Overwatch 2 players discuss possible Kiriko nerfs

Olivia Richman Published 14/03/2023

Kiriko has become a bit OP and Overwatch 2 players have started talking about the support hero getting nerfed.

On March 7, an update left Kiriko feeling a bit unbalanced. The patch made it even easier for Kiriko to kill sharp-shooters like Sojourn and Ana, making her a game-changing counter. She has a 4.75% pick rate because of this, making her the most consistently picked hero.

Now, Overwatch 2 players are growing tired of Kiriko’s dominance.

Overwatch 2 players discuss possible Kiriko nerfs

As Kiriko has continued to dominate the meta, Overwatch 2 players have gone to Reddit to complain. One passionate player pointed out that all of the issues can be narrowed down to Kiriko’s survivability, claiming that she’s able to make risky plays and do a lot of damage because she is so difficult to kill.

They said: “So, they give Kiriko three different escape tools. Okay, I get that. Supports are constantly flanked and dove on in Overwatch 2, so it makes sense that the new support is resistant to that. Oh, they also gave her a kunai with a bigger hitbox than Hanzo’s arrows, and its headshots do 120 damage? Well, I mean, that can be annoying, but it’s not the end of the world. Oh, she also has the hardest strafe animation to aim at in the game, and her hitbox is the size of a pencil? Okay, call it a skill difference, call me trash, whatever. I can’t be the only one who thinks she has way too much survivability.”

So what can really be done to make Kiriko feel more balanced?

The simple solution seemed to be nerfing Kiriko’s mobility or making her hitbox bigger. A lot of people pointed out that her hands often protect her “tiny” hitbox. Fixing this would force Kiriko players to use more strategy in their positioning instead of “getting away” with bad positioning and lack of awareness. Kirikos would be punished for standing somewhere dangerous or having bad aim.

Another suggestion revolved around Protection Suzu. A player threw around the idea that this ability could be changed so it cleanses friendly buffs and enemy debuffs. This would force Kiriko players to become more focused on their teammates as well as enemies. Others said that this ability should no longer remove invulnerability and provide a damage delay instead.

Some people were not in support of a Kiriko nerf, however. Kiriko mains pointed out that she does have good mobility, yes, but that she didn’t have much else going for her. This made her balanced similarly to Mercy. One Kiriko main added that she has a small win rate.

For now, Blizzard hasn’t expressed any explicit plans to change Kiriko but it’s still a possibility in a future patch.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

View full profile