Following the closure of the patch 1.30 PTR, Overwatch’s latest hero Ashe is now available on live servers for Xbox One, PS4, and PC. As the leader of the Deadlock Gang, Ashe functions as a damage dealer, with options for rapid firing from the hip or aiming down sights for more damage. She also brings B.O.B, an Omnic bodyguard that can provide fire support, as her Ultimate.
The latest patch also offers a number of buffs and changes to heroes like Mercy, Reaper, Roadhog, and Symmetra. Mercy’s healing per second has been buffed from 50 to 60, while Valkyrie’s Ultimate cost has been reduced by 15 percent. As for Reaper, his shotguns now have 50 percent reduced spread randomization, with the spread pattern itself adjusted.
Reaper also receives 30 percent damage dealt as life steal rather than 20 percent, upping his survivability a bit. For the full notes on what’s changed, head here. For a brief look at the various buffs and general changes, read some of the patch notes or watch the patch 1.30 video below. Just remember: Ashe won’t be available in Competitive Play for another two weeks.
HERO UPDATES
General
Made jump height consistent across hero roster
Mercy
Developer Comments: Mercy’s ultimate was charging a bit too slowly after her base healing was reduced in a previous update. These changes should restore some of her ultimate’s strength and let it build up more quickly.
Valkyrie
- Ultimate cost reduced 15%
- Healing per second increased from 50 to 60
Reaper
Developer Comments: Reaper’s specialty is fighting at a very close range. The more consistent spread pattern and increase in healing from his passive ability will make him more capable of standing toe-to-toe with his enemies.
Hellfire Shotguns
- Spread randomization reduced by 50%
- Spread pattern adjusted
The Reaping
Life steal increased from 20% to 30% of damage dealt
Roadhog
Developer Comments: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook’s cooldown now begins immediately upon use, it no longer varies based on Roadhog’s distance to the hook target. We’ve also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we’ve increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.
Chain Hook
- Decreased the delay before pulling a hooked target from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds
- Now greatly reduces the target’s momentum upon being hooked
- Cooldown now begins immediately, instead of after the target has been pulled
Scrap Gun
- Spread pattern adjusted for both primary and secondary fire
- Spread randomization reduced by 50%
Whole Hog
- Knockback maximum velocity increased by 25% (from 8 to 10 meters per second)
- Horizontal recoil decreased slightly
Symmetra
Developer Comments: It’s still difficult to use Symmetra’s Photon Projector beam effectively, even after its range was increased. By speeding up the primary fire charge rate, it takes less time to ramp up to its full damage potential and will be a stronger option when she’s presented with targets to charge up on.
Photon Projector
Primary fire beam charges up 20% faster
MAP UPDATES
General
- Reduced the setup timer for Assault, Escort, and Assault/Escort maps from 1 minute to 45 seconds
- Assemble Your Team timer increased from 10 to 25 seconds in the second round on Assault, Assault/Escort, and Escort maps
