My problems with Ana

[Deleted]

Ana is the only person who can outheal a dps though. Not even Mercy can do that.
And that was before the buff..

Well, if she can land all of the shots. And that's not just a question of aim, but being out in the open standing relatively still is v dangerous as a support. Mercy can lock onto a target and then hide around corners etc.

I agree Ana is way less reliable. I really think they buffed her so that she can engage more by ducking out of cover for one shot and then zipping away rather than try to stand there and spam shots onto a target where she'll probably die.

[Endus]

Well, if she can land all of the shots. And that's not just a question of aim, but being out in the open standing relatively still is v dangerous as a support. Mercy can lock onto a target and then hide around corners etc.

Why on earth would you be standing still? If you try and get kills with McCree by standing still, that's gonna get you killed too, because you're playing poorly.

Ana's scope does absolutely nothing other than make it easier to aim at a distance; unless you need that accuracy to hit your target, you're better off not using it, meaning you should be ducking and weaving just like with any other character.

Also, there's no reason you have to expose yourself to heal your team, automatically. Most maps aren't barren hallways. You need LoS to your team, the enemy needs LoS to your team, but unless those two lines are the same angle (and there's little reason that would be the case), you can interpose scenery between you and the enemy, while still keeping your team in view. Same way Lucio and Zenyatta can and do.

[Jessicka]

@Endus It's not exactly players' fault for thinking a Hero described as a Sniper, that fills the Sniper slot, that is portrayed as a Sniper in the comics, should play you know, as a Sniper

[TITAN308]

I really hate the fact that some snipers have the ability to bunny hop in melee range and still be effective.

I'm not saying this is common place, but on occasion you run into that one hanzo or ana who just hops around like a kid with ADD just spamming shots and landing hits consistently.

I'd love to see an accuracy penalty for jumping, but knowing this is an arcade shooter I am under no delusions that will happen.

Bottom line, depending on the player, a sniper in melee range is just as good at killing people and avoiding damage as... melee range characters. Ugh.

[Endus]

@Endus It's not exactly players' fault for thinking a Hero described as a Sniper, that fills the Sniper slot, that is portrayed as a Sniper in the comics, should play you know, as a Sniper

Define "sniper".

Because Hanzo's a sniper, according to the game, and he doesn't even HAVE a scope.

- - - Updated - - -

I really hate the fact that some snipers have the ability to bunny hop in melee range and still be effective.

I'm not saying this is common place, but on occasion you run into that one hanzo or ana who just hops around like a kid with ADD just spamming shots and landing hits consistently.

I'd love to see an accuracy penalty for jumping, but knowing this is an arcade shooter I am under no delusions that will happen.

Bottom line, depending on the player, a sniper in melee range is just as good at killing people and avoiding damage as... melee range characters. Ugh.

That's pretty much exactly how I play her. Though I only do the bunny hop nonsense if I've got someone right in close to me. She's not intended as a long-range hero. She has a scope so she CAN play at long range, but her grenade and sleep dart are intended for close-range use.

[Raetary]

her buff made her pretty strong, i can solo heal throughout the entire match.
end up with up to 10k heal if done right, or my team mates arent stupid enough to run out of my sight.

[TITAN308]

Personally I think her grenade should not be able to target herself.

The fact a good Ana can kill or make a Winston retreat, or even leave him with little health after killing her when cornerned is a bit OP.

Much like McCree, if her sleep dart misses, she should be left open to die easily. IMO they gave her to much ability to survive 1 on 1.

Healers should basically be cannon fodder if abandoned by their team or cornered 1 vs 1.

[Raetary]

Personally I think her grenade should not be able to target herself.

The fact a good Ana can kill or make a Winston retreat, or even leave him with little health after killing her when cornerned is a bit OP.

Much like McCree, if her sleep dart misses, she should be left open to die easily. IMO they gave her to much ability to survive 1 on 1.

she would fall like a fly, it would make her completely useless.

[TITAN308]

she would fall like a fly, it would make her completely useless.

Can Mercy heal herself? Is she useless?

Maybe give Ana some passive healing if not taking damage, same as her.

[Raetary]

Can Mercy heal herself? Is she useless?

Maybe give Ana some passive healing if not taking damage, same as her.

mercy can hover to her teammates.
ana cant
lucio can selfheal
with such change ana couldnt.
symmetra can play bunny hop laser beam
ana cant
zen can ult away or wreck the guy focusing him with orb of discord
again ana cant.

ana could sleep dart him/her, but if it misses she looses her last bit of self defense and is dead in the next couple of seconds with no chance of surviving.
i play ana often, and if it wasnt for the grenade self heal i would die every single minute unless the enemy team is idiotic enough to not kill the healer first.

[TITAN308]

mercy can hover to her teammates.
ana cant
lucio can selfheal
with such change ana couldnt.
symmetra can play bunny hop laser beam
ana cant
zen can ult away or wreck the guy focusing him with orb of discord
again ana cant.

i play ana often, and if it wasnt for the grenade self heal i would die every single minute unless the enemy team is idiotic enough to not kill the healer first.

And I am not oppose to giving while taking. I just don't think her current mechanics are balanced.

Maybe a roll like McCree that keeps her close to her team or something.

