# "Nerf This\!" – An Expert Guide to D\.Va‘s Iconic Ult Line and Abilities - Canonical: https://33rdsquare.com/nerf-this-an-expert-guide-to-d-vas-iconic-ult-line-and-abilities/ - Published: 2023-11-04 - Author: Nelson Ayers - Categories: [Business & Worth](https://33rdsquare.com/category/games/worth/) --- Ask any Overwatch player about D.Va‘s most recognizable quote and they‘ll immediately respond with her ultimate line: _"Nerf This!"_. This spirited callout encapsulates D.Va‘s cheeky gamer personality and is globally known as the audio cue to flee the area. But D.Va‘s other voice lines and abilities reveal more about this former pro gaming champion turned mech pilot hero. Let‘s dive into the meaning behind D.Va‘s signature ult expression, abilities, backstory, and some tips to master her. ## The Pop Culture Origins of "Nerf This!" D.Va‘s iconic line _"Nerf This!"_ has its roots in video game culture. **Nerfing** refers to developers weakening overpowered abilities and gear in games like MMORPGs or MOBAs to balance multiplayer competition. Players often request nerfs against dominant characters and weapons. So for D.Va as an ex-pro gamer herself, _"Nerf This!"_ is the perfect quip as she unleashes her incredibly destructive ultimate. She knows first-hand how overpowered her nuke is and cheekily dares Blizzard to tone it down. Of course they won‘t actually nerf it, but this voice line has become symbolic of D.Va‘s feisty in-game personality. ![D\.Va Nerf This In Action](https://i.imgur.com/nMvYhIo.gif) _D.Va‘s ultimate ability wiped out 3 enemies with Nerf This!_ _"Nerf This!"_ first [appeared](https://overwatch.fandom.com/wiki/D.Va/Quotes) back in the Overwatch Cinematic Teaser trailer in 2014 and became cemented as D.Va‘s signature on activation of her mech‘s Self-Destruct ultimate ability. Let‘s examine the destructive power behind it: - **Damage:** 1000 damage at the center with falloff to a minimum of 200 damage - **Radius:** 20 meters of area denial - **Charge required:** 15 seconds of charge after summoning mech Proper timing and placement of Self-Destruct can wipe out entire teams. Combos with Graviton Surge or Blizzard can maximize the carnage. It‘s no wonder D.Va boasts about the power with _"Nerf This!"_. ## D.Va‘s Voice Lines in Her Native Korean D.Va grew up in South Korea as a champion professional gamer before being recruited by the Mobile Exo-Force of Korea (MEKA) to pilot her mech in battle. As a nod to her heritage, many of D.Va‘s voice lines are actually spoken in Korean: | English | Korean | Translation | | --- | --- | --- | | "Game On!" | "Geim si-jag!" | "Game Start!" | | "Time to raise my APM!" | "Jeon-su ga nawa!" | "My true skill is unleashed!" | | "I‘m #1!" | "Na-ga je-il!" | "I‘m #1!" | | "No hacks required!" | "Hak ni mu-eob-si-yo!" | "No hacks required!" | _Table: Some of D.Va‘s Korean voice lines_ D.Va also affectionately calls her mech "_Tokki_", the Korean word for "bunny". This is likely a reference to her pink bunny icon and reflects the cute playful side of her persona. ## A Pro Gamer Turned Mech Pilot Prior to the Omnic Crisis, D.Va made her name as a professional gamer and streaming icon in South Korea. She was a global star best known for her elite skills in _StarCraft_. D.Va racked up trophies and endorsements establishing herself as an ultra-competitive champion. Her fans would religiously tune in to watch her dominate tournaments. But when giant hostile omnics emerged from the sea and attacked Korea, the country‘s top gamers were recruited to pilot MEKA‘s advanced battlemech suits. As a national icon, D.Va eagerly joined the fight, seeing it as a new way to utilize her unmatched skills. With reflexes honed from years of gaming, she quickly became MEKA‘s best pilot. Under the callsign "D.Va", she defended her homeland and saved lives, gaining notoriety as a new type of war hero. ## D.Va‘s Strengths as a Tank In _Overwatch_, D.Va fills the role of a tank specializing in disruption: - **Mobility** – Her Boosters grant great re-positioning options for engaging and escaping. She can also take shortcuts others can‘t by flying over parts of the map. - **Survivability** – Defense Matrix can block insane amounts of damage and her eject ability gives a second life after losing her mech. She‘s hard to take down. - **Peeling** – D.Va can quickly re-position with Boosters to protect vulnerable allies from dives by enemies like