Overwatch Experimental Patch Notes – July 29, 2021
A new patch is now live on PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch. Read below to learn more about the latest changes.
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For a list of known issues, visit our Bug Report forum.
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EXPERIMENTAL HERO UPDATES
We’re using the 2-2-2 Role Queue ruleset so that you can get a feel for how these balance changes might affect the live game.
HERO UPDATES (ONLY IN EXPERIMENTAL)
Doomfist
Meteor Strike
- Now speeds up the cooldown rate of his abilities by 100% while in the air
Developer Comments: The accelerated cooldown times will enable more fluidity with setting up Doomfist’s combos when using the Meteor Strike ultimate.
Genji
Shuriken
- Damage increased from 28 to 29
Dragonblade
- Damage reduced from 120 to 110
Developer Comments: The Shuriken damage increase doesn’t sound like a lot but it crosses a threshold or “breakpoint” against some enemy targets, enabling them to be eliminated with one less attack landed. To help balance out this increased power for his primary weapon we’re reducing the damage of the Dragonblade ultimate, which is also a breakpoint against some targets when being damage boosted.
Moira
Biotic Grasp
- Self-healing increased from 20 to 24 health per second
Developer Comments: Moira has recently been underperforming a little bit. This increase to her self-healing with Biotic Grasp will help improve her survivability while in range to recharge her healing resources.
Roadhog
General
- Now passively grants 25% less ultimate charge
Developer Comments: Roadhog tanks for his allies by being a large and threatening target with high durability which draws a lot of fire from the enemy team. We’re reducing the amount of ultimate charge he provides to better enable him in this role without as much of a downside for his own team.
Soldier: 76
Heavy Pulse Rifle
- Damage increased from 19 to 20
Biotic Field
- Healing reduced from 40 to 35 health per second
Developer Comments: The damage-per-shot for the Heavy Pulse Rifle has been adjusted several times now as it’s an important tuning breakpoint for Soldier: 76. It was last reduced when his weapon spread was replaced by recoil to help account for the increased accuracy potential, though with the recent reductions to his damage falloff at long range, it’s reasonable to increase his damage output once again while pulling some power out of his area-of-effect healing utility.
Wrecking Ball
Grappling Claw
- Now begins on cooldown after respawning
Adaptive Shield
- Cast time reduced from 0.2 seconds to 0 seconds
- Duration increased from 7 to 9 seconds
Minefield
- Proximity mines no longer stick to walls
Developer Comments: Wrecking Ball is the fastest hero in the game which works well for his disruptive playstyle. However, to help reduce his contribution to objective stalling, his Grappling Claw ability will now start on cooldown upon respawning. Proximity mines will no longer attach to walls as it resulted in accidental bunched up placements, out of range from most enemy targets, more often than any intentional clever uses.