Ana’s nano boost is one of the most powerful abilities in Overwatch 2. It can turn the tide of a game, provided the enhanced player makes good use of it.
A fan theory recently shared suggests Ana mains have been looking at this ultimate wrong all along, though.
The nano boost is a syringe she shoots at an ally to grant them a damage buff, healing, and damage reduction. Players can distinctively hear the sound of the dart being shot. And yet, a fan has theorized Ana doesn’t actually do anything to the ally.
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In a Reddit thread, an Overwatch player compiled hints that would suggest Ana‘s nano boost is nothing but a placebo effect. They explained the support refers to her ultimate as a “trick” she can’t use on herself.
“When Ana kills an enemy who was nano’d, she says something like ‘You can’t use my trick against me!’. When Pharah kills an enemy who was nano’d, she says ‘You really thought I don’t know my own mother’s trick?’ ” writes the thread’s author. “She also has a peculiar voiceline saying ‘All you needed was a little push’. All this makes me think that Nano Boost is actually just a placebo.”
The thread rapidly gained positive reactions, where players agreed that made sense. “It’s just apple juice,” joked a user.
Another player invalidated the theory by saying Ana can nano herself in Solo Deathmatch, but others argued arcade game modes didn’t usually follow the game’s lore.
The main argument against that theory, though, is that Ana’s nano boost works on Pharah. According to her aforementioned voice line, she knows Ana’s “trick,” which means the placebo effect shouldn’t be able to work on her.
Whatever the real answer is, it’s fun to imagine that one of the strongest abilities in the technologically advanced universe of Overwatch would be solely fueled by strong belief.
