Latest Overwatch Patch Brings In Various Character Changes For Public Testing

A gargantuan patch has just been launched for Overwatch that aims to balance almost every aspect of Blizzard’s team-based shooter in the hopes of providing a more enjoyable experience for casual and hardcore players alike. Instead of applying the patch to the live game however, Blizzard has instead decided to roll-out the changes to their PTR (Public Test Realm) for those on PC to put to the test in order for the developer to receive crucial feedback.

There’s simply too many changes being made to list here, but a couple of standout tweaks have been made to the characters Genji and Mei, which are likely to both infuriate and delight fans of each in equal measure.

Genji has garnered a reputation for being slightly too powerful since Overwatch launched back in May, and it appears as if Blizzard is finally taking action, although we can’t imagine they’ll go down well with everyone. The developer commentary reads:

Genji was a little too difficult to pin down, and these changes will balance his speed. Swift Strike no longer cancels the recovery time from a quick melee attack, so players will no longer be able to get a free melee attack before using Swift Strike. Lastly, Dragonblade’s duration was long enough that it often felt too difficult to reasonably counter.

But it’s not all nerfs; other popular freeze-gunner Mei has had her ultimate ability buffed in order to make it more competitive with those of other characters.

Mei has an interesting toolkit, but her ultimate often felt like it was too difficult to use effectively. Consequently, it felt weak compared to many other ultimate abilities. The freeze effect has been piercing barriers for some time now, but the projectile would still be blocked. Now, you can throw it down exactly where you want it, so it’s much easier to utilize the full radius effectively.

If you live and breathe all things Overwatch and have an hour to burn, the full patch notes can be seen over here. In related news, Blizzard’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm will shortly be welcoming Overwatch character Zarya into its ranks.