The new hero, Jetpack Cat, has created some serious chaos in the new ‘Overwatch’ season. Many players have claimed that this hero is very overpowered. Thus, recently, ‘Overwatch‘ associate game director Alec Dawson talked about the current situation and revealed that Jetpack Cat is getting hit with a nerf hammer. The hero debuted on February 10 as part of the massive Reign of Talon rebrand. However, it has been far more overpowered than Blizzard ever intended.
Despite being a Support hero, players have used Jetpack Cat as a high-mobility damage dealer. Dawson admitted that the “unintentional lethality” of certain perk combinations has turned this hero into a powerhouse, winning almost all 1v1 duels.
Claws Out And Territorial Perks Are Getting Nerfed
Jetpack Cat mainly takes advantage of two specific perks, allowing her to play like a flanker rather than a Medic. These are: Claws Out and Territorial. Claws Out lets players transforms her quick melee into a wounding strike that deals 40 damage and slows enemies by 30%. When this is paired with the Territorial major perk, it turns her “Purr” healing aura into a damaging AOE. This makes Jetpack Cat a force to be reckoned with in 1v1 duels in ‘Overwatch.’
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To balance things out, Blizzard is planning making these further changes to bring her back in line:
- The balance patch will reduce the raw damage numbers for both Claws Out and Territorial to reduce her “burst” potential.
- In a more drastic move, the Territorial perk will be removed from the game entirely and will be replaced with a new perk in the mid-season update. Blizzard is planning introduce a strictly defensive perk, forcing players to play back like an actual support..
The Reign Of Talon Meta After Rework In ‘Overwatch’
These nerfs will surely shake up the meta in a big way. While many fans using this hero will be upset, these steps are necessary for the game’s competitive health. Currently, players are “perma-banning” Jetpack Cat from the game for high-level players. By toning down her aggression, Blizzard hopes to keep her in the rotation without making her feel like a third DPS hero.
According to reports, Jetpack Car is just a beginning. More heroes like the Vishkar tank Domina and the tactical veteran Emre are also receiving minor tweaks. These balance changes were expected after the introduction of multiple heroes. Devs want to maintain a balance enviroment in such a way that no single hero dominates the whole meta.
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For veteran ‘Overwatch,’ Jetpack Cat is a decade-old meme coming to life. Originally a scrapped concept from the early days of Overwatch development, Blizzard initially thought a cat in a flight suit was too “outlandish” for the game’s world. However, the “Reign of Talon “update breathed a fresh air to the gam..
Also, the gamble of rebranding and changing the whole approach has seemingly paid off. Since the launch of Season 1: Conquest, Overwatch has seen its highest player counts since 2023, peaking at over 165,000 concurrent players on Steam. While the cat is currently the “troll” character of choice due to her Ultimate’s ability to drag enemies off the map, her popularity is undeniable.
