It's been a wild ride since I first picked up Overwatch 2, but nothing prepared me for what Season 17 brought to the table. When I logged in last week after the June 24th update, I nearly spat out my energy drink – Bastion looked different. Not dramatically so, but enough that my brain did a double-take. The robot killing machine had shrunk by 10%! At first, I thought my graphics settings had glitched, but nope, this was an official change from Blizzard. Apparently, they initially wanted to make him 15% smaller but decided that made him "too cute" (their words, not mine), so they settled on 10%.

The Unexpected Benefits of Being Smol

As a flex player who occasionally enjoys some Bastion gameplay, I've been testing this change extensively. Let me tell you – that 10% size reduction is no joke! I've survived encounters that would have definitely ended me in Season 16. Yesterday, I was cornered by a Widowmaker on Numbani, and I swear her shots were just grazing my newly compact frame. The survivability boost is real, folks.

But it's not just about dodging bullets. The psychological effect on opponents is fascinating. People seem to underestimate my threat level now that I'm slightly more adorable. I've noticed enemies sometimes hesitate for a split second – which is all I need to transform and unleash hell.

Season 17's Other Game-Changers

While shrinking Bastion has been getting all the memes (and there are MANY), there are other significant changes in Season 17 that have affected my gameplay:

• The damage role passive healing penalty increase to 30% (up from 25%) has made me far more cautious when playing DPS heroes

• That extra second on health regeneration (now 6 seconds instead of 5) feels ETERNAL when you're trying to recover

• Junker Queen's Commanding Shout prioritizing Overhealth for allies has made her a beast on push maps

I've been grinding matches with Pharah since the update, and the quality-of-life improvements to her Helix Shields perk make her much more viable in the current meta. The extra survivability has allowed me to be more aggressive with my positioning, though I still find myself getting countered hard by good hitscan players.

The Support Situation

As someone who fills support roles about 40% of the time, I've felt the impact of these changes from both sides. The increased healing reduction for damage heroes has made my job as a healer simultaneously easier and harder. Easier because damage players can't recover as quickly on their own; harder because they're constantly spamming the "I need healing" button now that they're more dependent on supports.

The Lifeweaver adjustments to Cleansing Grasp have been a welcome change. Before Season 17, I'd often fumble the ability in crucial moments. Now it feels much more responsive and reliable when I need to save teammates from Ana's anti-heal or Mei's freeze.

The Sombra Situation: Still Frustrating

While many heroes received attention this season, Sombra remains largely unchanged despite her absurdly high ban rate. I've faced her in competitive matches where her hack ability completely neutralizes my gameplay experience. According to the developers, she's a "complex case that can't be solved overnight," which I understand, but it's still frustrating to deal with.

Last night, I was on a five-game winning streak when we encountered a Sombra who seemed to have a personal vendetta against me. Every time I tried to make a play, I'd hear that dreaded hacking sound and watch helplessly as my abilities disappeared. I'm hoping Season 18 brings some meaningful adjustments to her kit.

My Personal Arcade Experience

Season 17's "Powered Up!" arcade theme has been a breath of fresh air. The neon aesthetics and game-within-a-game feel have rekindled my love for Overwatch's more casual modes. I've spent more hours than I'd like to admit in the new arcade modes, especially the one with randomized hero sizes (yes, sometimes Bastion gets even smaller!).

The arcade maps have this nostalgic retro gaming vibe that reminds me of spending quarters at actual arcades as a kid. There's something satisfying about the visual feedback when you score points – all those flashing lights and satisfying sound effects trigger the reward centers in my brain.

Looking Ahead: My 2025 Wishlist

As we move through 2025, I'm hoping Blizzard continues this trend of unexpected and creative balance changes. What if they made Reinhardt's shield transparent for teammates but opaque for enemies? Or gave Mercy temporary flight paths visible only to her team?

Personally, I'd love to see more size adjustments across the roster. Imagine a slightly larger Tracer to balance her mobility, or a marginally smaller Roadhog to compensate for his recent nerfs. These subtle physical changes create interesting gameplay dynamics without completely overhauling a hero's kit.

Final Thoughts

Season 17 has been one of the most interesting in recent memory, not just for the balance changes but for how they've affected player psychology and team dynamics. The Bastion size reduction might seem like a meme-worthy change, but it represents Blizzard's willingness to think outside the box when it comes to hero balancing.

For now, I'll continue enjoying my slightly more compact Bastion, dodging bullets that would have hit me in seasons past, and waiting to see what creative changes come next. If you see a suspiciously small robot turret mowing down your team in your next match, that might just be me! 😉

Until next time, heroes!

P.S. I'm still waiting for that Sombra nerf. Please, Blizzard. I'm begging you.