Overwatch testing changes to Ana, Junkrat and Widowmaker on PTR

There are also UI updates and bug fixes coming.

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Ah, the process of tweaking, adjusting on the fly, and game balance. Just when you get comfortable playing a character one way in a game, a patch or update happens that may change it. Such is the case with Overwatch. The folks at Blizzard are testing a new patch on the Public Test Region that will tweak Ana, Widowmaker and Junkrat.

While not too major, the devs offered some explanations on why the changes are happening:

Ana: "So far, we haven't seen any indication that Ana is too strong overall, but her ultimate charges a little too fast, especially considering the impact it can have on a match. Also, her Biotic Grenades are getting a small boost to help her hit multiple targets."

  • Nano Boost: Ultimate cost has been increased by 20%
  • Biotic Grenade: Radius has been increased from 3 to 4 meters

Widowmaker: "This change will help Widowmaker acquire new targets more quickly and speed up her reaction time in fast-paced situations."

  • Widow's Kiss: Scoping-in animation time has been reduced from 0.5 to 0.3 seconds

Junkrat: "Junkrat can be an extremely effective hero in the right hands, but RIP-Tire often felt underpowered when compared to his counterparts."

  • RIP-Tire: Ability now activates more quickly

There are also overall additions that have been made:

  • Static cameras are now supported in spectator mode
  • Team names can now be edited in custom games
  • Raised the volume of Hanzo's Dragonstrike voice line while wearing the Okami/Lone Wolf Skin
  • Heroes hit by Ana's Nano Boost have a new voice line that informs other players
  • Increased frequency of Reinhardt's "barrier failing" voice line
  • Custom Games can now be paused

Finally there are numerous UI adjustments and bug fixes. Check out the full patch notes for for a complete rundown. Just a reminder that the PTR is PC only, and that these could change again before actually making it to the live server. Whatever changes come to PC will also eventually be added to the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 23, 2016 7:41 AM

    John Keefer posted a new article, Overwatch testing changes to Ana, Junkrat and Widowmaker on PTR

    • reply
      September 23, 2016 7:48 AM

      Decent changes

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      September 23, 2016 8:15 AM

      Hmm, never really felt that RIP Tire was underpowered. I see it taking out lots of people all the time.

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      September 23, 2016 8:32 AM

      Wth, rip tire does not need to charge faster.

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        September 23, 2016 8:53 AM

        Yeah, this seems crazy

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        September 23, 2016 9:11 AM

        They didn't say anything about it charging just how fast it activates....

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          September 23, 2016 9:15 AM

          Ahh, that wording is a bit confusing. Guess it means just how fat you gain control of the tire then?

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            September 23, 2016 9:49 AM

            Yeah it'll shorten the time between "fire in the hole!" and having control if I'm understanding it right

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              September 23, 2016 10:23 AM

              On top of being vulnerable while controlling the tire, he's also an easy target for like over a second between the start of the ult and when he can finally start using it

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                September 23, 2016 11:53 AM

                It's an Ult that if you fat fingered it in the middle of a battle would get you killed instantly with absolutely no damage done as it takes a couple of seconds to get control of the damn tire.

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      September 23, 2016 8:45 AM

      I wonder if the Ana ult nerf is enough to undercut the 3-3 comp.

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        September 23, 2016 9:26 AM

        Doubtful. It'll still charge quite quickly and her grenade just got a nice range buff.

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          September 23, 2016 10:29 AM

          They don't need to nerf it into the ground to prevent 3-3 comps from getting too prevalent; they just need to nerf it enough that the enemy can charge a counter-ult before Ana can charge hers.

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            September 23, 2016 12:38 PM

            True. I played her a bit on PTR last night and it felt balanced instead of "ok, I'm going to boost Reinhardt or Genji every minute". I have no idea why they didn't adjust charge time after increasing her rate of fire, really weird that they just decided to let that slide by.

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        September 23, 2016 11:20 AM

        I don't think so. A 20% increase in ult charge time is totally reasonable, it felt way too fast after they buffed her rate of fire. Her grenade is arguably the best part of her kit and that got buffed.

        She's still a great hero.

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        September 23, 2016 1:45 PM

        It's not enough to undercut that meta build right now. It's likely they'll have to adjust the charge rate a bit more before that happens, or buff Pharah a little against barriers.

        Ana has always been strong as a tank healer, and her ultimate (which is honestly pretty lackluster for support) is just the icing on the cake. Her grenade and sleep dart are still the strongest parts of her kit, and I'm glad they increased the grenade radius. Now I just wish they would fix the wonky targeting on her ultimate and reduce the damage reduction a bit to compensate.

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