The Anniversary Patch brought not only the anniversary event to Overwatch. It also changed some heroes that the community had criticized for some time. The reactions to the nerfs and buffs are mixed.
Hanzo and Brigitte are nerfed, Ana buffed: Along with the Overwatch Anniversary Event, changes have also come to Brigitte, Hanzo, and Ana. Brigitte and Hanzo received small, but important nerfs, while Ana received some buffs.
What was changed with Ana, Hanzo, and Brigitte – Patch Notes
Brigitte
- Transcendence
- The maximum armor per player has been reduced from 150 to 100.
- Shield Bash
- The cooldown has been increased from 5 to 6 seconds.
Hanzo
- Storm Arrows
- The damage has been reduced from 80 to 70.
Ana
- Biotic Rifle
- Allies at full health are no longer hit by projectiles.
- The ammunition has been increased from 10 to 14.
How do the buffs and nerfs affect the game? The changes to the heroes are all rather small and have only minor impacts. The pick rate has hardly changed, and the win rates have largely remained the same.
In the forums, the discussion has shifted mainly from the heroes to the new Deathmatch mode. However, many players are still not quite satisfied with the changes to Brigitte and Hanzo.
The community is still dissatisfied
The discussions in the Overwatch forums especially around Hanzo and Brigitte are still burning hot. Both players in the English-speaking as well as the German forums in Europe and the forums in America are actively discussing the two heroes.
Brigitte is nearing balance: Some players are still complaining that Brigitte is too strong. Others are annoyed by the constant topic and want to end the discussion after her nerf. However, the cooldown on Brigitte’s Shield Bash is still frequently and hotly debated.
Compared to her release, discussions about Brigitte have decreased. Similar to the release of Moira, where criticism waned over time. Brigitte seems to be slowly approaching a state that most players find acceptable.
Hanzo is still too strong: The archer Hanzo, on the other hand, is receiving significantly more attention. In the English forums, his rework is one of the more common topics.
Users are complaining that instead of a rework, he received a much too strong buff. Even after his nerf, Hanzo is still too strong in what he does. Major points of criticism are his damage against tanks and his mobility, which many players believe he should not have had.
No one cares about Ana: There is hardly any discussion about Ana’s changes. Although her changes make her playstyle significantly more pleasant, hardly anyone is interested. At the moment, she probably gets overshadowed by other healers.
Both Brigitte and Hanzo would still need further nerfs in the right areas to achieve balance. For both heroes, there are various suggestions for changes, which, however, have not yet been or only partially implemented on the PTR.
What do you think? Do you find Hanzo and Brigitte acceptable, or do they still need adjustments? Have you noticed the change to Ana? Let us know in the comments!
