AnotherOverwatchPTR patch was just released, which means Blizzard has implemented adjustments to some of its heroes. While the latest patch doesn’t do anything game-changing, it doles out more nerfs than buffs this time around.
Whenever a new patch comes to theOverwatchPTR, players are quick to see if their favorite heroes are going under the knife, so to speak. Sometimes heroes come out significantly different than before, and often those changes make their way to the live game, such as the game’s latestpatch that nerfed Hanzo and Reaper. This time in the PTR, there are tweaks being applied to Widowmaker, Brigette, Wrecking Ball, and Symmetra.
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The PTR patch is very hero heavy, with only one bug fix for the game that deals with sound occlusion, which should fixthe current audio issuesthat have players reasonably upset. Outside of that, there are three nerfs and one buff for heroes. Players can now take back control faster after a Piledriver from Wrecking Ball, which originally had them helpless in the air for a full second, making the ability slightly less impactful (no pun intended). The time it takes for Widowmaker to fully charge her rifle for a more deadly shot has been increased.
Brigette received adjustments to her Repair Pack ability, with the armor over-heal reduced and the HPS decreased. Symmetra, on the other hand, received the only buff, with her Photon Projector having its damage increased by a decent amount.
Widowmaker
Widow’s Kiss
Hero changes are standard forOverwatch, but there is a more significant one being implemented in the near future. Not long ago, a reliable source suggested thathero bans were coming to the game. This is something that already exists in games likeLeague of LegendsandDota 2, and it allows teams to vote to remove a character from a match. The character they choose may be deemed too overpowered or unpopular.
It turns out, the rumor was true, and in late January Blizzard announced it is moving forward with anew feature called Hero Pools. This system will temporarily ban certain heroes week-to-week, making them unavailable to play. Hero Pools will be limited to competitive matches and will be available for the first time during the twenty-first competitive season, which will hit live servers on March 5. It is currently being tested in the game’s PTR.
When discussing what else could use a sprucing up onOverwatch, there are a lot of players in agreement:the Role Queue System needs a change. The current 2-2-2 set-up is a step in the right direction, but it has caused some problems, mainly in the realm of wait times. Anyone who wants to play DPS will have to queue significantly longer than those wanting to play a tank or support. When playing with friends of different ranks, the wait times are even worse. Blizzard has acknowledged the system isn’t working flawlessly but hasn’t begun testing any changes yet.
Overwatchis out now for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
