Symmetra is forever changed thanks to her second rework since Overwatch was released two years ago. The long-awaited overhaul was uploaded to the Overwatch test server yesterday. The changes are serious, likely Overwatch’s biggest rework since launch. Symmetra is no longer relegated to the support category, instead placed right in the newly formed damage classification—a mixture of DPS and defense heroes. Blizzard made these adjustments as a way to make her “more viable in more team compositions and maps,” according to Overwatch developer Geoff Goldman. Her kit is supposed to be more usable on offense and defense. Here’s what’s been adjusted. Related: Overwatch welcomes a newly reworked Symmetra to the test server Photon Projector, primary fire Symmetra’s primary fire no longer locks onto enemies—it looks a lot more like Zarya’s weapon now, firing a straight beam of energy outward in a line. She deals a lot more damage, with the weapon’s range increased to 10 meters. Proton Projector ramps up slower now—it takes two seconds instead of one—with an overall increased output to 60 damage, 120 damage, and 180 damage. Damage ramps down slower, too, which makes the output easier to maintain for big fights, Goodman said. Ammo is also generated instead of spent when barriers are hit. Photon Projector, secondary fire Alternate fire for the Photon Projector is different, too. The projectile doesn’t pierce through enemies anymore; instead, it explodes on contact. Goodman said the weapon is more reliable to use at long ranges. “Explosive projectiles are even more powerful when fired above your enemies because they can deal splash damage, which is now more possible for Symmetra due to her Teleporter changes,” Goodman wrote. It looks very similar, but is a bit more flexible—which allows her to do more damage overall. Sentry Turret Symmetra throws her turrets, which makes them a lot more useful against a wider variety of heroes. She used to only be able to place them within reach of her body, making them useless against heroes with serious mobility, like Pharah. There’s a lot of possibilities with Symmetra’s new turrets. They’re a core part of the kit that will be important in how she’s played. Instead of six, Symmetra now has three, given how powerful those three are. Related: Blizzard could be teasing Hammond as the next Overwatch hero Teleporter Photon Barrier is out, replaced now by Symmetra’s Teleporter ability. Symmetra players can now place the teleporter’s exit further away, with the entrance built wherever she’s standing. Allies are able to run in and out of either teleporter for 10 seconds. Allies have to interact with the teleporters to use them. The teleporter is one of Symmetra’s more interesting abilities, with the potential for really weird and unique plays. It can be used to put low mobility heroes in hard-to-reach places, or used as an escape route for Ana or Zenyatta—two low mobility heroes. There are harder to pull off uses, like saving your team from a Graviton Surge, or launching a D.Va bomb through the portal. Ultimate: Photon Barrier Photon Barrier got supersized. It used to be a small barrier that moved forward in a straight line. Now it’s a massive, immobile wall that cuts through the entire Overwatch map. It can be used to protect her team in fights or cut off a dangerous ultimate, like D.Va’s Self-Destruct. It’s so big that Symmetra can use it in fights she’s not even involved in—you’ve just got to have good aim with it. “You can also combo your abilities together and place a Teleporter on both sides of your wall, allowing your teammates (or yourself) to quickly switch which side of it they are on,” Goodman said. The wall’s got 500 health. Symmetra will likely stay on the Overwatch test server for a while now. These are major changes that have the potential to shake up the game’s meta.<doc-sep>The much-anticipated rework for Overwatch’s Symmetra is on the game’s test server, and it’s already clear that Overwatch will look pretty different when it’s released in full. As one of the most exhaustive hero reworks yet, Symmetra’s new toolkit is significantly more tactical. And, finally, developer Blizzard reclassified Symmetra as a defense hero, not a support. Advertisement Symmetra’s toolkit is subject to change since, right now, it’s in public testing. In its current state, Symmetra is immensely powerful, with some big vulnerabilities. The changes will make lots of wild, chaotic team strategies more viable, while giving Symmetra the firepower she needs to really defend teammates. Here’s what’s changed: Primary fire: photon projector: Symmetra’s primary fire doesn’t lock onto targets anymore. Now, it more resembles Zarya’s primary fire: a straight, pointed beam that extends about 10 meters. It’s harder to aim, but it can do a lot of damage when positioned correctly. It will also certainly make one of the most frustrating aspects of playing against Symmetra less common: When you’re