Cat tether really needs to be on a cooldown/meter.

[u/kibbydm]

i KNOW this has been said a million times but I was watching the Liquid vs Kafe match and I realised that it is really unfair that if you force your cat to peel for someone and use the tether, you only really get the maybe 2 second window before the cat can use it again. Like if you think about lifegrip, it's something that you can force out prefight, you can play around it, you can (try) kill the lifeweaver so it's not an issue. But on cat, it's infinite lifegrip to any position on the map at any time, with basically no cooldown. It really, REALLY isn't fair and it goes against the games whole ethos. Overwatch is about trading, building advantages, positioning, and then going crazy with your mechanics. Cat tether nullifies most of that in my opinion.

The reason why i say a meter and not just a cooldown is because I think if it was on a short meter like 2.5 seconds (with a slow recharge), it could be used like dva matrix, where it has offensive and defensive uses, and you have to aware of what might happen that you need to use it for. Sure you could fly bastion in and drop him somewhere, but then you couldn't take him out for a while, or you couldn't magically save your ana from a dive. It also makes you need to think about where exactly you're going to drop people. It isn't just free positioning. A note on the meter as well, if it drained while you were in the third person view at all is something to be considered. It's movement speed and a third person view. Maybe it should be on a resource even if you're not tethering someone, considering how Viol2t was using it in the finals against TM. Also, it heals! I think people forget about this, it's constant, free healing along with everything else it does.

That's all.

[u/Weary_Ad2001]

It's weird that they haven't done this yet. Cat players aren't even arguing against it.

[u/kibbydm → u/Weary_Ad2001]

ive seen and heard this thing where team 4 really hesitates to change the one broken thing about a character, and change everything around it. Like vendetta's overhead was way too strong and centralising, a tank busting unfun tool. and they nerfed slash, dash, throw, armour, and then they changed overhead. infact im still not even sure if they did that. hog hook, they changed the trap, his healing, perks, right click. rework, still havent gotten rid of the hook (atleast one shot is gone).

with cat they have changed perks, hp, hitbox, actually buffed her movement speed, but havent done anything to the one aspect thats completely changed the game since her release. maybe this is what they want, but i dont think its fair or aligned with the design of the game.

[u/Archaic0629 → u/kibbydm]

I think they view the broken thing as the characters niche and don’t want them to become generic by removing their main gimmick. I hate it because it makes counterwatch way more devastating but that seems like the philosophy

[u/kibbydm → u/Archaic0629]

i think i would have to agree, but it just doesnt make sense to me. you can still have the tether and have it be a core part of her identity. just.... not like this...

[u/-Arrez- → u/Weary_Ad2001]

Because tether is only something that's abused in organised play. On ladder the only thing tether is really used for is set plays with specific ults.

IMO its why they should rework her and just remove the tether and replace it with something else.

[u/No_Catch_1490 → u/-Arrez-]

Tether also gets abused in ladder with duos playing Cat Bastion or Cat Dmon, but not much else

[u/COPPERSRUN → u/No_Catch_1490]

This is true I went against a cat bastion with a bonus mercy and it was hell on earth (we lost)

[u/Youascwub → u/No_Catch_1490]

They took away the Cat-Noon combo instead of actually doong something to the tether itself.

[u/-Arrez- → u/No_Catch_1490]

That's also true yeah

[u/HammerOn57]

It's a ridiculous ability that breaks too many fundamentals of the game to be allowed to stay as is.

Put it on a resource meter and make it unable to lift any hero during their ult. Just blocking Cass was like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound.

It's going to be one of those abilities Blizz considers the identity of the hero. I'd bet money on it.

So we'll be stuck with it, and they'll eventually guy the rest of cats kit to compensate. So in about two years time the hero will still have the godawful ability but also feel complete dogwater to play.

[u/Weak-Differences → u/HammerOn57]

Give her the Brig treatment.

[u/not_a_doctorshh → u/HammerOn57]

Or make it so tethered heroes can only fire their primary lmao

[u/No_Catch_1490]

Correct, but it seems we are stuck with this fucking thing

[u/Youascwub]

Marvel Rivals ass tuned support character 🤣

[u/HelixIsHere_]

I genuinely despise this thing dude I play genji and Ike every game I have to play against this uninteractable character that tries to molest me 90% of the match

[u/No_Catch_1490 → u/HelixIsHere_]

As tank/FDPS player, I legit uninstalled largely because of the Cat

[u/Millwall_Ranger]

Cat is the worst thing to happen to the game IMO. All the maps have been carefully designed to manage and play around the different hero’s specific positioning requirements and mobility options, specifically to encourage different team comps and give options to all characters at all points on all maps. Verticality on maps and mobility options for heroes has been carefully designed to create clear roles and shape fights.

