The PTR patch notes for Overwatch set the balance carousel in motion again. There are major changes to Reaper, Roadhog, and McCree!
Although the “Anniversary” event of Overwatch is currently in full swing, the developers at Blizzard are already working on the next major patch. Since yesterday (31.05.2017), patch 1.12 has arrived on the Overwatch PTR. Let’s take a look at some highlights of the hero adjustments.
Reaper receives passive healing
Reaper has to deal with the fact that he can no longer collect “souls” (the healing orbs) from enemies in the future. These will be completely removed from the game. Instead, he receives a new passive trait that heals him immediately for 20% of the damage he deals to enemy heroes. This ensures that he will no longer only receive healing upon the enemy’s death but will also experience almost constant healing when activating his ultimate.
Shrunken head Roadhog
Our favorite chubby character Roadhog is getting his head shrunk. The hitbox of his head is reduced by nearly 20%, as it was previously larger than that of other characters of similar size. The changes to his weapon are also significant. The pellets now deal 33% less damage. The fire rate is increased by 30%, and the magazine size is increased from 4 to 5. This will lead to significantly fewer heroes dying directly from his “hook combo” and will give them a second chance.
The hour strikes earlier for McCree
The gunslinger McCree receives a substantial buff to his ultimate ability. Enemies are now targeted after just 0.2 seconds (instead of 0.8 seconds). Additionally, the damage they receive after the first second of targeting increases from 20 to 80 – after that, the damage increase remains as before. This is intended to ensure that McCree can still deal a lot of damage even with a short charge time, as he often dies too quickly before firing his ultimate.
Aside from the changes to the heroes, there are also new options for custom games. The gravity of the map can now be adjusted separately for heroes and projectiles.
Additionally, the two skins “Oni Geni” and “Officer D.Va” will already be available in the regular loot boxes with this patch. These two skins were originally available for the “Nexus Challenge 2.0” in Heroes of the Storm.
There is still no fixed release date for patch 1.12.
Furthermore, the patch also includes the new moon colony Horizon!
