Explosive Overwatch 2 Bug: Tracer's Pulse Bomb Unleashes Havoc Penetrating Shields!

Highlights

Tracer's pulse bomb ability in Overwatch 2 can bypass shields when the shield user rotates, causing frustration and disappointment among players.

Overwatch 2's Season 6 brought about a range of new content and updates, but unfortunately, it also presented several challenges such as the shield bug affecting Tracer's ultimate ability. Consequently, the dissatisfaction observed during Season 6, including the review bombing on Steam, has garnered the game director's attention. As a response, the director has assured players that the future will bring an influx of enticing content and substantial enhancements.

Tracer's ultimate pulse bomb ability has a frustrating bug in Overwatch 2 that allows her to bypass shields and eliminate opponents like Brigitte who are supposed to block it. Bugs and other issues are common in live service games when new updates or seasons are released. Despite Season 6 being a significant addition to the franchise with dedicated PvE Invasion missions, it has faced obstacles. The Steam version of Overwatch 2 received negative reviews, making it the lowest-rated game on Steam, due to fan criticism of various aspects, including its monetization practices.

Season 6 not only introduced Invasion missions and Flashpoint, but also brought a new support hero named Illari and a comprehensive update. This update aimed to fix numerous issues and included quality of life improvements and character balancing. Mercy and Kiriko, well-known support heroes, received nerfs, while Lifeweaver was buffed to improve their survivability and healing effectiveness. Unfortunately, the Season 6 update may have also introduced a new bug that significantly weakens shields against Tracer's ultimate ability.

Posted originally on the Overwatch subReddit, a user named P3runaama shared a brief video in training mode showcasing Tracer and Brigitte. In the video, Tracer activated her ultimate ability while Brigitte had her shield raised and active. Surprisingly, when Brigitte turned 90 degrees with the pulse bomb still attached to her shield, instead of the bomb being nullified, Brigitte suffered the damage and was eliminated. Further experimentation revealed that the bomb inflicts damage even if the shield user turns while the bomb is attached, regardless of the turning speed. This phenomenon also occurs when Cassidy uses his mag grenade, as if the shield loses its protective abilities, leading to the full impact affecting the player.

This revelation disappointed numerous Overwatch 2 fans in the comments, who mocked the fact that a major company like Blizzard overlooked this issue during development and testing. Others were bothered by P3runaama's description of the issue as game-breaking, considering its more localized impact on shield users like Brigitte and the limited availability for Tracer to spam the ability. However, P3runaama deserves credit for acknowledging that the issue may not be widely considered game-breaking. Their primary objective was to raise awareness about the issue in hopes of expediting a resolution.

Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller has acknowledged the negativity that has emerged in Season 6, including the Stream review bombing. In response to the criticism, Keller has redirected attention towards the future, emphasizing Blizzard's commitment to provide additional content and enhance the overall gaming experience. Currently, Overwatch 2 is accessible across various platforms, including PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.