So in the dev update last week Jeff mentioned some changes to pharah i dont remember exactly what he said but he said something about making the hero more skill based and I havent seen anyone really talked about that or her changes on the PTR? So can anyone please tell me what Jeff was saying and if there are any changes to her on the PTR? When can we expect this update that is on the PTR to get to the live game? Thanks 
This is a thread about it.
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She does more damage for a direct shot, in return for less damage from splash.
Her Concussive Blast also has lower cooldown, and boops her farther.
She doesnāt do more damage from a direct, itās still just 120. They just changed the numbers so splash damage does even less, so landing directs is technically more rewarding than it used to be, only because they decreased splash even further.
I donāt think concussive actually boops her farther.
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Ah yes, the āproā has spokenā¦
In other words, as Blizz said, sheās more of a skill pick, so the āproā is correct, it is a nerfā¦ you will have to work harder with her than before because she was too easy. In the hands of people with good skills she will be more effectiveā¦ in the right hands, pros included, she will likely get just as much if not more ult charge by people who didnāt depend upon splash as muchā¦ only lower ranks will see the real impact.
They didnāt make her boop farther, no. But the direct damage is increased. According to the patch notes. Mixed up her launcher doing less knockback with her being knocked back more. My bad.
It does 80 -> 65 splash damage and 40 -> 55 direct hit damage (still 120 if you get a direct hit. It just does less splash damage if you donāt), and it fires .15 seconds faster (big buff). She also got her blast cooldown reduced by 3 seconds and it boops more.
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Oh ok. I see how that works now. I didnāt realize BOTH splash and direct damage factored into a direct hit. I assumed they were calculated separately.
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Yeah its amazing how people are glossing the most impacting thing, the speed of her rockets fire increaseā¦ that is very substantial and means in the hands of people with good aim, she will charge as quick. Itās only a nerf for a āproā but barely, and it means its good for the rest of the playerbase so who cares what the āproā thinksā¦
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Fareeha, one of the top Pharah players, said it was a buff to flanker Pharahs, and a nerf to spam Pharahs.
Less splash damage means you canāt just spam in chokes from a range and get kills. You need to be able to get close enough to reliably aim and land your shots to be effective.
However, the faster rate of fire means you deal 20% more damage, shred barriers 20% faster, and gain your ult charge 20% faster, IF youāre good enough with her.
And the concussive blast change means she is more mobile and less healer dependant. Not to say sheās not still very healer dependant.
Imao these arenāt nerfs or buffs. In close quarters Pharah can now kill Mccree faster than he can kill her if he lands only [Edited by Blizzard]. Valkia is a pioneer of the flanker/dive bomber Pharah playstyle, so I wouldnāt undervalue his opinion especially since Pharah gets way harder as you climb, but I didnāt see a major difference on PTR. I think itās a net neutral. No real change. If they buffed directs by say 10-15 damage to make up for splash reduction I think itād be more clearly a net neutral but as it stands cbās lower cooldown will help a lot.
Forum Mod Edit: This post has been edited by a moderator due to masked language as it is in violation of the Code of Conduct.
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Yes - I saw that as well, pros used to the long range stand-off, and many streamers, will see it as a nerf, but for those who fight closer in with more accuracy itās a buff, so play styles will have to change, and we know how hard that isā¦
B-s meaning bodyshot.
Really?
Rate of fire is moot. You have to direct hit more, so you line up your shots better. That takes time. In PTR I still fire at the same speed. If you go faster, you get sloppy.
The only time the increased rate matters is when spamming shields.
It matters when you get better with aimingā¦
I disagree with her. Close up shots, yeah, you could hold LMB and go to town. Medium to long shots need aiming, timing, and prediction. Pharah has so much going on already with where she and everybody else is in 3D space, her movement and positioning ā Iām wondering if human awareness can do all those calculationsā¦ faster and not have something fall through.
I tend to disagree. Itās not hitscan. She rarely stands still when making shots.
If the interval of enemy player movement is slower than your rate of fire (ie. predicting movement) + distance/time for your projectile to travel to target, you may never be able to aim as fast as your rate of fire.
Close up I can see it working.
And thatās part of the change - you either get in close if you canāt aim, meaning you are easier to hit, or you learn to aim better. The changes simultaneously raised her skill floor and ceiling, but more her floor.
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but at a higher level of play no one is just holding down fire, and just counting on the rate of fire to secure kills. Thatās just straight scrub pharah play. So the rate of fire isnāt going to act like as much of a boost for players who already have decent aim.
Itās going to be interesting to see how this all plays out once it hits the live server as opinions about the change are so all over the place. Pharah mobility is getting a large boost but your average player is pure trash with all of that stuff anyways. As most canāt even hover correctly, never mind use abilities to move around.
I personally like the change as she just feels better to play. I also think itās going to have the desired effect blizzard is looking for in game. Punishes splash pharah players at lower SR and console without totally gimping a better pharah on PC, but just have to wait to see how it plays out.
You disagree with her results? She was saying that she WAS getting these 20% increases in her stats when playing new Pharah, not just as theoretical predictions but as firsthand experience.
Granted, it was on ptr so I doubt the live results will be anywhere as dratic as this, but nonetheless, even a 10% stat buff actoss the board is no small matter.
And Iām not sure I fully understand your point on how this will make Pharah impossibly hard to play as, as she was already one of the easier and slower dps to play.