playing a squishy hero and Symmetra’s beam locks onto you for an extended period of time, you know there’s no escape. Alternate fire: Previously, Symmetra’s alternate fire was an energy ball that could phase through all sorts of stuff. With the rework, it charges up a lot faster and explodes when it comes in contact with most barriers and heroes. Sentry turret: Advertisement Playing Symmetra on the test server, her new sentry turrets were the most exciting change for me. Prior to the rework, Symmetra could only set up turrets near her body. They’re projectiles now, which is great if you’re trying to take down a flying Pharah or position turrets in enemy territory without actually going there. They do a ton of damage now, too, so getting hit by one can be pretty damning, especially since they slow down targets more, as well. Thankfully, Symmetra can only deploy three at a time instead of six. This one’s really wild. Symmetra’s teleporter is now a main ability and not her ultimate. She can place it 25 meters from herself and creates the entrance in front of her. So it’s not just for teleporting players at the spawn point to somewhere else; she can teleport players from her position to 25 meters away. Every few seconds she can do this, since it’s on cooldown. The teleporter only lasts ten seconds, though. It’s also easier to take down, since its health is lowered from about 400 to 300. More things can travel through it, like D.va’s bomb or Junkrat’s RIP-Tire. Advertisement What does this mean? It’s hard to say. On application is that Symmetra can tactically transfer her turrets’ rays 25 meters away from her: Advertisement Another is that it can make projectile-based ultimate abilities harder to see coming. I don’t see a lot of D.va bombs wiping out whole teams anymore, since now players know the signs of it coming. That might change with Symmetra’s teleporter. We’ll be seeing more opportunities for heroes with limited mobility to access previously inaccessible parts of maps, too, since they can just teleport there. Heroes like Widowmaker who find relative safety on the high ground might be in trouble. Ultimate ability: Advertisement Symmetra’s teleporter is now a normal ability, and correspondingly, Blizzard blew up her normal photon barrier ability into a larger-than-life ultimate attack. It’s a huge, hive-like barrier that can span an entire map. Symmetra can orient it however she chooses, and it has 5,000 health. It will definitely come in handy against huge ultimate abilities like Pharah’s or D.va’s. Overwatch players are known to “report” players who play Symmetra in situations where she’s not ideal, like on offense or many control points. Blizzard’s intention with the rework, they wrote in the patch notes, is to “make her more flexible and viable across more areas of the game than she was previously.” They add, “She should be more powerful and interesting in more team compositions and maps, and she should also be stronger on offense and defense.” Advertisement Symmetra’s rework is really cool, and I’m going to have a lot of fun with it, but I’m still not sure it will be a great toolkit on offense. She does a ton of damage, yes, and her teleport ability can help reposition a team and carve the way for an objective takeover. It will be interesting to see what strategies players come up with to capitalize on her new abilities.<doc-sep>The old Symmetra can't come to the phone right now. Why? Because she's dead. Overwatch will soon be forever changed—old Symmetra is out, with a newly re-worked light-bender up on the game’s test server. The changes that went up on the Overwatch PTR aren’t the first rework for the former support hero. Symmetra’s first rework went up on Nov. 22, 2016, but never really clicked with the Overwatch player base. She’s remained a niche pick for many Overwatch players, with absolutely no time played in the Overwatch League. But that all could change with her new kit. Related: Symmetra may not be playable in the Overwatch League finals Here are the details, many of which Blizzard has been iterating on for months now. Symmetra New Abilities Photon Projector No longer locks onto targets Range increased to 10 meters Damage ramping now takes 2 seconds per damage level instead of 1 second Damage ramp increased from 30/60/120 to 60/120/180 Now generates ammo instead of spending it when hitting a barrier Alternate Fire No longer pierces targets Now explodes on contact Projectile speed increased Charge up speed increased Damage changed to 60 impact / 60 explosive Sentry Turret Turret is now placed like a projectile instead of being set in place Can hold a max of 3, down from 6 Can now deploy a max 3, down from 6 Damage increased Amount of slowing effect increased Teleporter Can now place the exit up to 25 meters away from Symmetra Entrance will automatically be built in front of Symmetra, rather than at her team’s spawn point Lasts 10 seconds Health lowered to 300 More