Overwatch 2 players logging into competitive matches have noticed a significant absence from the tank roster – Doomfist has been temporarily disabled from ranked play due to a game-breaking bug that made him devastatingly overpowered. The leader of Talon was quietly removed from competitive queues on June 12, 2025, though he remains playable in Quick Play and Arcade modes.
While Blizzard Entertainment hasn’t issued an official statement explaining the exact reasoning behind the hero’s removal, the gaming community quickly identified the culprit: a powerful exploit involving Doomfist’s Power Block ability and his ultimate, Meteor Strike. This bug allowed skilled players to generate free empowered Rocket Punches indefinitely, creating an unfair advantage that fundamentally broke competitive integrity.
The exploit worked through a specific sequence where players with full ultimate charge could cancel their Meteor Strike ability using Power Block, which would fully empower their next Rocket Punch without consuming the ultimate charge. This mechanic could be repeated every time Power Block came off cooldown, essentially giving Doomfist players unlimited access to his most powerful attack. The empowered punch is considered “insanely strong and fight winning constantly” according to competitive players who encountered the bug.
This isn’t the first time Doomfist has caused balance issues in Overwatch 2. The hero has been notorious for bugs due to his unique mobility kit, especially following his transition from a Damage hero in the original Overwatch to a Tank role in the sequel. His complex abilities and high mobility have historically made him prone to unintended interactions that can disrupt gameplay balance.
Community Response and Hero Ban Statistics
Overwatch 2 Doomfist (Image via Getty)The Overwatch 2 community largely welcomed Doomfist’s temporary removal, with many players expressing relief on social media platforms. This positive reaction highlights growing frustration with the hero’s impact on competitive matches, even before the recent bug discovery.
Recent data from Blizzard’s “Weekly Recall: Hero Bans” blog post reveals that Doomfist was already the third most frequently banned hero in competitive play, with a 43% ban rate on PC. This statistic places him behind only Sombra (85% on PC, 93% on console) and Zarya (59%), indicating that players were already finding him problematic in ranked matches.
The hero ban system, introduced in Season 16 alongside other major updates, including the new hero Freja and Stadium game mode, has become a crucial tool for maintaining competitive balance. These statistics suggest that Doomfist may be joining the ranks of historically problematic heroes like Roadhog and Brigitte, who previously dominated their respective metas.
Technical Details and Timeline
The bug was first discovered and reported by community members, with footage appearing on platforms like Reddit and YouTube as early as June 9, 2025. Players in the Doomfist community Discord, including users like Mikemage42, Shadowlurker, Midzna, and Subsidian221, helped document and spread awareness of the exploit.
The glitch has been active for over 12 hours since its discovery, with no official timeline provided by Blizzard for the fix. However, similar bugs in competitive games are typically resolved within days, and players can expect Doomfist to return to competitive play once the issue is patched.
Looking ahead to Season 17, which begins on June 24, 2025, it remains unclear whether Doomfist will receive additional balance changes beyond fixing this exploit. The upcoming season will introduce new content including the Aatlis Flashpoint map, Map Voting in Competitive Play, and various balance adjustments across the hero roster.
