Overwatch 2 players are noticing bugs in Mei's ice wall
It's a chilly time for Mei mains
Overwatch 2’s arctic scientist Mei has had a notable bug in her toolkit since launch, but the problem is becoming more persistent for some players. All of Mei’s abilities revolve around ice, whether slowing down enemies with a snowy spray or incubating in a cocoon of ice. However, a compilation on Reddit showcases various problems with her Ice Wall ability, which seems to be in need of some serious TLC.
Ice Wall is normally an ability used to block incoming damage, separate enemies, or lift allies in the air using - you guessed it - a wall of ice. The ability is currently failing to do all three, despite only having its health updated in the transition to Overwatch 2. Reddit user u/Donler lays out a list of problems that seem to show the wall isn't always as solid as it should be. Players are consistently falling off, walking over and flying through the wall, and it's also regularly failing to block damage, among several other inconsistencies. The compilation shows enemies bypassing the wall with their Ultimate Abilities, allowing them to eliminate entire teams. Blizzard has currently not addressed the issue, and it’s not on their list of known bugs.
The problems with Mei’s Ice Wall come packaged with several nerfs she’s received in the sequel, namely that she can’t freeze enemies anymore. Unfortunately, this means that Mei is currently one of the least viable Overwatch 2 characters in competitive and casual game modes.
Overwatch 2 has been out for almost a month, and the game’s been through some turmoil since. Bastion, the loveable droid, was out-of-action for almost two weeks due to a glitched Ultimate Ability, and long-time players are disappointed with the game’s monetisation and progression systems. Issues with the game’s business model have been exacerbated by the its first seasonal event, Halloween Terror, as it locks previously free cosmetics behind paywalls. The Kiriko Witch Bundle, for example, costs 2200 Overwatch Coins, or about £21.
Players will need to wait until season two launches in December before they see any balance changes in the game. But, hopefully Blizzard fixes Mei’s glitched ability before that point. Despite some annoyances in his review, Ollie called Overwatch 2 a “wonderfully crafted, top-tier FPS that has given a lot of players a reason to dive back in - or perhaps to dive into the world of Overwatch for the very first time.”
Activision Blizzard publish Overwatch 2 and they're still facing law suits alleging a workplace culture of sexual harassment and discrimination. Microsoft also intend to buy Activision Blizzard, although the deal is currently under investigation by UK regulators over competition concerns.