things can teleport through it (e.g. Junkrat’s RIP-Tire) Entrance can be destroyed If either the entrance or exit is destroyed, the other is removed New Ultimate: Photon Barrier Deploys a barrier that is big enough to span and cut through an entire map Orientation can be changed by pressing the ultimate button again Has 5000 health Developer Comments: The goal of these changes is to move Symmetra to her new damage role and make her more flexible and viable across more areas of the game than she was previously. Now that Symmetra is no longer a support hero, she is expected to be able to dish out heavy damage, and these changes allow for her to do so. She should be more powerful and interesting in more team compositions and maps, and she should also be stronger on offense and defense. There’s no word on when Symmetra’s rework will hit Overwatch’s live servers, but these large changes typically stay in testing for at least three weeks. Overwatch assistant game director Aaron Keller said in late May that Symmetra’s rework will keep her out of the Overwatch League finals—it’ll be just too new to be fair for professional players. Keeping Symmetra disabled won’t change much for the league, though. Symmetra has yet to be played on-stage by the Overwatch League’s professionals.<doc-sep>Symmetra’s rework has been simmering away, and now she’s live on the PTR. This is her second rework, and it’s by far the more sizable one; she is now a Damage hero (the new category that merges Attack and Defense heroes). Not only that, but she has a whole new ultimate, her teleporter is now a basic ability, and her abilities have all been changed to be more deadly. Let’s take a look at the new, murderous Symmetra and her host of new, futuristic abilities. Blizzard have thoughtfully shared all changes, including video of each ability in action. Primary Fire Replaces Photon Projector No longer locks onto targets Range increased to 10 meters Damage ramping (both up and down) now takes 2 seconds per damage level instead of 1 second Damage ramp increased from 30/60/120 to 60/120/180 Now generates ammo instead of spending it when hitting barriers Symmetra’s rework significantly raises her skill floor, and this is very apparent with her new primary fire. While it no longer locks onto targets, which was a massive help for some players, it now deals significantly more damage. Now, a Symmetra in the thick of a persistent fight dishes out more hurt and takes longer to lose the ramp down on her primary fire’s damage. She can also tear through barriers since attacking one doesn’t spend her energy. Alternate Fire No longer pierces targets Now explodes on contact Projectile speed increased Charge up speed increased Damage changed to 60 impact / 60 explosive The changes here are pretty straightforward: photon projector shots are now more powerful, explode on contact instead of peacefully phasing through targets, and move faster. The ability now feels much better for a damage hero, as opposed to being the weaker attack of a support. Sentry Turrets Turret is now placed like a projectile instead of being set in place Can hold a max of 3 now, down from 6 Can now deploy a max of 3, down from 6 Health increased from 1 to 30 Damage increased Amount of slowing effect increased Similar to photon projector, sentry turrets now deal more damage and are better as an offense ability in every way. The car wash now has half as many turrets, but can be placed from a distance, slow more, deal more damage, and are tougher to kill. Teleporter Can now place the exit up to 25 meters away from Symmetra The entrance will automatically be built in front of Symmetra, rather than at her team’s spawn point Lasts 10 seconds Health lowered to 300 More things can teleport through it, such as Junkrat tire and D.Va’s exploding mech Entrance can now be destroyed * If either the entrance or exit dies, the other is removed The teleporter is guaranteed to be the star of Symmetra’s new rework. Not only is it on a basic ability now, but it’s far more versatile. The entrance can be built in front of Symmetra, which means it has a potent two way potential now, but you can send Junkrat tires, Torbjorn turrets, or exploding MEKAs through. This means that Symmetra is a true master of the battlefield, able to warp her team and their constructs around. This is likely an ability we won’t understand the potential of until we see the really skilled players start tinkering with it. The devs give an example of dropping one end in a Graviton Surge to teleport your allies out, but this ability is so powerful and versatile it’s hard to imagine that’s the limit. Ultimate: Photon Barrier Deploys a barrier that is big enough to span and cut through an entire map Orientation can be changed by pressing the ultimate button again Has 5000 health Goodbye, Shield Generator, we won’t miss you. Photon Barrier has been upgraded to an ultimate from a basic ability, and it is now beefy. This wall spans the entire map. Goodbye, Pharah. See you later, D.Va. Another time, Roadhog. This is an incredibly powerful ability that looks Mei’s ice wall look like a cute little frost. While your teammates can’t move through it normally, you can drop a teleporter for them, opening up a path. Symmetra, and her bananas new kit, is now available for testing on the PTR. It will take some time before she hits live, and a lot can change between now and then ... but for now, let’s just put our minds together and figure out how to best use the teleporter to thwart our foes and save our friends.<doc-sep>
