Overwatch 2 (Switch): all the updates (latest: Ver. ???)

17 September 2025 Lite_Agent Blizzard, Overwatch 2

On this page, you will find all there is to know about the various updates for Overwatch 2 on Nintendo Switch.

Archives: launch to December 2023 / 2024

Click here for more games and consoles updates!

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: September 16th/17th 2025
Patch notes:

Season 18 continues – Blink, build, and flip the meta!

Tracer is diving headfirst into Stadium midseason, ready to stir things up alongside more big updates! Tracer thrives on timing and movement, making her the perfect pick for players who like to live on the edge of danger and dart back out before the dust settles. And we’re adding full support for Advanced Custom Games plus AI Bot Integration, so you can play your way and remix the rules like never before. Get ready to build a whole new flow for Stadium’s evolving meta!

Overwatch 2 x Phantom Thieves

The stage is set for a daring new caper! The Phantom Thieves have slipped into Overwatch 2, ready to steal your heart and fight for the future with a little rebellious flair and their signature masked style. This collab fuses Heroes and Hearts, delivering bold skins, UI swagger, and in-game surprises pulled straight from the Metaverse. From neon-soaked aesthetics to hidden map secrets, the Overwatch 2 x Phantom Thieves crossover invites you to join the crew and make your mark before time runs out.

The heist runs September 16–29. Don’t miss your shot to steal the spotlight!!

©ATLUS. ©SEGA.

Overwatch 2 Anniversary 2025

Anniversary 2025 lets you relive the game’s most memorable moments, from OG Arcade chaos to fan-favorite LTMs, while unlocking loot, skins, and Mythic Prisms along the way. Whether you’re hiding as a prop, laughing through April Fools, experimenting in Junk’s Lab, or altering your allegiance in Mirrorwatch again, every week is a different throwback with modern rewards on the line. Relive the highlights of Overwatch history while stacking serious rewards from September 16 to October 13.

Week 1 kicks off with Mischief & Magic and Overwatch Classic Launch Meta where you can earn a Legendary and Epic Loot Box, a Legendary Lifeweaver Skin, souvenirs, icons, and more!

Week 2 dive back into the Mirrorwatch and Overwatch Classic Moth Meta and earn a Legendary and Epic Loot Box, weapon charms, and other exciting rewards.

Week 3 doubles down on chaos with Totally Normalwatch and Overwatch Classic Goats Meta and earn another Legendary Loot Box alongside player icons, sprays and other surprises!

Week 4 closes strong with Junkenstein’s Laboratory and Overwatch Classic Golden Meta and get Mythic Prism bonuses alongside more souvenirs, sprays, icons, weapon charms, XP, a namecard, and an epic lootbox!

Competitive Play Updates

Leaver Compensation

Players who have leavers outside of their own group during a Core Competitive Play match will have reduced Rank Progress lost whenever there is a leaver in the match.

This compensation will be reduced at higher Skill Tiers.

Players who leave Core Competitive Play matches and their group members will receive the full loss penalty.

Leavers themselves will still be suspended from all Competitive Play modes.

Developer comments: After seeing successful results from Stadium Competitive Play with Leaver Compensation, we’re now ready to apply the same rules to the Core Competitive Play mode.

Hero Updates

Tank

Hazard

Spike Guard – Secondary Ability

Damage reduction reduced from 65% to 60%.

Violent Leap – Ability 1

Damage reduced from 80 to 70.

Ramattra

Nemesis Form – Ability 1

Bonus armor increased from 250 to 275.

Roadhog

Scrap Gun – Primary & Secondary Fire

Critical multiplier increased from 1.5 to 2x.

Take a Breather – Ability 2

Resource regeneration rate increased from 10 to 12.5 per second.

Wrecking Ball

Quad Cannons – Primary Fire

Maximum ammo reduced from 100 to 80.

Minefield – Ultimate

Mine duration reduced from 20 to 16 seconds.

Damage

Genji

Deflect – Ability 2

Cooldown increased from 8 to 10 seconds.

Hanzo

Storm Arrows – Ability 2

No longer have a larger projectile size compared to regular arrows.

Torbjörn

Overload – Ability 1

Duration increased from 5 to 6 seconds.

Molten Core – Ultimate

Damage per second increased from 160 to 190.

Tracer

Perk cost increased by 25%.

Widowmaker

Grappling Hook

Cooldown reduced from 12 to 10 seconds.

Venom Mine

Total damage increased from 75 to 125.

Support

Brigitte

Shield Bash – Primary Ability

Damage increased from 50 to 70.

Combat Medic – Minor Perk

Fixed a bug where it triggers on damaging non-player entities.

Lúcio

Sonic Amplifier – Primary Fire

Damage per projectile reduced from 22 to 20.

Wuyang

Rushing Torrent

Cooldown increased from 7 to 8 seconds.

Guardian Wave

Healing amplification duration reduced from 4 to 3 seconds.

Cooldown increased from 12 to 14 seconds.

Stadium Updates

Tank

Orisa

Developer comments: These updates give Orisa more durability and impact. Scorched Earth hits harder, her barriers scale better with her role, and Supercharger now has the staying power to anchor big moments in a fight.

Scorched Earth – Power

Damage increased to 25% (Up from 20%).

Shield Divergence – Power

Barrier now gains extra health from passive health gain.

Supercharger – Power

Supercharger base health increased to 400 (Up from 200).

Sigma

Developer comments: Several of Sigma’s items and powers have proved too situational and we’re giving them a tune-up. Additionally, his Beam counter item should now be more effective against other Tanks on the roster (looking at you, Reinhardt).

Maestro – Power

Added: Gravitic Flux refunds 50% of Ultimate Charge if no enemies are affected.

Volatile Gravel – Rare Ability Hero Item

Bonus Ability Power reworked to now deal damage with Accretion and grants 5% Ability Power until the end of the round, stacking up to 4 times.

Beam Splitter – Rare Survival Hero Item

Now also reduces Melee damage while active.

Damage reduction increased to 75% (up from 50%).

Synced Shielding – Rare Survival Hero Item

Weapon Power and Attack Speed granted while behind Experimental Barrier increased to 10% (up from 5%).

Move Speed and Lifesteal granted while in front of Experimental Barrier increased to 10% (up from 5%).

Damage

Mei

Developer comments: Based on player feedback, we wanted to reward precision with Slowball. Landing crits now gives a stronger slow, letting Mei players who hit their mark feel extra frosty while making it clearer when enemies are in real trouble.

Slowball – Power

Added: Critical hit applies 30% instead.

Tracer

Added to the Stadium Roster.

Chronal Crux – Stadium Passive

Gains 25% less Health, Armor, and Shields from items and cash.

Flash Fist – Power

For 1 second after using Blink, your next Quick Melee is affected by Ability Power, deals 10 extra damage, and knocks enemies back.

Get Stuffed! – Power

Quick Melee hit grant 5% Ultimate Charge.

Blink of an Eye – Power

Critical hits reduce the cooldown of Blink by 0.5 seconds.

Quantum Clip – Power

If you use Blink while reloading, gain 25% Max Ammo and 10% Weapon Lifesteal until you reload.

T.Racer- Power

Blink teleports you 3 meters farther and grants you 10% Move Speed for 1 second.

Alternate Ending- Power

When you use Recall, heal allies within 6 meters for 75% of the damage they have taken in the last 3 seconds.

Auto Recall- Power

Once per round, if you would die, instead use Recall for free. Spending your Ultimate Charge reduces Recall’s cooldown by 50%.

Bullet Time- Power

When you use Recall, drop a temporal field that slows projectiles by 95% for 6 seconds and you take 25% less damage from Hitscan for 3 seconds.

Temporal- Power

Recall leaves behind a temporal field portal. An ally can interact with it to travel back in time 3 seconds.

Foresight- Power

After using Blink, your next 6 shots within 2 seconds auto-aim to targets within 10 meters.

Timelapse- Power

Hitting 2 consecutive shots on the same target without missing deals 1 extra damage over 2 seconds.

Pocket Bomb- Power

When you use Recall, throw a Pulse Bomb that deals 60% less damage.

Pulse Detector – Rare Weapon Hero Item

10% Weapon Power.

10% Max Ammo.

The last enemy hit by Pulse Pistols is revealed for 1 second.

Cost: 5,500.

Underworld Quickloader – Epic Weapon Hero Item

10% Weapon Power.

10% Attack Speed.

Pulse Pistols hits grant 1% Reload Speed stacking up to 30 times. Resets on reload.

Cost: 12,000.

Drag Reducers – Rare Ability Hero Item

10% Ability Power.

100% Pulse Bomb Throw Distance.

Cost: 4,000.

Chrono Bomb – Epic Ability Hero Item

15% Ability Power.

50% Pulse Bomb Explosion Radius.

Enemies Stuck or hit by Pulse Bomb are slowed by 30% and lose 30% bonus Attack Speed for 2 seconds.

Cost: 10,000.

Emily’s Affection – Rare Survival Hero Item

19 Health.

After using Recall, gain 50 Overheath for 5 seconds.

Cost: 4,000.

Iggy’s Ignition – Rare Survival Hero Item

5% Attack Speed.

5% Move Speed.

If you use Blink while Airborne, gain an air jump.

Cost: 3,750.

Custom Kicks – Epic Survival Hero Item

38 Health.

When you use Blink, grant yourself and allies within 6 meters 10% Move Speed for 1 second.

Cost: 10,000.

Oxton Overdrive – Epic Survival Hero Item

19 Health.

When you use Recall, restore 2 charges of Blink.

Cost: 10,000.

Slipstream Salve – Epic Survival Hero Item

19 Health.

Recall always restores at least 70% of your life.

Cost: 10,000.

Support

Juno

Developer comments: PulStar Destroyers were underwhelming compared to other Epic tier options. This boost should make this hero item feel far more destructive and worthy of its name.

PulStar Destroyers – Epic Ability Hero Item

Damage increased to 35 (Up from 20).

Kiriko

Developer comments: We’ve trimmed the numbers so talismans aren’t quite so magical, and donuts aren’t quite so nutritious. Sometimes too many sprinkles really are a bad thing.

Donut Delivery – Epic Ability Hero Item

Cooldown Reduction decreased to 5% (Down from 10%).

Healing decreased to 80 (Down from 120).

Talisman of Life – Epic Survival Hero Item

Ability Power decreased to 15% (Down from 20%).

Overhealth decreased to 80 (Down from 100).

Armory

General Items

Developer comments: With the introduction of Tracer, we’re adjusting some of our “On Ability” items to be more in bounds on heroes with low ability cooldowns.

Ironclad Exhaust Ports – Rare Survival General Item

Overhealth now only stacks up to 1 time.

Added 10 Health.

Three-Tap Tommygun – Epic Ability General Item

Added damage falloff to additional damage equal to target’s Life.

Added internal timer of 0.25s between subsequent procs of the additional damage.

Changed from “After using an ability, your next 3 instances of Weapon Damage deal additional damage equal to 3% of the target’s Life” to “After using an ability, for 3s Weapon Damage deals additional damage equal to 1% of the target’s Life. (Cooldown: 0.25s)”.

Cost reduced to 9500 (Down from 10500).

Mark of the Kitsune – Epic Ability General Item

Added damage falloff to additional damage.

Stadium Custom Game Updates

Custom build your own games of Stadium with newly expanded rule options that can adjust all of the game rules of Stadium to your liking. Play single round matches with a near infinite budget or slowly grind through a first-to-10 series for the ultimate strategic showdown. Mix and match settings between Quick Play and Competitive rulesets to build your own custom version of Stadium that works for you!

AI Bots

Custom game for Stadium now has support for AI bots.

AI bots can be added as enemies or teammates.

AI bots have been updated to play all Stadium game modes, including Payload Race.

AI Bots will purchase and sell items from the Armory.

Presets

Stadium Quick Play has been added as a new pre-set.

The Stadium Ranked preset has been updated to enable Hero Draft in the Lobby Options by default.

Lobby Settings

Stadium Lobby settings have been added for:

Hero Draft

Mirror Match

Bans

Mode Settings

You can now find a variety of new customization options for Stadium in the All Modes settings.

Competitive Rules – When enabled the standard cash gains for Competitive Play will be used. When disabled, the increased cash gains from the Quick Play ruleset will be used.

Score to Win – Set how many total rounds a team must win to win the overall match, up to 10.

Starting Cash – Set the total amount of cash each player starts with at the start of the game.

MVP Bonus Cash – Set the amount of cash awarded to each team’s MVP after each round.

Minimum Round Earnings – Set the minimum average currency earned by a team each round.

Round Complete Cash Scalar – Sets the percentage of cash granted passively to all players after each round.

Damage Cash Scalar – Sets the percentage of cash earned from damage dealt during each round.

Healing Cash Scalar – Sets the percentage of cash earned from damage healed during each round.

Bounty Cash Scalar – Sets the percentage of cash earned from eliminations during each round.

Item Cost Scalar – Sets the percentage of the price of items in the Armory before each round.

Mercy Rule – Enables the Mercy rule to activate if the conditions are met after round 3.

Merch Rule Cash Delta – Determines the amount of cash required to end the match early if a team is leading by 3 points after round 3.

Power 1 Unlock Round – Determines the round where players can equip their first power.

Power 2 Unlock Round – Determines the round where players can equip their second power.

Power 3 Unlock Round – Determines the round where players can equip their third power.

Power 4 Unlock Round – Determines the round where players can equip their fourth power.

Armory Duration Scalar – Adjusts the total time players can spend in the Armory to select items and powers.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue that caused the Spectate and Join Game options to disappear from the Social tab.

Fixed an issue with the “Leave as Group” option that prevented players from leaving with their group.

Fixed an issue with the Gladiator: LXXVI skin being incorrectly labeled as a legendary.

Fixed an issue where Baptiste’s progression rewards were not awarded correctly.

Fixed an issue that sometimes caused charms and souvenirs to not appear in the Hero Gallery.

Fixed an issue that displayed incorrect prices in certain regional stores.

Fixed an issue where you could not use certain cosmetics with the Nerf Weapon Skin equipped on Baptiste.

Fixed a bug that caused some player progression levels to be higher than intended. Some players may see their level reduce.

Heroes

D.Va

Fixed an issue with D.Va’s Defense Matrix drain rate reduction when using the Precision Fusion perk.

Venture

Fixed an issue with Venture’s Burrow ability that caused a delay when attempting to use subsequent abilities after emerging.

Wuyang

Fixed an issue with Wuyang’s “autofire after controlling orb” setting, which should now respond appropriately.

Stadium

General

Fixed an issue where players near stadium rank convergence started to gain extremely low SP.

Fixed an issue where some Stadium rewards were being incorrectly unequipped on logout.

Junkrat

Fixed an issue with Junkrat’s Concussion Mine not increasing damage when using the “Champion’s Kit” mod.

Moira

Fixed an issue with the damaging orb deployed from Moira’s “Optimal Overflow” power that could bounce off unintended surfaces.

