In the latest midseason patch for Overwatch 2’s Season 9, significant adjustments have been made to rebalance the game, particularly focusing on tanks and damage heroes. Here’s a rundown of the key changes introduced in the March 12 update:
Projectile Size Reduction
- Projectiles with a speed greater than 50 meters per second will now have their size reduced from 0.1 to 0.075 meters. This adjustment aims to address the issue of projectiles frequently failing to headshot due to hitting the enemy’s chest hit volume first.
OVERWATCH 2 SEASON 9 NEW HERO BALANCE UPDATE NOTES – MARCH 12, 2024 ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/lYSig5QXAe
— Naeri X 나에리 (@OverwatchNaeri) March 12, 2024
Tank Buffs
Tank heroes have received several buffs to improve their viability and overall gameplay experience:
- Reinhardt: Increased armor and damage for Fire Strike (from 100 to 120).
- Ramattra: Buffs to Ravenous Vortex damage and a decrease in its cooldown.
- Mauga: Increased stomp damage for Overrun and changes to Cardiac Overdrive.
- Doomfist: Minimum damage for Meteor Strike ultimate has been increased.
DPS Hero Adjustments
While some DPS heroes have received slight buffs, the overall impact on damage heroes is a slight nerf to their damage passive:
- Hanzo: Projectile size increase to compensate for the global decrease.
- Mei: Increased ammo count and heal per second on Cryofreeze.
- Reaper: Decrease in ultimate cost and increase in its damage per second.
Damage Passive Nerf
The damage passive has been slightly nerfed, reducing healing by 15 percent compared to the previous 20 percent at the start of Season 9. This adjustment aims to alleviate pressure on tank and support roles while still maintaining noticeable healing reduction during combat.
Support Hero Buffs
Several support heroes have also received minor buffs to enhance their effectiveness:
- Brigitte: Cooldown reduction for Repair Pack and cost reduction for Rally.
- Illari: Reduction in primary fire recovery time.
- Lifeweaver: Maximum heal amount increased by 10.
Overwatch 2 Changes Aim to Balance Tank Roles and Enhance Gameplay Experience
With these changes, Blizzard aims to address player feedback regarding the frustration of playing tanks and to promote a more balanced gameplay experience across all roles.
Stay tuned for further updates as Blizzard continues to monitor the impact of these adjustments on the Overwatch 2 meta.