TheOverwatch 2beta has been out for a few weeks now, and the reception has been a little mixed, to say the least. While some fans are appreciating the new Hero Sojourn, and are enjoying the tweaks to characters like Orisa and Doomfist, others are pointing toOverwatch 2’s lack of significant visual or core design changes, citing it as more of anOverwatch1.5 than a fully fledged sequel.
As is the purpose of a beta, Blizzard is listening very closely to fan and critical feedback, taking onboard comments on every aspect of the game in its current state and tweaking some elements where necessary. The latestOverwatch 2Beta update fixes a handful of bugs, makes some UI tweaks, and changes up how some Heroes play. While most of these changes are just slight stat tweaks, some Heroes have been given some pretty substantial buffs or nerfs.
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The Changes to Damage Heroes
Each ofOverwatch 2’s three Hero classes have received a handful of changes. The first Damage-based Hero to get a tweak is the new addition to the roster,Sojourn. In the patch notes, Blizzard admits that Sojourn is a tad too difficult to use right now, and has made her alt fire shot wider by 0.05m. Sojourn’s Power Slide ability has also had its cooldown decreased from 7 seconds to 6.
On the other hand, Soldier 76 has had a pretty significant nerf. 76’s DPS has dropped from 20 to 18, and his movement speed has been reduced from 50% to 40%. Conversely,Soldier 76’s Ultimatehas been buffed slightly, rewarding players with good aim by granting them critical hits if they can make a critical shot using the Ult.
Sombra only receives one change to her mechanics, reducing her movement speed while in Stealth from 65% to 50%. These changes, in particular the Soldier 76 ones, could quite significantly impactOverwatch 2’s new 5v5 matchesgoing forward.
The Changes to Tank Heroes
A good few ofOverwatch 2’s Tanks have been tweaked in this latest update. Roadhog’s Ultimate has been changed quite substantially, going from a “Channeled” ability (much like Reaper or Pharah’s) to a “Transform” ability, similar to Soldier 76 or Winston. This essentially means that players will need to press the primary fire button to shoot duringRoadhog’s Ultimate, and that his abilities can be used during his Ultimate’s duration. Stuns also no longer cancel Roadhog’s Ultimate.
A few of the other Tank Heroes get some slight tweaks. Winston’s Tesla Cannon secondary fire ammo is being reduced from 20 to 12, while Wrecking Ball’s Ultimate now has an increased knockback of 36%.Zarya’s Graviton Surgeduration has been decreased from 4 seconds to 3.5 seconds.
The Changes to Support Heroes
Overwatch 2’s Support Heroes receive some of the most significant changes in this most recent update. Ana was both nerfed and buffed, with her Biotic Grenade ability duration being reduced from 4 seconds to 3, but her rifle ammo being increased from 12 to 15. Baptiste’s healing ammo has increased from 10 to 13 in a response to most team members not grouping up as much as they used to in the previous game.
Blizzard found that Lucio’s Crossfade ability paired with the new Support passive made him a little overpowered, so it has reduced his level of self-healing when using Crossfade, increasing the penalty from 30% to 60%. Brigitte’s Shield Bash ability has been buffed quite a bit, with its knockback effect being doubled.
Zenyatta’s always had a little trouble with close-range combat, so this recent update seeks to level the playing field a bit more for the Support Hero. Zenyatta has been given anew Snap Kick passive abilitywhich changes his standard melee attack to a pretty powerful kick with 50% more damage and substantially more knockback, allowing Zenyatta players to get more distance between them and their opponent. Zenyatta’s shields have also been increased from 150 to 175.