Orisa

Fixed an issue with visual effects on Orisa’s spear when the “Spynstem Update” power was equipped.

Fixed an issue with deflected shots from Orisa’s Javelin Spin not aligning with the reticle when using the “Spynstem Update” power.

Pharah

Fixed an issue with Pharah’s primary fire rocket that could visually follow the same path as the homing rocket after using the “Heat Seekers” power.

Solider: 76

Fixed an issue with Soldier’s “Super Visor” power that could incorrectly reduce Ultimate charge after firing a Helix Rocket.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: September 8th/9th 2025
Patch notes:

Arcade Updates

Lúcioball

Lúcioball can now have the option to be played in the first perspective view by opening up your Stadium control options and adjusting the Camera Perspective settings.

Bug Fixes

Stadium

General

In a previous update, we fixed an issue in Stadium Competitive Drafts where a random hero would sometimes be selected for players.

In a previous update, we fixed an issue in Stadium Competitive Drafts where players would sometimes have their hero deselected and need to reselect.

In a previous update, we fixed an issue in Stadium Competitive Drafts where Tank players will no longer sometimes be placed in the first draft slot.

In a previous update, we fixed an issue in Stadium Competitive Drafts where some mirror matchups were still being disallowed.

Brigitte

In a previous update, we fixed an issue with the Divine Intervention item when used for Brigitte and has been reenabled.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: September 4th/5th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Loser Consolation

When a player loses a Competitive game, each individual round that a player wins now reduces the total amount of Stadium Points lost and grants Competitive Points.

Disabled at All-Star and Legend leagues.

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: D.Va’s early weapon power spike created by the low cost 20% weapon power epic was providing disproportionate efficiency compared to similar options. This allowed her to secure early eliminations too reliably and snowball matches ahead of curve. Additionally, her Facetanking builds offered above-average durability relative to other tanks. This update reduces both the efficiency of her early weapon power scaling and the overall survivability of Facetanking strategies to better align with intended balance.

Facetanking – Power

Healing decreased to 30% (Down from 40%).

Multitask-Mod – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Weapon power decreased to 10% (Down from 20%).

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Royal Bullets was winning duels a little too royally, popping targets with minimal setup. This trim keeps it snappy and satisfying without letting it wear the crown in every build.

Royal Bullets – Power

Damage decreased to 40 (Down from 50).

Orisa

Developer Comments: Orisa was having a tough time holding her ground against beam-heavy foes like Zarya. This update gives her a sturdier answer so she can stare down beams a bit longer and keep the frontline strong.

Refraction Tiles – Rare Survival Hero Item

Damage reduction increased to 75% (Up from 50%).

Damage

Pharah

Developer Comments: Pharah’s mini barrage build has been raining down a little too much fire, melting teams before they knew what hit them. This is the first step in dialing back that bursty damage while keeping the build exciting, with more tuning planned in future updates.

Recursion Battery – Power

Lifesteal decreased to 25% (Down from 50%).

Blitz Barrage – Power

Rocket number reduction increased to 75% (Up from 60%).

Overcharged Ordnance – Rare Ability Hero Item

Cost increased to 5500 (Up from 4000).

Support

Brigitte

Developer Comments: Scavenged Steel was previously allowing players to chain Rallies together, making it feel like she had Rally every fight. This change should lower Rally uptime so there are greater windows of opportunity to counterplay. We’re also lightly increasing the healing reliability of Brigitte’s Weapon Power build.

Righteous Cleave – Power

Healing Range increased to 10m (Up from 5m).

Scavenged Steel – Epic Ability Hero Item

No longer grants Ultimate Charge while Rally is active.

Bug Fixes

Stadium

Brigitte

Fixed an issue where repeatedly pressing Shield Bash after casting would grant multiple On Ability Triggers.

Junkrat

Fixed an issue where Junkrat’s Concussion Mine wasn’t properly scaling with Ability Power.

Items

Fixed an issue where Amari’s Antidote was working on all Healing instead of just Weapon Healing.

Fixed an issue where Divine Intervention was also working on self damage from removing Overhealth.

Fixed an issue where Ogundimu Reduction Field was not properly interacting with Nebula Conduit’s self damage.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: August 29th/30th 2025
Patch notes:

Hero Updates

Tank

Roadhog

Scrap Gun – Primary and Secondary Fire

Reload time reduced from 1.75 to 1.5 seconds.

Shotgun pellet damage increased from 6 to 6.5.

Secondary Fire initial volley can now critical hit targets.

Chain Hook – Ability 1

Impact damage increased from 5 to 25.

Bug Fixes

Heroes

Lifeweaver

Fixed a bug with Lifeweaver that resulted in Overhealth granted from Tree of Life being removed when Tree of Life despawned.

Pharah

Resolved an issue with Pharah’s Barrage missing splash damage.

Venture

Fixed an issue that prevented Venture from being able to queue Drill Rush during Burrow.

Wrecking Ball

Fixed an issue with Wrecking Ball’s knock-back distance being incorrect.

Stadium

We have a fixed an issue that was blocking Stadium Competitive rewards from being distributed to players on Season 18 login. Rewards should be granted on the next login.

We have fixed an issue in Stadium Draft where the draft would not continue immediately after a player locked in a hero choice.

We have fixed an issue in Stadium Drafts where a player would lock in a hero but get a different one at the end of the draft.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: August 28th/29th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Stadium Draft

Players can now select heroes that the opponents have picked during the draft selection allowing mirror matchups.

Developer comment: We’ve heard your feedback regarding no mirror matches, so we’re enabling it so that each team can pick from the entire hero pool without worrying about what heroes the opponents already picked.

Bug Fixes

Heroes

Cassidy

Fixed an issue with Cassidy’s Silver Bullet Perk that allowed you to fire a normal shot alongside the Silver Bullet.

D.Va

Fixed a bug with D.Va’s Precision Fusion Perk that allowed for nearly infinite duration.

Echo

Fixed an issue with Echo that caused Ultimate meter gain to be slowed after Cloning D.Va.

Fixed a bug that gave Echo extra health when Cloning D.Va.

Junker Queen

Fixed an issue with Junker Queen’s Battle Shout Perk that amped up reload speed more than intended.

Juno

In an earlier update, fixed a bug that resulted in Juno’s Primary Fire falloff being shorter than intended.

Mercy

Fixed a bug with Mercy that would cause speed VFX to play for all allies.

Orisa

Fixed a bug that prevented Orisa’s Javelin from slamming enemies into walls.

Roadhog

Fixed a bug with Pulled Pork that granted Overhealth based on Hook duration and not distance.

Fixed a bug with Roadhog’s Pulled Pork Perk being affected by Ana’s Biotic Grenade.

Sojourn

Fixed a bug with the Friction Generators Perk that prevented Sojourn from gaining Ultimate if her Ultimate was activated while firing and sliding.

Sombra

Fixed a bug with Sombra’s Adept Hacker becoming unusable if selected while respawning.

Widowmaker

Fixed a bug with Widowmaker’s Sniper’s Instinct Perk that allowed her to trigger the Perk without triggering a cooldown for Grapple.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Season 18 – Stadium Quick Play)

Release date: August 26th/27th 2025
Patch notes:

Season 18: Stadium Quick Play

Season 18: Stadium Quick Play reshapes the current with a PvP refresh, a massive Stadium overhaul, and the debut of our newest Support hero—the rebellious aquatic, Wuyang. Master the rhythm with a flow-powered kit, dive into the updated Stadium with new heroes and Payload Race mode plus climb the ranks after our PvP System Refresh resets the competitive playing field. Whether you’re drafting comps, experimenting with Perks, or flexing your skills in third person Lúcio Ball, it’s time to make a splash.

Event Updates

Summer Games 2025

Summer Games return with a slick new POV and a few extra tricks. Lúcio Ball & Lúcio Ball Remix kick into third person for the first time and the high-flying Winston Volleyball has returned for you to rally your squad on the court. Earn a new summer-colored skin for Lúcio and more seasonal rewards just by logging in and getting your reps. Spike, slide, and score—Summer Games heat up from Sept 2–15!

Junkrat’s Loot Hunt

It’s raining loot again (and probably shrapnel). From September 12 to September 15, Junkrat’s Loot Hunt brings chaos back to the weekend with daily match challenges that unlock up to 9 Loot Boxes. Play 2, 5, and 10 matches each day to hit your milestones and stack the rewards. Wins count double, and all game modes apply. Progress resets at 11AM PT—so jump in, cause a little mayhem, and claim what’s yours before it all goes up in smoke.

General Updates

Hero Progression Updates

Hero Progression 2.0 rebuilds the system from the ground up with faster leveling, smoother UI, and a permanent prestige system built to flex your grind. Earn animated Ascended borders at milestone levels, unlock Loot Boxes at key breakpoints, and track long-term growth with every Hero. If you’ve been putting in the hours, this is the system that finally shows it off.

Hero Level represents how much time you’ve spent playing each hero. Level up your heroes by completing games in any game mode.

Progression Level represents how much you play overall. Every time you level up a hero, your Progression Level also goes up.

Your hero and account level badges are automatically prestiged after reaching certain levels.

Level up your heroes to earn Ascended borders, which displays in most areas during the course of a match. Opponents will not be able to see your Ascended prestige until after the match begins.

As you level up, kickstart your cosmetic collection for your favorite heroes by earning Highlight Intros, Emotes, Victory Poses, Player Icons, Credits, and more.

Additionally, unlock evolving Name Cards and Player Titles to show off your high level heroes!

Progression accolades can be hidden in Streamer Mode settings.

Advanced Information Panel

While in a match or the Practice Range, players can now interact with the Hero Information screen to find advanced details about their weapons, abilities, and passives.

The following types of information are present for all heroes where relevant: Damage, Healing, Cooldowns, Range, Radius, Effect Durations, Magazine Size, Reload Time, Falloff Ranges, Barrier Health, Overhealth, Overshield, Overarmor, Damage Amplification, Damage Reduction, Movement Speed Modifications, Deployable Health, Shot Spread, Shots Per Volley, Knockback, Charge Times, Energy, and many hero-specific mechanics that don’t fall into the above categories are also included.

Some notable exceptions like Ultimate Charge and Rate of Fire are works in progress that we hope to add in future updates. We’re excited to hear your feedback on this feature and we’d love to hear what specific additional information you’d like us to add in the future!

Keywords are included to help players understand how they interact with each other.

Keyword definitions can be accessed for in-depth explanations of mechanics.

Any part of a Keyword definition that is highlighted indicates that this aspect of the definition is not always the same for every instance of this Keyword.

Perks are not currently included in this feature.

This feature is not supported to calculate for Stadium Powers and Items equipped.

This feature is not supported in the Hero Gallery.

Mouse and Keyboard for Consoles

Console players can now use a Mouse and Keyboard natively to play Overwatch 2 if they prefer not to use a controller.

When it comes to the matchmaking pools, PC Pool and Console Pool will now be referred to as the Mouse and Keyboard Pool and the Controller Pool. This change will be updated in our in-game UI in a future update.

When on console and using a Mouse and Keyboard, you will be prompted to switch to the Mouse and Keyboard Pool in order to use a Mouse and Keyboard to play the game with. If you do not accept to switch to the Mouse and Keyboard Pool, your Mouse and Keyboard inputs will not work for gameplay controls, and you will only be able to use Controller. You can also manually switch to either pool in your Gameplay Options.

You can still use Mouse and Keyboard in either Pool to type messages into text chat and other editable fields.

When you switch to the Mouse and Keyboard Pool, you will be paired with all PC platforms and any console players who are using Mouse and Keyboard inputs and your internal MMR, skill ratings, and ranks for all game modes will be separate from your statistics in the Controller Pool.

When playing in the Mouse and Keyboard Pool, aim assist features are not available even when you are using a controller.

Controller players on PC platforms cannot enter the Controller Pool and cannot access aim assist features. To play on the Controller pool, you must play on a console platform.

Use of unauthorized peripherals to bypass the restrictions in the Controller Pool will be considered as cheating and will result in actions taken on your Battle.net account.

Real-Time Text Moderation

If another player types a message into Text Chat that is detected to be potentially disruptive, offensive, or harmful to other users, the message in its entirety will be hidden from other players.

You may choose to see that message and report it, if necessary, directly from the text chat feed.

You can disable this filter in the Text Chat section of the Social Options.

As always, using inappropriate chat or being disruptive to other players is against our In-Game Code of Conduct, regardless of the words used or the context implied.

First-Time User Experience

New players will now have access to every Hero in the game from the start!

The entry requirement to participate in Competitive matches has been lowered to 20 wins in Unranked matches.

Competitive Play Updates

Hero Skill Rating

Skill Rating (SR) has returned to Overwatch in a new form, allowing players to analyze their skill at individual heroes. We originally removed Skill Rating from Competitive Play because players perceived it as an absolute truth about skill, instead of the best-guess approximation it really is. For two Gold 5 players on a team together today, we think players feel accurately represented in how closely skilled they are. But for 2069 and 2068 players on a team together, we’ve made a subtle implication that one of these players is better. These players are extremely close in skill and it would be incorrect to assume with certainty that one is more skilled than the other, but players tended to see a higher number as objectively more skilled, and this led to some unfortunate social dynamics within matches because of the comparisons it caused.

Comparisons are great for Hero Skill Rating though! Since this information isn’t shared outside of your Career Profile, we think giving you our best guesses will help you to understand and analyze your own skill at your stable of heroes in the most fun way.

Hero Skill Rating is a number between 0 and 5000, with 5000 being equivalent to the top of Champion 1.

Hero Skill Rating is not used in Matchmaking in any way.

After Placements in Role or Open Queue, players will now be able to Place each of the 44 heroes in Season 18.

A hero needs to play 5 Placement matches to get their final Hero Skill Rating.

A hero must be played for at least 3 minutes within a match to qualify for Placement.

A hero must be one of your top 3 most played heroes within that match to qualify for Placement.

Hero Placements (and Hero Skill Rating) are not shared across Role and Open Queues.

Hero Skill Rating updates are shown at the end of the match on the Competitive Overview screen.

Only your top 3 most played heroes within that match will be displayed here, but every hero played in the match is updated behind the scenes based on the amount of time they were played within the match.

Your Hero Skill Ratings can be viewed in the Career Profile under the Hero Comparison dropdown at any time, and on each hero’s Statistics page.

A new tab has been added to the Competitive Info screen explaining many of the topics above.

Skill Rank Reset

With a huge wave of new Perks and tuning to existing Perks, this soft reset is designed to put players on an even playing field and give them a chance to climb even higher than ever before.

The highest Ranks (Master, Grandmaster, and Champion) have been tuned again to include a higher percentage of the player population once players are well calibrated.

All ranks in Role Queue and Open Queue in Competitive Play have been reset to Unranked, and all players will need to complete their respective 10 placement matches for each role.

Hero Skill Ratings have also been soft reset for the first time.

Competitive Rewards

Achieving Diamond or above in Role Queue or Open Queue will now unlock Freja’s Galactic skin.

