All Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - 2018
All the Overwatch PTR Patch Notes released by Blizzard in 2018.
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December 14
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – December 14, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
2019 Overwatch League Season Skins
Home-team uniforms come to life as in-game skins! Eight sets of home and away skins are now ready to equip in-game for the new 2019 Overwatch League teams: Atlanta Reign, Chengdu Hunters, Guangzhou Charge, Hangzhou Spark, Paris Eternal, Toronto Defiant, Vancouver Titans, and Washington Justice. Represent your favorite team (or teams) in-game with skins for each hero.
Learn more about the Overwatch League here.
BUG FIXES
Heroes
Ashe
Fixed a bug that caused Ashe’s scoped view to stutter on when playing with a high framerate
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt to pivot when exiting third-person view after lowering her Barrier Shield
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Earthshatter from being visible to other players if he used it while recovering from a stun
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt to pivot when exiting third-person view after lowering his Barrier Field
Torbjörn
Fixed a bug that caused Torbjörn’s turret to be built at an extreme angle if it landed on the edge of an object
Arcade
Fixed a bug that caused the kills remaining announcement voice line to repeatedly trigger each time the losing team scored an elimination
Maps
Busan
Fixed a bug that prevented the blast shields from moving in MEKA Base while in a skirmish match
Hollywood
Fixed a bug that caused the railing above first objective to block projectiles after being destroyed
Kings Row
Fixed a bug that allowed players to stand on top of the sign for Moriarty’s Fine Books behind the first point
November 20-21
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – November 20-21, 2018
BUG FIXES
General
Made changes to improve game stability (Nov. 20)
Made additional changes to improve game stability (Nov. 21)
November 19
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – November 19, 2018
HERO UPDATES
Brigitte
Shield Bash
Damage reduced from 50 to 5
Inspire Passive
Cooldown reduced from 1.5s to 1.0s
Duration increased from 5s to 6s
Total healing increased from 80 to 100
Developer Comments: Reducing Shield Bash’s damage reduces her total stun combo damage potential while still allowing Whip Shot and her basic melee attacks to retain their full strength. Brigitte is a hybrid tank/healer, and lately we’ve been reducing her effectiveness by lowering the power of her non-healing functionality, but we want to make sure she is still a viable pick so we’re increasing the uptime of her Inspire passive to help improve her overall healing output.
Doomfist
Seismic Slam
Victims no longer lose air control while being pulled in.
Meteor Strike
Inner ring damage radius increased from 1.5m to 2.0m. This is the ring where Meteor Strike deals its full 300 damage.
Max damage outside of inner ring decreased from 300 to 200. This is the ring where damage falloff happens, which still reduces the damage down to 15 at max range.
Developer Comments: The PTR Doomfist changes are all about trying to give his enemies more opportunities to effectively fight back, and these changes are no exception. The Meteor Strike changes will make it harder to secure a “free” kill on heroes without mobility such as Zenyatta or Ana, while still preserving its max potential damage when aimed well or when combined with other abilities such as Graviton Surge or Sleep Dart.
November 14
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – November 14, 2018
GENERAL UPDATES
Audio
[PC] An option to use Windows Spatial Audio is now available. This feature can be found in the Windows Start Menu under Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Speaker Device > Spatial Sound
Developer Comments: Since launch, we’ve supported Dolby Atmos for players who use headphones, and we’re now expanding this support to include the Windows 10 implementation for spatial audio. Spatial audio is configured in the Windows 10 sound settings and will take priority over the settings in the game client. This will allow for more options, including settings for Windows Sonic Headphones, Dolby Atmos for Headphones, and Dolby Atmos for Home Theater.
HERO UPDATES
Bastion
Configuration: Recon
Ammo increased from 25 to 35
Configuration: Sentry
Weapon spread decreased by up to 33% while firing
Developer Comments: Bastion could use a little bit of an offensive boost to balance out how vulnerable Configuration: Recon’s bulky size and Sentry’s stationary nature make it. To address this, we increased the ammo he receives in Recon mode and gave Bastion a lower spread in Sentry mode to make it more effective at farther ranges than it was previously.
Brigitte
Shield Bash
No longer can travel or stun targets through barriers
Developer Comments: Brigitte’s Shield Bash is a strong ability that often feels difficult to counter. This change will offer new options for counter play, enabling shield tanks to better protect themselves and their teammates.
Doomfist
Rising Uppercut
Loss of air control duration lowered to 0.6 seconds from 3 seconds
Seismic Slam
Maximum range reduced from 20 meters to 15 meters
Developer Comments: Doomfist’s high mobility allows him to engage and disengage from extremely long ranges. Decreasing the range of his targeted aerial version of Seismic Slam requires him to get closer before engaging an enemy and makes it slightly harder for him to escape from combat. The loss of air control on Rising Uppercut was a frustrating mechanic for players, but it allowed Doomfist to set up combos. We’ve found a decent middle ground by limiting the time Doomfist has to line up his next move.
McCree
Peacekeeper
Alternate fire damage increased from 45 to 55
Developer Comments: McCree’s Fan the Hammer wasn’t as reliable of an option against higher health heroes as it should be. Increasing its damage will make it more potent in close-range engagements where it is intended to be most effective.
Soldier: 76
Tactical Visor
No longer makes Helix Rockets auto-target enemies
Developer Comments: The intent of Tactical Visor is to make Solder: 76 unable to miss during its duration. However, Helix Rockets have travel time, so if they were fired directly at an enemy they would often miss a moving target at further ranges. This change allows players to freely aim Helix Rockets while still auto-aiming his primary fire.
Torbjörn
Molten Core
Damage increased from 130 to 160 per second
Developer Comments: While the Molten Core damage pools were intended to provide players with tools for area denial, they weren’t proving threatening enough to deter enemies for a significant amount of time because their damage was too low.
BUG FIXES
Heroes
General
Fixed a bug that prevented a landing exertion visual effect from playing when a hero impacted a slippery surface before landing
Fixed issues that could cause the client to miscalculate projectiles
Fixed an issue caused enemy players to appear to have jittery movement at framerates over 100
Ashe
Fixed a bug that caused Ashe’s Dynamite to create a second small explosion visual effect a few moments after the first explosion
Bastion
Fixed a bug that caused Bastion’s Tank mode treads to continue moving while stunned during Configuration: Tank
Fixed a bug that caused Bastion’s colored outline to include squares floating above him while in Configuration: Tank
D.Va
Fixed a bug with the Lying Around Highlight Intro that caused Cruiser D.Va’s hair to clip into the mech
McCree
Fixed a bug that caused McCree’s Deadeye’s animation and sound effects to play twice if it was canceled quickly
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Earthshatter from traveling over certain terrain
Sombra
Fixed a bug that caused Sombra to hear the detect sound effect when entering stealth or teleporting
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that caused additional sound effects to play while viewing Symmetra’s Creation victory pose in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug with Symmetra’s teleporter where it would play its self-destruct sound effects when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Widowmaker
Fixed a bug that allowed Widowmaker’s Venom Mine to reveal enemy barriers through walls
Maps
Control
Fixed a bug that caused the Assemble Heroes countdown timer to remain at 29 seconds
UI
Colorblind Options
Fixed a bug that caused a player’s UI to appear as the enemy color during FFA Deathmatch games
Fixed a bug that prevented colorblind set team colors from appearing on the tab and victory screens
November 5
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – November 5, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
New Hero: Ashe (Damage):
Ashe’s arsenal of weapons makes her a versatile offensive hero, capable of setting up the perfect situation to shoot down dangerous enemies from range or deal high area-of-effect burst damage to groups of heroes.
Her primary weapon is the Viper , a lever-action rifle with two firing modes: semi-automatic and aim down sights. In semi-automatic mode, the Viper shoots rapidly with a high spread. Aiming down the sights lets Ashe line up precise shots, increasing damage at the expense of speed.
She can turn any situation into her favor with her Coach Gun a short-range, high-impact sidearm that deals big damage and clears the way by knocking back nearby enemies. It can also be used to knock herself back for added mobility, either to reposition herself for a clear shot, or to escape pursuing enemies.
Ashe’s Dynamite ability is a thrown explosive that detonates after a delay. It deals damage in a wide radius and sets enemies on fire for additional damage over time. She can also shoot the dynamite to detonate it early, allowing her to damage unsuspecting enemies.
Her ultimate ability, B.O.B. , sends Ashe’s loyal omnic companion rushing into the fray, shoving aside the frontline to rough up targets in the backline.
To learn more about Ashe, click here.
USER UPDATES
General
Removed the “Unlock All” option in the Hero Gallery
October 31
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – October 31, 2018
A new Overwatch patch is currently in development and now available for testing. To share your feedback or report and issue, please post in the PTR Feedback or PTR Bug Report forums.
Please note that the below patch notes only include changes currently available for testing on the PTR. While many of these changes will also be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in a future patch, the PTR is PC-only and therefore will only reflect changes coming specifically to that platform.
