and creating chain beams that connect to nearby allies. It also enhances her Guardian Angel ability, allowing her to reach teammates faster.
2. How long does Valkyrie last?
The current duration of Valkyrie is 15 seconds.
3. Does Valkyrie affect Resurrect?
While Valkyrie no longer directly resets or enhances Resurrect, it allows Mercy to position herself more effectively to use Resurrect safely and quickly.
4. Can Valkyrie heal through barriers?
No, Valkyrie does not allow Mercy to heal through barriers. Her healing beams still require line of sight.
5. Does Valkyrie increase Mercy’s healing output?
Yes, Valkyrie increases Mercy’s healing output per second.
6. Can I damage boost multiple targets with Valkyrie?
Yes, during Valkyrie, Mercy’s damage boost beam will chain to nearby allies, boosting the damage of multiple teammates simultaneously.
7. Does Valkyrie make Mercy invulnerable?
No, Valkyrie does not grant Mercy invulnerability. She is still susceptible to damage and crowd control effects.
8. How far can Mercy fly during Valkyrie?
Mercy can fly freely within the map boundaries during Valkyrie. Her movement speed is also increased, allowing her to traverse the battlefield quickly.
9. Is it better to heal or damage boost during Valkyrie?
The best course of action depends on the situation. If your team is taking heavy damage, prioritize healing. If your team is engaging in a strong offensive push, damage boosting can amplify their effectiveness.
10. Can Valkyrie be used to escape danger?
Yes, Valkyrie’s increased mobility and flight capabilities make it an excellent tool for escaping dangerous situations and repositioning to a safer location.
11. How does Valkyrie affect Guardian Angel?
Valkyrie reduces the cooldown of Guardian Angel and increases its range, allowing Mercy to quickly dart between teammates.
12. What’s the best way to counter Valkyrie?
Focus fire on Mercy to eliminate her quickly. Crowd control abilities like stuns and sleeps can also disrupt her movement and prevent her from providing support to her team.
13. Has Valkyrie been nerfed or buffed since its rework?
Valkyrie has undergone several adjustments since its rework, with both nerfs and buffs to its duration, healing output, and movement speed. These changes have aimed to balance the ability and ensure it remains a powerful but fair ultimate.
14. Can Valkyrie be interrupted?
No, Valkyrie cannot be interrupted once activated. However, Mercy can still be killed while in Valkyrie, ending the ultimate prematurely.
15. How does the chain beam work during Valkyrie?
When Valkyrie is active, Mercy’s beam will automatically connect to nearby allies within a certain radius of the primary target. This allows her to heal or damage boost multiple teammates simultaneously, providing significant support to her team. These beams can also be moved between targets by simply looking at an ally.