Genji or Winston. Her DM blocks attacks that would secure kills. - **Countering Ultimates** – Many offensive ults get shut down by D.Va like Tracer‘s Pulse Bomb, Pharah‘s Barrage, Zarya‘s Graviton, and more. Timing DM effectively is clutch. D.Va excels at initiating engagements and pressuring backlines due to her extreme mobility. A good D.Va can harass while avoiding getting de-meched by the other team. ## D.Va‘s Abilities and Technologies Here‘s a breakdown of D.Va‘s mech systems and abilities that enable her aggressive disruption playstyle: **Fusion Cannons** - Unlimted ammo short-range rotating guns - Fire shotgun-like spreads of damage - Max range of 10 meters before damage falloff - Reduces move speed to 5.5 m/s (from 10 m/s) while firing ``` ---------------------- | * Fusion Cannons * | | - Unlimited ammo | | - 8 damage per | | pellet, 16 pellets| | per shot | | - Spread pattern | ---------------------- ``` **Light Gun** - D.Va‘s blaster when ejected from mech - Fully automatic pistol - High rate of fire makes up for low damage **Boosters** - D.Va charges forward, damaging and knocking aside enemies - 7.1 m/s speed boost lasts up to 2 seconds - 5 second cooldown - Can be used to return to combat quickly after re-meching **Defense Matrix** - Projects a frontal energy barrier to absorb projectiles - Lasts 2 seconds, then goes on a 10 sec cooldown - Absorbs max of 1,111 damage total while active - 15 meter range and 10 degree spread ``` ----------------------------- | * Defense Matrix Stats * | |- Absorbs: | | - Projectiles | | - Hitscan weapons | | - Some ultimates | | | |- Does NOT absorb: | | - Beam weapons | | - Melee attacks | | - Damage-over-time | ----------------------------- ``` **Micro Missiles** _New ability in Overwatch 2_ - Launches a volley of 7 explosive mini-rockets over 0.5 seconds - Deals 50 damage per rocket - 8 second cooldown - Added alternate fire option up close **Self-Destruct (Ultimate)** - Ejects D.Va from her mech and sets the reactor to explode - Requires 15 seconds of charge time - 1000 max damage at center with up to 20 meter radius - Call Mech rebuilds a new mech shortly after **Call Mech (Second Ultimate)** - Available after D.Va‘s mech is destroyed/Self-Destructs - Falls from the sky on D.Va‘s location, allowing her to re-mech - Only has 150 armor so still vulnerable briefly ## D.Va Rework Changes in Overwatch 2 For _Overwatch 2_, D.Va received some nerfs but also new abilities to shift her more into an offensive role: - Defense Matrix duration reduced from 2 sec to 1.5 sec - Fusion Cannons movement speed penalty removed – now moves at full speed (7 m/s) - New Micro Missiles provide burst combo potential every 8 seconds The decreased defense matrix uptime means D.Va has to use it more selectively to counter specific abilities. However, the added missiles and movement speed while firing cannons allows her to pressure enemies more. She went from a more defensive tank to offensive bruiser. With these insights into D.Va‘s iconic gaming callouts, background, and kit, let‘s wrap up with some gameplay tips: **Mastering D.Va:** - Use Defense Matrix for key enemy ultimates like Reaper‘s Death Blossom or Moira‘s Coalescence - Flank isolated targets with Boosters then unload Micro Missiles and Fusion Cannons - Save Self-Destruct to combo and amplify teamwipe ults like Zarya‘s Graviton Surge - Stick with your healers and protect them from divers like Genji with DM - Stay unpredictable – vary boost trajectories and keep enemies guessing **Countering Enemy D.Vas:** - Sombra can hack D.Va to disable all her abilities and evasiveness - Mei can freeze D.Va even through her defense matrix via Endothermic Blaster - Brigitte provides protection against D.Va‘s damage and dive potential - Zarya gains energy charge from absorbing Fusion Cannon spam - Use hitscan heroes to de-mech D.Va before she can react Through my own experience climbing to Grandmaster maining D.Va, her fluidity and disruption potential in battle allow ahead-of-the curve players to excel. I hope these insights help you unlock D.Va‘s maximum potential and know exactly how to react when hearing that iconic _"Nerf This!"_ on the battlefield. Let me know if you have any other questions about mastering D.Va! --- Source: ["Nerf This\!" – An Expert Guide to D\.Va‘s Iconic Ult Line and Abilities](https://33rdsquare.com/nerf-this-an-expert-guide-to-d-vas-iconic-ult-line-and-abilities/)