writing to report a potential issue or undocumented change concerning Hanzo’s primary fire projectile mechanics in Overwatch 2.
According to the official Overwatch 1 Retail Patch Notes dated January 16, 2020, the last documented change to Hanzo’s Storm Bow (Primary Fire) was a reduction in its maximum projectile speed from 125 m/s to 110 m/s. The developer comment at the time stated this was intended to “reduce his sniping capability while still keeping him strong at mid-range.” This 110 m/s value is the last known official state for this mechanic from Overwatch 1.
However, since transitioning to Overwatch 2, I (and potentially other players) have perceived a noticeable difference in Hanzo’s projectile behavior. Specifically, the maximum projectile speed feels significantly lower than the documented 110 m/s. Furthermore, the projectile trajectory seems to exhibit a more pronounced drop (suggesting a potential change in projectile gravity or interaction with speed) than what would be expected based on the final OW1 state after the aforementioned patch.
Crucially, I have carefully reviewed the available Overwatch 2 patch notes released since its launch and have found no mention of any further adjustments made to Hanzo’s maximum projectile speed or projectile gravity.
This discrepancy leads me to believe one of two possibilities:
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Undocumented Change: Hanzo’s projectile speed and/or gravity was intentionally altered during the development or launch of Overwatch 2, but this change was omitted from the official patch notes.
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Bug: There is an unintended bug affecting Hanzo’s Storm Bow, causing its projectiles to travel slower and/or drop more rapidly than intended (presumably 110 m/s with corresponding gravity).
Regardless of the cause, this perceived difference significantly impacts the gameplay experience for Hanzo players. It affects aiming consistency, muscle memory developed around the expected 110 m/s speed, and his overall effectiveness, particularly at the mid-to-long ranges the 2020 change aimed to balance.
Could you please investigate whether Hanzo’s current projectile speed and trajectory in Overwatch 2 align with the intended design, which based on the last documented change should be 110 m/s maximum speed?
If a change was indeed made intentionally, providing clarification and documenting it in future patch notes or developer blogs would be greatly appreciated by the community. If this discrepancy is confirmed to be a bug, I hope it can be addressed in an upcoming patch.
Thank you for your time and consideration, and for your continued work on Overwatch 2.