A recently discovered Overwatch 2 Tracer stealth buff has been making the rounds in the communities of the competitive FPS game, and now Blizzard has responded to the issue, confirming that Tracer won’t be removed due to the issue with the Overwatch 2 character instead getting a buff when the bug is removed, to compensate for the change in the multiplayer game.
An undetected Overwatch 2 Tracer bug, that completely removes damage drop-off from her standard attack for 20 metres, has seemingly gone largely unnoticed until now, meaning you have that much range to still do the maximum amount of damage with her.
After a number of pro players noticed the issue many started to think the British DPS was going to be disabled in Overwatch 2, after the likes of Mei has only just returned and Bastion and Torbjorn were also temporarily removed for glaring issues.
That’s not the case here though, as the Overwatch 2 Tracer issue will now act as a temporary buff according to Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller, who responded to fan concern about the hero’s bug.
“Hi all. We’re currently investigating and planning to address this bug in a future patch,” Keller writes. “However, this has seemingly been in the game for the last few builds (we just verified it in the Halloween patch), and while the sharp damage drop off for Tracer is definitely a bug, her overall power level has been ok. We are not planning to disable Tracer, and when we fix the bug, we will also look at additional changes to her kit to compensate.”
You can see the Overwatch 2 Tracer bug in action in the Dittoz video below.
So while this is definitely a bug Blizzard doesn’t think it’s too damaging to the character, with an Overwatch 2 Tracer patch on the way to fix it and rebalance her so she isn’t badly nerfed by it. Now’s probably the perfect time to give Tracer a go then, as the damage drop off range is an absolute mammoth and could give new Tracer players a chance to learn her in a great environment.
While Tracer not being disabled in the shooter is certainly noteworthy, I’m struck by how long this bug has gone unnoticed, by both the pro community and Blizzard itself. Granted, being under the radar so long could mean it doesn’t have disastrous effects on the meta, which is what Blizzard appears to be saying, but with all the growing pains and characters being removed and restored to the roster it’s odd to see.
You can find Keller’s statement on Reddit, after footage of the Overwatch 2 Tracer bug started making the rounds.
This means Tracer will more than likely temporarily jump up our Overwatch 2 tier list, and with a quick change to your Overwatch 2 crosshair settings, the nimble DPS will surely become a force to be reckoned with.