Rewards are now based on your highest rank in a season instead of your final rank.

Top 500 rewards are an exception to the change above and require your final rank to be Top 500 at the end of the season.

Competitive Play New Player Requirements

The new player requirement to unlock Competitive Play has been lowered to 20 total matches won in Unranked modes.

Hero Updates

Armor still reduces incoming damage by 7, up to a maximum of 50% of the damage received.

Combined damage reduction and armor can no longer exceed 50% unless an ability increases it past that point, such as Ramattra’s Block or Hazard’s Block.

In cases where total damage reduction already exceeds 50% before armor is applied, armor will have no additional effect.

Developer Comments: Since Season 16, a notable bug has altered how damage reduction and armor interact. This fix restores their intended functionality and clarifies the rules moving forward.

In addition to balance changes for some of our heroes, every hero will be getting at least one new perk to help give options for more fun, impactful gameplay that aligns to the hero’s identity.

Tank

D.Va

Heavy Rockets – Major Perk

Removed.

Precision Fusion – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Press Reload to reduce Fusion Cannon’s spread by 75% for 3 seconds.

Doomfist

Developer Comments: The change to Power Matrix aligns the perk with Doomfist’s regular Power Block, ensuring consistency in how Empowered Punch is charged.

One-Two – Minor Perk

Now updated to where hitting an enemy into a wall with Rocket Punch reloads Hand Cannon and overfills ammo by 2.

Seismic Empowerment – Major Perk

Removed.

Aftershock – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Enemies hit by Seismic Slam are slowed by 30% for 1.5 seconds.

Power Matrix – Major Perk

Damage absorbed during Power Matrix now provides equivalent Empowered Punch amount to Power Block.

Hazard

Developer Comments: Jagged Wall was providing too much impact as a single ability, particularly in combination with the Reconstitution perk. Reducing its health and knockback damage lowers its overall value, while the Spike Guard change requires Hazard to be actively fighting to gain its ammo benefit.

Spike Guard – Secondary Fire

Now only refills ammo while dealing damage to an enemy.

Jagged Wall – Ability 2

Knockback damage reduced from 50 to 40.

Health reduced from 400 to 350.

Off the Top – Minor Perk

Removed.

Deep Leap – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

Violent Leap’s range is now only increased by 15% (down from 20%).

Anarchic Zeal – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

Spike Guard’s spikes now only gain 25% lifesteal (down from 40%).

Reconstitution – Major Perk

Changed to a Major Perk.

Now drains additional resource before base resource.

Explosive Impalements – Major Perk

New Major Perk

Bonespur hits mark targets with spikes. Quick Melee and Violent Leap’s Slash detonate them for 40 explosive damage.

Junker Queen

Rending Recall – Minor Perk

Removed.

Rampant Change – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Gain Unstoppable and refresh all cooldowns when using Rampage.

Deep Wounds – Major Perk

Removed.

Willy-Willy

When recalling Jagged Blade, its radius is increased by 100% and it deals 30 additional impact damage.

Mauga

Two Hearts – Minor Perk

Removed.

Pyromaniac – Minor Perk

Igniting enemies with Incendiary Chaingun grants 50 overhealth.

Orisa

Heat Dissipator – Minor Perk

Removed.

Fleeting Bulwark – Minor Perk

Removed.

Defense Protocol – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Regenerate 100 health per second while charging Terra Surge.

Mobile Fortification – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

While Fortify is active. Orisa has no move speed reduction and no heat generation.

Ramattra

Developer Comments: Ramattra has become too durable in Nemesis Form while blocking. The armor and Block adjustments reduce his ability to withstand large amounts of damage and force more deliberate defensive choices. The change to Ravenous Vortex removes the jarring stop in horizontal momentum, notably when paired with Vengeful Vortex.

Ravenous Vortex – Ability 2

No longer interrupts horizontal momentum when first affecting a target. Nemesis Form

Bonus armor reduced from 300 to 250.

Block (Nemesis Form) – Secondary Ability

Block ability now triggers a 1-second cooldown.

Prolonged Barrier – Minor Perk

Removed.

Relentless Form – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

While Nemesis Form is active, eliminations extend the duration by 1 second, half that during Annihilation.

Reinhardt

Crusader’s Resolve – Minor Perk

Removed.

Barrier Re-Charge – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Distance travelled while using Charge regenerates your Barrier Field by 150 per second.

Crushing Victory – Major Perk

Removed.

Ignited Fury – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

For each enemy you hit with Fire Strike, gain 2 seconds of 25% increased attack speed.

Roadhog

Developer Comments: Pig Pen was originally intended to give Roadhog more spatial presence on the battlefield, but in practice it reinforced his hook combo playstyle and limited his flexibility in engagements. To address this, we’ve restored the classic Primary and Secondary Fire on Scrap Gun, providing more consistent damage options and letting Roadhog better contest space on the front line. The Take a Breather adjustments have been successful, offering greater defensive uptime without excessive personal sustain, so its functionality remains the same, but it has been moved to Ability 2 with a default toggle and additional cancel options to keep that flexibility intact.

Scrap Gun – Primary Fire

Reverted to classic Primary and Secondary Fire functionality.

Primary Fire no longer includes a volley of 4 extra large, long-ranged projectiles.

Number of projectiles for Primary Fire increased from 16 to 25.

Damage per pellet for Primary Fire reduced from 6.25 to 6.

Scrap Gun – Secondary Fire

Secondary Fire initial volley no longer crits.

Pig Pen – Ability 2

Ability removed.

Take a Breather – Ability 2

Moved from Secondary Fire to Ability 2.

The option to toggle on the ability is now on by default.

Added Ability 1, Primary Fire, and Secondary Fire as additional cancel buttons while toggled.

Minimum time before cancelable reduced from 0.8 to 0.6 seconds.

Pent Up – Minor Perk

Removed.

Shrapnel Launcher – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Extend the range of Scrap Gun’s secondary fire by 50% and tighten its burst spread by 25%.

Hogdrogen Exposure – Major Perk

Removed.

Pulled Pork – Major Perk.

New Major Perk.

Gain overhealth based on how far you pull enemies with Chain Hook, up to 250.

Sigma

Massive Impact – Minor Perk

Removed.

Hyper Regeneration – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

50% of Hyperspheres’ damage restores Experimental Barrier’s health.

Winston

Short Circuit – Minor Perk

Removed.

Barrier Toss – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Winston now throws his Barrier Projector forward when used.

Wrecking Ball

Transfer Efficiency – Major Perk

Removed.

Adaptive Barrier – Major Perk

Adaptive Barrier generates a 1.4 second barrier on activation, consuming 50 overhealth.

Zarya

Graviton Crush – Minor Perk

Removed.

Energy Converter – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Hits with Particle Cannon’s secondary fire generate 3 energy.

Damage

Ashe

Rapid Fire – Minor Perk

Removed.

Remote Detonator – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

After using Dynamite, pressing E again causes it to detonate after a 0.5 second delay.

Bastion

Smart Bomb – Minor Perk

Removed.

Configuration Reload – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Refresh the cooldown of A-36 Tactical Grenade when changing configurations.

Cassidy

Developer Comment: Recent weapon changes have made Cassidy a highly consistent threat. Reducing his health brings him more in line with other hitscan heroes.

Base health reduced from 275 to 250.

Quick Draw – Minor Perk

Removed.

Bang Bang – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

Now reduces the damage from both Flashbangs by 40% (up from 30%).

Silver Bullet – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Peacekeeper’s secondary fire is replaced with a piercing shot that inflicts bleeding. Combat Roll and Deadeye reset its cooldown.

Echo

Friendly Imaging – Minor Perk • Removed. Enhanced Duplication – Minor Perk

Removed.

Focused Rush – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Focusing Beam’s range is increased by 4 meters and movement speed is increased by 10% when active.

Partial Scan – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Duplicate starts with 50% of its ultimate charge.

Full Salvo – Major Perk

The damage reduction has been removed from all sticky bombs fired.

Freja

Frost Bolts – Minor Perk

Removed.

Tracking Instinct – Minor Perk

Removed.

Hunters Instinct – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Direct hits with Take Aim reveal enemies to Freja for 3 seconds.

Momentum Boost – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Quick Dash distance is increased by 20%.

Ready to Hunt – Major Perk

Removed.

Aerial Recovery – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

After using Updraft, heal for 30 health per second until Freja touches the ground.

Genji

Acrobatics – Minor Perk

Removed.

Swift Cuts – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Quick Melee reduces the cooldown of Swift Strike by 3 seconds.

Blade Twisting – Major Perk

Now Swift Strike deals 25 additional damage over time if the enemy is below half health.

Hanzo

Swift Lunge – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Arrow hits reduce the cooldown of Lunge by up to 1 second, based on charge.

Yamagami Technique – Major Perk

Removed.

Scatter Arrows – Major Perk

Changed to a Major Perk.

Now on first ricohet, Storm Arrows split into 5 shots dealing 33% damage and bounce 1 extra time.

Junkrat

Aluminum Frame – Minor Perk

Removed.

Mine Recycling – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Killing blows with Concussion Mine restore one charge.

Tick Tock – Major Perk

Removed.

Bomb Voyage – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

After launching with Concussion Mine, Junkrat gains 35% increased attack speed for 3 seconds.

Mei

Biting Cold – Minor Perk

Removed.

Permafrost – Minor Perk

Removed.

Skating Rink – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Allies within Blizzard gain 25% increased movement speed and heal for 50 health per second.

Glacial Propulsion – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Double jumping creates a small ice pillar that launches Mei into the air.

Pharah

Concussive Implosion – Major Perk

Removed.

Sky Spy – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Concussive Blast reveals targets to Pharah for 3 seconds. During this, the next direct Rocket Launcher hit per target deals 30% extra damage.

Reaper

Death’s Shadow – Minor Perk

Removed.

Shadow Blink – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Shadow Step’s cast time and cooldown are 25% faster, but the range is reduced by 25%.

Sojourn

Developer Comment: While Sojourn’s win rate is relatively low, she can still feel frustrating to play against. Lowering her health increases her vulnerability, but the slight mobility and primary fire improvements help offset the loss in survivability.

Base health reduced from 250 to 225.

Railgun – Primary Fire

Primary fire shots-per-second increased from 15 to 16.

Power Slide – Ability 1

Cooldown decreased from 8 to 7 seconds.

Extended Mag – Minor Perk

Removed.

Deceleration Field – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Enemies hit by Disruptor Shot are slowed by 25%.

Adhesive Siphon – Major Perk

Removed.

Friction Generators – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

While sliding, Power Slide generates up to 50 energy.

Soldier: 76

Field Emergency – Minor Perk

Removed.

Tactical Salvo – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Helix Rockets cooldown is reduced by 80% during Tactical Visor.

Stim Pack – Major Perk

Now changed so that Stim Pack replaces Biotic Field and now heals Soldier: 76 for 30 health per second and gains 20% increased attack speed for 5 seconds.

Sombra

White Hat – Major Perk

Removed.

Adept Hacker – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Hacked health packs provide up to 50 overhealth to Sombra.

Symmetra

Advanced Teleportation – Minor Perk

Removed.

Perfect Alignment – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

Now only increases the range of Photon Projector’s primary fire by 20% regardless of the charge level of the beam.

Hovering Barrier – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Teleporter gains the option to create a forward moving barrier instead. Pressing E again slows down the barrier’s movement.

Torbjörn

Craftsman – Minor Perk

Removed.

Hammer Time – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Move 20% faster while Forge Hammer is equipped.

Tracer

Developer Comment: Tracer’s weapon improvements have increased her overall effectiveness. Extending Recall’s cooldown reduces her uptime, especially when paired with Major perks.

Recall – Ability 2

Cooldown increased from 12 to 13 seconds.

Blast From The Past – Minor Perk

Removed.

Kinetic Reload – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Melee hits grant 20 ammo.

Venture

Seismic Sense – Minor Perk

Removed.

Deep Burrow – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk

Drill Dash distance is 50% longer while burrowed.

SMART-R Excavator – Major Perk

Removed.

SMART Extender – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Empower SMART Excavator with E to increase its maximum projectile range by 100% for 4 seconds.

Widowmaker

Focused Aim – Minor Perk

Removed.

Sniper’s Instinct – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Scoped shots charge 100% faster for 2 seconds after using Grappling Hook.

Deadly Deux – Major Perk

Removed.

Seeker Mine – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Vemon Mine now fires poison darts at enemies within 10 meters and remains active after triggered.

Support

Ana

Speed Serum – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Nano Boost grants a 40% movement speed boost to both Ana and her target.

Shrike – Major Perk

Removed.

Biotic Bounce – Major Perk

Changed to a Major Perk.

Now deals 60 damage and healing (up from 25).

Baptiste

Field Medicine – Minor Perk

Removed.

Biotic Reloader – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Hitting an entire three-round burst reloads a healing projectile. Healing projectile direct hits reloads 3 primary fire ammo.

Automated Healing – Minor Perk

Changed to now using any ability triggers Baptiste’s Shoulder Turret, periodically firing up to 3 shots at allies, each restoring 25 health.

Brigitte

Barrier Restoration – Minor Perk

Removed.

Combat Medic – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Melee attacks reduce the cooldown of Repair Pack by 0.5 seconds.

Quick Fix – Major Perk

Removed.

Inspring Strike – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Shield Bash grants 30% increased movement speed for 2 seconds. Inspire’s healing is instant when activated by Shield Bash.

Illari

Solar Power – Major Perk

Removed.

Solar Flare – Major Perk

Press Primary Fire while using Solar Rifle’s healing beam to consume all energy, healing allies in front of Illari for up to 120 healing.

Juno

Re-boots – Minor Perk

Removed.

Locked On – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

Cooldown reduction now 1 second (down from 1.5 seconds).

Master Blaster – Major Perk

Removed.

Lift Off – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Martian Overboots can now triple jump.

Faster Blaster – Major Perk

While Glide Boost is active, Mediblaster fires continuously.

Kiriko

Shuffling – Major Perk

Removed.

Ready Step – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Swift Step grants Kiriko 40% increased attack and reload speed for 2 seconds.

Foxtrot – Major Perk

Projection Suzu now only grants 30% increased movement speed for allies (down from 40%) but now grants 100% increased cooldown recovery.

Lifeweaver

Developer Comment: Lifeweaver has received numerous buffs to improve his effectiveness, but his increased survivability has become difficult to deal with. This health reduction brings him in line with the rest of the support roster.

Base health reduced from 225 to 200.

Life Cycle – Minor Perk

Removed.

Lifeweaving – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

Rejuvenating Dash now only adds 20 healing to the next Healing Blossom (down from 40 healing).

Petal Power – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Allies gain 25% attack speed while standing on a raised Petal Platform.

Lúcio

Bass Blowout – Minor Perk

Removed.

Soundwave Rider – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Wall Riding empowers your next Soundwave, increasing its knockback by 25% and damage by 50%.

