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Overwatch Patch 1.25.0.1 Adds Social Features and Reworks Symmetra

Finding the right group for Overwatch just became a lot easier with Tuesday's patch.

Ozzie Mejia

June 26, 2018 11:50 AM

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Overwatch players are currently trying to unravel some sort of mystery regarding something rolling around, but something more immediate just hit Blizzard's team-based shooter. That's a new patch that changes up one of the game's heroes in a big way, while also introducing some new social features.

Find your dream teammates!

Two new social features to control your gameplay experience are now available: Endorsements and Looking for Group! pic.twitter.com/Yz03ZptE8q

— Overwatch (@PlayOverwatch) June 26, 2018

One of the biggest changes is "Looking for Group," which allows users to search for like-minded players prior to jumping into any queue. This allows players to adjust game mode preferences, chat preferences, and also what role they'd like to play in any group.

The other big addition is Endorsements, which allows players to commend teammates for exhibiting positive traits during a game. Whether that teammate is a good leader, a good sport, or just an overall good player, giving that player an endorsement will add to their Endorsement stats on their Career Profiles. Those who rack up a high endorsement level are also eligible for rewards.

There's also a big change to one of the game's heroes, so let's break her down right now:

Symmetra

• Photon Projector
  • No longer locks onto targets
  • Range increased to 10 meters
  • Damage ramping now takes 2 seconds per damage level instead of 1 second
  • Damage ramp increased from 30/60/120 to 60/120/180
  • Now generates ammo instead of spending it when hitting a barrier Ammo reduced from 100 to 70
• Alternate Fire
  • No longer pierces targets
  • Now explodes on contact
  • Projectile speed increased
  • Charge up speed increased
  • Damage changed to 60 impact / 60 explosive
• Sentry Turret
  • Turret is now placed like a projectile instead of being set in place
  • Can hold a max of 3, down from 6
  • Can now deploy a max 3, down from 6
  • Damage increased
  • Amount of slowing effect increased
• Teleporter
  • Can now place the exit up to 25 meters away from Symmetra
  • Entrance will automatically be built in front of Symmetra, rather than at her team’s spawn point
  • Lasts 10 seconds
  • Health lowered to 300
  • More things can teleport through it (e.g. Junkrat’s RIP-Tire)
  • Entrance can be destroyed (If either the entrance or exit is destroyed, the other is removed)
• NEW ULTIMATE: Photon Barrier
  • Deploys a barrier that is big enough to span and cut through an entire map
  • Orientation can be changed by pressing the ultimate button again
  • Lasts 15 seconds
  • Has 5000 health

Tuesday's Overwatch update does away with the Defense and Offense classification for Heroes, merging them all into a "Damage" category. Symmetra's changes help her adjust to this change and shift her away from Support. That means a lot of emphasis on offense and damage-dealing, along with a new Ultimate that helps cover her teammates.

There are also some big changes to a few other Heroes. Doomfist has received buffs for his Meteor Strike and his passive. McCree's Deadeye Ultimate has been buffed significantly, with its range nearly tripled to 200 meters. And lastly, Orisa has had her Ultimate cost reduced by 15 percent, so expect to see Supercharger in play more often.

Lastly, there's a major update to one of the Overwatch maps. Let's take a look:

Horizon Lunar Colony

• Point A
  • Added a staircase on the right when exiting the Hydroponics Room
  • Removed the door to the lower room on the right
  • Removed the small wall on the catwalk above Point A
  • Added some cover walls to the catwalk area
  • Moved the door next to the staircase that led to Winston’s room
  • The door is now on the side of the wall in the training pit
  • Moved the large health pack to the back of the room
  • Removed some clutter in the upper left computer room
• Hydroponics Room
  • Switched the positions of the large and small health pack
  • Changed some of the hydroponic plant cover on the right
• Point B
  • Defender spawn room exits moved from the front to the sides out of direct line of fire
  • Small rooms added at spawn room exits
  • Additional cover added near the spawn room exits
  • Added a route and larger platform leading to the back right corner
  • Raised the platform to the same height as the attackers’ platform on the opposite side of the point
  • The location of the old defender exit is now an alcove with a small health pack
  • Both teams can still pass behind the point, but there is now a cut-through in the middle of the wall for better access
  • The area above the window overlooking the point is now covered
  • A large platform with cover has been attached to the left side of the catwalk
  • The upper platform for the attackers has been reduced
  • The doorway leading to the platform is slightly smaller

Horizon Lunar Colony will no longer favor defenders with its spawn room placement, but it will give them a bit of a boost around Point A. Defenders now have better access to the catwalk areas, allowing them to fire away from the high ground.

For the full patch notes, which also include a number of bug fixes for both Heroes and maps, be sure to visit the Overwatch website.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?