Overwatch 2 is just as fun as we hoped it would be. With tons of new characters, new maps, and a single-player campaign on the way, there are hours of fun to be had playing Overwatch 2. Naturally, for a live-service game competitive game like Overwatch 2, regular updates are required to keep things running smoothly. Whether it be fixing persistent bugs in the game's code or nerfing an overpowered character, consistent hotfixes are welcomed.
This article will cover all the latest Overwatch 2 patch notes information, including balance adjustments, new characters, and more!
Latest Overwatch 2 Patch Notes News
November 15, 2022 - Mid-Season Cycle Patch Delayed
Blizzard announced on their official forum that the Mid-Season Cycle Patch would be delayed to resolve a critical issue. This left the character Mei unplayable. This forum post was later updated to confirm that the planned release of this mid-season patch will be moved to Thursday, November 17, at 11 am PST.
28 October, 2022 - Hero Balance Dev Update
These are the full upcoming Patch Notes for the Mid-Season Cycle.
Sombra
- Hack ability lockout duration reduced from 1.75 to 1.5 seconds
- Hacked enemies are no longer valid targets for hacking for the duration of the effect
- Hacked damage multiplier reduced from 40 to 25%
Dev Comment: With Sombra’s rework, she gained a lot more damage to help account for the reduced ability lockout duration of Hack. This has proven to be too deadly for a flanker with easy access to the enemy backlines, and we’ve similarly had to address the damage output of heroes like Tracer, Reaper, and now, Genji, in the 5v5 format.
She can also no longer channel hack on an already hacked target as feedback indicated the reduced cooldown combined with hacking from stealth proved to be too frustrating for many players. This is essentially a per-target cooldown that enables Hack to keep its current 4 second cooldown for potentially hacking multiple targets.
Genji
- Maximum ammo reduced from 30 to 24
- Shuriken damage reduced from 29 to 27
Dev Comment: Genji is a Hero that has greatly benefited from the move to 5v5. Changing to a single Tank and the reduction of crowd control has meant Genji has had less obstacles in his way, however he hasn’t received tuning updates since he wasn’t actively in the meta until launch (something also informed by our general preference to avoid preemptive adjustments when possible). We also saw that, in early beta tests, other flanking Heroes such as Tracer and Reaper were also significantly more effective in OW2. These changes will bring Genji more in line with the other flanking damage heroes.
Zarya
- Barrier duration reduced from 2.5 to 2 seconds
- Barrier cooldown increased from 10 to 11 seconds
Dev Comment: Early player sentiment predicted Zarya as one of the weakest solo tanks in 5v5 though her high damage potential and barrier uptime have proven to be extremely effective. For opponents, feedback has indicated this can feel as though Zarya has very limited windows of vulnerability, which feels difficult to deal with when combined with her ramping damage potential.
These changes will reduce the barrier uptime, making it slightly more difficult for her to gain energy and will provide enemies with more time to deal damage to her.
D.va
- Fusion Cannon spread increased from 3.5 to 3.75
- Boosters impact damage reduced from 25 to 15
Dev Comment: D.va ended up feeling too deadly after the last round of changes given how resilient she can be with the improved Defense Matrix. Both our stats and high-level player feedback regarded her as not effective enough before that compared with other tanks, so this is a partial revert to establish some middle ground there.
Kiriko
- Swift Step invulnerability duration reduced from 0.4 to 0.25 seconds
Dev Comment: This invulnerability window is primarily intended to help avoid instantly dying to something unseen after teleporting through walls, but it ended up being a little too long and led to some confusion when shooting at Kiriko
When Is the Next Overwatch 2 Patch?
The next Overwatch 2 Patch is planned for November 17, 2022. Overwatch 2 patches usually come with the arrival of new events or content. Additionally, characters will receive periodical balance adjustments to either buff or nerf their abilities, depending on their overall performance in games.
Overwatch 2 will also receive immediate hotfixes for game-breaking issues or bugs. Considering Overwatch 2's infancy at the moment, there is no real basis on which we can predict when the next Overwatch 2 patch will arrive. The original Overwatch game received a patch update every 1-2 weeks, so we can expect Overwatch 2 to follow a similar schedule. You can check out the official Overwatch 2 Patch Notes on Blizzard's website.
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Featured image courtesy of Blizzard.