GENERAL UPDATES
General
Made changes to improve game stability
HERO UPDATES
Reaper
Hellfire Shotguns
Spread pattern adjusted
Developer Comments: This is the second component of Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns adjustments (the prior one reduced spread randomization by 50%). This change brings a couple of Reaper’s pellets from the outer ring into the middle ring and reduces the amount of empty space between rings when firing from further distances.
October 23
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - October 23, 2018
GENERAL UPDATES
Audio
[PC] An option to use Windows Spatial Audio is now available. This feature can be found in the Windows Start Menu under Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Speaker Device > Spatial Sound
Developer Comments: Since launch, we’ve supported Dolby Atmos for players who use headphones, and we’re now expanding this support to include the Windows 10 implementation for spatial audio. Spatial audio is configured in the Windows 10 sound settings and will take priority over the settings in the game client. This will allow for more options, including settings for Windows Sonic Headphones, Dolby Atmos for Headphones, and Dolby Atmos for Home Theater.
HERO UPDATES
General
Made jump height consistent across hero roster
Mercy
Valkyrie
Ultimate cost reduced 15%
Healing per second increased from 50 to 60
Developer Comments: Mercy's ultimate was charging a bit too slowly after her base healing was reduced in a previous update. These changes should restore some of her ultimate’s strength and let it build up more quickly.
Reaper
Hellfire Shotguns
Spread randomization reduced by 50%
The Reaping
Life steal increased from 20% to 30% of damage dealt
Developer Comments: Reaper's specialty is fighting at a very close range. The more consistent spread pattern and increase in healing from his passive ability will make him more capable of standing toe-to-toe with his enemies.
Roadhog
Chain Hook
Decreased the delay before pulling a hooked target from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds
Now greatly reduces the target’s momentum upon being hooked
Cooldown now begins immediately, instead of after the target has been pulled
Scrap Gun
Spread pattern adjusted for both primary and secondary fire
Spread randomization reduced by 50%
Whole Hog
Knockback maximum velocity increased by 25% (from 8 to 10 meters per second)
Horizontal recoil decreased slightly
Developer Comments: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook’s cooldown now begins immediately upon use, so it no longer varies based on Roadhog’s distance to the hook target.
We’ve also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we’ve increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.
Symmetra
Photon Projector
Primary fire beam charges up 20% faster
Developer Comments: It's still difficult to use Symmetra's Photon Projector beam effectively, even after its range was increased. By speeding up the primary fire charge rate, it takes less time to ramp up to its full damage potential and will be a stronger option when she’s presented with targets to charge up on.
BUG FIXES
A.I.
Fixed a bug that caused Mei bots to attempt landing headshots on Wrecking Ball while he was immune to them in Roll mode
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck near Point A on Eichenwalde
Heroes
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte’s Whip Shot from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Doomfist
Fixed a bug that prevented victims of Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from ragdolling if they were eliminated by it
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut from damaging enemies
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomist’s Seismic Slam from dealing damage if he hit by a knockback ability the moment he landed
Junkrat
Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat to return to his idle animation if he was stunned while using RIP-Tire
Lúcio
Fixed a bug that caused some allied heroes to say their “under attack” voice lines when receiving a friendly Sound Barrier
Orisa
Fixed bug that prevented Orisa’s Fortify from canceling Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut air control effects
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that allowed Reinhardt’s Earthshatter to hit Brigitte when she blocked it with her Barrier Shield if she was strafing during high latency periods
Roadhog
Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from destroying breakable objects when pulling the target backward
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog’s Whole Hog visual effects to cover a wider area than the spread of projectiles
Torbjörn
Fixed a bug that prevented Santaclad Torbjörn’s ultimate voice lines from playing when activating Molten Core
Fixed a visual issue that prevented Molten Core’s magma globules from appearing in the correct place with his Barbarossa or Blackbeard skins equipped
Fixed an animation issue that caused Torbjörn’s claw arm to suddenly appear when Overload and Molten Core were used in quick succession
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra to charge up her primary weapon on enemy ice walls
Tracer
Fixed an issue that caused Tracer to accelerate slightly slower and decelerate slightly faster than other heroes
Wrecking Ball
Fixed a bug that prevented Wrecking Ball voice lines from playing when previewed after opening a Loot Box
Zarya
Fixed a bug that allowed heroes to charge through a Graviton Surge without getting trapped
Hero Gallery
General
Fixed an issue that caused some heroes legs to twitch when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that prevented players from rotating heroes in the Hero Gallery while the UI was hidden
Social
Fixed a bug that allowed players to hear the voice lines of heroes controlled by players they muted
Game Browser and Custom Games
Maps
Fixed a bug that prevented the payload from healing attackers if they were damaged while pushing it on Assault/Escort and Escort maps
Fixed a lighting issue that caused a skyscraper in Hollywood’s skyline to appear pitch black
September 26
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - September 26, 2018
COMPETITIVE PLAY UPDATES
General
Assemble Your Team timer increased from 10 to 25 seconds in the second round on Assault, Assault/Escort, and Escort maps
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed an issue that caused the PTR client to crash when logging in
Colorblind
Fixed a bug that allowed Overwatch League skin effects to display when colorblind colors were enabled
Heroes
Torbjörn
Fixed a bug that prevented Torbjörn’s Molten Core visual effects from displaying
Fixed a bug that allowed players to walk through an enemy Torbjörn’s turret
Fixed a bug that allowed Torbjorn’s turret projectile to ricochet for a long time before planting itself in unintended places
September 21
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - September 21, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Colorblind Options Updates
Customize how team colors are displayed in your UI (e.g. nameplates, HUD, health bars) and hero outlines with a set of nine different colorblind-friendly colors to choose from. You choose to colorize enemy and friendly UI separately as well. These options can be found under Options > Video > Color Blind Options. All changes made will be saved and ready for you to see in the next match you play!
HERO UPDATES
General
Updated visuals for all shields and barriers to increase readability
Brigitte
Barrier Shield
Shield health reduced from 600 to 500
Developer Comments: The health of Brigitte’s barrier was extremely difficult for most heroes to deal with even as she was able to close the distance with her targets. This change still provides Brigitte with substantial survivability but should also be more rewarding for opponents who pressure her.
McCree
Combat Roll
Cooldown reduced from 8 to 6 seconds
Developer Comments: Previously, the cooldown of McCree’s Combat Roll felt too restrictive, which sometimes prohibited players from using it. The new, faster cooldown should allow for more flexibility when choosing between using it for mobility or an instant reload.
Pharah
Concussive Blast
Cooldown reduced from 12 to 9 seconds
Rocket Launcher
Attack speed increased
Lowered recovery between shots from 0.9 to 0.75
Damage redistributed between explosion and impact
Explosion damage reduced from 80 to 65
Impact damage increased from 40 to 55
Explosion knockback reduced by 20%
Self-knockback range increased by 25%
Developer Comments: We wanted to increase how responsive Pharah’s Rocket Launcher felt. Having almost a full second of recovery between shots made it feel sluggish. To balance out the improved recovery time, we shifted some of the damage from the rocket’s explosion to the direct impact damage. The overall damage potential is now increased when landing direct hits and decreased slightly when only dealing explosive damage.
We reduced the amount of knockback each explosion causes, as they made it very difficult to aim at Pharah while rockets came in at a faster pace. The Concussive Blast cooldown reduction should allow the ability to sync up more closely with the Jump Jet cooldown when used for mobility.
Mei
General
Updated visual effects for all abilities
Orisa
Fusion Driver
Maximum spread reduced from 1.5 to 1.2
Developer Comments: Orisa spends a significant amount of time firing her Fusion Driver from a relatively stationary location and the weapon’s spread value caused it to feel too random when leading targets at a distance, taking into account the projectiles’ travel time. We’ve tightened the spread slightly, which should leave her close- and mid-range damage potential largely unchanged, while making it feel better to try to hit targets at longer ranges.
Soldier: 76
Heavy Pulse Rifle
Number of shots until max spread increased from 6 to 9
Developer Comments: Soldier: 76’s damage output was a bit low but not too far off from where we feel it should be. Making it take a few more shots to reach max spread smooths out the weapon spread curve and should help his damage be more consistent.
Torbjörn
General
Reduced the size of Torbjörn’s head hit volume by 10%
Rivet Gun
Primary Fire
Projectile speed increased from 60 to 70 per second
Reload time reduced from 2.2 to 2 seconds
Turret targets enemy hit by primary fire
Alternate Fire
Recovery lowered from 0.8 to 0.6 seconds
Damage per shot lowered from 150 to 125
Reload time reduced from 2.2 to 2 seconds
Spread randomization readjusted
Forge Hammer
Radius increased to align with Quick Melee
Deploy Turret
Now a thrown projectile
Automatically builds over three seconds
No longer has different levels
Same damage output as previous level 2 turret
Maximum health reduced from 300 to 250
Now incurs a 5 second cooldown when deployed
Now incurs a 10 second cooldown when destroyed in combat
No longer able to deploy a new turret if it’s in combat
While the turret is firing
If the turret has taken damage within three seconds
Now able to destroy turret using the Interact input
Now will complete self-building once deployed, even if Torbjörn is eliminated
New Ability: Overload
Replaces Armor Pack
Lasts for 5 seconds (12 second cooldown)
Temporarily grants 150 armor
Increases attack, movement, and reload speed by 30%
New Ultimate: Molten Core
Switches weapon from Rivet Gun to his claw arm
Lasts 6 seconds
Fire up to 10 molten globules that create damage pools where they land for 10 seconds
Bounces off walls and ceilings until coming into contact with the ground
Base damage is 130
Damage increases from 130 to 190 against enemies who have armor
Heroes affected by armor: Bastion, Brigitte, D.Va, Orisa, Reinhardt, Torbjörn, Winston, Wrecking Ball
Heroes who can grant armor to their allies: Brigitte
Developer Comments: Torbjörn was initially designed to be a specialized hero, intended to be a strong defensive option due to his armor-generating capabilities and ability to control areas with his turret. However, the scrap collecting and Armor Pack mechanics have proven to cause problematic gameplay issues through their feast or famine nature.