Mercy

Winged Reach – Minor Perk

Removed.

Divine Momentum – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

Increases Mercy’s travel speed by 15% after cancelling Guardian Angel.

Moira

Vanish – Minor Perk

Removed.

Uprush – Minor Perk

Removed.

Destruction’s Divide – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk

Coalescence can be toggled between pure healing or pure damage, with 25% greater effect.

Ethical Nourishment – Minor Perk

Changed to a Minor Perk.

The instant healing is reduced to 30 (down from 50 healing).

Contamination – Major Perk

Removed.

Reversal – Major Perk

New Major Perk

Reactivating Biotic Orb reverses its direction.

Phantom Step – Major Perk

New Major Perk.

Fade lasts 0.5 seconds longer and boosts jump height by 50%.

Wuyang

Developer Comments: Wuyang had a successful trial weekend as one of the top performing heroes across all platforms. Given his relatively strong standing, these adjustments are primarily targeted at gameplay-feel rather than raw damage and healing output. In particular, Rushing Torrent has been adjusted to help him reach high ground more easily, and Guardian Wave will now travel down tall ledges, which will help him support from those locations without having to give up positioning.

Now available to play in Competitive Play.

Quick Melee now interrupts controlling the water orb and channeling Restorative Stream.

Rushing Torrent – Ability 1

Initial speed boost on activation increased by 50%

Jump height increased by 2 meters.

Guardian Wave – Ability 2

Decreased maximum range by 5 meters.

Shockwave drop height increased from 3 to 20 meters.

Tidal Blast – Ultimate Ability

Self-usage time decreased from 0.8 to 0.6 seconds.

Zenyatta

Developer Comments: Recent Harmony Orb buffs have allowed Zenyatta to charge Transcendence much faster. Increasing its cost helps balance the improved healing of the ultimate.

Transcendence – Ultimate Ability

Ultimate Cost increased by 9%

Zenith Kick – Minor Perk

Removed.

Transcendent Condemnation – Minor Perk

New Minor Perk.

While using Transcendence, apply Discord Orb to all enemies within range.

Duality – Major Perk

Removed.

Dual Harmony – Major Perk

Gain a 2nd Harmony Orb but they both heal for 70% effectiveness.

Introducing Stadium Quick Play

Stadium Quick Play is a faster, lighter Stadium mode with shorter match times, quicker item economy, backfill support, and Cross Play.

Stadium Quick Play matches play best of 5, meaning the first team to win 3 rounds wins.

Powers are granted on rounds 1, 2, 3, and 5.

Stadium Quick Play uses an accelerated economy allowing players to reach the maximum potential of their builds faster.

Stadium Quick Play uses the same Cross Play grouping and matchmaking rules as Unranked Quick Play.

You can group together with your friends regardless of skill level or input pool for Stadium Quick Play matches.

Stadium Quick Play will feature backfill for whenever a player leaves or disconnects from a match.

If you are backfilling a match, you will be granted a cash amount that is the average to your remaining teammates, and you will have one minute to shop in the Armory and equip powers and purchase items while the current round is playing.

New Stadium Map Type — Payload Race

Payload Race pits both teams in a race to push their own payload to the finish on a symmetrical map.

Like in Escort, push your own payload when standing next to or on top of it.

If you contest the opponent’s payload, it will stop progress until you are eliminated or pushed away.

A payload that is not being escorted will slowly move backwards.

Teams need to coordinate between both pushing their own payload while also trying to slow down progress of their opponents.

The map features checkpoints on each team’s track to guarantee progress once the payload crosses that point.

Whoever reaches the finish line first or pushes their payload the farthest when time expires will claim the win for that round.

New Stadium Maps

Powder Keg Mines – Payload Race – On a lost detour from Route 66, you’ll race through a not-so-abandoned mine and go for the gold.

Thames District – Payload Race – Push the payload through the foggy alleys of Kings Row in this exciting showdown.

Oasis Gardens – Control – Return to the gardens of Oasis and play with new jump pads and explore all corners of the popular control map.

Stadium Competitive Play Updates

New Player Requirements

New players will need to win 10 Stadium Quick Play matches in order to unlock Stadium Competitive Play.

This requirement does not apply to players that played Stadium in Season 16 and 17.

New Stadium Rewards

Players who reach Elite in the Tank role will now receive the Elite Reinhardt Epic Skin.

Players who reach Elite in the Damage role will now receive the Elite Mei Epic Skin.

Players who reach Elite in the Support role will now receive the Elite Ana Epic Skin.

Players who reach All-Star in any role by the end of Season 18 will receive the All-Star D.Va Legendary Skin.

Stadium Competitive Play Grouping Restrictions

There are now grouping restrictions for Stadium Competitive Play that will help ensure more competitive integrity at the highest of tiers as players make their way up the ladder every season.

Rookie, Novice, Contender and Elite players will have no grouping restrictions.

Pro players can group within 15 divisions.

All-Star players can group within 10 divisions

Legend players can group within 5 divisions.

Leaver Compensation

Players who have leavers outside of their own group during a Stadium Competitive Play match will have reduced points lost whenever there is a leaver in the match.

This compensation will be reduced at higher leagues.

Players who still leave Stadium Competitive Play matches will receive the full loss penalty and be suspended from all Competitive Play modes.

Dynamic Stadium Point Adjustments

Stadium Points earned or lost from Stadium Competitive Play matches are no longer a fixed amount.

Stadium Points earned or lost are now dynamically determined for every match based on your current and predicted rank. This change should help you find your expected rank much faster at the start of every season.

Players with larger gaps will progress faster to their predicted league.

Players are protected from rank loss until they get close to their predicted rank, no matter which league they are in.

Loser Consolation

When a player loses a Competitive game, each individual round now grants Stadium Points toward their rank and Competitive Points.

Loser consolation is disabled for players at All-Star and Legend leagues.

General Stadium Updates

Stadium Cash

On the in-game scoreboard, Stadium Cash now respects the round and match option. Displaying which option is selected in the scoreboard header and persisted across rounds. Only resetting at the start of a new match.

Stadium Third-Person Camera Settings

Improved the third person camera’s height smoothing to more naturally adjust as the hero’s vertical positioning changes.

Updated the third person camera’s local player transparency behavior to fade the hero in and out over a short duration, which previously instantly switched between transparent and opaque.

Updated the third person camera to add a short duration over which the camera’s distance from the player is smoothed when there is no longer anything behind the camera previously blocking it.

Updated Reinhardt to no longer force the camera to ground level when first starting to hold up Barrier Field, in either first or third person.

Improved the fidelity of motion of the third person camera as it transitions to new offsets away from the hero.

Aim Assist now works correctly when using third person camera in Stadium.

Stadium Control Settings

Players can now access Stadium control and camera settings by a hotkey while on the Hero Select Screen at the start of the match.

There is a new third-person perspective option to show an indicator to whenever you are in melee range of an opponent that can be togged on for each hero in your Stadium control settings.

Added new scoping camera options for Ana and Ashe when playing in third person. Available options now include the existing behavior of zooming into first person, and a new behavior of zooming into an over-the-shoulder view.

A new setting has been added to that will dynamically swap Lucio’s third person camera sides when wall riding.

Armory and Hero Build UI

You can now see what weapons, abilities, and passives are affected for each Stadium modification type when you hover over that stat in the detailed build view in the Armory.

Ability detail tooltips are now defaulted to on permanently for all players.

There is now a new Armory footer toggle to quickly display the detailed build view.

Other Stadium Updates

Reduced the respawn timer during overtime in Stadium matches by 2 seconds.

Spawn points on Temple of Anubis have been pushed back and now it takes about 1.5 seconds more to reach the objective.

Player Endorsements are now available at the end of Stadium matches.

Stadium Balance Updates

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: D.Va’s Defense Matrix and Tokki Slam builds have been overperforming compared to other tank options, giving her too much consistency across different situations. We are tuning both down slightly to bring their effectiveness more in line with other tanks, ensuring healthier balance and more diverse build choices.

Tokki Slam – Power

Decreased damage to 25% (Down from 30%).

Face Tanking – Power

Decreased healing to 40% (Down from 50%).

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Time to sharpen the blade. Junker Queen’s axe has been stealing the spotlight for a while now, but we want her knife and blade build to cut in on the action too. With more enemies taking to the skies this season, this buff gives her the edge she needs to bring them crashing back down.

Merciless Magnetism – Power

Increased distance to 25 meters (Up from 15 meters).

Twist The Knife – Power

Increased duration to 2 seconds (Up from 1 seconds).

Blade Parade – Power

Decreased charge time to 0.65 seconds (Down from 1 seconds).

Cut ‘Em, Gracie! – Power

Added: Hit enemies are slowed by 35% for 1 seconds.

Royal Bullets – Power

Decreased duration to 2s. (Down from 3s).

Removed distance condition.

Thrill of Battle – Power

Increased heal to 100% (Up from 50%).

Bigger Magnet – Rare Ability Hero Item

Now pulls downward if the enemy is airborne.

Sigma

Developer Comments: Sigma is going through a series of balance updates aimed at smoothing out his overall performance. One of his toughest matchups has been against brawlers who can charge in and overwhelm him. This update is part of the ongoing improvements to give Sigma more tools to hold his ground and perform better in those high-pressure encounters.

Zero Gravity – Power

Added: While flying, gain 10% Damage Reduction.

The Harness – Epic Ability Hero Item

Added: +15% Ability Lifesteal.

Winstin

Added to the Stadium Hero roster.

Circuit Breaker – Power

Electric damage is increased by 5%. Gain 15% of Electric damage as Overhealth, up to 100.

Electro Cluster – Power

+20% Tesla Cannon Primary Fire Range.

Tesla Cannon’s Primary Fire deals 3% increased damage per enemy being hit.

Lightning Rod – Power

Hits with Tesla Cannon’s fully charged secondary fire bounce to all other enemies within 6 meters for 50% reduced damage.

Volatile Volt – Power

Tesla Cannon’s secondary fire can critically hit for 175% damage.

Lunar Leap – Power

Gain 2% bonus Ultimate Charge per enemy damaged by Jump Pack’s landing. While using Jump Pack, gain 5% of Max Life as Overhealth every 1s, up to 100.

Moon Landing – Power

Heal for 7% of Max Life per enemy damaged by Jump Pack’s landing.

Primal Punch – Power

Melee or Jump Eliminations reset Jump Pack cooldown.

For every 25 Armor you have, gain 5% Melee damage.

Pocket Projector – Power

Activating Barrier Projector attaches an additional, smaller Barrier Projector to Winston with 5% health.

Surge Protector – Power

Allies within Barrier Proejctor gain 25 temporary Overhealth every 1 second up to 100.

Tesla Field – Power

Enemies within Barrier Projector take 40 Electric damage every 1 second.

Primal Slam – Power

While using Jump Pack, press jump to quickly slam toward your current facing direction. During Primal Rage slam speed is increased by 50%.

Thick Skin – Power

When activating Primal Rage, Winston gains additional Armor equal to 100% of Max Armor.

Current Convertor – Rare Weapon Hero Item

10% Weapon Lifesteal (Tesla Cannon).

Gain 15% of damage dealt by Tesla Cannon’s secondary fire as Overhealth, up to 100.

Cost: 4,000.

Deconstructor – Rare Weapon Hero Item

15% Max Ammo.

Tesla Cannon deals 50% more damage to deployable objects, such as turrets and barriers.

Cost: 4,000.

Gibraltar Generator – Epic Weapon Hero Item

10% Weapon Power.

Barrier Projector grants Winston 10% increased Weapon Power while inside.

Cost: 10,000.

Harold’s Glasses – Epic Weapon Hero Item

25% Max Ammo.

Tesla Cannon’s secondary fire deals 25% increased damage.

Cost: 12,000.

Zero-G Suit – Rare Ability Hero Item

5% Cooldown Reduction

5% Move Speed.

After activating Jump Pack. Increase Move Speed by 50% for 2 seconds when you next jump.

Cost: 4,000.

Horizon Expander – Epic Ability Hero Item

20% Ability Power.

Jump Pack’s landing area can increase by up to 100% while airborne.

Cost: 11,000.

Unstable Prototype – Epic Ability Hero Item

10% Cooldown Reduction.

Barrier Projector bursts when it is removed, dealing 25% electric damage to nearby enemies.

Lucheng Launchers – Epic Ability Hero Item

50% Primal Rage duration.

50% Jump Pack base damage.

During Primal Rage, Jump Pack’s base damage becomes Electric and can increase up to an additional 100% while airborne.

Cost: 12,000.

Winton – Common Survival Hero Item

10 Health.

Winning a round awards Winston 2000 bonus cash.

Cost: 3,500.

Premium Peanut Butter – Rare Survival Hero Item

25 Health.

Using Jump Pack cleanses all negative effects.

Cost: 4,000.

Smart-Armor – Rare Survival Hero Item

25 Armor.

While below 50% Life, take 25% reduced damage from Shotguns, such as Reaper, Junker Queen, and D.Va’s Primary Fire.

Cost: 4,000.

S.Pacearmor – Epic Survival Hero Item

50 Armor.

When exiting Primary Rage, gain 100 Overhealth.

Cost: 9,000.

Simian Supplements – Epic Survival Hero Item

50% Barrier Projection duration.

Barrier Projector’s max health is increased by 300.

Cost: 10,000.

Fortified Jump Pack – Epic Surival Hero Item

50 Armor.

Damage received during Jump Pack is reduced by 35%.

Cost: 10,000.

Damage

Ashe

Developer Comments: Head Honcho has always been a bit of a gamble, high risk but not always high reward. With this update, we’re making it a safer pick that feels more consistently useful while keeping the overall power ceiling in check.

Head Honcho – Power

Remove resets on reload.

Decreased cap to 15% (Down from 30%).

Early Detonation – Power

Now only heals amount of reloaded ammo when restoring health through Reload Therapy.

Cassidy

Developer Comments: Cassidy’s trusty six-shooter has always kept him sharp against fliers, but with the spicy Stadium powers, the skies have gotten downright unruly. This season, we’re giving Cassidy some upgrades to his weaker tricks so he can hold his own, keep his aim true, and remind everyone who’s the fastest draw in the West.

Sunrise – Power

Increased slow duration to 2.5s (Up from 1.5s).

Think Flasht – Power

Added: Flashbang’s hinder duration is increased by 50%.

Flash In The Pan – Power

Increased ultimate charge to 20% (Up from 15%).

Quick Draw – Power

Increased distance to 15m (Up from 9m).

Wanted Poster – Rare Survival Hero Item

Added: Deadeye damage charges 35% faster on airborne enemies.

Freja

Developer Comments: Freja continues to struggle at generating currency compared to other damage options. With the improved counterplay options in the Armory and the introduction of Draft, we are bumping up her currency generation from damage to help increase her consistency in Stadium.

Increased income from damage and healing by 11.7%.

Mei

Developer Comments: Based on our testing data, Mei was having a hard time dealing with fliers. This update gives her a new counter item to help level the playing field and give her a bit more edge against airborne enemies.

