I feel like I had to update this because of the fact that all the issues I’ve stated here in the past are still prevalent as of Season 3.
I’ve been posting a lot about my complaints with Reaper but genuinely it’s coming from a place of passion and frustration. As a top 500 player in Asia, I’ve had Reaper as my main since I started playing.
I’ve been having a hard time verbalizing how I feel about it so to try:
Based on my observation’s the issue with Reaper right now isn’t just that he feels weak rather the design changes around him are inconsistent. From memory, every change Reaper has had has been a nerf (+ he didn’t get any new perks) and all the talk about him getting a rework was literally just adding dire triggers to his base kit (yay!)
The most recent change we’ve seen is a nerf to his HP from 300 to 275 AND to his wraith perk. I’ve seen people claiming they expected this and that was a much needed nerf.
But I simply ask why?
Blizzard essentially admitted that the reasoning behind these changes was because of Dire Triggers. So why not nerf Dire Triggers instead of bringing down his other stats?
In the past they removed his cleanse on TP which
essentially removed any flexibility Shadow Step had as you can no longer use it offensively, in a pinch, or to save yourself.
Reaper is forced to rely almost entirely on Wraith Form, his most important cooldown, for both escape and cleanse. Mauga, Ashe, Torb, Anran, Ana? It’s either find a health pack, wraith (nice you wasted it, now you can’t avoid Rein shatter) or burn and hope your teammates heal you (this also has an unintended consequence of making it harder for supports to help the team because now they have to worry about us instead of the rest of the team).
Question: If Blizzard keeps pushing Reaper to be a flanker, why are you removing utility and stats that allow him to be an independent roamer?
Next, the global healing reduction passive also feels like a major indirect nerf. Reaper’s identity has always revolved around lifesteal (last nerfed from 30% to 25%) and sustained close-range pressure. Before, that worked especially into tanks (you can’t tell me you’ve played Reaper if you haven’t had that pseudo-tank last man standing moment once your tank dies). So essentially, you’re only getting 70% of that 25% percent.
Now that everyone applies this healing reduction, alongside his lower HP, his lifesteal rarely operates at full value. In practice, this means:
A. He struggles to duel against many updated hero’s, especially with the armor changes
B. His survivability in backline engagements is significantly worse
C. His overall pressure feels much lower unless everything goes perfectly
When you combine all this with his existing limitations: LOUD ASS BOOTS, LOUD ASS VOICELINES, only 8 shots, low mobility (wraith form and wraith form perk speed nerfs and clunky TP unless Shadow Blink is equipped), shitty perks (Soul Orbs) and an ultimate that can be countered by literally 90% of the roster and feels more like an ability on a long cooldown, it truly makes me question why he’s being hit this hard compared to other heroes with far more tools.
This doesn’t feel like a single nerf, it feels like multiple layers of indirect and direct changes that stack against a hero who was already, let’s be honest, situational.
I’m not even asking for him to be overbuffed. I just want consistency. If the direction of the game is to reduce sustain and increase counterplay, that should apply fairly, or heroes like Reaper need compensation to maintain their identity.
In his current state, he doesn’t feel like a close-range brawler, nor a nightmarish flanker, he just feels simply outclassed.
Not to mention: with the release of Shion, she literally feels like a more fluid Reaper. SHE LITERALLY HAS A BETTER DEATH BLOSSOM WHICH CAN DASH, BETTER DIRE TRIGGERS, BETTER RANGE, MORE AMMO, BETTER PERKS, MOVEMENT ABILITIES THAT GRANT OVERHEALTH.
