Now that everyone agrees Roadhog is finally fully fixed and now a perfect and uncontroversial character, there's been a lot of discourse about Wrecking Ball, presumably because he's the only other perfect tank character in the game. A lot of plans to fix him have been laid out, and I think they're good, except for the part where they suck, so let me do the plan, so it'll be really good.

The problem:

Wrecking Ball, the rolling mech piloted by Hammond in Overwatch, presents a unique challenge for balance due to its versatile and dynamic playstyle. One of the primary reasons is its high mobility, allowing it to disrupt enemy formations and control objectives effectively. The ability to swing around the map and quickly reposition creates a fast-paced and unpredictable experience, making it challenging for opponents to anticipate and counter the mech's movements. Moreover, the unique mechanics of Wrecking Ball's primary fire, which involves firing automatic quad cannons, adds complexity to the balancing equation.

While he excels in rapid repositioning and disruption, any interruption to his movement significantly hampers his effectiveness. Stuns, in particular, can neutralize Wrecking Ball's ability to swing around and disrupt enemy lines. Heroes with stun abilities, like McCree's Flashbang, Mei's freezing spray, or Brigitte's Shield Bash, can quickly shut down the rolling mech, leaving it exposed and vulnerable to subsequent attacks. This creates a risk-reward dynamic for Wrecking Ball players, as they must carefully time and execute their disruptive maneuvers to avoid falling victim to well-coordinated CC from the opposing team.

The solution:

Lower Wrecking Ball's base health to 100 (shield HP) and increase his size by 40%.

When this health is depleted, Wrecking Ball explodes, losing his outer shell and revealing another Wrecking Ball, about 80% as large as the previous one. This Wrecking Ball also has 100 shield HP.

When this health is depleted, Wrecking Ball explodes, losing his outer shell and revealing another Wrecking Ball, about 80% as large as the previous one. This Wrecking Ball also has 100 shield HP.

This repeats 6 times, for a total of 600 HP. The final stage of Wrecking Ball is about the diameter of a penny that doubles in size every day, on the second or third day.

Ball cannot, however, be healed back to a previous, larger form. To recover, I'm introducing a brand new mechanic to Overwatch called Scrap. Scrap flies out of enemies who are knocked back by Wrecking Ball, and can be picked up when Ball touches it. Wrecking Ball can double-tap the jump button to convert scrap into armor pick-ups which he tosses down for his teammates. This will help teammates love to play with Wrecking Ball, as he's now akin to a furry, fatter Santa Claus.

I think this armor pack and scrap thing would play into Hammond's personality as a short, round, affably-angry, whiskered engineer character, setting him apart from any hero who has ever existed in Overwatch.

So yeah, that's it, pretty simple. I expect these changes should be easily jmplemented by the start of Season 8. Get on it, Alec!

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