In the latest version of the PTR for Overwatch, there is a new patch that makes changes to many abilities and heroes. One of them is surprising.
Pharah is being adjusted: The latest PTR patch changes the hero Pharah. She receives a minor adjustment to her damage along with a buff. The community does not know how to handle this.
Pharah was good as she was
What is changing? For Pharah, the standard attacks and her knockback impulse are being revised:
- Knockback impulse now has a cooldown of 9 seconds (previously 12)
- The recovery time between two standard attacks (shots with the rocket launcher) has been reduced from 0.9 to 0.72. Pharah’s attack speed is thus increased.
- Rocket explosions now deal 65 damage (previously 80), direct hits 55 (previously 40).
- Enemies are now knocked back 20% less from explosions, Pharah 25% further.
With these changes, Pharah is supposed to be more mobile, and precise aiming is rewarded more. In contrast, it is supposed to be easier for opponents to hit her when she is under Pharah’s rocket fire.
Negative reactions to the changes: Most threads about Pharah in the official forums see the changes to Pharah as a nerf. With the weakening of the explosions on her rockets, it is now too easy to kill her.
This adjustment is not the right way. Even pro player Seagull says in his stream that it feels like a big nerf for Pharah.
Only a few console players argue that Pharah, especially in combination with Mercy, will now be too strong. Her new mobility makes it harder for console players to bring her down from the sky. However, even here some fans disagree.
No one asked for this: Generally, Pharah’s adjustments are met with confusion in the community. Many people cannot really understand why Pharah, of all heroes, needed a change.
Pharah was seen as “at a good point”: not too strong and not too weak, good in many situations, but never “completely OP” or completely useless. She was one of the few heroes that could always be played and maintained a good balance.
The changes destroy this balance without many people having called for a change. Many fans would have preferred a rework of Mercy. This assessment is also shared by the Overwatch-Central team, which created an analysis video on Pharah’s changes.
Changes to other heroes
In the PTR patch, the hero Torbjörn received a revamp and can now throw lava puddles around. Other heroes in Overwatch have also received some minor adjustments:
- McCree’s roll now has a cooldown of 6 seconds (previously 8).
- Orisa’s automatic fire now has a maximum spread of 1.2 (previously 1.5).
- Soldier 76 can now fire 9 rounds before his rifle reaches maximum spread (previously 6).
- The visual effects of all of Mei’s abilities have been revised.
- Brigitte’s shield now has 500 health points (previously 600).
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