Blizzard developer discusses future of supports

In a recent post on the forums Blizzard developer BlizzCooper discussed the current state of Support heroes and potential changes we might see in the future.

The unsung healer

There's a lot of discussion within the Heroes of the Storm community about the current state of Support heroes. While they are a necessary role, many players feel as if Support heroes simply aren't impactful enough. Rehgar has been one of the top support heroes this year even with numerous balance updates and players have complained the rest of the support choices just don't feel balanced.

In a recent forum post, BlizzCooper mentioned some of the development struggles with support heroes and how the dev team is looking to improve this role in the future:

Healing is a big part of what makes Support characters feel powerful and fun to play in Heroes of the Storm. These are some of our favorite characters, and we are not looking to drastically change the way they play.”

Just heal bots?

One of the main complaints from the community has been that Supports feel too much like a heal-bot rather than an impactful hero. 

Not all characters are going to fit your playstyle. It’s okay that Li Li is more straight forward to play, whereas Rehgar has an aggressive playstyle. Additional depth and complexity can come in the form of talents. Uther’s base kit is quite simple. However, at a highly competitive level, ‘Piano-Uther’ is seen as the optimal way to play, adding another layer of depth.”

Another large concern is that Supports are not play-makers. Cooper mentioned that Blizzard agrees that Support players should be able to make big plays, however a big Support play is very different from a big assassin or tank play.

Supports are not Assassins. We do not plan to push Supports in a direction that allows them to quickly mop up an enemy team or secure a bunch of kills.”

He goes on to mention that there are currently ways Support players can make big plays though.

Many Heroic abilities including a well-timed Ancestral Heal, a perfectly placed Force Wall, or a clutch Divine Shield can all change the outcome of a team fight.”

Steps forward

However in true Blizzard fashion they have been listening to the community and are taking steps to revamp some of the current Support heroes. Cooper said some basic kit changes may be the right choice, such as a change they are currently testing on Lt. Morales that would allow the player to choose when her Displacement Grenade explodes, rather than having it explode on the first enemy it hits. Simple changes like this would allow for different skilled uses of the Displacement Grenade.

Some members of the community have called for a complete overhaul of Support characters.

It is not off the table for us to retune the total healing output of Support characters. For example, we could decrease healing by 30% and increase health pools by 30%. A change like this likely means that a healer is more about mitigating immediate loss in a team fight, and less capable of constantly topping off their team. While this is a perfectly viable direction for us to explore, I don’t think it addresses either of the core concerns we’ve been hearing regarding making big plays or being considered heal bots.”

While there's no defined changes coming from this forums post, it is insight into the thought process of Heroes development and it shows Blizzard has heard the community and is looking into ways to make playing Support a more impactful role.

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