Blizzard Entertainment has released its latest patch for Overwatch which contains a number of different changes, new features and reworks. More importantly, it completely reworks Symmetra’s kit to make her more of a damage-dealing hero.
For instance, Photon Projector doesn’t lock onto targets anymore. Instead, it’s a laser that ramps up its damage to a max of 180 after a few seconds and will regenerate ammo when hitting a barrier. Ammo count has been reduced from 100 to 70 but range has been increased to 10 meters. Furthermore, the Alternate Fire will now explode on targets with increased speed. The damage has also been divided into 60 impact and 60 explosive.
Only three Sentry Turrets can be held now but they can now be thrown like projectiles and have increased damage. The slow effect they cause has also been increased. Teleporter is now a normal ability where the player deploys the exit up to 25 meters away. The entry is then deployed in front and interacting with it will cause players (or Ultimates to go through).
Finally, her Ultimate is now a huge Photon Barrier that last 15 seconds and has 5000 HP. It covers a large portion of the map and while it stops projectiles, enemy players can still pass through it. For more information on the nitty gritty of the rework, see below. Check out the full patch notes here.
Symmetra
Developer Comments: The goal of these changes is to move Symmetra to her new damage role and make her more flexible and viable across more areas of the game than she was previously. Now that Symmetra is no longer a support hero, she is expected to be able to dish out heavy damage, and these changes allow for her to do so. She should be more powerful and interesting in more team compositions and maps, and she should also be stronger on offense and defense.
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