A new Experimental Overwatch patch has hit the live servers with some nerfs to both Roadhog and Torbjorn, as well as some general changes to shotguns.
Previous patches have really nerfed damage heroes, but Roadhog and Torbjorn managed to dodge the developer wrath – until now.
As explained by Community Manager Molly Fender, these changes are aimed at shotgun wielders such as Roadhog, Torbjorn, Reaper, Doomfist, Ashe, and D.Va.
“Heroes with shotgun-style weapons currently experience an amount of randomness in their shots which can affect the reliability of some heroes’ weapons. We want to experiment with changes that will allow these weapons to behave more consistently,” she said in a forum post.
“We’re looking to increase the consistency of shotgun weapons by removing the random rotation of bullets. It’s important to note that individual pellets within the shot will still have a tiny amount of variance to their firing angle so the weapon still feels like a shotgun,” she added.
That all said, these changes will also result in some nerfs to Roadhog and Torbjorn, so it looks like the reign of Hog may be coming to an end in ladder shortly.
The team is reducing Roadhog’s scrap gun damage by one per pellet, which may actually be a bigger deal than it sounds.
Meanwhile, Torbjorn will have less time between shots, but his damage will be slightly increased from 10.5 to 12.5 per projectile.
Full patch notes:
EXPERIMENTAL MODE
The next experiment begins! This time we’re hoping to get your feedback on some balance 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.
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HERO UPDATES (ONLY IN EXPERIMENTAL)
General
- Shotgun patterns no longer apply random rotation. This will affect the following heroes:
- Ashe
- Doomfist
- D.Va
- Reaper
- Roadhog
- Torbjörn
Developer Comments: We’re making weapons that utilize shotgun patterns more reliable by removing the random rotation applied to each shot. Individual pellets within the shot will still have a tiny amount of variance to their firing angle for the sake of the shotgun weapon feel, but this change will provide significantly more control over aiming these weapons.
Roadhog
Scrap Gun
- (General) Projectile damage reduced from 7 to 6 (150 total per shot)
Developer Comments: When combined with the changes to shotgun patterns, we’re looking to keep Roadhog’s Chain Hook combo reliable, but not overly powerful against heroes with higher health pools.
Torbjörn
Rivet Gun
- (Secondary Fire) Recovery increased from 0.6 to 0.8 seconds
- (Secondary Fire) Damage increased from 10.5 to 12.5 per projectile (125 total per shot)
Developer Comments: This change to Torbjörn’s secondary fire is aimed at giving it a stronger role at close range. We’re hoping this change allows each shot to feel more impactful, since it has a larger burst. To keep this change in line, we’ve also reduced the damage-per-second.