The latest patch for Overwatch introduces the game’s 26th hero, and continues to apply changes to Mercy following her most recent rework.
Moira has been the important component of the Public Test Realm (PTR) this past month, and she finally brings some additional firepower to the Support class onto the public servers across PS4, Xbox One and PC.
Yet her live launch may not even be the most talked about addition in this patch, as Mercy continues to be tweaked and changed following a massive change in direction recently.
Her Resurrect now has a cast time, around two seconds, while her movement speed has been reduced by a staggering 75 percent while casting Rez.
However, the catch here is that if she uses Resurrect during her Valkyrie ultimate, the casting time is removed in both instances, so at least there’s some relief there for Mercy mains.
Another Support class hero has received a change, with Ana’s Biotic Rifle damage seeing an increase from 60 to 70, a nice little buff to a grossly underrated hero.
Winston’s barrier shield also (finally) gets a health bar, making it easier for Winston mains to balance their projector strength and communicate to players when the shield is about to break.
HERO UPDATES
General
Ana
Developer Comments: Ana has been outshined by other supports lately. Boosting her damage will help her defend herself and make her more threatening to the enemy team.
Mercy
- Caduceus Staff
- Increased visual readability of Mercy’s healing and damage boosting beams
- Resurrect
- Cast time increased from 0 seconds to 1.75 seconds
- Mercy’s movement speed is now reduced by 75% while casting
- Can now be interrupted when Mercy is knocked back, stunned, or hacked
- Valkyrie
- While active, Resurrect no longer has a cast time
- While active, casting Resurrect does not reduce Mercy’s movement speed
Developer Comments: We feel that Mercy’s recent rework has been successful, but her Resurrect ability still feels too strong and frustrating to play against. Now that it has a cast time, enemies are more able to counter the ability. However, Resurrect will cast instantly when Valkyrie is active. This should make her feel powerful when she transforms on the battlefield.
Winston
- Barrier Projector
- Now displays a health bar
Developer Comments: This change will help both Winston’s allies and enemies know how much more damage his shield can absorb from oncoming attacks.
Read the full list of patch notes here.
