Armor and tanks nerfed in latest Overwatch patch

A new patch has been introduced to live servers, bringing a few balance changes to heroes just in time for the start of Overwatch League Season 2.

Patch 1.32.1 will be used for Stage 1 of the Overwatch League, with commissioner Nate

Nanzer announcing that the patch used by the professional players will be in line with versions at home.

The biggest change in the patch affects multiple heroes, as it makes adjustments to the armor mechanic. Previously, armor worked by reducing five points of damage per shot from any given hero. With the new changes, this has now been reduced to three points of damager per shot. While the change may not immediately seem significant, heroes with a rapid rate of fire will the see effects stack up against enemies with large armor bonuses.

Brigitte has received another nerf to her kit, with the duration of her ultimate being capped at 30 seconds. This prevents bonus armor from staying on allies between separate uses of her ultimate.

D.Va’s Defense Matrix has been updated with a longer cooldown period between uses. While previously at one second, the ability now takes 2 seconds to become available for use again. Defense Matrix is a particularly strong ability as it can absorb all projectiles while active. The changes will make it easier for her enemies to break through D.Va’s defenses..

The final balance change buffs DPS hero Reaper. His passive ability The Reapening steals life from his targets, and will now restore 50% of all damage dealt as health. This is up from 30%, and should allow Reaper to be more effective against tank heroes with their large health pools.

The update also activated the Lunar New Year event, which brought a host of new cosmetics to the loot pool. The event runs from January 24 to February 19.