In order to make the hero more flexible in a wide variety of situations, we’ve removed the scrap system, made the turret much easier to deploy, replaced the Armor Pack ability with Overload—a powerful self-buff—and transformed Molten Core into a powerful new area denial ultimate ability.
Learn more here.
MAP UPDATES
General
Reduced the setup timer for Assault, Escort, and Assault/Escort maps from 1 minute to 45 seconds
BUG FIXES
Heroes
Bastion
Fixed a bug that caused the roll bar on Bastion’s Dune Buggy skin to obscure its view when backing up or firing in Tank configuration
D.Va
Fixed a bug that prevented some glow visual effects from appearing on D.Va’s Nano Cola skin
Fixed a bug that prevented D.Va from fully appearing when viewing her MEKA Activated highlight intro in the Hero Gallery
Hanzo
Fixed a bug that caused Hanzo’s Storm Bow reticle to be visible while emoting
Mei
Fixed a bug that prevented Mei’s Blizzard from freezing enemies when cast in areas with low ceilings
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that caused the player’s reticle to pitch up after using Earthshatter
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt’s Earthshatter animations to play if used while he was juggled in the air by knockback abilities
Sombra
Fixed an issue that caused Sombra to change the direction she was facing when using her Translocator to teleport
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that caused Symmetra to have a chance of playing inaccurate voice lines when placing turrets
Torbjörn
Fixed a bug that prevented Torbjörn’s medal from appearing in his Medal victory pose
Zarya
Fixed a bug that caused Zarya’s Particle Cannon reticle to be visible while emoting
Maps
Busan
Fixed a bug that allowed players to stand on some prohibited rooftops in Downtown
Fixed a bug that prevented sprays from displaying on glass windows in MEKA Base
Volskaya Industries
Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving capture credit if they dropped onto the point from one of the moving platforms
Game Browser and Custom Games
Deathmatch
Fixed a bug that prevented the “your team has lost” or “your team has taken the lead” voice lines from playing when the score swap happens due to self-inflicted deaths
VS AI
Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving an “unable to join” error message if they attempted to spectate a Player vs AI match when all spectator slots were full
August 29
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - August 29, 2018
GENERAL UPDATES
General
Added visual outlines to make allies visible through walls
HERO UPDATES
Widowmaker
Grappling Hook
Now retains momentum when used on environments or structures without a ledge (e.g. walls)
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that caused players to sometimes slip off railings
Heroes
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that caused Brigitte to abruptly change directions when she stopped holding her Barrier Shield
Doomfist
Fixed a bug that caused Doomfist’s Seismic Slam to cancel when using Symmetra’s teleporter
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that allowed Reinhardt to pin targets that were behind him when using Charge
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt to pin some targets when he turned during Charge
Fixed a bug that allowed Reinhardt to use Earthshatter while standing on an enemy’s head
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Earthshatter from sometimes hitting enemies standing on a payload
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Earthshatter from traveling up certain inclines
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt to abruptly change directions when he stopped holding his Barrier Field
Roadhog
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog’s Chain Hook to sometimes break after hitting an enemy
Sombra
Fixed a bug that prevented Sombra from translocating to a moving platform when using her Translocator
Fixed a bug that prevented Sombra’s Translocator from accurately indicating where Sombra would arrive when the ability was used
Widowmaker
Fixed a bug that prevented Widowmaker’s Grappling Hook from connecting to some ledges
Wrecking Ball
Fixed a bug that caused all enemies to use the same damage falloff calculation
August 22
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - August 22, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
NEW MAP – BUSAN
Travel to Busan, South Korea and battle for control across three distinct locales within one map: Sanctuary, Downtown, and MEKA Base.
Explore the serene setting of the Sanctuary, surrounded by an ancient temple, beautiful gardens, and historic architecture. Clash in the bustling metropolis of Downtown, where players will fight across a busy PC bang, flashy karaoke bar, and central light rail station (just watch out for the train). Contest for position in MEKA Base—home of South Korea’s frontline defense against the gwishin omnic attacks: D.Va and the rest of the MEKA squad.
HERO GALLERY – FILTER
View all of the cosmetics Overwatch has to offer with our new Filter feature in the Hero Gallery. Customize your search for cosmetics by category (including seasonal events or whether they're from the Overwatch League), rarity, and whether they are unlocked or waiting to be collected.
HERO UPDATES
Ana
Biotic Rifle
Increased the precision of the Relative Aim Sensitivity While Zoomed slider. This can be found under Options > Controls > Hero > Ana
Brigitte
Shield Bash
Now knocks down and gets knocked down by other charging targets (e.g Reinhardt and Doomfist)
Reinhardt
Earthshatter
Now will consistently hit enemies near walls
No longer will hit enemies that enter the damage cone after the “wave” has passed that area
No longer will damage enemies behind barriers blocking it, even if the barrier is later dropped or destroyed
Will always travel up inclines and around the payload
Developer Comments: We’ve given Earthshatter a complete overhaul to combat inconsistencies with its performance. These changes will make Earthshatter’s behavior more predictable and effective.
Widowmaker
Widow's Kiss
Increased the precision of the Relative Aim Sensitivity While Zoomed slider. This can be found under Options > Controls > Hero > Widowmaker
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES
FFA Deathmatch
Mercy now begins the match with her Caduceus Blaster equipped
Blizzard World is now available to play in Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch
1v1 Mystery Heroes
Mercy now begins the match with her Caduceus Blaster equipped
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that prevented Torbjörn Armor Packs Created statistic from updating if the ability landed directly on a friendly target
Communication Wheel
[PC] Fixed a bug that caused a delay in selecting options on the Communication Wheel when cycling left using a mouse
Heroes
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that caused Brigitte’s Shield Bash movement to be interrupted when she impacted Symmetra’s turrets
D.Va
Fixed a bug that allowed D.Va to escape the map if she used Call Mech while standing on Mei’s Ice Wall
Hanzo
Fixed a bug that caused Dragonstrike Arrow size to be larger than his other arrows
Mei
Fixed a bug that caused Mei’s Cryo-freeze to block the line of sight for Mei’s Blizzard
Mercy
Fixed a bug that allowed Mercy to gain ultimate charge from using her damage beam on attacks that cannot be damage boosted
Reaper
Fixed a bug that prevented Reaper’s Shadow Step from going on cooldown if he was interrupted
Roadhog
Fixed a bug that prevented Roadhog’s alternate fire now calculates falloff damage correctly
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented Reinhardt’s Earthshatter from landing if he was launched into the air during its cast
Sombra
Fixed a bug that prevented Sombra from destroying her Translocator if she was stunned or hacked
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that prevented Sombra’s Hack from canceling Symmetra’s Photon Barrier placement
Fixed a bug that caused Symmetra’s teleport UI to persist after being eliminated
Widowmaker
Fixed a bug that caused Widowmaker’s scoped shots on hero placed objects to count against her Scoped Weapon Accuracy statistic
Wrecking Ball
Fixed a bug that allowed Wrecking Ball’s Piledriver to deal damage twice if he slid off the environment during its duration
Fixed a bug that allowed Wrecking Ball’s primary fire to continue working if it was disabled in custom game
July 26
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - July 26, 2018
BUG FIXES
Heroes
Genji
Fixed a visual issue that prevented Genji’s Shuriken ammunition from displaying the correct number briefly after activating Dragonblade
Junkrat
Fixed a bug that allowed Junkrat to restore Frag Launcher ammunition if he attempted to use RIP-Tire while airborne
Lúcio
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to gain ultimate charge while Sound Barrier was active if he got hacked
July 20
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - July 20, 2018
HERO UPDATES
Brigitte
Repair Pack
An option to control Brigitte’s Repair Pack targeting sensitivity has been added under Options > Controls > Brigitte
Developer Comments: Coming soon.
Symmetra
Photon Projector
Primary fire range increased from 10 to 12
Developer Comments: Coming soon.