Coldspot – Rare Survival Hero Item

Added: Primary fire applies 35% Slow for 1.5s to an airborne enemy.

Pharah

Added to the Stadium Hero roster.

Evasive Maneuvers – Power

After using Jump Jet, Concussive Blast gains homing and hinders enemies for 1.5 seconds on direct hit.

Extra Charge – Power

Concussive Blast gains 1 extra charge.

Launch Vector – Power

Whenever you knockback an enemy with Concussive Blast, fire 3 homing mini-rockets at them.

Blitz Barrage – Power

Gain 40% Move Speed during Barrage.

After using Jet Dash, fire a Barrage with 60% fewer Mini-Rockets.

Carpet Bomb – Power

Gain 40% Move Speed during Barrage.

Barrage has 50% increased duration.

Recursion Battery – Power

Mini-Rockets gain 50% Ability Lifesteal.

Cyclic Salvo – Power

Rocket Launcher direct hits grant 10 fuel and reduce your cooldowns by 1 second.

Fuel Depot – Power

Rocket Launcher direct hits permanently increase your maximum fuel by 2, stacking up to 25 times.

Triple Volley – Power

After using an ability, your next Primary Fire fires 3 rockets that each deal 40% damage.

Fuel Conversion – Power

Jet Dash gains 50% cooldown reduction but now costs 65 fuel.

Heat Seekers – Power

After using Jet Dash, your next Primary Fire locks onto enemies.

Speed Kills – Power

Dealing Weapon Damage grants 5% Move Speed and 3% Attack Speed for 3 seconds, stacking up to 6 times. Direct hits grant double stacks.

Blast Enhancer – Epic Weapon Hero Item

15% Weapon Power.

25% Rocket Launcher Explosion Radius.

Cost: 11,000

Precision Targeting – Epic Weapon Hero Item

20% Weapon Power.

Rocket Launcher direct hits restore 1 ammo.

Cost: 13,500.

Cairo Coolant – Rare Ability Hero Item

25 Health.

5% Cooldown Reduction.

When you knock yourself back with Concussive Blast, gain 20% Movement Speed for 3 seconds.

Cost: 4,000.

Overcharged Ordnance – Rare Ability Hero Item

10% Ability Power.

25% Mini Rocket Explosion Radius.

Cost: 4,000.

Helix Inhibitor – Epic Ability Hero Item

20% Ability Power.

Concussive Blast slows affected enemies by 20% for 2 seconds.

Cost: 11,000.

Flight Plan – Rare Survival Hero Item

25 Health.

After using Jump Jet or Jet Dash, gain 25 Overhealth for 3 seconds.

Cost: 4,500.

Tuned Turbines – Rare Survival Hero Item

25 Health.

Hover Jets consume 20% less fuel.

Cost: 4,500.

Forward Shielding – Epic Survival Hero Item

25 Health.

10% Ability Power.

When you use Barrage, gain 25% of your Max Life as Overhealth for 3 seconds.

Cost: 11,000.

Ana’s Aim Assist – Epic Survival Hero Item

50 Health

Rocket Launcher direct hits heal 15% of your maximum health over 3 seconds.

Cost: 12,000.

Support

Ana

Developer Comments: Live data shows that Ana currently earns the lowest average currency at late game. While her overall performance has improved, we want to ensure she has enough resources to make meaningful and strategic choices in the armory. This update should help boost her economy and open up more build paths.

Increased income from damage and healing by 11%.

Venomous – Power

Set duration to 2s.

Tranquilizer – Epic Ability Hero Item

Added: +10% Cooldown Reduction

Brigitte

Added to the Stadium Hero roster.

Burst Aid – Power

Use Quick Melee to consume all Repair Pack charges. For each charge, heal 20% of Max Life and gain 5% Attack Speed for 3 seconds. (10 second Cooldown).

Righteous Cleave – Power

After using Shield Bash or Whip Shot, your next Rocket Flail swing heals allies within 5 meters for 100% of damage dealt.

Whirlwhip – Power

After using Shield Bash or Whipe Shot, your next Rocket Flail swing hits all enemies around you within 5 meters.

Optimizer – Power

For each Repair Pack active, increase Repair Pack Healing by 10% and heal yourself for 5% of your Max Life every 1 second.

Packstacker – Power

Repair Pack duration is increased by 50%. Ability damage extends the duration of all active Repair Packs by 1 second.

God Ray – Power

Ability damage to targets over 10 meters away Burns them for 4% bonus damage for every 1 meter the ability traveled.

Maces to Faces – Power

Whip Shot’s size is increased by 1 meter and can hit multiple enemies. Inspire lasts 1 second longer when triggered by Whip Shot.

Mender Bender – Power

After using Shield Bash, heal 33% Barrier Shield Health and trigger Inspire.

Sköldkastning – Power

After using Shield Bash, your next Rocket Flail swing projects a Shield Boomerang that deals 60% Shield Bash damage.

Lindholm Wall – Power

Increase Barrier Shield size by 60% and Barrier Shield Health by 100%.

Shield Bash can hit multiple targets.

Aura Farming – Power

When Inspire is triggered by an ability, all heroes affected by it gain Overhealth equal to 5% of your Max Life for 5 seconds.

Consecrated Ground – Power

+25% Starting Ultimate Charge.

While Rally is active, trigger Inspire every 1.5 seconds and ability cooldowns refresh 25% faster.

Omni-Boost – Rare Weapon Hero Item

25 Health.

5% Weapon Power.

40% Shield Bash Distance.

4,000 Cost.

Haste Paste – Rare Ability Hero Item

25 Health.

5% Ability Power.

Repair Pack grants 10% Move Speed to target while active.

Cost: 4,000.

Chain Extender – Epic Ability Hero Item

15% Ability Power.

50% Whip Shot Range.

Cost: 9,000.

Scavenged Steel – Epic Ability Hero Item

50 Armor.

5% Cooldown Reduction.

Ability damage grants 3% Ultimate Charge.

Cost: 9,500.

Mitzi’s Medicine – Epic Ability Hero Item

10% Ability Power.

10% Cooldown Reduction.

Repair Pack healing can overheal allies up to 75 Overhealth while active.

Cost: 10,000.

Squire’s Satchel – Rare Survival Hero Item

25 Armor.

While using Shield Barrier gain 25% Damage Reduction.

Cost: 4,000.

Valkyrian Core – Rare Survival Hero Item

25 Armor.

After Barrier Shield is destroyed, it begins regenerating 50% sonner.

Cost: 4,000.

Dragon’s Incinerator – Epic Survival Hero Item

25 Armor.

20% Rally Duration.

Enemies within Rally are burned for 5% of their max Life for every 1 second, healing you by the same amount.

Cost: 9,000.

Nullifier Neuroworks – Epic Survival Hero Item

50 Armor.

Rocket Flail damage reduces cooldown of Repair Pack by 0.5 seconds.

Cost: 10,000.

Hardlight Weave – Epic Survival Hero Item

25 Armor

Increase Barrier Shield Health by 150% of Max Armor.

Cost: 10,000.

Juno

Developer Comments: Juno lost her blinky shoes, and her performance took a hit. While some players were happy to see her less airborne, it made it much harder for Juno to stay impactful. This buff helps her regain strength while making sure she doesn’t end up permanently zipping around the skies.

Orbital Alignment – Power

Now enemies within the Orbital Ray will float up.

Blink Boosts – Power

Increased cooldown reduction to 40% (Up from 30%).

Lúcio

Developer Comments: More dunking.

Beat Drop – Power

Increased Max Damage from landing on an enemy with Sound Barrier to 250 (Up from 200).

Mercy

Developer Comments: Mercy has consistently been one of the top heroes in Stadium and hasn’t yet received any major updates. In this update we have a large suite of changes with the goal of adding more variety to how Mercy players can build. Most notably Crepusuclar Circle has been replaced. It has long been a dominant pick that made it very difficult to build any other way as well as being a pain point for Mercy’s opponents. However, we’ve added two new powers in its place. So, we hope you’ll enjoy exploring the new options. We’ve tried to make Ability Power builds and Caduceus Blaster builds more realistic with new Power interactions and updated itemization.

Triage Unit – Power

Changed to now increase all healing from mercy instead of just Caduceus Staff.

Bonus healing reduced to 25% (down from 35%).

Crepuscular Circle – Power

Removed.

Threads of Fate – Power

Reduced chain effectiveness to 35% (down from 50%).

Battle Medic – Power

Attack Speed per stack reduced to 3% (down from 4%).

Serenity – Power

Reduced extra healing to 10% (down from 20%).

Protective Beam – Power

Added additional effect: Caduceus Staff stays tethered 1s longer to allies not in line of sight.

Tethered Tourniquet – Power

New Power.

After swapping to Caduceus Blaster, Caduceus Staff automatically heals allies at 100% effectiveness for every 1s you spent tethered, up to 10s.

Supply Surge – Power

New Power.

Reloading Caduceus Staff grants allies affected by it 20% Move Speed for 2s, restores 50% Ammo, and reduces their cooldowns by 3s. (10s Cooldown)

Glass Extra Full – Rare Weapon Hero Item.

Changed to a Rare Weapon Hero Item (from a Power).

25 Health.

5% Attack Speed.

Now grants up to 25 Overhealth when healing full health allies (down from 50).

Cost: 4,500.

Chain Evoker – Epic Survival Hero Item

Changed to now grant 50 Health instead of 50 Armor.

Angelic Acrobatics – Epic Ability Hero Item

Added 15% Ability Power.

Cost increased to 11,000 (up from 10,000).

Blessed Boosters – Epic Ability Hero Item

Changed to an Epic Ability Hero Item (from an Epic Survival Hero Item).

Added 10% Ability Power.

Reduced Health to 25 (down from 50).

Armory

General Items

Developer Comments: These general item changes are aimed at overall making you feel like you have more viable options to select within the Armory. We’re improving situational itemization in the common and rare tiers, particularly against fliers. We’re also adding some more survivability, particularly in some of the less popular rare items, so there’s more options for damage-oriented builds in the mid-game.

Ballistic Buffer – Common Survival General Item

New Common Survival General Item.

+10 Health.

After taking damage beyond 20m, gain 50 Overhealth for 3s (15s cooldown).

1,000 Cost.

Icarus Protocol – Rare Weapon General Item

New Rare Weapon General Item.

+25 Health.

+5% Weapon Power.

Weapon Damage to airborne targets above 3m deals 10 bonus damage and slows the enemy by 25% for 3s (10s cooldown).

4,000 Cost.

Skyline Nanites – Rare Ability General Item

New Rare Ability General Item.

+10% Ability Lifesteal.

Ability Damage to airborne enemies above 3m deals 20% bonus damage over 3s.

4,000 Cost.

Electrolytes – Common Survival General Item

Added 10 Health.

Field Rations – Common Survival General Item

Changed to Move Speed every time you respawn instead of just the first time you respawn.

Move Speed increased to 30% (Up from 20%).

First Aid Kit – Common Survival General Item

Now also reduces Shield Regeneration time.

Stockpile – Rare Weapon General Item

Added 10 Health.

Emergency Chip – Rare Weapon General Item

Changed from “While you are below 150 Life, gain 15% Weapon Lifesteal” to “Every life, if you would go below 150 Health, gain 50 Overhealth and 15% Weapon Lifesteal for 3s”.

Technoleech – Rare Weapon General Item

Added 25 Health.

5% Weapon Power changed to 5% Attack Speed.

Custom Stock – Rare Weapon General Item

Added 10 Health.

Wrist Wraps – Rare Ability General Item

Added 10 Health.

Junker Whatchamajig – Rare Ability General Item

Added 25 Health.

Vitality Amplifier – Rare Ability General Item

Changed to now while above 50% Life, gain 10% Ability Power, but otherwise, gain 15% Ability Lifesteal and abilities refresh 10% faster.

Cost increased to 5,000 (Up from 4,500).

Vishkar Condensor – Rare Survival General Item

Increase Health to Shield Conversion to 150 (Up from 100).

Decreased cost to 3,750 (Down from 4,000).

Reinforced Titanium – Rare General Survival Item

Added 5% Ability Power while you have Shields.

Iron Eyes – Rare Survival General Item

Added 5% Move Speed.

Decreased cost to 3,750 (Down from 4,000).

Bloodbound – Rare Survival General Item

Rarity changed to Rare (Down from Epic).

Cost reduced to 4,000 (Down from 9,000).

Crusader Hydraulics – Rare Survival General Item

Added 5% Attack Speed when you have Armor.

Changed from “heal for 20% of damage taken” to “gain Overhealth equal to 20% of damage taken for 3s”.

Damage Condition now tracks pre-mitigation damage for synergy with other damage reduction effects.

Damage Condition now tracks damage within a 0.2s period.

Sonic Recharger – Epic Ability General Item

Cost decreased to 9,000 (Down from 9,500).

Overdrive Core – Epic Weapon General Item

Cost decreased to 9,500 (Down from 10,000).

Bug Fixes

Heroes

Hazard

Fixed an issue where Hazard’s ultimate could deal extra damage to D.Va while she was in her mech.

Mercy

Fixed an issue where Mercy’s Resurrect animation did not stop after the ability was cancelled.

Ramattra

Fixed an issue where Ramattra Vengeful Vortex perk was affecting enemies at a range larger than intended.

Sojourn

Fixed an issue where Sojourn’s Overcharge perk caused her to lose extra charge after using her ultimate.

Stadium

General

Fixed a bug where aim assist was inconsistent when using third-person view.

Fixed an issue where the “Reset Build” button in Stadium did not properly clear all previous values.

Ashe

Fixed an issue with Ashe’s Ironsights mod, it is now enabled again.

D.Va

Fixed an issue where D.Va’s Junker Whatchamajig mod granted 25% ultimate charge every time she used Call Mech.

Mei

Fixed an issue that prevented Mei’s passive ammo regeneration while in Cryo-Freeze when the Commander’s Clip mod was equipped.

Mercy

Fixed an issue with the Whambulance power where it did not count as Ability Healing for items like Biotech Maximizer and Catalytic Crystal.

Solider: 76

Fixed an issue where Soldier’s Hunker Down and Double Helix powers triggered ability gains from Ironclad Exhaust Ports and Hardlight Accelerator multiple times from a single use.

Fixed an issue where Soldier’s Chaingun power had increased recoil under high latency conditions.

Zenyatta

Fixed an issue where Zenyatta’s Salvaged Slugs mod did not restore ammo properly.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Wuyang Hero Trial)

Release date: August 14th/15th 2025
Patch notes:

Introducing Wuyang

Support Hero Wuyang bends the rules of healing and now you can bend them too, before his official debut in Season 18. This prodigy from Wuxing University’s Water College is all about rhythm, disruption, and flow-based control. In this limited-time Hero trial, get hands on with Wuyang’s hybrid Xuanwu staff, mobility-driven abilities, and gameplay-shifting perks to unlock the rhythm of Support done differently. Smart positioning and sharp aim pay off big here, so dive in and make an early splash with Wuyang from Aug 14–18

Wuyang

Support Role

Not available in Competitive Play during the Hero Trial

Xuanwu Staff – Primary Fire

Fire a damaging water orb. Hold to control its trajectory and empower its explosion.

