Overwatch’s Mercy Overhauled With Nerfed Resurrections and New Ultimate

The iconic healer Mercy is receiving some big changes in Overwatch’s public test region. Her ability to resurrect an entire team can turn the tide of a match, and Blizzard is thinking that makes her a little too powerful. Check out the changes outlined in the video below, or read on for an overview.

Blizzard calls it a Hero Balance Update, but many Mercy mains are claiming this is the nerf of the century. Other players think the changes will make Mercy more versatile, but no one can argue this overhaul is a game changer for the angelic healer.

“Let’s say you are a team that puts a lot of effort into getting a full team wipe,” said Jeff Kaplan in the update video. “You use a Zarya Graviton Surge and maybe you have Pharah rain justice from above on top of that. You wipe out the entire enemy team. It’s pretty disheartening to have Mercy just erase that moment with a full team res.”

Therefore, Resurrect is no longer Mercy’s ultimate. Big news, I know, but you’ll still be able to bring back single teammates with a secondary ability on a pretty big cooldown. Of course, Mercy is getting a new ultimate to replace Resurrect, and that’s Valkyrie.

By using Valkyrie, Mercy will be able to fly through the air — no jetpack or anything! — with enhanced movement, resurrections, and healing/ boosting beams. In addition, beams will chain to multiple allies in the same vicinity.

“We feel like Mercy will feel a lot more engaging to play than standing around the corner, hiding and waiting for that moment to press the ultimate,” explained Kaplan.

The Mercy changes are playable on Overwatch’s PC public test region now. Get out there and test that new ultimate and tell us what you think about the revamped healer.