BUG FIXES
Heroes
D.Va
Fixed a bug that caused D.Va’s gun to disappear if Roadhog used Chain Hook on her while she used an emote
Junkrat
Fixed a bug that allowed Junkrat’s ammo to be replenished if RIP-Tire failed to cast
Sombra
Fixed a bug that caused Sombra’s visual effects to display darker than intended
Zarya
Fixed a bug that caused Zarya’s Graviton Surge visual effects to extend beyond the ability’s radius
Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that prevented rotating hero models while viewed in the Hero Gallery when equipped with Overwatch League skins
Fixed a bug that prevented the Communication Wheel from functioning when equipping a spray, voice line, or emote from a Loot Box
July 8
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - July 18, 2018
GENERAL UPDATES
General
Changed the name of Junkrat’s Buccaneer skin to Bilgerat
Added under attack voice lines for Zenyatta, Lúcio, and Moria
Looking for Group
Settings will be saved after changing filters on the Looking for Group browse screen
Hero Gallery
Added a What’s New option that displays new unlockable content
HERO UPDATES
General
Channeled and transformation ultimate abilities now restore ammunition after completion for some heroes
Channeled abilities affected: Junkrat’s RIP-Tire, Pharah’s Barrage, Roadhog’s Whole Hog, and Zenyatta’s Transcendence
Transformation abilities affected: Genji’s Dragonblade, Winston’s Primal Rage
Developer Comments: The change removes the need to immediately reload after a long duration ultimate.
Ana
Nano Boost
Now also instantly heals the target for 300 health
Developer Comments: This change should give Ana the flexibility to use her ultimate in a wider variety of situations.
Brigitte
Shield Bash
Cooldown increased from 6 to 7 seconds
Developer Comments: Slightly increasing the cooldown will give Brigitte’s opponents more opportunity to play around her Shield Bash ability.
Doomfist
Rocket Punch
No longer impacts Symmetra’s teleporter
Now destroys Symmetra’s sentry turrets without stopping his movement
Developer Comments: These changes are just quality of life improvements for how Doomfist interacts with Symmetra’s placeables.
Hanzo
Lunge
Cooldown increased from 4 to 5 seconds
Developer Comments: Hanzo’s Lunge ability allows him to be very evasive, the increased cooldown should make him slightly easier to catch.
Moira
Biotic Grasp
Passive energy regeneration rate increased from 2 per second to 2.4 per second
Developer Comments: This gives Moira a bit more healing to work with in situations with no enemy targets available.
Lúcio
Crossfade
Aura radius increase from 10 to 12 meters
Sound Barrier
Temporary shields granted increased from 500 to 750
Developer Comments: Increasing the amount of shield health gained from Lucio’s Sound Barrier should make it more effective against incoming burst damage. The increased aura radius will help keep more allies within his heal and speed range.
Mercy
Caduceus Staff
Healing beam reduced from 60 healing per second to 50 healing per second
Developer Comments: Mercy’s previous healing output made her nearly impossible to replace in any team composition. Even after these changes she will still be able to deliver more healing over the course of a match than any other support hero. This change should allow for other healers to be a more viable pick.
Sombra
General
Reduced the size of Sombra’s head hit volume
Developer Comments: This is mostly a bug fix, as her head hit volume was abnormally large, especially from behind. Previously if you fired at her from behind near her upper spine, you could land a head shot. Now her head volume is much more accurate.
Reinhardt
Barrier Field
Decorative insignia no longer protrudes from the shield’s surface
Developer Comments: By smoothing out Reinhardt Barrier Field, he will be able to consistently block enemy abilities and projectiles (e.g. Junkrat’s grenades).
Widowmaker
Grappling Hook
Cooldown increased from 8 seconds to 10 seconds
Developer Comments: The increased cooldown will slightly reduce the frequency that Widowmaker can reposition herself.
Zarya
Energy
Drain rate reduced from 2 per second to 1.6 per second
Graviton Surge
Radius reduced from 8 to 6 meters
Developer Comments: With the reduced Energy drain rate, Zarya should be at higher energy on average resulting in more overall damage and quicker ultimate charge times. We’ve also decreased the wide area of Graviton Surge, so players are more able to aid allies without being pulled in as well.
BUG FIXES
Competitive Play
Fixed a bug that could cause players to lose an endorsement level if they exited before a match completes, but after the return timer for a leaving player has expired
July 3
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - July 3, 2018
HERO UPDATES
Sombra
EMP
Now disables Wrecking Ball’s Minefield proximity mines for 10 seconds
Hack
Can now cancel her reload to use Hack
Stealth
Detect radius reduced to 2 meters from 4 meters
Translocator
Can now be destroyed with the Interact key without looking at it
Sound cue heard by enemies dramatically reduced
Wrecking Ball
Grappling Claw
Movement speed reduced from 22 meters per second to 20 meters per second
BUG FIXES
Heroes
Tracer
Fixed a bug that caused the camera to jitter at end of her Blink animation
Wrecking Ball
Fixed a bug that prevented Wrecking Ball’s Piledriver from generating ultimate charge
Fixed a bug that allowed Wrecking Ball to use Piledriver whenever there was clearance below him (e.g. standing on a ledge)
June 28
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - June 28, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
New Hero: Wrecking Ball (Tank):
Wrecking Ball’s tinkering capabilities and iron-clad mech make him a formidable tank hero, capable of bowling through the front line of the opposition and causing mayhem in the back line.
His primary weapon, Quad Cannons, are two sets of twin machine guns that shred enemies caught in their crosshairs.
No team is too much for Wrecking Ball to engage against with his Adaptive Shield, which generates more health based on the number of enemies nearby. This shield makes him incredibly difficult to kill when he bulldozes into the fray and, once he starts to get low on health, also provides him the endurance to escape.
The Roll ability allows Wrecking Ball to withdraw the mech’s robotic limbs, transforming it into a ball with increased movement speed. No obstacle can stand in Wrecking Ball’s way when he uses Grappling Claw, a short-range ability that grips the environment, letting him swing across terrain gaps or around corners to smash enemies.
Grappling Claw also allows Wrecking Ball to reach top speed and ram into foes, dealing destructive damage and knocking them back. While airborne, the mech’s Piledriver ability causes Wrecking Ball to slam down from the air and knock his enemies off their feet.
When Wrecking Ball is at his strongest, he can use Minefield which flings mines onto the ground that deal a considerable amount of damage to enemies unfortunate enough to trigger them.
To learn more about Wrecking Ball, click here.
HERO UPDATES
General
Several heroes have received major changes to their damage falloff:
Bastion
Configuration: Sentry and Configuration: Recon
Minimum damage at max range increased from 30% to 50%.
McCree
Peacekeeper
Minimum damage at max range increased from 30% to 50%
Mei
Endothermic Blaster
Removed all damage falloff from her secondary fire projectile
Soldier: 76
Heavy Pulse Rifle
Minimum damage at max range increased from 30% to 50%
Widowmaker
Widow’s Kiss
Now has damage falloff applied on her automatic primary fire (50% at max range)
Developer Comments: The goal of these changes is to slightly reduce the impact of damage falloff on mid-range weapons. While assessing falloff mechanics across the board, weapons intended primarily for close-range combat benefited too greatly from lowering their falloff restrictions. We also normalized a couple of outliers in that Mei had a long-range travel time projectile with falloff applied and Widowmaker’s automatic fire did not have any.
Hanzo
Storm Arrows
Duration reduced from 6 to 5 seconds
Cooldown increased from 8 to 10 seconds
Developer Comments: Hanzo’s new kit has proven to be a bit too powerful, especially his new Storm Arrows ability. We’re lowering the frequency that he can have this ability available to make it more reasonable to play around.
Sombra
Stealth
Now lasts indefinitely
No longer can contest objectives while invisible
Enemy detection radius increased from 2 meters to 4 meters
Movement speed buff decreased from +75% to +50%
Translocator
Now lasts indefinitely
Can now be destroyed (has 5 health)
Developer Comments: These changes allow Sombra to more easily play as an infiltrator and scout for her team, as well as give her time to pick and choose when to reveal herself to ambush her enemies.
MAP UPDATES
Assault Maps
Objective time reduced from 5 minutes to 4 minutes per control point in Quick Play and Arcade modes
Developer Comments: We have reduced the overall game time for Assault maps in Quickplay and Arcade Modes. Players now have four minutes to capture each point instead of the current five minutes per point.
In some games, Point A would be captured rather quickly resulting in what could be lengthy battle over Point B. Point B is typically more defendable than Point A and, in some games, defenders were able to hold for the entire duration of remaining time which could potentially be 8 minutes or more.
We felt that in these instances the overall time was simply too long for either team, with attackers unable to take the point and defenders having to hold. The reduction in time is now consistent with the Competitive Play times which provides an ample amount of time for both attackers and defenders, but hopefully removes the occasional game where it feels like you are playing against the timer and not the other team.
