Overwatch 2’s newest support hero, Lifeweaver, is getting several major changes to his control scheme in the coming days. As the headlining hero of Overwatch 2 Season 4, Lifeweaver has been adored by fans, but many console players find his controls a bit clunky.
The main thing about the Lifeweaver controls is that players using a controller have to switch between healing and damage, and D-pad inputs like Angel’s pistol or Torbjorn’s hammer have to stay in place to do so. While the two heroes rarely need to swap weapons, Lifeweaver’s Thorn Volley is a more important and active part of his kit. Players are also wondering why a separate button needs to be pressed to cancel the petal platform. Additionally, Rejuvenation Dash, a short dodge that heals Lifeweaver for 25 HP, is another bone of contention among players, with many arguing that it should be bound to the jump button like Hanzo’s Dash, since the Dash increases distance if activated while in the air . Overwatch 2 director Aaron Keller confirmed last week that the team is working on Lifeweaver controls, and now we have confirmation of exactly what those changes will be and when they will arrive.
Aaron Keller returned to Twitter to reveal a list of five major control changes coming to the Thorn support hero in next week’s update. The most sought-after change regarding weapon swaps is the most important. Weaver players on consoles will no longer need to use the D-pad to switch between Heal and Thorn Volley. Instead, Thorn Volley will always be available as a backup firepower, similar to a support hero like Kiriko or Moira.
Some of the new changes to Lifeweaver will also see the Rejuvenating Dash move to double jump input. Since many players will jump first anyway to get the distance boost, it makes sense to tie the ability to the double jump, increasing the boost with each use. Additionally, with Thorn Volley’s secondary fire, the Petal Platform will take Dash’s place in the control scheme, and players can now cancel the platform using the same button. Currently, Lifeweaver’s animation when switching between healing and damage takes a second while he flips his hands over. It will be interesting to see if the animation speeds up due to Thorn Volley’s alternate fire being faster. Of course, with all this becoming the new default in Lifeweaver, the original control scheme will still be available to players through the settings.
In next week’s update, the controls on almost every one of Lifeweaver’s abilities will change, but his most controversial ability, Life Grip, will remain the same.
Overwatch 2 is out now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.