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Blizzard Entertainment is making big changes to the heroes of Monitoring for Monitoring 2, including Bastion, everyone’s favorite point-and-kill turret robot. In addition to wearing a baseball cap borrowed from Torbjorn, Bastion’s abilities are redesigned to Monitoring 2, Blizzard revealed on Saturday night in the Overwatch League Finals.
First Monitoring, Bastion could switch from a walking robot (Recon mode) to a fixed turret (Sentry mode), achieving a higher rate of fire and large ammo reserves at the expense of mobility. In Monitoring 2, Bastion will gain the ability to move (albeit at a slower rate) when in turret form. Bastion also gains a new ability – a secondary fire that launches bouncing sticky bombs – and loses one – the power to self-repair.
Bastion’s ultimate ability changes completely for the sequel as well. Rather than transforming into a tank, Bastion will go into full siege mode, unleashing three targeted artillery rounds that rain down on opponents.
Blizzard is also updating Bastion’s appearance, with “sleeker and more modern materials,” according to Monitoring artistic director of characters Arnold Tsang. Like the rest of the restyled cast of Monitoring, the redesigns of the characters are noticeable, even radically different.
Another character receiving a big ability overhaul in Monitoring 2 is the Shadow.
Monitoring Game Director Aaron Keller said these changes will soften Sombra’s crowd control abilities, while also giving him more opportunities to do damage. One element of this is Sombra’s hack ability, which gets a shorter cooldown and a big fit in Monitoring 2: Hacked enemies will take 50% more damage when hacked. Enemies’ abilities are disrupted for a shorter duration (only one second) when hacked, but they will take additional damage for a full eight seconds. Hacked enemies will also be visible through walls, both to Sombra and his teammates. Oh, and Sombra can now hack in stealth mode (although she is momentarily visible during the process).
Sombra’s ultimate ability will now deal damage to opponents caught in the hack’s area of effect – 40% of their current health, instead of emptying their shields – which should make her a more proficient damage selection in Monitoring 2.
The last look at Monitoring 2 also revealed a more subtle change: At least one of the Easter Egg tributes to former Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan has apparently been removed from the sequel’s New York map as part of the engagement. Blizzard to remove in-game references to actual employees. A sign that once read “Jeph’s Corner Pizza” now only carries the last two words.
The devs haven’t provided an update on when gamers get their hands on the sequel, but Activision Blizzard has already said it shouldn’t be expected. Monitoring 2 until 2022 at the earliest.
Latest Blizzard update on Monitoring 2 comes shortly after the departure of the game’s executive producer, Chacko Sonny, and amid lingering unrest at publisher Activision Blizzard, which faces numerous claims it maintains a toxic work environment that is particularly hostile to women. The California Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Activision Blizzard in July, alleging that the women in the company are paid less and are subjected to sexual harassment, without the perpetrators being significantly punished. You can read more about the allegations against Activision Blizzard in the Polygon Explainer.
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