Restorative Stream – Secondary Fire

Place a passive healing stream on an ally. Hold on the target to manually heal at an improved rate, consuming resource.

Rushing Torrent – Ability 1

Ride water to move faster and jump higher.

Guardian Wave – Ability 2

Send a water wave forward that increases the amount of healing received by allies and knocks back enemies.

Tidal Blast – Ultimate Ability

Protect an ally or yourself with water that detonates after a short duration. The explosion knowns down enemies and massively heals the host target.

Overflow – Minor Perk

Gain 10 ammo and 33% healing resource when Rushing Torrent is activated.

Balance – Minor Perk

When you deal damage with water orbs, increase Restorative Stream’s passive healing by 40% for 2 seconds.

Ebb and Flow – Major Perk

Guardian Wave rewinds to its starting location. Deals 50% decreased damage while rewinding.

Falling Rain – Major Perk

Simultaneously control 3 water orbs that deal 60% decreased damage and have 25% decreased empowered explosion radius.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: August 7th/8th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Tank

Sigma

Developer Comment: Sigma’s barrier wasn’t scaling well into the late game, often feeling too fragile compared to the pressure he’s expected to absorb. We’ve increased its health to give it more staying power as fights become more intense. Additionally, Accretion focused builds have been underperforming, largely due to the ability’s slower cadence in fast paced brawls. With a cooldown buff, Accretion should now be more responsive and impactful! Especially in late game teamfights where frequent crowd control can shift momentum.

Increased Barrier Health Scalar to 150% (Up from 100%). Barriers now get a bigger health boost from the money you earn.

Hyperloop – Power

Increased Cooldown Reduction to 0.8s (Up from 0.5s).

Singularity – Power

Increased Splash Damage to 75% (Up from 25%).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: August 5th/6th 2025
Patch notes:

General

Fixed an issue where text chat was displaying unintended colors.

Stadium

Orisa

Fixed an issue where Orisa’s Energy Javelin cooldown was not properly reduced when using cooldown-related mods.

Kiriko

Fixed an issue where Kiriko’s “Clone Conjuration” power failed to grant her clone increased health based on ability powers.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: July 24th/25th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: Micro Missile build has been delivering consistently high damage output, often exceeding expectations in both burst and sustained fights. This update tones down its effectiveness slightly to bring it more in line with other build options, while still preserving its core playstyle and impact.

Countermeasures – Power

Increased damage required to mitigate to 150 (Up from 100).

Damage

Freja

Developer Comments: Freja’s Bola Build has been underperforming, especially when comparing to Freja’s more dominant Weapon Power builds. We’re increasing the power here to add more build variety for Freja.

Lille Faelde – Power

Increased effectiveness to 40% reduced (Up from 50% reduced).

So Cooked – Power

Increased duration to 3s (Up from 2s).

Mei

Developer Comments: Slowball has been effective at disrupting enemies, but the slow was a bit too punishing for how easy it was to apply. We’re reducing the slow strength to make it less oppressive while still rewarding accurate shots and smart use of Mei’s secondary fire.

Slowball – Power

Decreased slow to 15% (Down from 30%).

Support

Juno

Developer Comments: Medimaster wasn’t quite delivering the payoff expected for a critical-focused builds. This buff increases its crit multiplier to better reward precision and reinforce its role as a high-risk, high-reward option for skilled players.

Medimaster – Power

Increased critical scalar to 1.5 (Up from 1.25).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: July 22nd/23rd 2025
Patch notes:

Better Together Challenges

Overwatch is always better with backup! From July 29 to August 25, you’ll get rewarded for rolling with your crew. Complete 2, 4, and 6 games with a group to unlock up to three Loot Boxes, with each milestone paying out once. Simply completing the games is all it takes, but wins and Stadium matches count double, so bring your A-game. Buddy up and battle it out again to finish the season strong, whether that’s rallying old friends or queuing with new ones. Have some fun, it’s Better Together!

Junkrat’s Loot Hunt

From August 1 to August 3, Junkrat is back with another blast of chaos and it’ll be raining loot again…and also probably shrapnel. Junkrat’s Loot Hunt is bringing daily match challenges that will unlock 3 Loot Boxes per day and up to 9 Loot Boxes total. Play 2, 5, and 10 matches each day to hit your milestones and stack the rewards. Progress resets daily at 11AM PT, so you’ve got a fresh chance to go boom every morning.

General Updates

New Tag Improvements

We’ve made several enhancements to the “New” tag for newly acquired cosmetic items and brought back the “Mark All as Seen” button in the Hero Gallery. Because this is implemented, all previously owned items will appear as “New”, but you can dismiss it by clicking the “Mark All as Seen” button.

Drives

Competitive Drives return from August 21 to 26 with a new challenge curve and the Season 17 Signature. Rack up wins, checkpoint your progress, and master your climb. Squad wins earn bonus Drive Score, and if you completed the last Drive, you’ll see a shiny Prestige upgrade waiting at the top. Before the first checkpoint you won’t lose any Drive Score for losses, and the amount you lose now scales up to last season’s rate as you climb the Checkpoints, making it easier than ever to claim these awesome rewards.

Drive progress can now be earned in both Competitive Play and Stadium Ranked modes.

Hero Updates

Developer Comments: The meta has been in a steady state for most of Season 17 so we are using this Midseason patch to take a look at less desirable perks, make adjustments based on hero ban trends, and tweak a few heroes in reaction to the Season 17 changes and the more powerful Damage Role Passive. With Season 18 including many Perk changes, we wanted to bring up a handful of our least picked/less powerful perks so that they are competitive options that cut through your standard gameplay loops. As players have gotten fairly settled in their perk choices on particular heroes, some of these changes are beyond where we would’ve started for perk balance in Season 15. Over time we’ve learned what’s necessary for perks to stand out as an interesting choice and make a marked change in how you approach engagements.

Below you’ll also find some adjustments that are related to hero ban trends or the current meta. Orisa has seen her matchup spread shift since the introduction of Hero Bans, particularly when it comes to facing beam-based weapons. Being able to dodge heroes like Zarya has brought up her popularity and performance, so we are pulling back a bit on her survivability and cooldown cycle. For Freja and Tracer, we are pulling back slightly on their damage capabilities and attempting to find a good middle ground for their current standing in the damage roster. Zenyatta also sees his Harmony Orb healing increased as it has been lacking in an environment with a more powerful Damage Role Passive.

Tank

D.Va

Heavy Rockets – Major Perk

Number of rockets reduced from 8 to 7.

Impact damage reduced from 7 to 5.

Explosion damage increased from 14 to 22.

Explosion radius increased from 2.75 to 3 meters.

Projectile gravity increased.

Orisa

Armor health reduced from 325 to 300.

Energy Javelin – Secondary Ability

Cooldown increased from 6 to 7 seconds.

Reinhardt

Crushing Victory – Major Perk

Overhealth gain increased from 50% to 100% of Charge damage.

Sigma

Experimental Barrier – Secondary Ability

Deployment cooldown reduced from 2 to 1 second.

Massive Impact – Minor Perk

Knockdown stun now reaches maximum duration at 30 meters, down from 40 meters.

Winston

Short Circuit – Minor Perk

Bonus damage to buildable objects increased from 50% to 100%.

Damage

Ashe

Rapid Fire – Minor Perk

Primary fire damage penalty reduced from 15% to 10%.

Sidewinder – Minor Perk

Knockback increase for both Ashe and enemies reduced from 20% to 12%.

Bastion

Configuration: Artillery – Ultimate Ability

Ultimate cost reduced 7%.

Freja

Revdraw Crossbow – Primary Fire

Primary fire damage reduced from 30 to 25.

Maximum ammo increased from 12 to 15.

Hanzo

Storm Bow – Primary Fire

Bases projectile size increased from 0.1 to 0.125 meters.

Dragonstrike – Ultimate Ability

Ultimate cost reduced 8%.

Damage per second increased from 300 to 400.

Dragon Fury – Major Perk

Attack speed duration increased from 1 to 2 seconds.

Yamagami Technique – Major Perk

Cooldown speed increased from 250% to 300%.

Junkrat

Aluminum Frame – Minor Perk

Now prevents trapped enemies from being healed instead of revealing them through walls.

Tick Tock – Major Perk

Concussion Mine arming time reduced from 0.5 to 0.25 seconds.

Reaper

Death Blossom – Ultimate Ability

Ultimate cost increased 9%.

Tracer

Pulse Pistols

Spread increased from 3.0 to 3.5 degrees.

Widowmaker

Infra-Sight – Ultimate Ability

Ultimate cost decreased 10%.

Support

Juno

Mediblaster – Primary Fire

Minimum falloff range increased from 20 to 25 meters.

Glide Boost – Ability 1

Movement acceleration in air reduced when changing directions, after the initial movement burst.

Lúcio

Sound Barrier

Ultimate cost increased 9%.

Zenyatta

Harmony Orb

Healing increased from 30 to 35 health per second.

Transcendence

Healing per second increased from 300 to 400.

Core Map Updates

Developer Comments: Flashpoint has always sparked a range of passionate opinions, and with the new map Aatlis, we felt that we applied a lot of learnings from Suravasa and New Junk City—so it’s only fitting that we go back and update those maps as well. These changes focus on three areas: Readability, Stronger Themes, and Flow.

Navigating and understanding where you are (and where you need to go) should now be easier. Entrances to Points have been highlighted more clearly, and the layouts and cover surrounding many entrances have been reworked. Building heights have also been reduced to help keep the focus on points of interest and spawn rooms. Understanding these maps is crucial, and having a clear visual distinction between areas is key. Many themes have been improved to ensure each area feels stronger, more distinct, and easier to recognize in the heat of battle. Objective Points are now less contained. The chokes are, as the team puts it, “less choky.” Various pieces of cover, new flank routes, and updated connecting paths have been added to give players more options—and a better shot at pushing onto and capturing points successfully.

Suravasa

Market

Market

Boxes have been added to the walls surrounding the point for easier upward access.

Signage and surrounding prop cleanup have been made to help highlight the entrance to the Market.

Temple and Ruins

The entrance to the areas surrounding these points has been rotated 45 degrees and scaled up to feel more open and intuitive to players on approach.

The pavilion in the transition near the starting spawn has been replaced with an open wall and recessed garden area, giving players a cleaner line of sight and making it easier to orient.

Theres a new back path connecting Temple and Ruins for more strategic rotations.

The long staircase into Ruins now opens to a balcony that overlooks the point.

Water has been added to the Ruins to visually reinforce the point’s theme.

There is also a new back path behind the points to connect Temple and Ruins for more strategic rotations.

The Market and Garden areas will have cover adjustments, and one of the less-used side paths is getting removed entirely to simplify the layout.

Starting Spawn

The enclosed structure near the starting spawns on the Temple and Ruins side has been replaced with an open wall and recessed garden area, giving players a cleaner line of sight and making it easier to orient.

New Junk City

To varying degrees, there have been reworks to every point on New Junk City.

Arena

The Hammer Mill entrance has been scaled up, the column inside slimmed down, and the side door is bigger.

A new hallway will link both lower sides with grating that lets you see—but not shoot—onto the point, offering an easy connection to navigate the space without making players feel exposed.

Bomb Flats

The 2 main side chokes have been widened, slightly moved to the side and the overhang removed. Cover placement and theme around the point has been reworked.

New bomb props and visual elements will make the area feel stronger thematically; while pathing and sightlines are being refined for better fights and easier comebacks for the attacking team.

The street at the main entrance has been simplified and the lowered path removed.

Junkyard

New crane props and thematic changes have also been added to the front entrance to further sell the setting and support player orientation.

The large trash piles in the choke are scaled down. Ramps have been added along with other small layout changes to the center route for easier rotations around all entrances.

Refinery

The main entrance doors have been scaled up for cleaner sightlines and smoother movement.

The props and their positions outside of the main entrance have been changed to strengthen the theme and flow around the exterior.

On the point, the small cylinder props now have extended cover along the sides.

The Ducts

Redesign of the exterior shell and pathing into the point.

The entrances now connect and flow together.

The main front entrance is now highlighted as such with stronger thematic elements and navigation options.

There is a new interior flank through the side chokes. These changes are meant to be a total flow fix to this point.

Forward Spawn

Runbacks are slightly reduced with new upper paths and overhangs. It’s a small timing change that adds up over the course of a match.

Exterior Streets

Similar to Suravasa, there have also been readability adjustments around the entire map to improve the general navigation for players.

Various building heights have been reduced and simplified to help frame the points of interest around the map.

Various cover objects have been removed or their placement adjusted. Navigating the map should be much easier for players.

Stadium Updates

General Updates

Ability tooltip details in the Armory UI are now always display. This option has been removed from the Armory.

Third Person Camera

Aim down sights for Ana and Ashe has been updated to fade out over time for the local player while scoping in from third person.

Your camera will now smoothly fade when it collides with allies from third person.

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: D.Va has been having a tough time in early rounds, especially against beam-heavy heroes that counter her defensive tools. To address this, we’re introducing a new hero item aimed at improving her effectiveness in those matchups. Additionally, her solo survivability has been lagging behind other tanks, so this patch includes improvements to help her stay in the fight longer and thrive even without immediate team support.

TOKKI Slam – Power

Now the damage scales from both armor and shield combined.

Facetanking – Power

Increased healing scalar to 50% (up from 30%).

Refraction Armor – Normal Survival Hero Item

New Hero Item

+25 Armor

While you have Armor, gain 15% damage reduction against beams.

Cost: 2000

Orisa

Developer Comments: Orisa’s javelin-focused build has been effective at disrupting enemies, but it also came with some clunky interactions that impacted its reliability and clarity. This patch addresses those rough edges to smooth out the experience and help her disruption tools to feel more responsive and intuitive to use.

Advanced Throwbotics – Power

Now shoots the javelin after 0.5s and the Javelin Spin must be ongoing to shoot. Canceling Javelin Spin will also cancel shooting the javelin.

Lassoed – Power

If a javelin hits an enemy, nearby enemies are pulled to the enemy’s position now instead of where it was hit.

If a javelin hits the environment, it just pulls nearby enemies.

If a javelin hits a barrier, the pull will not activate.

Damage

Mei

Developer Comments: This update improves its consistency so you can land those chilly plays more reliably. Enjoy freezing the competition!

Slowball – Power

Now normal hit with Secondary Fire will also apply slow to the hit enemy.

Support

Ana

Developer Comments: Ana has struggled to make an impact in the late game with unscoped weapon power build. This new epic item is designed to address that, giving her the tools to become a more reliable formidable threat.

Unscoped Resources – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Added +15% Weapon Power.

