New patch brings changes to Mercy, Reaper, and more

A new Overwatch patch is now live across all platforms. Patch 1.30 includes a vast array of hero updates, including four hero buffs and a brand new hero.

There are also some minor changes to the pre-game timers, which have been reduced from 1 minute to 45 seconds for the first round of a match.

Ashe has been introduced to the live server just one week after she was officially announced at BlizzCon, and has spent the shortest time on the PTR out of any of the added heroes. She is the 16th hero to join the DPS category, and can deal quick bursts of high damage and disrupt enemy formations.

Patch 1.30 also brings a number of hero buffs in an effort to better balance the affected heroes and bring them in line with the strength of the remaining roster. Mercy, Roadhog, Reaper, and Symmetra have all received updates to boost their results.

Mercy’s Valkyrie ultimate will now charge faster, as her ultimate cost has been reduced by 15%. The strength of her chain healing while in Valkyrie has also been buffed, and will now do 60 points of healing per second instead of 50.

Symmetra’s primary fire now charges 20% faster so that players can utilise her weapon with greater ease.

Reaper’s primary fire has been given a reduction in its spread randomisation by 50%. His passive ability also has increased life steal and restores 30% of the damage Reaper deals as health instead of the previous 20. Both adjustments are meant to better enable Reaper to effectively finish fights at close range.

Roadhog received the most changes, both strengthening his abilities and making them more reliable. Chain Hook has been slightly reworked so that enemy heroes are easier to catch, and the cooldown starts earlier without relying on how far away the target is. Both his ultimate and weapon fire have had adjustments to their fire spreads, allowing him to deal damage more consistently.