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gingerbread ana skin over a cozy christmas background
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch players call on Blizzard to implement this one major quality-of-life change to help support players

Support players have come together to share their ideas on how to improve the role’s gameplay experiences.

Support mains in Overwatch know the struggle all too well: Your team’s Ana is being obliterated by an angry robot, but her voice line for help is about as urgent as someone asking for a second cup of tea. While Junkrat screams for assistance like his life depends on it (because it does), poor Ana simply mutters, “I need assistance,” as if she’s struggling to reach the biscuit tin.

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This issue has sparked a lively discussion on the Overwatch subreddit, with players calling on developer Blizzard Entertainment to improve the game’s aid-request voice lines and add a visual ping to make locating teammates in need much easier.

Redditor Noversi kicked off the conversation, comparing Junkrat’s panicked cries to Ana’s subdued requests for aid, hilariously summarising the issue: “Sorry, grandma, I can’t hear you over the explosions and gunshots.” And honestly, they’re not wrong. In a game as chaotic as Overwatch, with its constant barrage of sounds and visuals, support players often can’t hear—or locate—their teammates in time. Finding a teammate who needs help can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack while the haystack is on fire.

Another Redditor, Bhibhhjis123, suggested a practical solution: a small yellow visual indicator pointing in the direction of the cry for help, with a cooldown to prevent spam. This would give support players the clarity they desperately need and help prevent the dreaded “spin-around-in-panic” move while trying to find that one teammate on the brink of death.

Even DPS and tank players could benefit from such a change. Knowing where a struggling teammate is could encourage the entire team to step in and save the day instead of tunnel-visioning on their own targets. After all, who doesn’t want to be the hero that saved Ana from certain doom?

Why a visual cue could be a game-changer in Overwatch

Mercy Overwatch art
Image via Blizzard Entertainment

Adding a visual ping alongside the voice lines could help make Overwatch a lot less of a stressful experience for support mains, who arguably have the toughest job in the game. Between keeping everyone alive, avoiding enemy fire, and getting blamed when things go south, supports deserve all the help they can get—particularly with counters for every support main available.

A visual indicator would not only make life easier for healers but also create more opportunities for teamwork. When a DPS player sees the ping, they might actually turn around and lend a hand—especially if Ana starts yelling, “TURN TF AROUND!” as Redditor Filter55 hilariously suggested. Of course, it’s not just Ana mains that struggle to get or give assistance during a match—as a Mercy main, I can agree that a visual cue would make all the difference to my games.

While Blizzard has already done an excellent job balancing Overwatch’s sound design, the addition of a visual cue for assistance could be a massive quality-of-life improvement. It’s time to give support players the tools they need to keep their teams alive—and maybe even add a little flair to those voice lines while we’re at it.

Until then, Ana mains, may your cries for help (and health) be heard above the chaos. Good luck out there!


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Image of Lyssa Chatterton
Lyssa Chatterton
Lyssa Chatterton has been a freelancer for over 7 years, and has experience working as a writer in just about every industry. They are an advocate for accessibility and diversity in gaming, and a huge supporter of indie game teams. Whether they're running around in Disney Dreamlight Valley, scoping out the unnerving waters of Dredge, or building a new park in Rollercoaster Tycoon, it's safe to say that they have varied preferences in games. You're sure to see a lot of different genres from this writer, but they strive to give the best information possible in all of their guides while being distracted by their two cats.