Season 2 in Overwatch 2 is slowly coming to an end, but we have a few weeks left until S3 arrives. By the looks of it,2023 will be a very important year for the game and everyone else because we expect to see tons of new content.
Speaking of the devil, the mid-season update that arrived a couple of days ago gave us access to a couple of balance changes. Of course, we also have access to Overwatch 2’s newest event called Battle for Olympus, which will give us access to unique skins.
Putting the event aside, the new update only included a couple of balance changes and affected several heroes. One of them was Junker Queen, one of the three new heroes that became available in Overwatch 2 after its arrival. Even though she was one of the strongest heroes in the game, the numerous nerfs definitely had an impact on her popularity, and she faded away from the meta.
Although it is too early to say whether she is back, the updates definitely made her more popular. In fact, let’s learn more about them and see everything new that we must be aware of.
Changes to Adrenaline Rush
The first change that Junker Queen received in early 2023 is related to her Adrenaline Rush. The Overwatch 2 tank’s passive ability allows her to heal for 125% of the damage she deals with his physical damage.
Even though the ability remains relatively the same, the changes allow her to continue healing from the wound damage even if an enemy dies from the wounds. This may not seem that important or impressive, but it helps a lot because it will increase her survivability.
Before these changes, low or mid-HP Junker Queens had to focus on targets with more HP to heal themselves. However, following the new update, the hero can safely focus on killing low-HP heroes and continue to heal even when they’re ready. Unsurprisingly, this will make her healer’s jobs way easier.
Junker Queen can use her Carnage more frequently as long as she hits multiple units
Aside from the buff to her passive ability, JQ received another very important change that affects her Carnage. This is Junker Queen’s axe that deals damage, which means it is one of her primary damage-dealing abilities.
Even though the new update did not increase her damage output, the hero has the chance to reduce its cooldown by 2 seconds for each enemy it impacts. This is game-changing, especially if Junker Queen is playing against lineups that like to stay together.
Since the ability normally has 8 seconds cooldown, if you manage to hit 4 or more enemies at once, you will be able to use this ability right away. Needless to say, this makes Junker Queen way more dangerous than before and will put the hero back in the meta.
Of course, hitting 4 targets with Carnage is not as easy as it sounds. In fact, enemies who know how to play against you will make sure to prevent this from happening by staying away from each other. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use the ability as often as possible because even if you hit one target, it will reduce its cooldown by 2 seconds.
Jagged Blade is better than ever
The last big change related to Junker Queen is to her Jagged Blade. People who read the Overwatch 2 change log might think that the JQ received a nerf. However, upon closer look, you can see that Jagged Blade is better than before.
Sure, the ability’s initial damage is down from 80 to 50, but that’s the only bad thing about it. Blizzard decided to give JQ 30 damage wounds if she hit someone with the dagger directly. On top of that, this stacks with any other wounds you can inflict using your melee attack or the returning dagger.
In other words, landing your Jagged Blade increases your survivability because it will add extra wounds that you can heal from. However, you need to land a direct hit, which means that this skill shot becomes even more critical for Junker Queen than before.
Junker Queen and her role in the current meta compared to other tanks
The Overwatch 2 changes that became available a couple of days ago already positively impacted Junker Queen. To be fair, she was one of the least popular tanks in the game, especially in Season 2. People didn’t want to pick her that often because other tanks were better.
Even though the new Junker Queen changes will definitely have a positive impact on the hero, she is definitely not the best. Other tanks, such as Roadhog, will continue to be a big problem for her. This Overwatch 2 hero deals more damage and has tons of HP, so he can easily pressure JQ.
Zarya is another tank that can cause many problems for Junker Queen because of her bubbles. Although they were nerfed a bit, she can still remove the wounds, which will make Junker Queen vulnerable.
Conclusion
In addition to the changes to Junker Queen, the Overwatch 2 update from a couple of days ago affected several other heroes. Zarya is one of them, and the hero seems even better than before. Brigitte and Moira are the other two heroes that received buffs, so we expect to see them more often than before.
Interestingly, there was also a big with Junker Queen that was revealed on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, it quickly became very popular, but Blizzard took action.
By the looks of it, we expect to see loads of new maps, heroes, events, tons of skins, and other cool options. Of course, we also have to mention the long-waited PVE mode, which should become available this year. Needless to say, we will make sure to let you know about everything, so make sure to follow us for more information.
