New Lifeweaver controls might actually be a huge nerf to the Overwatch 2 hero’s strongest ability

Overwatch 2’s newest support hero Lifeweaver is set for some changes to his controls on April 25, and while Blizzard is looking to address the clunky controls that make him difficult to play, the changes might have some unintended consequences.

In an attempt to streamline some of Lifeweaver’s controls and make him play more seamlessly, Blizzard announced that they are changing his Thorn Volley to be his alternate fire and moving Petal Platform to be his ability one.

In doing so, the ability one button will also become the button for canceling Petal Platform. Currently, that is a separate button, allowing players to throw out a new Petal Platform without having to cancel the one that they already created first.

Related: All Lifeweaver changes coming to Overwatch 2 season 4: Buffs and new controls

Discussing the changes on his Twitch stream, former Overwatch League pro Seagull noted that this control scheme change could hinder players’ ability to execute a tactic that he finds to be one of Lifeweaver’s most useful tools.

When Lifeweaver was released, Seagull and other high-level players noticed that the cooldown on Petal Platform let players preemptively set a Platform down as an effective escape from diving enemies. With the cooldown starting as soon as the Platform is dropped, players can then use that platform later, and if an enemy is able to take out that Platform or get on top of it, Lifeweaver has an opportunity to make a second one almost immediately.

With these changes to Petal Platform, players will likely have to cancel their current Platform before throwing out a new one. This will create Platform downtime which makes Lifeweaver more vulnerable, making the control changes a nerf to Petal Platform in some regard.

Though the new controls are a boon for Lifeweaver’s ability to swap between healing and damage, they also hinder his ability to escape risky situations. Given his generally underwhelming healing throughput, the change could counteract the buffs that are coming his way.