Turret-throwing Symmetra now live in Overwatch, plus Horizon rework and Looking for Group

Today’s Overwatch patch didn’t add much new content, but it revamped two things which have been a big problem for a while: Symmetra and the Horizon Lunar Colony map. There are also a ton of new social features, and there were a small number of hero tweaks to talk about.

The Symmetra change is the biggest. We went into it in depth while it was on the PTR. I’d usually pick out one or two “main” changes to discuss in a summary post but literally every ability Symmetra has, from her primary fire to her ult, has undergone significant changes so it’s hard to pick just one thing. The trickiest to master for prior Symmetra players will likely be how teleport works now. It’s somewhat similar to Medivh’s portals in Heroes of the Storm — two portals you interact with to teleport between them. The placement aspect in particular is tricky. I’d recommend all players hit the Practice Range before queueing into games just to see how the teleporters work, because you know games are going to be wall-to-wall hard light constructs right now.

The changes to Lunar Colony are numerous, but the basic reasoning for them is not just for balance, but also to make things more fun. Point A defense in particular was pretty boring, because without cover on the catwalk or easy high ground access, your options were pretty much limited to sitting on the point and waiting for your opponent to engage. Now, most points have barriers to duck behind for both snipers and DPS heroes like Soldier 76 who do better on the high ground, plus a bunch of doors have been removed or changed, which changes routes.

The recently-announced Looking for Group tool is also live, letting you choose a role and then queue up. This should help people who want to pug a game with a balanced team comp, but aren’t persuasive enough to get either Widowmaker or Hanzo to swap characters to a healer. Also, you can now give other players commendations for a number of reasons related to fair play. The benefit to you, other than a warm feeling from being supportive of others, is a small XP gain.

There were a few tweaks to other heroes, too. Personally I couldn’t punch my way out of a wet paper bag with Doomfist but he got a pretty clear buff, increasing both his shields and the movement speed during Meteor Strike. The distance on McCree’s Deadeye is now 200 yards, hopefully making the worst ult in the game just a little better. Orisa’s Superchargers will also charge more quickly, making her an even more appealing pick.

For every last detail, check out the patch notes.