Overwatch patch nerfs must-pick heroes

Blizzard’s first-person shooter released their new retail patch notes that are looking to end the current Overwatch meta as fans know it. The new hero updates allow players to stray away from the 100 percent pick rate heroes that dominated Overwatch and their competitive ladder the past two ranked seasons. As players theory-craft and discover viable options for the new meta, the community received what they ask for; the fall of the combo of Orisa and Sigma.

These hero changes focus on balancing 100 percent pick rate heroes like Hanzo, Reaper, Orisa, Sigma, and Baptiste. With these updates, the community is hoping for a meta change and less likelihood of seeing the same lineup every game.

Updates

Screenshot from Overwatch | Activision Blizzard.

Hanzo’s Storm Arrows had its damage reduced from 70 to 60, giving him less overall damage and less shield break.

McCree’s ultimate Deadeye no longer locks the player’s aim. Players can now change their viewing perspective, even when using his ultimate.

Reaper saw nerfs to his passive The Reaping with the healing reduced from 40 to 30 percent of the damage dealt. This means he can no longer run into the enemy backline and wreak havoc care-free.

But the biggest change in this update is to Orisa and her primary fire damage being reduced from 11 to 10. Her Fortify had its cooldown increased from 8 to 10 seconds, so players need to take advantage of her ability to the fullest potential. Orisa’s Halt! had its duration reduced from 1 to 0.65 seconds. Now, players will no longer get halted into other ultimate combos every game.

Sigma’s ultimate Gravitic Flux received a big nerf impacting his viability. Gravitic Flux will be interrupted if Sigma is crowd controlled before targets begin to fall. The impact of slow duration saw a reduction from 0.9 to 0.6 seconds. The changes to his ultimate allow for a more balanced ability where counterplay is viable in stopping the team form being locked. Sigma’s Accretion’s explosion damage went down from 60 to 40.

The final Overwatch update changes Baptiste and his primary fire, Increasing the recovery time from 0.35 to 0.45 seconds and reducing secondary fire explosion from 60 to 50. This balances out his healing and damage output potential.

The current Overwatch patch only hit the PTR on January 23, five days before the changes went live. With these buffs and nerfs, Blizzard gives the community and players a chance to discover a new meta and find which heroes are viable. The meta will finally shift away from the standard double shield tanks and shield break. Overwatch League starts in two weeks. The community will be able to see what top players pull out of their pockets with these new hero changes.

Written by Danny Nguyen