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that caused the group leader’s UI to appear that they’re canceling or leaving Waiting for Players when using a controller
Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving an AFK warning for not moving after receiving the No XP warning for not being in combat
Fixed a bug that caused Competitive Elimination to display as your last match played in the Recent Players menu
Fixed a bug that prevented players added to Avoid as Teammate from being removed if that player was added to their friends list
Endorsements
Fixed a bug that caused the Team Information screen to display an Endorsement level of a player who left the game
Fixed a bug that prevented the Endorsement input from opening the Endorsement tray if it shared that input with another input
Fixed a bug that prevented the Nearby Players menu from displaying Endorsement levels
Game Browser & Custom Games
Fixed a bug that allowed heroes to deploy multiple barriers or turrets when a decreased cooldown modifier was applied in a Custom Game
Fixed a bug that caused players to sometimes spawn into a wall or floor when playing a Deathmatch Custom Game with Respawn as Random Hero enabled
Heroes
General
Fixed a bug that prevented heroes from playing a hit reaction animation when shot
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut animation from playing when used after hitting something with Rocket Punch
Fixed a bug that caused Brigitte’s portrait to show a non-existent ponytail with her Shieldmaiden skin equipped
Doomfist
Fixed a bug that caused Doomfist’s Rocket Punch to stop if he hit Symmetra’s Turret when it was in midair
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Meteor Strike from hitting Reinhardt if he faced his Field Barrier upward
Fixed a bug with Doomfist’s Rocket Punch that prevented it from canceling Genji’s Cyber-agility, Lúcio’s Wall Ride, or Hanzo’s Wall Climb on impact
D.Va
Fixed a bug that prevented D.Va’s mech rear hatch from connecting to her mech when viewing D.Va’s Peace Victory Pose.
Junkrat
Fixed a bug that prevented Junkrat’s Frag Launcher grenades from dealing the correct amount of damage on direct hits
Fixed a bug that allowed Junkrat to set multiple Steel Traps in Custom Games
Fixed a bug that prevented teammates from viewing Junkrat’s respawn timer if he died while piloting RIP-Tire.
Fixed a bug that allowed the player to move the camera when Junkrat’s RIP-Tire was frozen
Moira
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s Healing Orb from healing friendly training bots in the Practice Range
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s Biotic Orbs from trigging controller vibration when using a controller
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Charge from propelling him forward if he was airborne due to Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut
Roadhog
Fixed a bug that allowed Roadhog’s Chain Hook target to be pulled to his new location when he used Symmetra’s Teleporter.
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s Turrets from displaying a red outline when viewed by the enemy team
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt’s Earthshatter to sometimes go through Symmetra’s Photon Barrier
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s Teleporter from using visual effects with her Oasis skin equipped
Fixed a bug that allowed Symmetra to receive credit toward her Huge Success achievement if she teleported her Sentry Turrets
Tracer
Fixed a bug that allowed Tracer to gain capture point progress during her Recall ability
Zarya
Fixed a bug that prevented Zarya’s Particle Cannon from gaining energy when attacked by an enemy Symmetra or Zarya if they were too close to her when she used Particle Barrier
Looking for Group
Fixed a bug that caused all game modes to be selectable when adding a player to an LFG group
Fixed a bug that prevented the Choose Roles menu from offering a default role when accessed
Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving messaging notifying them why they were unable to change a Looking for Group title if they were suspended from changing Custom Game names
Fixed a bug that prevented role icons from displaying on hero portraits
Fixed a bug that allowed two players were able to queue for the same Looking for Group spot
June 5
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - June 5, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Endorsements
Acknowledge your fellow Overwatch players’ positivity with endorsements! Recognize commendable behavior for sportsmanship, being a good teammate, or for shot calling. Commend players who lead you to victory, put the team’s needs above their own, or exhibit humility in victory or grace in defeat.
Endorsements are readily available to view on Career Profiles, the Groups menu, and more so you can tell at a glance the types of players you’re playing with.
Those who consistently maintain a high endorsement level will receive periodic rewards, while those who display negative behavior or accrue suspensions will lose their endorsements.
Looking for Group
Play your way using the Looking for Group feature! You can craft your gameplay experience before stepping into Team Select by using specific parameters to create your dream team. Join a team of other like-minded players or lead a group of your own by creating a group with your personal preferences such as game mode, role enforcement, and more.
Those who want to queue up for Quick Play, Play vs AI, or any competitive mode can set the types of roles others can play. These specifications will then be activated in-game (e.g. players who chose a Support role will be restricted to only using heroes in that category).
GENERAL UPDATES
All heroes in the Defense and Offense categories have been merged into a new category: Damage
Developer Comments: Since the line between Offense and Defense heroes has become increasingly blurred, we’ve decided to group all those heroes into a single new “Damage” category. We believe that the term more closely matches the role name used in Overwatch League and across most of our community.
Combat can now be heard 25% further away
Changed the name of the Varok spray to Saurfang
Added an Inspire Uptime Percentage statistic for Brigitte on the Career Profile
Removed some statistics for Symmetra on the Career Profile
Added a Scoped Critical Hit Accuracy statistic for Widowmaker on the Career Profile
[PC] Players must have Blizzard SMS Protect enabled on their account to be eligible for the Top 500
Career Profiles will no longer be public by default (now defaults to Friends Only). An option to make Career Profiles visible has been added under Options > Social > Profile Visibility
The Acknowledge and Interact buttons are now separate input bindings
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES
Symmetra can now be played in 1v1 duel game modes (e.g. 1v1 Limited Duel and 1v1 Mystery Duel)
HERO UPDATES
Doomfist
Meteor Strike
Bonus movement speed increased from 150% to 200%
The Best Defense…
Shield gain increased from 30 to 35 for normal abilities
Developer Comments: The increased movement speed on Meteor Strike gives Doomfist new options in how and where to deploy it. His passive is also being increased, allowing him to survive more often when diving into enemies.
McCree
Deadeye
Range increased from 70 meters to 200 meters
Developer Comments: While McCree’s Deadeye rarely came into play at 70 meters, we are increasing the range so it cannot be a limiting factor during normal gameplay.
Orisa
Supercharger
Ultimate cost reduced by 15%
Developer Comments: Supercharger wasn’t getting enough use, considering its impact. This change allows Orisa to use her ultimate more aggressively, knowing that she will be able to generate them more easily.
Symmetra
New Abilities
Photon Projector
No longer locks onto targets
Range increased to 10 meters
Damage ramping now takes 2 seconds per damage level instead of 1 second
Damage ramp increased from 30/60/120 to 60/120/180
Now generates ammo instead of spending it when hitting a barrier
Alternate Fire
No longer pierces targets
Now explodes on contact
Projectile speed increased
Charge up speed increased
Damage changed to 60 impact / 60 explosive
Sentry Turret
Turret is now placed like a projectile instead of being set in place
Can hold a max of 3, down from 6
Can now deploy a max 3, down from 6
Damage increased
Amount of slowing effect increased
Teleporter
Can now place the exit up to 25 meters away from Symmetra
Entrance will automatically be built in front of Symmetra, rather than at her team’s spawn point
Lasts 10 seconds
Health lowered to 300
More things can teleport through it (e.g. Junkrat’s RIP-Tire)
Entrance can be destroyed
If either the entrance or exit is destroyed, the other is removed
New Ultimate: Photon Barrier
Deploys a barrier that is big enough to span and cut through an entire map
Orientation can be changed by pressing the ultimate button again
Has 5000 health
Developer Comments: The goal of these changes is to move Symmetra to her new damage role and make her more flexible and viable across more areas of the game than she was previously. Now that Symmetra is no longer a support hero, she is expected to be able to dish out heavy damage, and these changes allow for her to do so. She should be more powerful and interesting in more team compositions and maps, and she should also be stronger on offense and defense.
MAP UPDATES
Horizon Lunar Colony
Point A
Added a staircase on the right when exiting the hydroponics room
Removed the door to the lower room on the right
Removed the small wall on the catwalk above Point A
Added some cover walls to the catwalk area
Moved the door next to the staircase that led to Winston’s room
The door is now on the side of the wall in the training pit
Moved the large health pack to the back of the room
Removed some clutter in the upper left computer room
Hydroponics Room
Switched the positions of the large and small health pack
Changed some of the hydroponic plant cover on the right side
Point B
Defender spawn room exits moved from the front to the sides out of direct line of fire
Small rooms added at spawn room exits
Additional cover added near the spawn room exits
Added a route and larger platform leading to the back right corner
Raised the platform to the same height as the attackers’ platform on the opposite side of the point
The location of the old defender exit is now an alcove with a small health pack
Both teams can still pass behind the point, but there is now a cut-through in the middle of the wall for better access.
The area above the window overlooking the point is now covered
A large platform with cover has been attached to the left side of the catwalk
The upper platform for the attackers has been reduced
The doorway leading to the platform is slightly smaller
Developer Comments: We’ve wanted to make some gameplay improvements to Horizon Lunar Colony for some time now.
The defenders’ spawn room had a problem with its main exit that allowed defenders to quickly duck back inside and regain health while attackers shot at them without doing damage. Since we were already reworking the entire back area, we decided to make some more changes addressing player feedback.
The idea behind the rework of Point A was to not only help the defenders a bit, but also provide some gameplay options aside from sitting on the point and trying to hold it for as long as possible. Easier access to high ground, as well as limiting the routes for attackers (or at least allowing for defenders to more easily spot the attackers), will allow more opportunity for counters and create a better gameplay experience.
