Latest Overwatch balance patch nerfs melee and more

A new beta patch is now live. Read below to learn about the latest changes.

To share your feedback, please post in the Beta Feedback forum.
For a list of known issues, visit our Beta Bug Report forum.

Please note that some changes may not be documented or described in full detail.

HERO BALANCE CHANGES:

General

• Quick Melee
  • Damage decreased from 50 to 30
  • Cooldown decreased from 1.5 seconds to 1 second

Developer comments: Quick Melee has proven to be too strong of an ability, especially when used in combination with other attacks to increase ‘burst’ damage potential. Lowering the damage of a melee attack also allows us to lower the cooldown, making it feel more responsive when you need it.

Bastion

• Tank Mode
  • Duration reduced from 10 seconds to 8 seconds

Developer comments: We like the way Bastion’s ultimate is performing, but it is lasting just a bit too long for enemies to reasonably react to it.

Genji

• Health increased from 150 to 200
• Shuriken
  • Damage reduced by 20%

Developer comments: We’ve been listening to feedback and watching data very closely on Genji, especially since we recently lowered his health. Overall that change did put him in a better place, but we want to try an alternative change by lowering his damage output instead of his survivability.

Hanzo

• Scatter Arrow
  • Fragments will no longer be calculated as a headshot against an enemy player

Developer comments: We wanted to reduce some of the more frustrating elements of Scatter Arrow while still maintaining its overall power level.

Junkrat

• RIP-Tire
  • Health reduced from 150 to 100

Developer comments: The recent changes to Junkrat’s RIP-Tire have helped it become more viable and have opened up new options for enemy counters. However, the health was too high, so many times it felt impossible to counter.

Mei

• Endothermic Blaster
  • Primary Fire
    • Lowered time to freeze by 15%
  • Secondary Fire
    • Added damage falloff
    • Lowered fire rate by 15%

Developer comments: Since last patch we have seen Mei perform significantly better across the board. Even though her overall power level is in a much better place now, too much of that power is coming from her alternate fire. This change moves some of that power from her alternate fire to her primary fire.

Symmetra

• Teleporter
  • Ultimate charge cost increased by 30%

Developer comments: Teleport was coming up so frequently that it didn’t feel rewarding to eliminate Symmetra’s Teleport Pad. This change should help reward those who hunt down the Teleport Pad while encouraging Symmetra players to find more strategic locations for deployment.

Zarya

• Particle Cannon
  • Increased the minimum damage by 25%

Developer comments: Zarya’s main strength comes from her ability to absorb damage to increase her own power. While we don’t want to undermine that core functionality, we also want to make sure she feels as though she provides a meaningful contribution in combat even at lower power levels.

Zenyatta

• Discord Orb
  • Now removed by Immunity Effects (Mei Cryo-Freeze, Zarya Barriers, Zenyatta Transcendence)

Developer comments: Discord Orb is a powerful tool that has proven a little too difficult to deal with at times. We’re allowing for some more options to counter the ability while still maintaining its strength.