Overwatch 2 bug causes Tracer’s Pulse Bomb to damage players in shields

Recently one Overwatch 2 player noticed a bug about Tracer and her ultimate pulse bomb. With this bug, Tracer can eliminate enemies by their shields.

Overwatch 2 Pulse Bomb bug noticed

Bugs and other issues are always expected in the live services games where new season or update arrives. While Season 6 is one of the biggest in franchise history, adding dedicated PvE Invasion missions into Overwatch 2, it hasn’t always been a smooth ride.

The Steam version of Overwatch 2 was recently bombed by many furious fans and became one of the lowest rated games on Steam. Meanwhile Invasion missions and newly added Flashpoint, Season 6 brought a new support hero named Illari and an extensive update that not only aimed to fix many issues, but brought about additional quality of life updates and character balancing as well.

Read More: Overwatch 2 is one of the lowest rated games in Steam

Support stalwarts Mercy and Kiriko were hit with a few nerfs, while Lifeweaver was buffed to enhance their survivability and healing effectiveness. Unfortunately, the Season 6 update may have also introduced a new bug into the game, one that largely renders shields useless against Tracer’s ultimate ability.

One user shared a video about it. You can watch it here.

This is a short video featuring Tracer and Brigitte. With her shield raised and active, the Tracer player activated their ultimate ability, launching a pulse bomb that stuck to Brigitte’s shield. While its easy to assume that this would simply block the explosion, the Brigitte player turned 90 degrees with the bomb still stuck to the shield, though instead of harmlessly exploding.

Brigitte took the damage and was eliminated. A few additional tests showed that the bomb is able to deal damage if the shield user turns while the bomb is stuck, independant of turning speed. In fact, this also happens when Cassidy uses his mag grenade, almost as if the shield is canceled out resulting in the player taking the full effect.

This bug is a such a disappointment to Overwatch 2 players, considering how Blizzard is a large company and missed this issue during the development and testing. Many people think that this bug is a game breaker.

The negativity that has arisen in Season 6, especially with the Steam review bombing, got the attention of Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller. Responding to the criticism, Keller shifted the focus to what’s to come and how Blizzard moves forward with more content and improvements to the overall experience.

Overwatch 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.