Newest Overwatch Patch Updates Heroes

Blizzard's Overwatch has been updated bringing new features and character improvements to Bridgette, Genji, Hanzo, Junkrat, Lucio, and Tracer.

Patch 1.23.01 released 3 May 2018 is the most recent update to Blizzard's Overwatch.  Highlights include the newest map Rialto which supports the Escort game mode and a laundry list of hero balancing changes. 

In addition to the new map and hero changes Bizzard also addressed outstanding bugs which both affected heroes and maps alike.

This patch is live for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

OVERWATCH PATCH NOTES – MAY 3, 2018

New Escort Map: Rialto

Rialto was home to Talon agent Antonio Bartalotti’s sprawling estate and the backdrop to the infamous “Venice Incident,” a turning point for Overwatch and Talon. The Italian government has taken great steps to preserve Venice, and the results are striking. Tourists visiting this picturesque town can sample the regional cuisine, enjoy a relaxing gondola ride, visit Galleria D’arte Omnica, or simply take in the sights with a stroll along the canal.

NOTE: Rialto will not be available in the Competitive Play rotation until a future patch.

HERO UPDATES

Brigitte

• Shield Bash - Cone angle reduced from 90 to 60

Developer Comments: When fighting against Brigitte, it often felt like Shield Bash was able to hit players who felt like they were out of its range and should have dodged it. On the flip side, when playing as Brigitte sometimes players would hit the wrong enemy in the middle of a fight. With the cone being reduced, the ability is more accurate to its visual representation.

Genji

• Deflect - Hitbox size has been reduced

Developer Comments: The hitbox on Genji’s Deflect was big enough that it would sometimes reflect projectiles that were pretty far away from him. We’ve tightened up the hitbox, which should solve this problem while still fully protecting him from projectiles that would hit him from the front.

Hanzo

• StormBow - Projectile speed increased from 85 to 100
• Sonic Arrow - Cooldown decreased from 20 seconds to 12 seconds, Duration decreased from 10 seconds to 6 seconds, Radius decreased from 10 meters to 7 meters

New Abilities

• Lunge - Press jump while in the air to leap horizontally
• Storm Arrows -Replaces his existing Scatter Arrow ability, Hanzo can now rapidly fire up to 6 arrows that deal reduced damage but are always fired at full power

Developer Comments: The goal of these Hanzo changes is to allow him to have new options and maintain his high damage output, while removing the frustration of fighting against the old Scatter Arrow. Hanzo is now much more mobile with his new Lunge ability, and with the combination of the bow projectile speed increase and the new Storm Arrows ability he can now deal his high damage more consistently than ever before.

Junkrat

• Frag Launcher - Projectile size decreased from 0.3 to 0.2,
• RIP-Tire -Tire movement speed decreased from 13 to 12

Developer Comments: These changes are aimed at lowering some of the most frustrating parts about playing against Junkrat. Decreasing the Frag Launcher’s projectile size means he will have to aim a bit more carefully to land powerful direct hits and slowing the RIP-Tire’s movement speed gives his opponents slightly more time to destroy it before it detonates.

Lúcio

• Wall Ride - Wall riding is less likely to be interrupted along a single surface.  Can now go around corners (both outside corners, and inside corners) without having to leave the wall.  Can now land back on the same wall after leaping away, provided his leap takes him far enough away from the original jumping off point.  Added a minimum time that the jump key must be held before Lúcio can ride around corner
• Soundwave - No longer consumes ammo.  Can now be used while reloading.

Developer Comments: Wall Ride has been significantly overhauled to allow it to function more smoothly across more areas of every map. Lúcio players should instantly notice a huge improvement in where and how Wall Ride can be used. In addition, Sonic Amplifier’s Soundwave ability was unnecessarily controlled by both a cooldown and an ammo cost, so we’re removing the ammo cost.

Tracer

• Pulse Bomb - Max damage decreased from 400 to 300

Developer Comments: Pulse Bomb was too good at killing tanks, who can be easy to stick due to their size. This damage reduction makes it less powerful as a tank-destroyer, while keeping it lethal against most other heroes.

GAME BROWSER AND CUSTOM GAMES

General

Mercy’s Regeneration (passive ability) can now be turned off in Custom Game settings
Settings for Hanzo’s Lunge and Storm Arrow abilities can now be found in the Custom Game settings

BUG FIXES

General

Fixed a bug that caused the option “Invite to a Custom Game” to appear while in the Tutorial and Practice Range
Fixed a bug that prevented oxygen tanks and fire extinguishers in spawn rooms from propelling after taking damage

AI

Fixed a bug that prevented training bots from returning to their original position and behavior after being hit with an ability (e.g. Lúcio’s Soundwave)
Fixed a bug that caused bots to use the wrong route when tracking down the player if their target jumped off a ledge
Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck on the siege tank in the StarCraft area of Blizzard World

Game Browser and Custom Game

Fixed a bug that caused custom game invites to persist on the invitee’s screen
Heroes

Fixed a bug that prevented Bastion’s Zwing Zwing Zwing voice line from playing if the Null Sector skin was equipped
Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte from using abilities or Rocket Flail while her Repair Pack was in flight
Fixed a bug that prevented Genji’s melee attack from making sound effects
Fixed a bug that prevented Genji’s golden weapon variant from displaying its golden sheen when some skins were equipped
Fixed a bug that allowed Junkrat’s RIP-TIRE to be immune to the freeze effects of Mei’s Endothermic Blaster
Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat’s RIP-Tire to spawn inside of walls
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to move around while caught in Junkrat’s Steel Trap
Fixed a bug that allowed Lúcio to travel straight up using Wall Ride
Fixed a bug that caused Lúcio to lose movement speed if he landed on a wall from certain angles
Fixed a bug that prevented crowd control abilities from affecting Resurrect (e.g. McCree’s Flashbang)
Fixed a bug that prevented Moira’s flask from displaying in her Erlenmeyer victory pose when an Overwatch League skin was equipped
Fixed a bug that caused Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns to float when previewing his Dance emote in Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the camera to not focus correctly when viewing Roadhog’s Mug Shot victory pose
Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog’s Chain Hook to float during his Footsteps highlight intro
Fixed a bug that prevented the laser sight from Sombra’s Machine Pistol golden variant from tapering at its end if her Talon skin equipped
Fixed a bug that caused Widowaker’s HUD to disappear if she used Widow’s Kiss while looking through the scope
Fixed a bug that caused the logos on Symmetra’s Overwatch League skins to appear faded when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the logos on Torbjörn’s Overwatch League skins to appear faded when viewed in the Hero Gallery
Fixed a bug that caused the game to stutter during Tracer’s Recall when playing above 60 FPS

Maps

Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck walking into the side of the Rikimaru Ramen Shop on Hanamura
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place turrets in unintended locations on Horizon Lunar Colony
Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations in Horizon Lunar Colony
Fixed a bug that caused the pig head on the bike to float after the bike had been destroyed in Junkertown
Fixed a bug that allowed players to place turrets and Symmetra’s Teleporter in unintended locations in Junkertown