Keep in mind I am not talking about her balance while being babysat, which healers should be. I'm talking about her ability survive when cornered or abandoned is out of wack IMO.

She has sleep dart, why does she need a self heal? If McCree misses his flashbang, whats his "out"?

If WM has her hook on cooldown how about her extra "out"?

I just don't understand why she is giving more tools for "oops I dun goofed" than other characters. Not to mention she can just bunny hopped unscoped and kill you.

[Jessicka]

Define "sniper".

Because Hanzo's a sniper, according to the game, and he doesn't even HAVE a scope.

Back line, low rate of fire, picking targets carefully.

That's pretty much exactly how I play her. Though I only do the bunny hop nonsense if I've got someone right in close to me. She's not intended as a long-range hero. She has a scope so she CAN play at long range, but her grenade and sleep dart are intended for close-range use.

Yeah, not like that at all. It is how I played Ana, and frankly the increased rate of fire has only destroyed that sense even more. She plays far more like McCree than Widow or Hanzo. If this was a WoW discussion on 'class fantasy' I think I'd be calling it a dismal failure. Functionally, she's better now, which is fine I guess, but not more enjoyable. Which I guess is fine too, there are plenty of other heroes.

[Endus]

Back line, low rate of fire, picking targets carefully.

Yeah, not like that at all. It is how I played Ana, and frankly the increased rate of fire has only destroyed that sense even more. She plays far more like McCree than Widow or Hanzo. If this was a WoW discussion on 'class fantasy' I think I'd be calling it a dismal failure. Functionally, she's better now, which is fine I guess, but not more enjoyable. Which I guess is fine too, there are plenty of other heroes.

On the other hand, I've been preferentially playing nothing BUT Ana since she launched, pretty much, because she's exactly what I wanted in a Support hero.

You're not saying that her "class fantasy" is broken, you're just saying it's not something you enjoy.

[Jessicka]

On the other hand, I've been preferentially playing nothing BUT Ana since she launched, pretty much, because she's exactly what I wanted in a Support hero.

You're not saying that her "class fantasy" is broken, you're just saying it's not something you enjoy.

It is exactly broken, she's supposedly a sniper like Widowmaker - her comic has her counter-sniping with her. But she isn't like that in gameplay whatsoever. I was preferentially playing her all last week, and she was enjoyable enough and I made her work even though not in the ways I was expecting her to play. I had hoped any buffs or changes would be in the direction I was expecting, but, I guess they just opted to take her further down that mid-close range spammy route. I'm okay not being okay with that, I have enough other heroes I enjoy playing more and find more practical.

[Endus]

It is exactly broken, she's supposedly a sniper like Widowmaker - her comic has her counter-sniping with her. But she isn't like that in gameplay whatsoever.

She can be. That's just not all she does.

You're referring more to your own assumptions than anything else, here. Hell, I've counter-sniped a Widowmaker myself, in-game, with Ana. So don't tell me she can't do exactly that.

[Jessicka]

She can be. That's just not all she does.

You're referring more to your own assumptions than anything else, here. Hell, I've counter-sniped a Widowmaker myself, in-game, with Ana. So don't tell me she can't do exactly that.

The vast bulk of her gameplay really isn't built around it. I've counter-sniped a couple of WMs and Hanzos with her myself, but that's like <1% of the gameplay.

[Endus]

The vast bulk of her gameplay really isn't built around it. I've counter-sniped a couple of WMs and Hanzos with her myself, but that's like <1% of the gameplay.

You're still not actually demonstrating how this is in any way a problem or an inconsistency. She can snipe, if she needs to. That doesn't mean she should ONLY be sniping, or that any non-snipe gameplay is somehow the death of her "class fantasy".

[Jessicka]

You're still not actually demonstrating how this is in any way a problem or an inconsistency. She can snipe, if she needs to. That doesn't mean she should ONLY be sniping, or that any non-snipe gameplay is somehow the death of her "class fantasy".

Where's that suitability meme with those guys raiding a house with rocket launchers?

All I pointed out was how people why 'playing her wrong' by trying to sit back and snipe. You're saying because it's <1% of her toolkit that it's okay to do that, or not? I don't even know where you're going with this any more.

[Temp name]

She can be. That's just not all she does.

You're referring more to your own assumptions than anything else, here. Hell, I've counter-sniped a Widowmaker myself, in-game, with Ana. So don't tell me she can't do exactly that.

Saying Ana can be a full on sniper is like saying Widow can be a front-line fighter like Soldier. She can. You might even beat a soldier. That doesn't mean she's built around it, or that you'll get the best results from doing it all game.

[Endus]

Where's that suitability meme with those guys raiding a house with rocket launchers?

All I pointed out was how people why 'playing her wrong' by trying to sit back and snipe. You're saying because it's <1% of her toolkit that it's okay to do that, or not? I don't even know where you're going with this any more.

No, I'm contradicting your claim that she's "broken" because sniping's not the majority of her gameplay.

Saying Ana can be a full on sniper is like saying Widow can be a front-line fighter like Soldier. She can. You might even beat a soldier. That doesn't mean she's built around it, or that you'll get the best results from doing it all game.

I never claimed she was, or that you would; I have been making the opposite argument. I've been opposing the idea that Ana is supposed to be a full-on sniper.