A new Overwatch patch is being tested on the PTR. The long-awaited rework of Hanzo is coming, along with some adjustments to other heroes.
Blizzard is finally taking it seriously. For months, players have been complaining about Hanzo’s scatter arrow, which can take down tanks precisely without much skill and has resulted in some absurd kills. A rework of the Shimada brother has long been announced, and it is now coming to fruition.
A new patch is being tested on the official PTR of Overwatch. We will reveal all the details about the new Hanzo.
Hanzo Rework – Goodbye scatter arrow, hello storm arrows
Storm Bow
The projectile speed of the storm bow has been increased from 85 to 100.
Sonic Arrow
- The cooldown has been reduced from 20 to 12 seconds.
- The duration has been reduced from 10 to 6 seconds.
- The radius has been reduced from 10 to 7 meters.
Leap Step
- New ability
- Press “Jump” in the air to dash forward
Storm Arrows
- New ability, replaces scatter arrows
- Hanzo can fire up to 6 arrows in quick succession, each dealing reduced damage, but all fired with full strength.
Essentially, the changes aim to make Hanzo’s damage more consistent and eliminate the scatter arrow without weakening Hanzo’s overall strength. With his increased mobility, he will be harder to catch and can thus deal damage for longer.
Nerfs for Genji, Junkrat, and Tracer – A buff for Lúcio
But other heroes are also getting minor adjustments.
The hitbox of Genji’s deflect has been reduced. Previously, Genji could also deflect projectiles that hit significantly beside him. Even after the changes, Genji will be fully protected from the front. Only projectiles that would otherwise hit beside him will no longer be reflected.
Junkrat has to deal with two minor nerfs. The size of his weapon projectiles decreases from 0.3 to 0.2. More precise aiming will be required to score direct hits. In addition, the movement speed of the kamikaze tire is reduced from 13 to 12. This gives enemies a bit more opportunity to take out the tire early.
Tracer feels a direct nerf. The damage of her ultimate ability Pulse Bomb is reduced by 25%. Instead of dealing 400 damage, it only deals 300 damage now. This change is being implemented because Tracer can too easily eliminate tanks with the bomb. This should provide the massive, slow tanks with more opportunities to survive such a bomb.
Lúcio will be even better at wall riding. The wall ride will now be less frequently interrupted as long as he is riding along the same surface. This means that the wall ride can now go around corners (both inside and outside corners) without having to break contact with the wall. Additionally, Lúcio can continue the wall ride on the same wall after a jump if he lands far enough from the starting point. Furthermore, the sound wave (his “push”) will no longer have ammunition costs.
New Escort Map “Rialto”
The patch contains even more. The new escort map “Rialto” can also be tested. Players were able to catch a first glimpse of the map during the “Retribution” event, which will now also be ready for the PvP mode.
You can find the complete list of all changes and bug fixes in our sources as usual.
What do you think about Hanzo’s rework? Will the archer finally be more bearable? And are the nerfs for Tracer, Junkrat, and Genji justified?
Have you seen the Overwatch player who was able to play as Talon units?