Overwatch's long-awaited Symmetra rework is now playable on the Overwatch PTR. She's now classified as a Defense hero, not a support, and her kit has been overhauled significantly. Here are all her new abilities: Photon Projector – Primary Fire The biggest change to Symmetra’s primary fire is that it no longer locks onto enemies. This change, in turn, allows the weapon to deal significantly more damage and have increased range. While Photon Projector’s damage ramps up more slowly than previously, it also ramps down more slowly which makes it easier to maintain for the duration of a big fight. No longer locks onto targets Range increased to 10 meters Damage ramping (both up and down) now takes 2 seconds per damage level instead of 1 second Damage ramp increased from 30/60/120 to 60/120/180 Now generates ammo instead of spending it when hitting barriers Photon Projector – Alternate Fire Photon Projector’s alternate fire has changed significantly as well. It no longer pierces through enemies—it explodes on contact instead. The projectile speed has also significantly increased, making it more reliable to use the weapon at longer ranges. Explosive projectiles are even more powerful when fired above your enemies because they can deal splash damage, which is now more possible for Symmetra due to her Teleporter changes. No longer pierces targets Now explodes on contact Projectile speed increased Charge up speed increased Damage changed to 60 impact / 60 explosive "Overall her weapon maintains its core identity while gaining much needed flexibility with how it can be used," reads the developer comments. "Now that Symmetra is no longer a support hero, she is expected to be able to dish out heavy damage and these changes allow for her to do so." Ability 1: Sentry Turret By far the most noticeable change to Symmetra’s Sentry Turrets is her new ability to launch them forward as a projectile to place them, rather than having to walk up close to the placed location. In addition, Symmetra will only be able to hold and deploy a max of three turrets, but each one is significantly stronger than her previous Sentry Turrets. This allows her to spend less time trying to keep a large nest of turrets alive, as well as making them a bit more resistant against low damage area attacks. Turret is now placed like a projectile instead of being set in place Can hold a max of 3 now, down from 6 Can now deploy a max of 3, down from 6 Health increased from 1 to 30 Damage increased Amount of slowing effect increased "Symmetra’s turrets are a core part of her identity and now they are stronger than ever," Blizzard said. "With the new deploy method she can place them in more difficult to reach places, or just throw them down in the middle of combat while fighting with her weapon." Ability 2: Teleporter The Teleporter has swapped places with her old Photon Barrier ability. However, the new Teleporter works significantly differently than the original one, and it will be used in very different ways. Now instead of building the exit directly in front of you, players instead can now place the exit far away (up to 25 meters) and the entrance will be built right in front of you automatically. Then, for a limited duration, you or your allies can run to either teleporter and press the Interact/Acknowledge input to be teleported to the opposite portal. Can now place the exit up to 25 meters away from Symmetra The entrance will automatically be built in front of Symmetra, rather than at her team’s spawn point Lasts 10 seconds Health lowered to 300 More things can teleport through it, such as Junkrat tire and D.Va’s exploding mech Entrance can now be destroyed "This change allows Symmetra to bring unique functionality to her teammates and create super fun and interesting combos and plays," Blizzard said. "For example, you can now place Bastion,Torbjörn, and other limited mobility heroes in hard-to-reach places where they couldn’t otherwise get to by themselves. In addition, Teleporter can now move new objects such as D.Va’s exploding mech or Torbjörn turrets. In playtests we’ve seen it used for simple things such as giving an escape option to normally mobility-lacking heroes like as Ana or Zenyatta, but also for amazing saves such as dropping it into an enemy Zarya’s Graviton Surge that has caught your allies, allowing them to teleport out to safety."