Rebekah D. July 19, 2019
A number of upcoming hero changes are now being tested on the Overwatch PTR server.
The changes have been implemented to compliment the 2-2-2 role queue system that is due to hit live servers with patch 1.39.
A total of 10 heroes have been adjusted in preparation for the new matchmaking system that will be introduced to Overwatch in the next month.
Due to Brigitte’s dual nature as both a tank and support hero, developers at Blizzard have stated that they wish to “solidify her as a support hero.” Her passive healing ability, Inspire, can now heal up to 130 points instead of 100. In exchange, Inspire no longer enables self-healing as effectively. Her shield health has also been reduced to 200, down from 500.
The next biggest change to her kit is to her armor packs. The ability now has three charges that can store before the cooldown begins, enabling her to throw multiple bursts of health to her allies. To prevent the ability from being overpowered, healing from each pack is now granted over two seconds, and each pack individually heals for less.
Reinhardt has been given an additional ability called Steadfast. Theis a passive ability that reduces the knockback Reinhart receives, enabling him to more effectively assist with crowd control.
Tracer, Wrecking Ball, Doomfist, Moira, and Ashe have all received minor buffs as well. Tracer’s ultimate will now do 350 damage instead of 300, and Wrecking Ball’s ultimate Minefield will now have a higher spread for each mine. Doomfist will be able to melee without interrupting his reload, while Moira can use fade to escape stuns. Ashe’s reload time has been reduced.
Symmetra has received a number of buffs to her teleporter functionality.
Orisa, Hanzo, and Sombra are the only heroes to be nerfed without any offsetting compensation. Orisa’s cooldown on her shield has been increased to enable the enemy team to make use of destroying the shield more effectively. Sombra’s hacking will take longer to execute and will debilitate heroes for less time. Hanzo’s Storm Arrow has been reduced by one shot to lessen the overall damage.
As the patch is only on the PTR server, it’s currently unavailable to console users. All changes made to heroes are for testing purposes and are subject to further revision before going live.