Improvements all round for the much-maligned mechanical hero.
We’ve know for a little while now that Blizzard wants to increase the viability of Bastion in competitive play, and the latest, inbound PTR update has given us our first firm look at how exactly they intend to do this.
The news comes via the patch notes for the latest PTR updates, which outlines some hard numbers that should help improve the hero’s fortunes.
Here’s a quick overview of what’s coming to a live server near you soon:
Configuration: Sentry
Configuration: Sentry
- Deploy time decreased from 1.5 seconds to 1.0 second
- Bullet spread increased by 50 percent
- Bullet spread is always at maximum (it no longer increases as the weapon is fired)
- Magazine size increased from 200 to 300
- Headshot damage multiplier has been removed
- No longer deals critical damage
Configuration: Recon
- Bullet spread decreased by 25 percent
- Magazine size increased from 20 to 25
Self-Repair
- Can now be used while moving
- Now bound to secondary fire (formerly Ability 2)
- No longer interrupted by taking damage
- A new resource meter has been added that deplete while Self-Repair is active and recharges when not in use
Configuration: Tank
- No longer grants bonus armor
- Bastion has a new passive: Ironclad
- Bastion takes 35% less damage while in Sentry or Tank configuration
Developer Comments: The goal of these changes is to move some of Bastion’s power from Configuration: Sentry to Recon, while keeping its sentry mode a strong option, especially versus tanks and barriers. Overall, Bastion should feel stronger and more flexible with these changes.
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We’re more than a little intrigued about the impact these changes will have on Bastion, and we’ll be taking him out for a spin as soon as the PTR comes back up.
We suspect the changes to Self-Repair will have a significant impact on his overall survivability and flexibility, although we’ll have to wait and see how the pendulum swings when it comes to the changes being made to armour and damage reduction in Tank mode.
