Overwatch players have agreed that Reaper has an outdated move set and have started brainstorming what should be added and what needs to be replaced.
A Reddit post by MayonnaisePlease on the Overwatch subreddit sparked a discussion regarding Reaper’s move set. In the post, the author mentioned that Reaper’s teleport feels clunky and that the change in his Wraith skill was weird. The author also felt that the character is outclassed by most of the roster.
The commenters agreed that his skills are indeed outdated, but not before someone mentioned that he still dominates lower-ranked lobbies. It makes sense that Reaper would be able to command such lobbies, as lower-ranked players don’t have the awareness to point out whether a Reaper has an ultimate ready or if they don’t see him anymore. Both of these are essential skills to counter a hard flanker like Reaper.
Other commenters are thinking about giving Reaper a slug shot. A slug shot is a heavier and much more accurate bullet than what Reaper has with his hand shotguns. So basically, players want him to have a high damaging accurate shot on cooldown. While it doesn’t travel as far as sniper bullets, a slug shot will allow Reaper to have a chance at poking at mid-range.
Another player pinned the problem to Overwatch 2’s current game mode being a 5v5 instead of 6v6, how it was originally. According to them, this reduction in team size allows players to be able to track him easily as it’s much easier to notice one character missing during a clash.
Ultimately, it’s going to be very hard for Blizzard to balance a character like Reaper whose main job is to catch you off guard. Once players develop the awareness, which can take a few weeks for the dedicated, Reaper’s effectiveness drops. Not to mention, the tighter the team’s cohesion, the less he becomes effective too.
