Overwatch Patch Nerfs Genji, Buffs Mei & Mercy
By Derek Nichols 30 August 2016
In an post on the Overwatch blog, Blizzard reveals upcoming patch notes which not only bring changes to competitive play, but also introduces a number of character changes.
It’s been a busy few months for Overwatch as the shooter has seen a new character, new summer games event, and season one of its competitive mode all arrive over the past couple of months. As season one of ranked play comes to a close after today, Blizzard is currently hard at work on a brand new patch which aims to finally balance out its character roster and introduce a number of changes to the seasonal competitive mode.
For many, the biggest aspects of this update are the numerous changes Blizzard is instituting for season two of Overwatch ranked play. New to the mode are skill tiers which will now be prominently displayed as it will ultimately replace specific player rating. Sudden death is also going away completely in season two, and should the match end in a tie, it will count as a draw. The point system and penalty for leaving a match have also been adjusted as well.
Blizzard has also applied some updates with the aim to better balanced the main roster in this update as well. As previously promised, certain characters like Zenyatta and Genji have been nerfed a bit. The swift ninja Genji was proving to be difficult for players to pin down, so Blizzard has made the character unable to damage Widowmaker’s venom trap, or Junkrat’s steel trap. In addition, the character’s ultimate Dragonblade ability duration has been reduced from 8 to 6 seconds. Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord has also seen it’s damage amplifier decreased to 30% though his Orb of Destruction ability has increased the damage output slightly.
It’s not all bad news however as a number of characters have been buffed as well, including Mercy and Mei. To better standout from other healing characters like Lucio or Ana, Mercy’s healing ability has been increased by 20% and resurrected allies can now get back to fighting quicker as the animation timer has been slightly reduced. Mei, on the other hand, has seen her ultimate ability boosted with a wider radius and can now pierce barriers more effectively.
With a recently revealed new map arriving in the near future, along with the possibility of the addition of the mysterious character Sombra, it’s clear that Blizzard is making sure to keep Overwatch evolving with new content and keeping the player base happy. In the meantime, players who want to get a feel for these new changes can hop over to the Public Test Region on the PC version of Overwatch. The complete list of changes within this update can be found here.
What do you think of the many changes that this new patch is bringing to the table? Let us know what you’re thinking in the comments.
Overwatch is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
Source: Overwatch Blog
