Overwatch PTR patch notes bring buffs for Roadhog and 3 others

Our favorite big guy in Overwatch is getting buffed. Roadhog’s hook will finally be a deadly threat to many heroes again. This is revealed by the new patch notes from the PTR on October 24.

A new patch has been deployed on the PTR of Overwatch and brings a variety of balancing changes. The most significant adjustments are for Roadhog, who has fallen somewhat out of favor with players.

The buffs should ensure that he becomes more popular again and can eliminate targets more consistently and effectively. At the same time, there are also improvements for Reaper’s self-healing, Mercy’s Valkyrie, and Symmetra’s damage output.

The PTR Patch Notes from October 24, 2018

General

• The jump height of all heroes is now consistent.

Mercy

Valkyrie

• The cost has been reduced by 15%.
• The healing per second has been increased from 50 to 60.

Reaper

Shotguns

• The randomness of the spread has been reduced by 50%.

Passive Ability

• Life steal has been increased from 20% to 30% of damage dealt.

Roadhog

Chain Hook

• The delay before a target is pulled by the hook has been reduced from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds.
• The movement (momentum) of the victim is now drastically reduced.
• The cooldown starts immediately and not only after the target has been pulled.

Shotgun

• The randomness of the spread has been reduced by 50% (both firing modes).

Meat Grinder

• The maximum recoil speed has been increased by 25%, from 8 meters to 10 meters per second.
• The weapon’s own recoil (the automatic “pulling upwards”) has been reduced by 25%.

Symmetra

Photon Projector

• The beam of the primary fire charges 20% faster.

What the developers aim to achieve: All four buffed heroes have been in discussion for several weeks or months. Particularly, Roadhog should now become more prominent again and his hook more reliable. The use of the hook often felt like a gamble – that is now over.

Recently, Torbjörn had just received a major rework.

Currently, the patch is still on the PTR. It will likely take a while until it goes to the live version. However, the test of the new spectator mode, which is supposed to appear before BlizzCon, is likely to come first.

What do you think of the changes? Is it good that Roadhog is getting buffed? Did Reaper need more self-healing? Is Symmetra now too strong? Let us know in the comments!

Have you actually seen what has happened to all the money from the pink Mercy skin?