Overheal: What does it mean to overheal?

Overhealing in gaming terms refers to a situation where a player's health exceeds their maximum capacity, typically through healing effects. This phenomenon is fairly common in games like MOBAs and even RPGs. Even some FPS games have it like Valorant does with agents like Reyna ^[1] and Clove ^[2]. Games where characters may receive healing buffs from items, spells, or teammates usually have the overheal feature.

For instance, a character with a maximum health of 100 could receive a healing spell that restores 120 health points, resulting in an overheal of 20 points. However, overhealing is usually temporary and the excess health typically declines over time to ensure the overhealed player isn’t unkillable. Naturally, there’s also a limit to how much a character can overheal.

When is it a good time to overheal?

Overheal can serve strategic purposes, providing a buffer against incoming damage, allowing players to absorb more punishment during fights, and extending their survivability in challenging situations. 

It might be a good idea to overheal before rushing into a dangerous situation or when about to challenge an enemy who deals heavy damage. Since the overheal will likely decay over time, it’s crucial to act fast before the effect goes away.

References

1. [1] "Reyna's Agent page". playvalorant.com. Retrieved November 04, 2024
2. [2] "Clove's Agent page". playvalorant.com. Retrieved November 04, 2024