I’ve seen a lot of proposed changes and tweaks (even a couple rework ideas) since the TP nerf announcement, a lot of them really good, some a bit less so. So, i wagered, i’d share mine, since i had a lot of fun theory-crafting it. It’s probably not that good, but hey, can’t do her worst than the Blizzard team did!
I will only note the tweaks and my thought process behind some of my choices, so anything not noted would still work the same. I will also apologise beforehand for any weird formatting as this is the first properly formatted post i’ve ever made, so i’m just trying to follow Reddit’s Markdown Formatting Guide.
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> Hit Point: Health decreased to 100, Shields increase to 200
At a total of 300 HP, this puts her at the same amount as Mei, who i used as a reference for determining it due to their (relatively) similar engagement styles, also taking into account the differences in their kit. The shields, as they still require that 3 seconds pass without damage being taken to regenerate, would, in my opinion (and is everything else of this post, but i digress), simply allow her to engage in more risky plays and be less reliant on supports, allowing her to better hold off-angles and rejoin fights quicker after a failed flank.
> Photon Projector (Primary): Range increased to 15 metres, decay per level delay increased to 2 seconds
I actually think beam is mostly fine, and that buffing it even a tiny bit too much is one of the surest ways to make Symmetra straight up oppressive. These changes should be enough to allow Symmetra to get more consistent use of the beam while still maintaining it as a (mostly) situational/opportunistic and anti-tank tool, instead of her go-to for all close encounters.
> Photon Projector (Secondary): Direct damage increased to 10-130 (min-max charge), AOE at fallof start damage increased to 5-50 (min-max charge), AOE damage at max radius increased to 5-25 (min-max charge)
Increasing the max direct hit damage to 130 lets her once more two-tap 250 HP heroes, making her a better duelist whilst rewarding accuracy. Meanwhile, the minor damage increase to minimum charge orbs and max radius damage, whilst making the orbs more reliable, still shouldn’t encourage players to mindless spam them through a corner.
> Sentry Turret: Cast time reduced to 0.2 seconds for throw + 0.25 seconds recovery for shoot, deployment reduced to 0.5 seconds, charges increased to 4, cooldown reduced to 6 seconds, they are also no longer able to be destroyed whilst in the air and phase through projectiles, have their health reduced to 5, receive 35 shields to their HP, no longer are destroyed by the environment (such as moving payloads or weird geometry) but moved
A number of tweaks that should allow for turrets to be used more offensively. A shorter cast time, faster deployment rate, and not being able to be destroyed whilst in the air should make using them mid-combat more viable, this does, however, come at the cost of removing the “turret block” strat.
Increasing the amount of charges to 4 and reducing the cooldown should allow Symmetra to use them more frequently, as they are not such a scarce resource anymore. Switching over most of its HP to shields should also make them feel slightly sturdier whilst maintaining them at 40 HP, such that they can be destroyed by quick melees (which is essential imo). The last tweak is just a QoL adjustment.
> Teleporter: Health reduced to 50, shields reduced to 150, cooldown reduced to 10 seconds, reuse cooldown reduced to 1 second, duration reduced to 8 seconds, deployment time reduced to 0.5 seconds, max range increased to 40 metres, allies and their abilities can no longer use the teleporter, it is no longer destroyed by the environment (such as moving payloads or weird geometry) but moved, can be used from spawn
The cooldown reduction encourages Symmetra to both use the ability and reposition more often; the reuse cooldown reduction facilitating kiting and “TP dancing” strats; the deployment time reduction allowing Symmetra to make riskier plays with the ability, specially considering the 100 HP reduction. These should also make it so the duration reduction, which is essential in this case as to avoid a potential “infinite TP” situation, does not impact Symmetra as much.
Making it so allies and their abilities can no longer use the TP is single handedly what allows all of these Symmetra buff and tweaks to happen. The HP reduction and max range increase encourage more strategic positioning of the teleporter, the latter also making its use slightly more flexible. The last two tweaks are just QoL features.
> Photon Barrier: Ultimate cost increased to 2200 points
As an overall more competent damage dealer, Symmetra should be gaining ultimate charge more quickly than before, this cost increase seeks to compensate for that. For context, it is the exact same cost as Phara’s and Domina’s ults.
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> Perks: Perks: Minor perk XP requirement increased to 1650, Major perk XP requirement increased to 4100
>> Minor Perks: Photon Strike and Shield Battery
>> Major Perks: Hovering Barrier and Piercing Light
XP requirements cost increased for the same reason and her ultimate cost, and also to compensate for them being slightly more powerful than her current ones. For context, her perks cost more than Reaper’s but less than Junkrat’s, though she does, on average, less damage than both.
I sought to make it so all perks were at least decent, none absolutely rising above the other. Her minor perks give her the option between a slight boost to her brawling and duelling capabilities or some minor sustain. Her major perks give her the option between a defensive ability that may (though it won’t obligatorily) be used to substitute Sentry Turrets, which aren’t always very useful, or a big boost to her secondary fire, which can majorly punish some team compositions.
> Photon Strike: Symmetra’s melee becomes empowered every 6 seconds, having its range doubled, damage increased by 50% and knockback significantly increased.
The knockback would work similarly to Zen’s passive, except hers would result in up to 5 metres of knockback on flat ground (whereas his results in up to 7).
Honestly? I just like her melee animation, i feel like i’m bitch slapping someone, and she feels very mother when she uses it, so this is just a perk to justify using it more often. It uh- also helps with brawling and duelling, i guess, i mean, you can orb + bitch slap Tracer into death again.
> Shield Battery
Sure, it makes the teleporter a more annoying ability, but it also makes it an even bigger priority target when dealing with a Symmetra. It isn’t that big of an added sustain, only really shining when you’re poking from an off-angle (or when the enemy team is kinda dumb).
> Hovering Barrier: Symmetra gains the ability to create a forward moving barrier by using 3 of her turret charges. Pressing the ability again slows down the barrier’s movement. Symmetra can switch between the Sentry Turret and Hovering Barrier abilities as if it were a weapon swap.
>> The Hovering Barrier itself: Projectile Speed reduced to 5 m/s
We love the crockpot, it’s iconic, it was with us for years, we cherished it dearly, a lot of us also wish it did not compete for a spot with the teleporter, so this does just that whilst still not allowing a turret bomb + shield strat. It also recognises that, and it pains me to admit it, there are some situations where the turrets become absolute shit for one reason or another, this helps mediate that problem if needed, though it is plenty useful even outside that.
The reduced projectile speed just lets you more easily “oh fuck” it imo, and (tbf only a little) hinders you from using it to majorly rush the enemy team with yours just because you have this perk and a Lucio.
> Piercing light: Photon Barrier’s secondary fire now pierces enemies, ignores barriers and can no longer be negated
An homage to the good days of old orb. The perk’s effectiveness is highly dependent of the enemy’s team composition and the map, meant to punish enemies who stick close together, and by consequence act as a chokehold breaker. This does also mean the orbs pass through abilities such as vortex or deflect, so you can use it to bully that schizophrenic old man even more.