We’ve made a lot of additions and changes to the art throughout the map for you to discover as well.
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that prevented loading screens from displaying the game mode
Heroes
Ana
Fixed a bug that prevented Ana’s Naptime achievement from being granted when interrupting Moira’s Coalescence
Fixed a bug that caused Ana’s Sleep Dart effect to persist on afflicted targets after changing heroes
Brigitte
Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat’s grenades to damage Brigitte when hitting her barrier
Fixed a bug that caused Brigitte’s Rocket Flail to clip into the ground during her Flail highlight intro on King’s Row
Fixed a bug that allowed Brigitte to proc Inspire when hitting gondola omnics with her Rocket Flail in Rialto
Fixed a bug that allowed Brigitte to proc Inspire by hitting the motorcycle in the Junkertown attacker spawn room
Fixed a bug that allowed Brigitte to use Shield Bash while affected by Steel Trap or Graviton Surge
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte’s Inspire passive from sometimes healing allies out of line of sight
Doomfist
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut animation from playing when used after hitting something with Rocket Punch
Fixed a bug that allowed Doomfist to use Seismic Slam and escape Graviton Surge when within range
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rocket Punch, Rising Uppercut, and Seismic Slam from not playing the appropriate sound effect if these abilities were disabled or on cooldown
Fixed a bug that prevented enemies struck by Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from taking additional collision damage when hitting Mei’s Cryo-freeze
Fixed a bug that caused Doomfist’s failed Seismic Slams to display the wrong UI information
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Meteor Strike cooldown UI from being hidden if he died during its activation
Fixed a bug that prevented the HUD messaging for Doomfist’s Meteor Strike to indicate that players can zoom their camera out
Fixed a bug that prevented Rocket Punch’s bonus damage from applying if the enemy used an evasive ability at the same time they hit a wall (e.g. Moira’s Fade, Tracer’s Blink, or Reaper’s Wraith Form)
Fixed an issue that prevented Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from impacting some walls
D.Va
Fixed a bug that caused D.Va’s mech to do a standing pose right before detonating
Fixed a bug prevented the South Korean flag decal from displaying when she was in her mech
Fixed a bug prevented projectiles from hitting D.Va if she stood behind her mech after it detonated
Hanzo
Fixed a bug that caused Hanzo’s Storm Bow projectiles to sometimes use the sound effect for Storm Arrow
Lucio
Fixed a bug that prevented Lúcio from using his Sonic Amplifier when waving hello
McCree
Fixed a bug that prevented McCree’s Flashbang from giving credit for environmental kills
Fixed a bug that caused McCree’s Deadeye targeting markers to persist if the target died while it was active
Mei
Fixed a bug that prevented Mei from receiving environmental kill credit if her targets were frozen
Fixed a bug that caused Mei’s projectiles to appear that they weren’t passing through friendly barriers
Mercy
Fixed a bug that prevented the cooldown on Mercy’s Guardian Angel from being refunded while Valkyrie was active
Moira
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s Biotic Grasp from damaging barriers
Fixed a bug that caused Moira’s Biotic Grasp’s beam to disappear when attaching to barriers from certain angles
Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving the Excuse Me achievement when successfully interrupting Moira’s Coalescence
Fixed a bug that allowed Moira’s Biotic Grasp to heal targets behind an enemy barrier
Orisa
Fixed a bug that prevented players from being awarded Orisa’s Halt State achievement
Fixed a bug that prevented Orisa’s Fusion Driver from closing if her Halt projectile was affected by Defense Matrix or Deflect immediately after it spawned
Pharah
Fixed a bug that prevented Pharah from being knocked back by her Concussive Blast in spawn rooms
Reaper
Fixed a bug with Reaper’s Shadow Step sound effect continuously playing while moving around on breakable terrain in Petra.
Reinhardt
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Rocket Hammer eliminations from receiving credit in the Kill Feed
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt’s Barrier Field from not playing the correct sound effect if it was affected by Sombra’s Hack
Fixed a bug that caused Reinhardt’s Barrier Field cooldown to cancel an active hammer swing when it became ready to use
Sombra
Fixed a bug that prevented Sombra’s Translocator from being destroyed when it was thrown off a level
Fixed a bug that prevented Sombra’s Hack from interrupting Symmetra’s Teleporter placement
Fixed a bug caused Sombra’s Hack to be interrupted by thin environment objects (e.g. lamp posts)
Symmetra
Fixed a bug that caused Symmetra’s Teleporter to self-destruct when it was placed
Fixed a bug that prevented players from escaping Zarya’s Graviton Surge with Symmetra’s Teleporter
Fixed a bug that allowed Symmetra’s Photon Projector to do higher damage when rapidly toggled on and off
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s Photon Barrier from blocking Reinhardt’s Earthshatter
Fixed a bug that allowed Symmetra’s Photon Projector to gain charge when used on breakable objects
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s Photon Barrier from being placed with the correct orientation if the player rapidly turned during its placement
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s Photon Barrier from being placed on moving platforms or payloads
Fixed a bug that allowed Symmetra’s Sentry Turrets to deploy at maximum range without sticking to a surface
Fixed a bug that prevented Torbjörn’s turret from being built on Symmetra’s Teleporter
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s secondary fire from consuming ammo when minimally charged
Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra’s Sentry Turrets from dealing the correct amount of damage and slow values
Fixed a bug that allowed Symmetra to place her turrets inside chests and vending machines
Tracer
Fixed a bug that caused Tracer’s Pulse Bomb to stick on the opposite side of barriers when thrown at a certain angle
Fixed a bug that caused Tracer’s animation to pause at the start of her Bomb Spin emote
Widowmaker
Fixed a bug that caused Widowmaker’s shooting animation to become stuck if she scoped while firing and then jumped
Fixed a bug with the grammar in the flavor text for Widowmaker’s Comtesse skin
Winston
Fixed a bug where placing Winston’s Barrier Projector while going a step upwards would cause it to fall through the floor
Maps
Rialto
Fixed a bug where heroes would move left and right on their own while standing in one of the speed boats in the canal
Fixed a bug where players were able to apply a spray on the surface of a body of water
May 7
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - May 7, 2018
GENERAL UPDATES
Player Warnings
Added notes to the player behavior warnings that account closure is now possible if poor behavior persists
Changed the term “Griefing” to “Gameplay Sabotage” in the player warning popup text
HERO UPDATES
Ana
Biotic Rifle
No longer impacts allies with full health
Ammo increased from 10 to 14
Developer Comments: These changes should help Ana when she is trying to land clutch heals in the middle of a big fight. Allies that do not need healing will no longer potentially block shots meant for allies that do, and increasing her magazine size makes it less likely to be forced into a reload in the middle of an important fight.
Brigitte
Rally
Maximum armor per player reduced from 150 to 100
Shield Bash
Cooldown increased from 5 to 6 seconds
Developer Comments: Brigitte’s ultimate is very powerful, especially when it is stacked up to its maximum on her whole team. This first change reduces the impact of a it being fully stacked without reducing its overall power in the middle of a battle. Her shield bash is a very strong ability on a fairly short cooldown, making it difficult for her opponents to play around. Increasing this cooldown allows for more counter play when playing against her.
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES
General
Added Infinite Ultimate Duration and Scalable Ultimate Duration options for Moira’s Coalescence
Free-for-All Deathmatch
Ana can now Nano Boost herself
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that prevented the “If found return to Road” text from displaying on Junkrat’s bracelet when his Beachrat skin was equipped
Deathmatch
Fixed a bug that caused Sombra to be revealed to all enemies if targeted by Hanzo’s Sonic Arrow or Widowmaker’s Infra-sight while stealthed
Heroes
Fixed a bug that caused Brigitte’s armor pack to heal the wrong target if it was used right when the cooldown ended
Fixed a bug that caused the reticle bloom to be full while Hanzo was using Storm Arrows
May 3
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - May 3, 2018
GENERAL UPDATES
Player Warnings
Added notes to the player behavior warnings that account closure is now possible if poor behavior persists
Changed the term “Griefing” to “Gameplay Sabotage” in the player warning popup text
Ana
Biotic Rifle
No longer impacts allies with full health
Brigitte
Rally
Maximum armor per player reduced from 150 to 100
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES
General
Mercy’s Regeneration (passive ability) can now be turned off in Custom Game settings
Settings for Hanzo’s Lunge and Storm Arrow abilities can now be found in the Custom Game settings
Free-for-All Deathmatch
Ana can now Nano Boost herself
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that prevented the “If found return to Road” text from displaying on Junkrat’s bracelet when his Beachrat skin was equipped
A.I.
