During development, widow mines used the same wireframe and icon as the shredder. These were replaced by unique art by the beta. Dustin Browder had expressed concerns about the balance of the widow mine, namely its cost effectiveness and how it sacrifices itself to destroy the enemy. The optimum price point may be difficult to find in his mind. The attachment to explosion time was enough for the enemy to try to destroy it before it activated. The targeted unit could be detached from the group to avoid more casualties. During the beta, the armory requirement was removed.