Principal designer outlines the precise nature of the multi-channelling effect.
The latest Overwatch patch not only added a brand new Escort Map – Junkertown – to the game, but it also significantly overhauled two of our favourite heroes, Mercy and D.Va.
Most notably of all, Mercy gained a new Ultimate ability called Valkyrie which significantly enhances her abilities. With Valkyrie active, Mercy can now target a player with her Caduceus Staff, and have the healing or damage-boosting effect spread out beyond the initial target and into nearby teammates.
This chaining effect has led to some uncertainty about how the new mechanic actually works though, and what its limitations in terms of range and line of sight are. Luckily enough, principal designer Geoff Goodman stepped into a forum debate last night to settle the matter once and for all.
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Here’s the lowdown on the benefits and limitations of Valkyrie’s team-boosting mechanics:
- The maximum distance between teammates for them to benefit from the chain boost is ten metres.
- There is no difference between the initiation and maintenance range for the chain. Any friendly ally within ten metres of your target will receive the boost for as long as they remain in that range.
- There must be clear line-of-sight between your target and the other teammates for them to receive the healing or damage boost.
- If any environmental geometry gets in the way, there is no delay to the beam breaking (such as you’d experience with the primary target). If they’re out of line of sight, they don’t get the benefit – period.
Hopefully that should clear things up for everyone. How have you been getting on with the new Mercy on the live servers? Let us know your experience with her in the comments!
