Highlights
- The release of Mauga in Overwatch 2 has sparked heated discussion and controversy among players.
- Some players believe that Mauga's current state is fine, citing his strong tank abilities and damage soaking capabilities.
- Others argue that Mauga is overpowered and labeled him as "pay to win" due to his availability through the Season 8 Battle Pass.
Season 8 of Overwatch 2 debuted with the release of Mauga, a highly anticipated tank character who has been in development since 2018. Unfortunately, though the Samoan hero was first available for testing during the weekend of BlizzCon 2023, it seems that the hero still isn't sitting right with some players. As such, the discourse over Mauga has been the cause of several heated discussion forums and social media posts.
However, there have been those of the opinion that Mauga's current state is fine. Some players cite that he's one of the few tank characters that feels like a tank due to all the damage he can soak up. Whether people believe that Mauga embodies the traditional tank role in Overwatch 2, or he's overpowered, it seems the surrounding dialogue won't be simmering down anytime soon.
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Overwatch 2 Players Are Tired of the Mauga Meta
Mauga is Being Called "Pay To Win"
The controversy over tanks in Overwatch 2 is nothing new, though the issues cited about Mauga differ from the usual debate. In the past, tank players have expressed dissatisfaction with their role due to the increased pressure of needing to perform well and constantly counter-swap. While this problem hasn't necessarily changed, Mauga's buffs at launch may have only aggravated the situation, as damage and support players also feel that they need to pick certain heroes to even stand a chance.
Mauga's kit allows him to output an incredible amount of damage while his Overrun dash ability cannot be stopped with any CC. What's more, because Mauga is so powerful, supports are encouraged to pocket him rather than prioritizing their DPS players, which also means support players have far less flexibility in their play patterns when Mauga is on their team.
Some players have taken to calling the latest tank "pay to win" for a myriad of reasons. For those who haven't purchased the Overwatch 2 Season 8 Battle Pass, the hero only becomes available at Tier 45 of the free track. Some tanks have expressed that they would rather play a different hero, but feel pressured to play Mauga to combat an opposing Mauga. As a result, "Mauga truces" before matches have become increasingly common.
Nevertheless, due to the seemingly dominating Mauga Meta, if a tank player doesn't have this hero unlocked and an enemy team does, it can often result in what feels like an automatic loss. While the developers are toying with the idea of having Overwatch 2 heroes available immediately, this change has yet to be implemented. The predicament has been highlighted by videos on Twitter going viral as tank players leave competitive games to buy the battle pass and return with a freshly purchased Mauga.
Mauga is a "Must Pick" In Every Rank
Romani, a flex tank player for the Overwatch 2 Contender's team Miku Fan Club, even played Mauga from Bronze to Top 100 to highlight how strong he is right now. While there certainly is some skill required to play Mauga, the realization that some tank players seem to be climbing just by picking him has caused quite a stir. The Top 500 leaderboard may be a good indication of how powerful this character is, since fifty percent of the top ten players have Mauga as their most-played hero.
There is a glitch on the Top 500 leaderboard that shows Cyx as rank 4 and rank 5. As such, the rank 11 player, Crazmang, who has Mauga as their most-played hero, should be in the Top 10.
Conversely, those who don't mind Mauga have commented that they believe it's a "skill issue" if other teams can't win against a composition with the newest tank hero. However, this opinion has not stopped some players from quitting Overwatch 2 because of Mauga. Fortunately, Alec Dawson, the lead hero designer, commented on January 5 that nerfs are set to roll out next week after realizing the buffs may have been "harsher than what's necessary." This patch will include survivability nerfs, ammo nerfs, and more.