Fixed a bug that prevented training bots from returning to their original position and behavior after being hit with an ability (e.g. Lúcio’s Soundwave)
Fixed a bug that caused bots to use the wrong route when tracking down the player if their target jumped off a ledge
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck on the siege tank in the StarCraft area of Blizzard World
Game Browser and Custom Game
Fixed a bug that caused custom game invites to persist on the invitee’s screen
Heroes
Fixed a bug that prevented Bastion’s Zwing Zwing Zwing voice line from playing if the Null Sector skin was equipped
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte from using abilities or Rocket Flail while her Repair Pack was in flight
Fixed a bug that prevented Genji’s melee attack from making sound effects
Fixed a bug that prevented Genji’s golden weapon variant from displaying its golden sheen when some skins were equipped
Fixed a bug that allowed Junkrat’s RIP-TIRE to be immune to the freeze effects of Mei’s Endothermic Blaster
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to move around while caught in Junkrat’s Steel Trap
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to travel straight up using Wall Ride
Fixed a bug that prevented crowd control abilities from affecting Resurrect (e.g. McCree’s Flashbang)
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s flask from displaying in her Erlenmeyer victory pose when an Overwatch League skin was equipped
Fixed a bug that caused Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns to float when previewing his Dance emote in Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the camera to not focus correctly when viewing Roadhog’s Mug Shot victory pose
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog’s Chain Hook to float during his Footsteps highlight intro
Fixed a bug that prevented the laser sight from Sombra’s Machine Pistol golden variant from tapering at its end if her Talon skin equipped
Fixed a bug that caused Widowaker’s HUD to disappear if she used Widow’s Kiss while looking through the scope
Fixed a bug that caused the logos on Symmetra’s Overwatch League skins to appear faded when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the logos on Torbjörn’s Overwatch League skins to appear faded when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Maps
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck walking into the side of the Rikimaru Ramen Shop on Hanamura
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place turrets in unintended locations on Horizon Lunar Colony
Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations in Horizon Lunar Colony
Fixed a bug that caused the pig head on the bike to float after the bike had been destroyed in Junkertown
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place turrets and Symmetra’s Teleporter in unintended locations in Junkertown
April 18
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - April 18, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
New Escort Map: Rialto
Rialto was home to Talon agent Antonio Bartalotti’s sprawling estate and the backdrop to the infamous “Venice Incident,” a turning point for Overwatch and Talon. The Italian government has taken great steps to preserve Venice, and the results are striking. Tourists visiting this picturesque town can sample the regional cuisine, enjoy a relaxing gondola ride, visit Galleria D’arte Omnica, or simply take in the sights with a stroll along the canal.
HERO UPDATES
Brigitte
Shield Bash
Cone angle reduced from 90 to 60
Developer Comments: When fighting against Brigitte, it often felt like Shield Bash was able to hit players who felt like they were out of its range and should have dodged it. On the flip side, when playing as Brigitte sometimes players would hit the wrong enemy in the middle of a fight. With the cone being reduced, the ability is more accurate to its visual representation.
Genji
Deflect
Hitbox size has been reduced
Developer Comments: The hitbox on Genji’s Deflect was big enough that it would sometimes reflect projectiles that were pretty far away from him. We’ve tightened up the hitbox, which should solve this problem while still fully protecting him from projectiles that would hit him from the front.
Hanzo
Storm Bow
Projectile speed increased from 85 to 100
Sonic Arrow
Cooldown decreased from 20 seconds to 12 seconds
Duration decreased from 10 seconds to 6 seconds
Radius decreased from 10 meters to 7 meters
New Abilities
Lunge
Press jump while in the air to leap horizontally
Storm Arrows
Replaces his existing Scatter Arrow ability
Hanzo can now rapidly fire up to 6 arrows that deal reduced damage but are always fired at full power
Developer Comments: The goal of these Hanzo changes is to allow him to have new options and maintain his high damage output, while removing the frustration of fighting against the old Scatter Arrow. Hanzo is now much more mobile with his new Lunge ability, and with the combination of the bow projectile speed increase and the new Storm Arrows ability he can now deal his high damage more consistently than ever before.
Junkrat
Frag Launcher
Projectile size decreased from 0.3 to 0.2
RIP-Tire
Tire movement speed decreased from 13 to 12
Developer Comments: These changes are aimed at lowering some of the most frustrating parts about playing against Junkrat. Decreasing the Frag Launcher’s projectile size means he will have to aim a bit more carefully to land powerful direct hits and slowing the RIP-Tire’s movement speed gives his opponents slightly more time to destroy it before it detonates.
Lúcio
Wall Ride
Wall riding is less likely to be interrupted along a single surface
Can now go around corners (both outside corners, and inside corners) without having to leave the wall
Can now land back on the same wall after leaping away, provided his leap takes him far enough away from the original jumping off point.
Movement speed bonus when leaping off walls decreased from 2.5 to 2.0 meters per second
Added a minimum time that they jump key must be held before Lúcio can ride around corners
Soundwave
No longer consumes ammo
Developer Comments: Wall Ride has been significantly overhauled to allow it to function more smoothly across more areas of every map. Lúcio players should instantly notice a huge improvement in where and how Wall Ride can be used. In addition, Sonic Amplifier’s Soundwave ability was unnecessarily controlled by both a cooldown and an ammo cost, so we’re removing the ammo cost.
Tracer
Pulse Bomb
Max damage decreased from 400 to 300
Developer Comments: Pulse Bomb was too good at killing tanks, who can be easy to stick due to their size. This damage reduction makes it less powerful as a tank-destroyer, while keeping it lethal against most other heroes.
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES
General
Mercy’s Regeneration (passive ability) can now be turned off in Custom Game settings
Settings for Hanzo’s Lunge and Storm Arrow abilities can now be found in the Custom Game settings
Added a No Limits Arcade mode
BUG FIXES
General
Fixed a bug that caused the option “Invite to a Custom Game” to appear while in the Tutorial and Practice Range
A.I.
Fixed a bug that prevented training bots from returning to their original position and behavior after being hit with an ability (e.g. Lúcio’s Soundwave)
Fixed a bug that caused bots to use the wrong route when tracking down the player if their target jumped off a ledge
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck on the siege tank in the StarCraft area of Blizzard World
Game Browser and Custom Game
Fixed a bug that caused custom game invites to persist on the invitee’s screen
Heroes
Fixed a bug that prevented Bastion’s Zwing Zwing Zwing voice line from playing if the Null Sector skin was equipped
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte from using abilities or Rocket Flail while her Repair Pack was in flight
Fixed a bug that prevented Genji’s melee attack from making sound effects
Fixed a bug that prevented Genji’s golden weapon variant from displaying its golden sheen when some skins were equipped
Fixed a bug that allowed Junkrat’s RIP-TIRE to be immune to the freeze effects of Mei’s Endothermic Blaster
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to move around while caught in Junkrat’s Steel Trap
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to travel straight up using Wall Ride
Fixed a bug that prevented crowd control abilities from affecting Resurrect (e.g. McCree’s Flashbang)
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s flask from displaying in her Erlenmeyer victory pose when an Overwatch League skin was equipped
Fixed a bug that caused Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns to float when previewing his Dance emote in Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the camera to not focus correctly when viewing Roadhog’s Mug Shot victory pose
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog’s Chain Hook to float during his Footsteps highlight intro
Fixed a bug that prevented the laser sight from Sombra’s Machine Pistol golden variant from tapering at its end if her Talon skin equipped
Fixed a bug that caused Widowaker’s HUD to disappear if she used Widow’s Kiss while looking through the scope
Fixed a bug that caused the logos on Symmetra’s Overwatch League skins to appear faded when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the logos on Torbjörn’s Overwatch League skins to appear faded when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Maps
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck walking into the side of the Rikimaru Ramen Shop on Hanamura
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place turrets in unintended locations on Horizon Lunar Colony
Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations in Horizon Lunar Colony
Fixed a bug that caused the pig head on the bike to float after the bike had been destroyed in Junkertown
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place turrets and Symmetra’s Teleporter in unintended locations in Junkertown
March 24
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - March 24, 2018
MAP UPDATES
Blizzard World
Moved the first payload checkpoint (Pylon Terrace) back 10 meters
Developer Comments: We moved the checkpoint back for two reasons. The original location swung the map’s balance too far in one direction (favoring the defenders). Also, once the payload reached the checkpoint, defenders returning from spawn could get pinned in this area, usually resulting in their death.
GENERAL UPDATES
General
Players can choose to “Avoid as Teammate” with a dropdown menu in the Career Profile
Developer Comments: The addition of the “Avoid as Teammate” option gives players the ability to craft their online gameplay experience. Up to two players can be selected with this feature. If you use the “Avoid as Teammate” option on a player, the matchmaker will no longer place you on a team with the avoided player for one week. To learn more about this feature, click here.
Report Menu
The “Poor Teamwork” dropdown menu option has been removed
The “Griefing” dropdown menu option has been renamed “Gameplay Sabotage”
Developer Comments: Due to player confusion about the most appropriate category to report players for poor or toxic gameplay, we are removing the Poor Teamwork option from the reporting system. Players should instead use the Gameplay Sabotage option when players actively harass or disrupt their own team with game mechanics or their actions. Players should not be reported simply for performing poorly, since everyone occasionally has a bad game.