Cat comes jn and completely disregards this and upsets this balance. Infinite flight, high speed, and the ability to taxi any hero to any position has completely upset the careful map designs. Infinite tether also ruins all this because you can just pick up a hitscan and put them anywhere or carry them above the battlefield.

Not all heroes should be able to access all positions on the map, and if they want to they should have to use their abilities or walk there. It’s an important part of decisionmaking to think ‘is it worth me taking the time to take this angle/position?’, cat makes this irrelevant.

Cat also has strong 1v1 capabilities and healing output. It shouldn’t be able to do everything.

The last hero to be this hard meta was Kiri. Thats a problem. No hero should offer such value, we should strive for hero balance where every hero is viable (although not in every comp or into every enemy comp obviously)

[u/FORUMUSER35 → u/Millwall_Ranger]

worst thing to happen to the game

We have a monthly "worst thing ever" in the game. It's basically Overwatch's community culture.

Anyway: take away the speed boost ( frenetic Flight) and have lifeline's teether on cooldown and cat is solved.

No more unfair flanking, no more broken interaction, no more 1v1 kills, no more free jail card

[u/Millwall_Ranger → u/FORUMUSER35]

I’d still argue cat is objectively the worst thing to happen to overwatch because it has had such a major impact on how the game is played

[u/ThaddCorbett]

No it doesn't. They should just cancel tether whenever JPC activates the afterburners.

You do that and you greatly mitigate the danger of cat helping with Ults or long term bastion

[u/chudaism → u/ThaddCorbett]

I don't think it needs to cancel, she just needs to receive a move speed penalty while carrying allies, similar to how she does when ulting enemy tanks. Right now, not only does she not get a speed debuff, she maintains the 30% lifeline speed boost while carrying someone.

The solution is pretty simple IMO. If you change it so that while she is carrying someone she receives a 30% speed debuff, you essentially put tether on the same timer as boosters. Carrying an ally while you are moving so slow makes both players sitting ducks. You can then really only carry an ally midfight while you have boosters available. Once those run out, you just won't have enough speed to retreat or get out.

[u/Winter-Regret2224 → u/chudaism]

rein can't move fast otherwise he'd be broken. but cat can make rein move fast without spending anything but it's not broken for some reason. they were like we can't shoot the cat she's too fast and her movement speed got buffed. insanitt.

[u/Extreme_Lychee8299]

Tank and damage players need to overcome their differences and form a union to oppose the support players, theyve been getting all the turbo broken shit lately

Playing support is by far the easiest and chillest role in the game if u get a good char. You can play as a guy with like 90% damage of sojourn but a gajillion utlity and massive aoe ult

[u/FullGuava1 → u/Extreme_Lychee8299]

Nah man, we can't stand divided. Support players aren't having a good time playing vs this abomination either.

[u/Dunwichorer → u/Extreme_Lychee8299]

Tank players have ethical characters like hazard and doomfist.

[u/No_Catch_1490 → u/Extreme_Lychee8299]

Such a union would have zero sway with the devs because supports buy all the skins

[u/Azelthia]

I always liked the idea of it being on a timer

Once someone attaches to lifeline you get 10 seconds to reposition them and after that they simply drop off and both the cat and the person using lifeline get the timer on their screen

Lifeline should only be used as a repositioning tool imo and we shouldn’t have instances where heroes can benefit massively from the infinite flight

[u/LeRoyRouge]

Cat tether was the final straw that made me quit overwatch 2.

[u/No_Catch_1490 → u/LeRoyRouge]

Cat in general was mine

[u/Winter-Regret2224]

cat broke all rules and playerbase just silently accepted and defended for "fun".

[u/VapeSmoker420blazeit]

i agree but cat tether should also be controlled by cat like LW grip and not have to wait 5 seconds for an ally's slow reflexes to figure out its available, find their interact key and press it. by that time i coudlve gotten a kill or healed people. cat lifeline is only viable if everyone has hivemind and is on voice chat and is actively watching for lifeline.. which you'll only find in pro play.