Overwatch 2's first full beta has officially come to an end, and the reviews have been mixed, to say the least. Generally speaking, critical opinion on the beta is divided. On the one side, some fans and critics have enjoyed their time with the beta, appreciating the new 5v5 setup, the faster gameplay pace, and the changes made to a good portion of the heroes. On the other side, however, some fans and critics have expressed their disappointment with the content currently on offer in Overwatch 2, describing it as more like Overwatch 1.5 than a true sequel.
Regardless of personal opinion, the Overwatch 2 beta has largely been quite successful, surpassing a viewer count of one million for streams of the game. With the sheer number of eyes on the beta, Blizzard has been quick to remedy some of Overwatch 2's most glaring faults, and has tried to implement fan feedback where possible. The changes made to Junkrat's trap ability are the perfect example of this.
Why Overwatch 2 Removed Junkrat's Trap
In the most recent build of the Overwatch 2 beta, a large percentage of the game's heroes were reworked. While tank heroes like Orisa and Roadhog received some pretty extensive changes, some heroes were only tweaked a little. The Support-class heroes, for instance, were largely left alone, albeit with some minor changes to ability duration or radius.
Junkrat was one such hero, with his abilities staying pretty much the same as his appearance in the first Overwatch, just with some slight tinkering. Junkrat's trap ability received the biggest change, going from being a trap that stopped enemies dead in their tracks for a few seconds to simply slowing down their movement speed for a short duration.
According to Geoff Goodman, the Lead Hero Designer for Overwatch and Overwatch 2, the team originally intended this change to fit better with the more aggressive, fast-paced gameplay of the sequel. In an attempt to keep players constantly moving, Blizzard decided to nerf the heroes' crowd control abilities, which explains why Junkrat's trap was changed.
Why Overwatch 2 Is Bringing Junkrat's Trap Back
Overall, the Junkrat trap change wasn't received too well, with some fans claiming that the ability was less satisfying to use now, but it wasn't quite as controversial as some of Overwatch 2's other hero changes. Nevertheless, word got back to Blizzard, and just a few days ago, Geoff Goodman confirmed that Junkrat's trap would be restored to its former glory in Overwatch 2's next beta.
During an interview with Twitch streamers ML7 and SVB, the Lead Hero Designer was asked about the fan backlash toward the Junkrat change, and in response, the developer confirmed that the fans were getting what they wanted. Apparently, upon reflection, the Overwatch 2 development team agreed that Junkrat's trap ability was actually one of the more fair crowd control abilities in the game as players can see it quite easily, and can therefore destroy it easily. Simply put, if a player ends up in a Junkrat trap, that's their own wrongdoing.
To some surprise, the announcement that Junkrat's trap is returning in full has left the fan-base quite split. While some fans are glad to see the hero getting a buff, some believed that the change was actually a smart move, and did in fact keep the game fast-paced and more enjoyable. Fans will have to wait for Overwatch 2's next beta before they can make their final judgement.
Overwatch 2 is currently in development.