Heroes
Sombra’s “Enemies Hacked” end-of-round card now also displays her offensive assists
Brigitte’s Golden Weapon variant will now also give her a golden shield
Changed Mercy’s Valkyrie voice line
UI
Simplified Hero Select tips for roles
HERO UPDATES
D.Va
Micro Missiles
Explosive damage reduced from 6 to 4
Developer Comments: D.Va’s burst potential is a bit too high, and her Micro Missiles are a major part of that. Currently each missile deals 3 impact damage and 6 explosive damage. We’re reducing explosive damage from 6 to 4 but leaving the impact damage the same, the net result being 22% damage reduction.
Mei
Endothermic Blaster
Now pierces through enemies
Developer Comments: This change helps Mei combat multiple targets that are clumped up and also makes it easier to keep her freezing a specific target if another enemy gets in the way. In addition, this change helps her ultimate more consistently be able to freeze more targets, especially if they are near each other. Note: While her shots now pierce enemies, they still do not pierce barriers such as Reinhardt’s shield.
Reaper
Death Blossom
Reloads Hellfire Shotguns after use
Wraith Form
Move speed bonus increased from 25% to 50%
You can now cancel the ability by pressing the Shift or Primary Fire hotkey
Developer Comments: These changes help Reaper use Wraith Form more consistently as an escape, but they also open up new options, such as chasing down key targets.
Moira
Biotic Grasp
Transparency increased the closer you are to a target
Coalescence
Now becomes more transparent the closer its visual effects are to a player’s camera
Fade
Transparency increased the closer you are to a target
Developer Comments: Due to issues with visibility, we have made most of Moira’s visual effects fade away the closer they are to the camera. We have also made modifications to Coalescence to greatly increase the ability for foes and allies alike to see through it when facing it.
Zenyatta
Orb of Destruction
Secondary fire rate of fire reduced by 15%
Developer Comments: Zenyatta is meant to be able to deal a lot of damage, especially for a support, but his alternate fire burst damage was a bit too high. This change keeps the overall damage the same but lowers the DPS slightly and makes it harder to hit multiple shots at very long ranges.
USER INTERFACE UPDATES
General
Heroes can now be selected by double-clicking the hero icon during Hero Select
Added leaderboard information to the competitive information screen. This can be accessed by right-clicking the menu on the competitive card
GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES UPDATES
General
Lockout Elimination cards in the Arcade are now just referred to as Elimination
BUG FIXES
Heroes
Fixed a bug that prevented Bastion from firing projectiles immediately after going into Tank configuration
Fixed a bug that prevented Bastion from being knocked back while transforming during Configuration: Tank
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte’s impact effects from playing when hitting the environment
Fixed a bug that caused Brigitte’s aim to be slightly offset after using Shield Bash
Fixed a bug that caused a player’s camera to jitter when spectating Doomfist during his Meteor Strike
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Meteor Strike from landing where it was telegraphed when standing close to a ledge
Fixed a bug that allowed Doomfist’s Meteor Strike to access unintended locations
Fixed a bug that caused Doomfist’s Meteor Strike to penetrate angled surfaces as he descended
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from impacting enemies because the hitbox size was slightly too small
Fixed a bug that prevented Junkrat from being knocked back while piloting his RIP-Tire
Fixed a bug that allowed Orisa’s Halt! to sometimes affect enemy targets behind walls
Fixed a bug that caused McCree’s Peacekeeper to grow substantially during the hero select screen when certain skins were equipped
Fixed a bug that allowed Moira’s Biotic Orb to pass through Mei’s Ice Wall
Fixed a bug that caused Tracer’s Recall to activate differently based on the player’s latency
February 28
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - February 28, 2018
PATCH HIGHLIGHTS
New Hero: Brigitte
An engineer with peerless armor-constructing abilities, Brigitte Lindholm is a valiant squire who fights on the front line to protect her allies.
Brigitte’s armor engineering capabilities make her a stalwart support hero, capable of holding her ground in combat while also providing healing and armor for her allies. Her primary weapon is her heavy-hitting Rocket Flail that she swings in a wide arc in front of her to smash multiple enemies at once. Whip Shot enables Brigitte to fling her flail forward, striking enemies at a distance and knocking them backward. With each blow, Brigitte’s passive ability, Inspire, heals nearby allies over time.
Brigitte’s Barrier Shield deploys a frontal energy barrier that can absorb a limited amount of damage and protect any allies directly behind her. Once her Barrier Shield is deployed, she can use Shield Bash to lunge forward and stun the first enemy in her path. Drawing on her engineering prowess, Brigitte can create Repair Packs to instantly heal wounded allies or provide armor to teammates at maximum health. When Brigitte is at her strongest, she can activate her ultimate ability, Rally—a galvanizing call to arms that generates a substantial amount of armor for nearby allies and increases Brigitte’s movement speed so she can lead them into battle.
To learn more about Brigitte, click here.
HERO UPDATES
Brigitte
Shield Bash
Added a small delay before her shield drops after a Shield Bash
Added a vertical speed cap after Shield Bash
Please note that we are still tuning this value
Rocket Flail
Canceling a melee swing renders you unable to melee again until it would have completed had it not been canceled
Rally
Ultimate cost increased by ~30%
Inspire
Decreased cooldown from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds
USER INTERFACE UPDATES
The Team Information Screen now displays the ultimate charge of your teammates
BUG FIXES
UI
Fixed a bug that prevented the “Restore Defaults” button from resetting all settings in the Social Options tab
Fixed a bug that caused players to delete characters at random in the “Save Highlight” text box if they held the delete button while their settings were below 60 FPS
Heroes
Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from traveling forward if he had been hit by an enemy Doomfist’s Rocket Uppercut
Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented players from aiming Doomfist’s Rocket Punch when facing an enemy
Fixed an issue that allowed players to jump over Doomfist’s Rocket Punch when on an incline
Fixed a bug that caused Doomfist’s Seismic Slam to cancel if he wasn’t able to get close to his target
Fixed a bug that caused Mercy’s health regeneration to occur instantly if she took damage while at full health
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s Biotic Orb from receiving kill credit if it expired at the same time it killed an enemy
Fixed a bug that prevented Reinhardt’s Charge from pinning enemies
February 14
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - February 14, 2018
HERO UPDATES
Doomfist
Hand Cannon
Ammo recovery rate increased from 0.8 seconds to 0.65 seconds per bullet
Developer Comments: This change will help Doomfist more consistently be able to use his weapon as part of his combos.
Mei
Endothermic Blaster
Freeze (slow) duratioDeveln increased from 1 second to 1.5 seconds
Weapon alternate fire ammo cost reduced from 25 to 20
Developer Comments: Increasing Mei’s slow duration helps her freeze targets that are particularly elusive such as Genji or Lúcio. Lowering her alternate fire ammo cost allows her to more safely use it without costing her the ability to freeze enemies.
Sombra
EMP
No longer blocked by small objects (e.g. sign posts)
Hack
No longer gains ultimate charge from health pack healing
Cast time reduced from 0.8 seconds to 0.65 seconds
Now disables the following abilities:
Genji—Cyber-agility
Hanzo—Wall Climb
Pharah—Hover Jets
Lúcio—Healing Boost and Speed Boost (turns off current song entirely), Wall Ride
Mercy—Angelic Descent
Machine Pistol
Machine Pistol spread reduced from 3 to 2.7
Opportunist
Enemy health bars are now visible when health drops below 100% (formerly 50%)
Her ability to detect enemies through walls at 50% or less remains unchanged
Translocator
Duration increased from 15 seconds to 20 seconds
Developer Comments: The goal of these changes for Sombra is to remove the necessity for her teammates to take damage and heal themselves with her hacked heath packs to try to get her ultimate charged up quickly. Her ultimate will now come up less often, but there are more abilities that are disabled by Hack so it is more effective when used.
Previously, Opportunist would only activate when an enemy’s health bar dipped below 50% but now the passive will reveal all damaged enemies in her line of sight which should help Sombra identify targets to pick off. Overall these changes should make her more effective and less reliant on her ultimate.
USER INTERFACE UPDATES
Mercy
Valkyrie
No longer shows enemies’ health bars unless they have taken damage
Developer Comments: This helps remove some clutter from Mercy players’ screens when they use her ultimate.
January 4
Overwatch PTR Patch Notes - January 4, 2018
HERO UPDATES
Junkrat
Concussion Mine
Will now deal less damage to targets farther away from the explosion’s center
Developer Comments: Junkrat has been enjoying the flexibility his double-charge Concussion Mine provides, but it has now become a bit too easy to throw out huge bursts damage in a large area. With this change he can still dish out similar damage but he must now be more accurate with his tosses.
Mercy
Valkyrie
No longer makes Resurrect instant
No longer grants a bonus charge of Resurrect
The speed boost that Guardian Angel receives has been decreased by 50%
Duration reduced from 20 seconds to 15 seconds
Developer Comments: Mercy’s recent Resurrect changes have helped in allowing enemies to have more counter play in dealing with her, but she was able to use Resurrect through Valkyrie enough to largely mitigate the impact of the previous changes. Additionally, we’re toning back the amount of mobility Valkyrie provides through Guardian Angel and reducing its duration to overall reduce the power of this ability.
