Illari's Dominance Unmasked: Unearthing the Overarching Challenge of Overwatch 2 Community

Highlights

In Overwatch 2 Season 6, players can look forward to exciting additions such as gripping PvE story missions, an enhanced firing range, and the introduction of Illari, a highly enjoyable Support hero who poses a formidable challenge for adversaries.

The controversy surrounding Illari revolves around her damage output and the effectiveness of her Healing Pylon. There are differing opinions on whether Supports should prioritize healing over damage, but no adjustments have been made to Illari's damage capabilities.

It is recommended that players prioritize destroying Illari's Healing Pylon as it hinders her primary healing source and increases her cooldown time. This highlights a vulnerability in the community's ability to handle characters with turrets.

Following the introduction of PvE story missions, an updated firing range, and a new Support hero from Peru, Overwatch 2 Season 6 is thriving. However, the addition of the new Support hero has sparked controversy among players. Despite this, the community generally agrees that she is one of the most enjoyable heroes to play. Unfortunately, the same sentiment does not apply when facing off against enemy Illari.

Illari's abilities reveal some interesting flaws within the player base. However, recent patch notes for Overwatch 2 on August 24 included changes for Illari, Echo, and Orisa. Notably, adjustments were made to Illari's ultimate ability, Captive Sun, and her Healing Pylon. The ongoing debate mainly revolves around her damage output and the effectiveness of the healing pylon.

Overwatch 2 Players Are Struggling With One Part of Illari's Kit

The debate surrounding the DPS capabilities of Support players has been ongoing for several years. Initially, the focus was on Moira, Baptiste, and Zenyatta and their damage output. However, with the release of Overwatch 2 in October 2022 and the transition from 6v6 to 5v5, there has been an increase in damage statistics for Support characters. Blizzard has justified this change by explaining that with one less Tank in the game, Supports need a means to defend themselves.

The controversy has further intensified with the introduction of effective Supports like Kiriko and Illari. Unfortunately, for those advocating for Supports to prioritize healing over dealing damage, the developers have not made any adjustments to Illari's damage numbers, except for her ultimate. Without changes to her Solar Rifle, Illari is still capable of significant DPS, similar to Moira, with the distinction that Illari is a hitscan character.

Despite the Peruvian woman's formidable abilities, there is an argument to be made that she is not as overpowering as many players believe. A significant portion of her strength lies in Illari's Healing Pylon, which works alongside her medium-range healing beam. As her healing beam requires charging, countering the pylon should be the primary objective for opposing players.

Illari is the first Support hero to possess a turret since Symmetra transitioned to a DPS role. She can throw the turret a considerable distance and reposition it until it is destroyed, resulting in a 12-second cooldown. By breaking the turret, the enemy team accomplishes two things: it disrupts Illari's primary healing source and increases her cooldown timer.

It is a common occurrence in lower ELO for players to struggle against characters equipped with turrets. This is why Torbjorn and Symmetra often excel in lower skill levels. In the fast-paced FPS of Overwatch 2, players often overlook the need to destroy turrets, especially if they are placed in difficult locations. Unfortunately, turrets reveal a vulnerable point within the community.

If teams prioritize removing Illari's pylon, it is likely that she would not be as effective as some may believe. However, Blizzard can still benefit from consistently updating and patching their characters, while also actively listening to player feedback. With updates promised in Season 7 of Overwatch 2, Illari may potentially receive further nerfs.

Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.