Blizzard Entertainment’s latest Public Test Region update for Overwatch, used to test major changes for heroes along with new content before it goes live for all platforms, has made some pretty significant changes to Mercy.
The Support hero, known best for her Ultimate which resurrects multiple downed allies at once, has received a tremendous overhaul. Her Resurrect is now a normal ability with a 30 second cooldown with 5 meters of range and no invulnerability. As a result, she now has a new Ultimate called Valkyrie.
This allows Mercy to fly around without movement penalties, boost multiple allies with health or damage, use her blaster with increased fire rate, damage and limitless ammo and places Resurrect on a 10 second cooldown. Valkyrie lasts for 20 seconds in total, which looks as ridiculous as it sounds.
The changes are currently live on the PTR for PC along with D.Va’s new ability to fire micro-missiles. Check out the developer update below along with a slice of the patch notes for more information.
HERO UPDATES
D.Va
- Micro Missiles (New Ability)
- D.Va fires a barrage of small rockets that detonate on impact, dealing damage in a limited radius around each explosion. These can be fired while D.Va is using any other ability or firing her Fusion Cannons
- Defense Matrix
- Defense Matrix’s resource meter will now deplete twice as quickly
- Boosters
- Fusion Cannons can now be fired while flying
Developer Comments: D.Va’s Defense Matrix uptime has proven to be too strong, but simply reducing it without making other changes would make her too weak (and far less interesting to play). Instead, we’re adding a new ability, and giving her the ability to fire while flying. These changes give D.Va a lot of new options while maintaining Defense Matrix’s ability to shut down big enemy attacks.
Mercy
- Resurrect (formerly Mercy’s Ultimate ability)
- Ability now targets a single player, instead of every player within a radius
- Radius reduced to 5 meters
- Ability cooldown is 30 seconds
- Mercy is no longer granted invulnerability while Resurrect is active
- Valkyrie (New Ultimate Ability)
- Valkyrie unleashes the full power of Mercy’s Valkyrie Suit, enhancing her weapons and abilities for 20 seconds:
- Caduceus Staff: Mercy’s healing and damage boost beams now affect all allies near the targeted teammate, and the staff’s effective range has been extended
- Caduceus Blaster: Granted infinite ammo, while simultaneously increasing damage and fire rate
- Guardian Angel: Increased range and movement speed
- Resurrect: Cooldown is instantly reset when Valkyrie is activated and reduced to 10s after the initial cast
- Hover: Mercy gains the ability to fly freely, at increased movement speed
- Regeneration (Passive): No longer interrupted when Mercy takes damage
- Valkyrie unleashes the full power of Mercy’s Valkyrie Suit, enhancing her weapons and abilities for 20 seconds:
Developer Comments: While resurrecting downed allies is a core part of Mercy’s gameplay, the way her Ultimate functioned was causing a number of problems. It was frustrating to play against, and it incentivized Mercy players to hide away from important battles, instead of taking part in them. This version turns Resurrect into a single target ability. It’s still an important part of Mercy’s kit, but plays much better for both Mercy players and her enemies. Valkyrie, her new Ultimate, gives her the opportunity to make big game-making plays and opens a number of new options for her.