Overwatch 2
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PharMercy dead? The Pharah rework coming at the start of Overwatch 2 Season 9 sees a radical change in play for the aerial bombardier.
Long a menace of the skies, the truth about Pharah is more complicated. Frustrating to deal with due to her aerial maneuvering, that hasn’t necessarily made her a good choice. That all looks to change withOverwatch Season 9bringing about a massive gameplay overhaul. That includes a full Pharah rework in Overwatch 2 that feels like it finally brings the DPS Hero up to date.
Hey, wanna arm wrestle?
Will Jagielski-Harrison
Now more about speedily lateral movement and less about hanging in the air, Pharah plays differently than her past iteration. What’s new and what do you need to know? Let’s take a look at the Pharah rework coming to Overwatch 2 tomorrow with the start of Season 9.
Barrage
Hover Jets
The biggest change for Pharah in her Overwatch 2 rework for this season comes from her new ability, Jet Dash. Essentially a Tracer Blink without the invulnerability, this is going to change Pharah’s game in a number of ways. No longer will she be able to hover above fights and force enemy teams to look up. Instead, the goal is going to be side flanking and fast, lateral dashes to get in and out of position.
What about Mercy?
For all intents and purposes it appears PharMercy is dead. Why? It boils down to Mercy not being able to keep up with Pharah while also staying safe and keeping in range with the rest of the team. In the past, a Mercy would be able to just drop from the sky to get back into position.
Now? A mercy will have to risk following a Pharah away from the team or objective to keep pace. It’s simply not sustainable, which was the intended purpose of the Pharah rework for Overwatch 2 Season 9. And if we’re being honest, it’s for the best. If the best version of your Hero is only when a specific healer is on your team then it’s not a good design.
Check out the Pharah rework for yourself when Overwatch 2 Season 9 drops tomorrow, Feb. 13.