Juno

Developer Comments: Stellar Focus lacked a clear standout strength compared to other power options, often feeling underwhelming in practice. This update aims to give it a more defined impact, helping it stand out as a meaningful and competitive choice in your build.

Stellar Focus – Power

Increased duration to 50% (Up from 35%).

Kiriko

Developer Comments: Kiriko’s clone is reworked to serve a more utility-focused role, rather than functioning as the overly lethal auto-turret it once was. This change should help her contribute more reliably to team utility and generate Stadium Cash more consistently. In addition, Fleet Foot has been updated based on popular feedback, requiring a bit more commitment when diving into the backline, reinforcing the risk-reward dynamic of aggressive plays.

Clone Conjuration – Power

Now the Clone’s heal and damage contributes to earning Stadium Cash.

Now there is a short delay before the Clone starts healing or dealing damage after being spawned.

Clone’s health has been reduced and can be increased by Ability Power.

Fleet Foot – Power

Swift Step cooldown is increased by 30% when used without a target.

Foxy Fireworks – Power

Projectile speed is now the same as regular kunai.

Armory

Ironclad Exhaust Ports – Rare Survival General Item

Each stack of Overhealth granted now expires individually instead of refreshing the duration of all stacks of Overhealth granted from this Item.

Developer Comments: Ironclad Exhaust Ports have been too powerful on certain heroes with low base ability cooldowns and crowding out other survival options at that price point. We’re making this more consistent with other Overhealth stacking effects to bring the payoff down to a healthier level.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue that could cause the top 5 highlights to have unsynchronized sound and video.

Heroes

D.Va

Fixed an issue with D.Va’s Defense Matrix visual effects while using Boosters in 3rd person.

Echo

Fixed an issue where Sunstruck explosions from an Echo Clone after the clone timer ended didn’t deal any damage.

Soldier: 76

Fixed an issue with Soldier’s animation while using the “Stim Pack” perk and sprinting.

Maps

Aatlis

Fixed an issue where the Aatlis map was unavailable in 6v6.

Stadium

Fixed an issue where a user’s Career Profile displayed incorrect data for Stadium games.

Fixed an issue that caused animations to stop playing on certain abilities after death.

Ana

Fixed an issue with Ana’s “Dreamy” Power incorrectly doubling the damage of her Sleep Dart.

Junker Queen

Fixed an issue with Junker Queen’s “Let’s Go Win” power not reducing the Commanding Shout cooldown by the stated 50%.

Kiriko

Fixed an issue with Kiriko’s “Clone Conjuration” power where her clone would not always award bounty currency correctly.

Reinhardt

Fixed an issue with Reinhardt that caused Barrier Field to shift slightly upward while jumping.

Sigma

Fixed an issue that prevented the Sigma “Perfected Barrier” and “Orbital Bombardment” challenges from progressing.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: July 9th/10th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Support

Juno

Developer comments: Juno’s Blink Boosts have been dominating the skies, especially when paired with ability-survival items to gain overhealth and damage repeatedly. After reviewing performance data and player feedback, we’ve committed to a multi-step approach to bring this build back into balance. This update is the second step in that process, with more adjustments planned to ensure a healthier gameplay experience for both Juno players and their opponents.

Blink Boosts – Power

Decreased Cooldown Reduction to 30% (Down from 65%).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: July 8th/9th 2025
Patch notes:

REPLAY CODES RESET

This is a bug fix patch along with additional Stadium balance updates. In-Game Replay Codes and Highlights from the previous patch are removed.

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: Tokki Slam was originally toned down due to its disruptive potential, but after observing its performance over a full season, it’s clear the impact was reduced a bit too much. We’re bringing some power back to the ability to give D.Va that big slam-dunk moment she deserves which is rewarding well-timed engages with satisfying payoff.

Tokki Slam – Power

Increased Tokki Slam’s damage scalar to 30% (Up from 20%).

Damage

Junkrat

Developer Comments: Junkrat has brought his branded mayhem to Stadium but mostly on the back of his Weapon focused powers. We’re adding some power to some of his Ability Power focused powers and items to help make them more attractive options.

Increased cash income from damage and healing by 11.11%.

It’s A(Nother) Trap – Power

Fixed an issue where using Steel Trap while you had 1 charge would also consume the recharging charge.

Hop Boom – Power

Now deals 30% reduced damage (up from 50% reduced).

Rainin’ Lead – Power

Frequency increased to every 0.3s (up from 0.4s).

Lithium Alloy – Epic Ability Hero Item

Burn damage increased to 75 (up from 50).

Fawkes’ Funny Fuel™- Epic Ability Hero Item

Ability Power increased to 15% (up from 10%).

Ability Lifesteal increased to 15% (up from 10%).

Mei

Developer Comments: Snowball Flight now synergizes with Twice as Ice, expanding Mei’s mobility options and enabling more frequent use of Mini-Blizzard. This update gives her more fluid movement and crowd control opportunities, encouraging dynamic play and rewarding smart positioning.

Twice As Nice – Power

Twice As Ice also resets next Snowball Flight’s cooldown.

Support

Ana

Developer Comments: Ana remains one of the most impactful heroes when it comes to empowering her teammates, and this patch leans further into that strength. We’re enhancing her ability to turn the tide of battle with key utility, particularly by increasing the impact of Biotic Grenade to create more high-stakes, high-reward moments in critical team fights. These changes aim to make Ana an even more decisive force in coordinated play.

Our Turn – Power

Decreased duration reduction to 25% (Down from 50%).

My Turn – Power

Increased self [Nano Boost] duration to 100%. (Up from 50%).

Your Full Potential – Power

Increased ultimate charge given to 35%. (Up from 25%).

Time Out – Power

Increased slow duration to 2.5s. (Up from 1.5s).

Venomous – Power

Increased damage to 75. (Up from 50).

Juno

Developer Comments: At higher MMR tiers, Juno has earned the nickname “Flying Tracer” for good reason. Her survivability, especially after Round 3, made her extremely slippery and difficult to deal with. This base adjustment is focused on slightly reducing her survival capability to keep her challenging without feeling unfair to eliminate.

Hyper Healer – Power

Decreased Overhealth to 75 (Down from 100).

Kiriko

Developer Comments: We’re shifting Kiriko’s clone to serve its role as a decoy and utility tool, rather than functioning as a lethal, cold-blooded assassin. This adjustment is the first step toward making the ability feel more fair, interactive, and enjoyable for both Kiriko players and their opponents. More updates are planned to further refine its identity and gameplay impact.

Clone Conjuration – Power

Clone now deals 65% less healing and damage.

Increased duration to 4s (Up from 2.5s.)

Zenyatta

Developer Comments: While Zenyatta has often leaned toward offensive playstyles, we’re making adjustments to encourage his healing focused builds as well. These changes aim to better support players who want to take on a more traditional support role and provide stronger team-wide healing presence.

Dual Harmony – Power

Decreased healing reduction to 40% (Down from 45%).

Gotta Have Faith – Power

Increased orb duration to 10s (Up from 5s).

Soul Control – Power

Increased ultimate meter cap to 75% (Up from 65%).

Stadium Updates

General Items

Aerial Distresser

Cost decreased to 9000 (down from 10000)

Three-Tap Tommy Gun

Cost increased to 10500 (up from 9500)

Developer Comments: We’re reducing the cost of Aerial Distresser to make it more efficient and easier to purchase in the matchups that you need it. Additionally, Three-Tap Tommy Gun has become the linchpin of many popular builds and was priced too low for the amount of value it is providing.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue where the “Force Keyboard/Mouse User Interface” was incorrectly swapping between input types.

Heroes

Moira

Fixed an issue with Moira’s mythic skin; it is available again.

Stadium

Junkrat

Fixed an issue with Junkrat’s Soot Shaker and Commander’s Clip mods not granting the correct ammo count.

Fixed an issue with Junkrat’s Zip Grease mod not refreshing after new concussion mine detonations.

Kiriko

Fixed an issue where Kiriko’s clone gained excessive attack speed when using the “Clone Conjuration” power in combination with Swift Step.

Fixed an issue where Kiriko did not receive damage and healing stats from her clone when using the “Clone Conjuration” power.

Sigma

Fixed an issue where Sigma’s Experimental Barrier unintentionally blocked certain projectile damage while the Mass Driver power was equipped.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: June 27th/28th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium

Support

Kiriko

We have identified that Kiriko’s clone is causing significant gameplay disruption and can be a source of frustration for players. While more comprehensive adjustments are planned for a future update, we are implementing an interim solution to mitigate its immediate impact in the current meta game.

Clone Conjuration

Decreased duration to 2.5s (Down from 5s).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: June 27th/28th 2025
Patch notes:

General

Fixed a bug with Wave Respawn from working correctly.

Heroes

Ana

Fixed a bug affecting Biotic Rifle’s Quick Scope Animation.

Stadium

D.Va

Fixed a bug with Meka Punch. The power has been re-enabled

Soldier: 76

Fixed a bug with Chaingun. The power has been re-enabled

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Season 17 – Powered Up)

Release date: June 24th/25th 2025
Patch notes:

Season 17 – Powered Up!

Stadium, Overwatch 2’s dynamic, round-based PvP mode, continues to evolve with smarter build tools, fresh Heroes and maps, plus Competitive upgrades like Drives and a rank reset to push mastery to the next level. Over in Core modes, the fight expands with a new Flashpoint battleground and the debut of Map Voting, giving you the power to choose where the action unfolds. Then, for the first time ever, both Mythics drop at launch—go wild in D.Va’s tiger spirit skin or wield Reaper’s twin terror weapons of chaos from day one. Plus, show off your style in new Overwatch Academy, 8-bit, and Sakura looks from the Battle Pass. All these and more are in store to get you Powered Up in Season 17!

Start Season 17 strong! Complete 17 Quick Play, Competitive, or Stadium matches from June 24–30 to score 4 Epic Loot Boxes and one guaranteed Legendary skin within. Supercharge the new season for a limited time!

New Core Gameplay Map – Aatlis

Welcome to the hub of trade and artistry: Aatlis! This stunning new flashpoint map shows off the beauty and culture of Morocco. From a high-end resort to historical artisan guilds, Aatlis has it all. And when you’re ready for your next destination, hitch a ride on Aatlis’ high-tech hyperloop rail that can take you anywhere!

Hacks & Hijinx

Get ready to adapt or get steamrolled! Hacks & Hijinx mode flips the script every round with rotating match modifiers that twist gameplay in wild, unpredictable ways. From low gravity jumps to Ultimate charge granting health packs, every match demands fresh strategies and quick thinking. Hacked by 8-bit Sombra herself, who’s turned on the cheats and broken the rules for everybody, this limited-time 6v6 mode runs on Control maps only. So, embrace the chaos and remix your Overwatch 2 experience in 8-bit with Hacks & Hijinx.

Sombra has hacked Control maps in the Arcade! Try out game-changing modifiers in Hacks and Hijinx.

Each round changes the rules with wild effects like low gravity, Ultimate charge granting health packs, and more.

Available only on Control maps for maximum mayhem and room to maneuver.

Remix your matches in Hacks & Hijinx mode from July 15 – 28!

Match Modifiers in Hacks & Hijinx

Mini Maxing – All heroes are 50% smaller. Health reduced by 30%.

Lie Low – Heroes become invisible while crouching. However, their invisiblity can still be detected at a short distance. The hero stops being invisible when they have received damage or attacks.

Fired Up – On Fire heroes have decreased cooldowns and deal more damage or healing, but are also visible by everyone.

Charge Pack – Health packs also grant ultimate charge.

Power Punch – Quick melee attacks knock back enemies.

Vampiric Healing – Heroes don’t passively regenerate HP, but each hero has the Vampiric Passive.

Aerial Combat – Heroes deal and receive 50% more damage while in the air. Gravity decreased.

Back in action – Respawn time decreased. Does not apply during Overtime.

Berserkers – Heroes don’t passively regenerate HP. For each 10% of total HP lost, increases attack speed by 6% and reduce cooldowns by 6%.

Super Jump – Heroes jump 200% higher.

Motion Detection – Moving enemies within 25 meters are visitable through walls. Crouching enemies remain invisible.

Explosive – Heroes explode on death, dealing damage to all nearby heroes.

Hyper Speed – Movement speed is increased by 20% for all heroes.

Buff Hunt – Every minute, one random hero has increased HP, deals more damage, and generates ult charge faster. Eliminate the buffed hero to gain the buff.

Damage Pack – Health packs also increase damage dealt by 20% for 10 – 20 seconds or until death.

Fallen Comrade – Heroes drop of a globe on death that increases damage, armor, and movement speed when picked up by a teammate.

General Updates

Map Voting

Map voting is a new feature that gives players more agency about what map they would prefer to play on.

At the start of every Quick Play or Competitive Match, three maps will appear, and each player will cast a single vote on the map they will want to play.

During the Map Voting phase, match text and voice channels are disabled. Team chat is enabled.

Votes for each map from all players are then displayed and the game will then “roll” to see which vote is selected.

Maps with more votes are more likely to be selected but maps with less votes can still be selected if the roll lands on one of the votes for the map with less votes.

If players vote overwhelmingly for a single map, that map is automatically selected.

After Map Voting in Competitive Play, the Hero Ban phase will begin.

Report Tool

A new report category called Emergency is now added to the report tool and can be access in all areas you can report a player except for the quick-select report button in the Scoreboard.

You can then report instances of social communication that implies a threat of extreme harm to another person or a group of persons.

False reporting other players using these categories may result in actions issued on the reporting player’s account. Please remember to abide by the Blizzard In-Game Code of Conduct including when reporting other players.

Player Endorsements

Endorsement scoring has been updated to be more dynamic and to improve the accuracy of the system, with the goal of making Endorsement level feel more earned. Endorsement level should feel like a better measure of positivity, sportsmanship, and teamwork once the system has had some time to adjust to the new scoring.

The scoring system now considers a variety of circumstances when players endorse each other, such as giving bonus score in situations players rarely endorse, like endorsing an enemy on a loss.

Players that never Endorse others will cause much less decay for their allies. We’d like players that want to ignore the system to also be ignored by the system.

These scoring updates may cause endorsement levels to be more volatile in the short term, so we’ll be watching these changes carefully and tuning the dynamic scoring as needed.

Streamer Protect

Hide My Name now rotates to a different fake BattleTag after every match.

A new option in Streamer Protect advanced options will now block licensed music from playing in order to prevent the risk of copyright claims on player’s personal social and streaming channels. When enabled, the default Overwatch 2 theme will now play in any lobby where music we flag is considered to be copyrighted by a third party.

Hero Updates

Damage role passive healing reduction increased from 25% to 30%

Base health regeneration timer increased from 5 to 6 seconds

Developer Comments: These changes are intended to broadly increase the impact of Damage-role heroes and slightly reduce the amount of healing sustain felt in moment-to-moment gameplay.

