A huge new Overwatch patch just went live on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch bringing in many changes to the game’s hitscan heroes while nerfing D.Va.
The biggest change this patch is that most heroes with a hitscan weapon are seeing their damage falloff distance range changed from 50% to 30% which should drastically weaken them.
While the devs note that this change will be difficult to notice, expect to see a lot less damage coming in when dueling hitscan players at a distance and expect to see less ultimate charge generated as a result.
Ashe, Bastion, McCree, Baptiste, Soldier, Widowmaker, and Wrecking Ball are all getting this nerf, which should make aerial heroes such as Echo and Pharah a bit stronger. This said, there are some compensations to consider.
Soldier 76 is getting a big damage falloff buff in the form of his ultimate no longer having damage falloff, adding some much-needed benefit to it outside of the auto aim.
Bastion is also seeing a buff with his weapon spread in Recon mode being reduced. According to the devs, this should make him far more impactful in this form instead of just relying on Sentry.
D.Va is also getting her extremely deadly Call Mech buff nerfed. Now, the area of effect is being changed from 3 meters to 2.5, so D.Va is going to need to be a lot closer to enemies to confirm frags.
Additionally, she will no longer build Call Mech ultimate charge while using Self-Destruct. This change seems to be more for Echo, as she was getting a huge benefit from Duplicating D.Va and then being able to use Call Mech while Self-Destruct was active.
This is still an Experimental patch, so it’s possible that not all these changes go to live, but given how so many of the Experimental buffs and nerfs do, expect most of these updates to affect the live server soon.
Full patch notes:
EXPERIMENTAL HERO UPDATES
The next experiment begins! This time we’re hoping to get your feedback on some balance changes. 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)
General
- Hitscan damage now scales to 30% at maximum falloff range, down from 50% for the following heroes:
- Ashe
- Baptiste
- Bastion
- McCree
- Soldier: 76
- Widowmaker
- Wrecking Ball
Developer Comments: This change may be difficult to notice immediately as it scales damage over a range slightly more than before, but it will lower the impact of hitscan damage outside of their intended optimal ranges.
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Bastion
Configuration: Recon
- Weapon spread reduced from 1.5 to 1.2
Developer Comments: We’re making Bastion’s Configuration: Recon weapon more reliable to help strengthen his run-and-gun gameplay when moving between spots he wants to post up with Configuration: Sentry.
D.Va
Call Mech
- Damage area reduced from 3 to 2.5 meters
- No longer builds ultimate charge while using Self Destruct until after her mech detonates
Developer Comments: No longer building ultimate charge in the window of time between using Self Destruct and when it detonates is targeted at Echo’s Duplicate ability when copying D.Va. Echo’s accelerated ultimate charge enabled her to have Call Mech available before the Self Destruct explosion went off, making it very difficult for enemies to find a safe place to hide.
Soldier: 76
Heavy Pulse Rifle
- Damage falloff is disabled while Tactical Visor is active
Developer Comments: This will make Tactical Visor effective for more than just the aim assist, which slightly loses some value as player aim improves.
Widowmaker
Widow’s Kiss
- Damage falloff range increased from 60-85 to 70-100 meters
Developer Comments: We’re adjusting Widowmaker’s optimal range to be slightly further out to account for some map locations where counter-sniping was common but just barely outside of the effective range with the damage falloff. For Widowmaker, the sniping damage falloff is mainly in place to restrict the lethality of mid-air grapple shots at the extreme distances possible on some maps.