Tank

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Commanding Shout has been updated to provide stronger team utility and improve its overall impact. The adjustments reward well-timed use by increasing survivability for both Junker Queen and her allies. The reduced duration for Junker Queen is a double-edged sword—she doesn’t have the speed boost for as long, but the cooldown rotation is quicker since the cooldown begins once the effect ends.

Commanding Shout – Ability 1

Junker Queen overhealth increased from 175 to 200.

Allied overhealth increased from 50 to 75.

Duration for self-reduced from 5 to 4 seconds.

Allied duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds.

Mauga

Developer Comments: Berserker’s overhealth conversion has been reverted to restore some of Mauga’s durability to a more balanced state following previous changes.

Berserker – Passive

Overhealth conversion rate increased from 40% to 50%.

Ramattra

Developer Comments: Nanite Repair’s healing per second has been increased to enhance its consistency and overall effectiveness during the short duration of Ravenous Vortex.

Nanite Repair – Major Perk

Healing per second increased from 50 to 75.

Zarya

Developer Comments: Spotter and Graviton Crush receive targeted buffs to improve their effectiveness and ensure they remain viable choices alongside their counterpart perks.

Graviton Crush – Minor Perk

Damage dealt over time increased from 30% to 40% of maximum health.

Spotter – Major Perk

Movement speed increased from 15% to 25%.

Damage

Bastion

Developer Comments: Bastion’s survivability is impacted by the large size of his model despite his high health and armor pool. Reducing his model and hit volume size by 10% improves his ability to avoid damage and overall balance.

Model and hit volume size reduced by 10%.

Echo

Developer Comments: Reducing the spread of Echo’s Tri-Shot improves its effectiveness at range, making it a more consistent option for a highly mobile hero.

Tri-Shot – Primary Fire

Spread decreased from 1.4 to 1.1 degrees.

Pharah

Helix Shields – Minor Perk

Shield health regeneration triggers when landing direct hits with rockets.

Reaper

Developer Comments: Part of the reason heroes like Reaper and Tracer had their damage reduced in the past was due to the shift to the 5v5 format—solo tanking and less frequent peeling made flanking heroes more effective—along with their strong performance on certain maps and game modes like Push and Flashpoint. This is now less of a concern with the introduction of map voting and hero bans, which help limit overperformance, so we’re restoring some of their damage potency.

Hellfire Shotguns – Primary Fire

Damage per pellet increased from 5.4 to 5.75 (108 to 115 per volley).

Tracer

Developer Comments: Similar to Reaper, Tracer is getting back some of the damage she lost due to past format and map concerns. Looks like she’s recalled back to stronger bullets—again.

Pulse Pistol – Primary Fire

Damage increased from 5.5 to 6.

Venture

Developer Comments: This change improves Venture’s damage output by increasing fire rate, enhancing weapon consistency without increasing the lethality of their combo.

Smart Excavator – Primary Fire

Recovery time reduced from 0.7 to 0.6 seconds.

Support

Lifeweaver

Developer Comments: Successfully cleansing a debuff now reduces Life Grip’s cooldown, improving the usefulness of Cleansing Grasp when timed well.

Cleansing Grasp – Minor Perk

Life Grip cooldown is reduced by 4 seconds if a debuff is cleansed.

Lúcio

Developer Comments: Lúcio plays a unique role within the support lineup, offering strong mobility and team utility. However, his healing output has been lagging behind other supports, especially with the increase in hero health pools. This change makes his passive healing more impactful and better aligned with other support heroes.

Crossfade – Ability 1

Base healing increased from 16 to 20 health per second.

Moira

Developer Comments: We wanted to boost Moira’s overall healing output, as she doesn’t offer as much direct utility compared to other Support heroes, and we’re reducing some healing impact in this patch through the Damage role passive. We’re happy with the cadence of managing her healing resource and swapping to damage to restore it, so we opted to adjust the direct healing rather than the resource availability or a similar mechanic.

Biotic Grasp – Secondary Fire

Healing per second increased from 70 to 80.

Zenyatta

Developer Comments: Duality has struggled due to the number of conditions required for activation. Increasing the converted damage improves its effectiveness when those conditions are met.

Duality – Major Perk

Increased converted damage from 30% to 40%.

Stadium Updates

Competitive Ranks have been reset with everyone restarting at Rookie 1.

Players who reach Epic Rank for the first time in the Tank Role can still earn the Epic Elite Orisa skin.

Players who reach Epic Rank for the first time in the Damage Role can still earn the Epic Elite Genji skin.

Players who reach Epic Rank for the first time in the Support Role can still earn the Epic Elite Moira skin.

Players who reach All-Star Rank will earn the Legendary All-Star Mercy skin and the Legendary All-Star Juno skin.

Developer Comments: After our improvements to matchmaking in Season 16, we want to give more time for players to have a fair chance to climb to the All-Star rank and earn the All-Star Juno skin. Both the All-Star Juno skin and the All-Star Mercy skin will no longer be available to earn after the end of Season 17.

New Stadium Heroes

Sigma – Tank

Junkrat – Damage

Zenyatta – Support

New Stadium Maps

Esperança has been added as a new Push game mode map.

Samoa Volcano has been added as a new Control game mode map.

Introducing Stadium Builds

Use this new feature to create builds and save them to easily access later, from any Stadium game.

Stadium Armory has been updated to support additional example builds and offer quick access to your saved builds with a new tabbed view.

Access the new Stadium Forge from the Stadium Practice Range.

Save up to 10 builds per hero.

Access quick actions from the build list to order your builds, share, edit, duplicate or delete.

Name and describe your builds, to easily find them later.

You can share your custom builds with others by generating a share code. Share codes are good for up to a year.

You can copy Example Builds to your saved list and make modifications.

You can copy builds from any player in Stadium games, allowing you to review or edit them later in the Stadium forge.

You can copy builds from Stadium replays.

Save builds you have in-progress from any Stadium game.

Example Builds

New example builds have been added for all 21 heroes.

Example builds have been expanded from 9 items to 12.

Example builds now have Early, Late and Flex categories for items, giving players more insight into when to purchase.

Custom Games

Stadium is now supported in Custom Games.

Choose from a variety of options to customize your Stadium games.

Drives

Starting in Season 17, you can now earn progress toward Drives from Stadium games.

Third Person Camera Improvements

An all-new implementation of aim down sights has been added for Ana and Ashe

Nearby allies will now smoothly fade in and out when your camera collides with them

Ranked Updates

Reduced the size of Pro, All-Star and Legend ranked progression bands

Stadium Hero Updates

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: After a full season of play, it’s clear that D.Va isn’t standing out as a top-tier tank pick in the current meta. While this update focuses on improving clarity and consistency, we’re keeping a close eye on her performance and have additional changes planned to help her hold her own against the fierce competition in Stadium.

MEKA Punch – Power

Booster elimination also resets cooldown of boosters.

During boosters, quick melee now gains 50% attack speed (instead of 75% damage).

Dae-hyun’s Detonator – Rare Ability Hero Item

Now shows danger warning sign to the enemy if the enemy is within the blast radius.

Decreased radius to 100% (down from 200%).

Nano Cola™ Nitrous – Epic Survival Hero Item

Increased health stat to 50 (up from 25).

Removed stat: health increase 5%.

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Shout and Chop has proven to be a highly effective combo for Junker Queen, often giving her a bit too much reliability in close-range engagements. This change is a first step toward dialing back that effectiveness, while still preserving the aggressive playstyle that makes her so satisfying to play.

Let’s Go Win – Power

Decreased cooldown reduction to 50% (down from 100%).

Cut ‘Em, Gracie! – Power

Increased reduction on cooldown to 2s per enemy hit (up from 1s).

Orisa

Developer Comments: These 2 items have been underperforming, lacking the stat needed to be more impactful. This update addresses that by adding item stat to them.

Siphonic Spear – Rare Survival Hero Item.

Added stat: 25 Health.

Arcfinder – Rare Ability Hero Item.

Added stat: 5% Cooldown reduction.

Reinhardt

Developer Comments: We’re shifting some power in the Fire Strike build to focus more on higher uptime of Fire Strike and Magma Strike’s Trail of Lava, while pulling back from the high single target burst that Impact Burst enabled. We’re also making some adjustments to Reinhardt’s Barrier build to make it a more compelling option and have a smoother progression curve.

Impact Burst – Power • Now only damages other enemies around primary target. • Explosion damage increased to 30% of Fire Strike damage (Up from 15%). Magma Strike – Power

Trail of lava now triggers on every second Fire Strike instead of every second Fire Strike cast within 2s.

Chimera’s Maw – Epic Hero Ability Item

Rarity changed to Epic (from Rare).

Added 25% Fire Strike Projectile Speed.

Added “For each additional enemy Fire Strike damages beyond the initial target, reduce Fire Strike cooldown by 5%”.

Rocket Strike – Epic Hero Ability Item

Removed.

Wilhelmwagen – Epic Hero Survival Item

Changed to Epic Survival Item (from Power).

Added 50 Armor.

11000 Cost.

Removed “you heal for 5% of the damage it mitigates”.

Infusion Generator – Power

Changed to Power (from Epic Survival Item).

Barrier Field Health increase now only increases from Bonus Max Life.

Barrier Field Health scaling increased to 250% (up from 100%).

To Me, My Friends – Power

Increased healing based on Max Life to 5% (up from 4%).

Sigma

Added to the Stadium Hero Roster

Zero Gravity – Power

When you use an ability, gain the ability to fly for 2.5s.

Hyperloop – Power

Hyperspheres direct hits reduce the cooldown of [Accretion] by 0.5s.

Trinisphere – Power

Your primary fire launches a third [Hypersphere] that deals 50% reduced damage.

Event Horizon – Power

Damage absorbed by Kinetic Grasp also restores Experimental Barrier’s health. Excess is converted to Overhealth.

Symphonic Syzygy – Power

When Kinetic Grasp ends, for every 100 damage absorbed gain 10% Attack Speed for 4s, stacking up to 4 times.

Orbital Barrier – Power

Get a mini Experimental Barrier that orbits around you. It has 50% reduced health.

Philharmonic Fortitude – Power

Experimental Barrier has 25% increased Max Health. Barrier health regenerates constantly but 50% slower while deployed.

Mass Driver – Power

Accretion projectiles that pass through [Experimental Barrier] gain 300% increased projectile speed and deal 20% increased damage.

Singularity – Power

Accretion splash damage is increased by 25% and enemies are pulled towards its explosion.

Maestro – Power

50% Ultimate Cost Reduction

Gravitic Flux radius is reduced by 50%.

Apogee Alignment – Power

When you use an ability, create 2 Hyperspheres that orbit around you. Orbiting [Hyperspheres] deal 50% reduced damage.

Astrophysical – Power

Quick Melee causes enemies hit to levitate into the air for 1s. (10s CD)

Velocity Vector – Rare Weapon Hero Item

+10% Attack Speed

+15% Hypersphere Range

Cost: 4500

Maglev Multiplier – Rare Weapon Hero Item

10% Weapon Power

+5% Ability Power

Gravitic Flux levitates enemies for 20% longer. Enemies affected take 25% increased damage from Hyperspheres.

Cost: 5000

Synced Shielding – Rare Ability Hero Item

+25 Shields

While behind Experimental Barrier, gain +5% Weapon Power and Attack Speed.

While in front of Experimental Barrier, gain +5% Move Speed and Lifesteal.

Cost: 4500

Beam Splitter – Rare Survival Hero Item

+25 Shields

+5% Cooldown Reduction

While Kinetic Grasp is active, reduce incoming Beam damage by 50%.

Cost: 4000

Antimatter – Epic Weapon Hero Item

+15% Weapon Power

+35% Hyperspheres Explosion Radius

Cost: 10000

The Harness – Epic Ability Hero Item

+25% Ability Power

+50% Accretion Explosion Radius

Cost: 11000

De Kuiper’s Thesis – Epic Survival Hero Item

+50 Shields

Experimental Barrier heals nearby allies for 3% of Sigma’s life every 1s.

Cost: 11000

Zarya

Energy – Passive

Each Barrier can only grant a maximum of 45 Energy regardless of Barrier Health.

Barrier Benefits – Power

Increased Overhealth based on remaining Barrier Health to 100% (Up from 50%).

Duration reduced to 2s (down from 3s).

Containment Shield – Power

Removed “Barrier heals 20 Life, increased by Energy”.

Added “Barrier heals target for 5% of your Max Life every 1s”.

Fission Field – Power

Added 25% reduced Maximum Energy gain.

Lifelift – Power

Bonus Max Life increase now only increases from Max Life added from Items.

Increased Barrier health scaling to 50% of your bonus Max Life from Items (up from 25%).

No Limits – Power

Maximum Energy decreased to 125 (Down from 150).

Volskaya Vortex – Power

Fixed an issue where the Vortex from Volskaya Vortex didn’t grant Ultimate Charge.

Damage reduced to 80 (down from 100).

Bigger Beam – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Cost increased to 12000 (Up from 11000).

Superconductor – Epic Hero Ability Item

Removed increased Barrier Duration.

Added “After Particle Barrier is destroyed or expires, gain decaying Overhealth equal to 50% of damage mitigated during Particle Barrier”.

Lynx’s Datadrive – Epic Hero Ability Item

Removed “Using Projected Barrier on an ally refunds 20% of cooldown”.

Added “Restore your Life equal to 30% of Damage Mitigated by Projected Barrier”.

Damage

Ashe

Developer Comments: Silver Spurs has been underperforming and often lacked synergy with common builds. This update improves its utility and cohesion, making it a more rewarding option that better complements a variety of playstyles. B.O.B. Jr. has proven to be a strong utility option and great for locking down control points while catching enemies off-guard with early ultimate. However, its effectiveness at holding territory became a bit too reliable. We’re adjusting its strength to bring it more in line with other options, while still retaining its strategic value.

B.O.B. Jr. – Power

Decreased duration to 10s (Down from 20s).

Reload Therapy – Power

No longer generates currency.

Silver Spurs – Rare Survival Hero Item

Increased duration to 5s (Up from 3s).

Now reloads 25% of max ammo on coach gun use.

Cassidy

Developer Comments: Cassidy’s roll-into-Fan-the-Hammer playstyle was always intended as a close-range burst option, but in practice, it was punishing enemies from ranges where they had little chance to respond. This adjustment refocuses that combo toward close-quarters encounters, where its high-risk, high-reward nature can shine without creating frustration at a distance.

Fan the Hammer – Secondary Fire

Only in the Stadium mode, after 6th shot, weapon spread is increased.

Dead Man Walking – Power

Bonus ammo is now gained on critical final blow.

Added max cap of bonus ammo set to 4.

Just Roll With It – Power

Decreased damage reduction to 25% (Down from 50%), total damage reduction is now 75% during the combat roll.

Freja

Developer Comments: Freja has been struggling in Stadium since her nerfs in the core game combined with the Stadium hotfix nerfs. We’re increasing her cash gain to help her be more on par with other DPS in Stadium, and buffing Hunter’s Mark to make it a more reliable option when behind. We’re dialing back the visual noise of Lille Fælde to further reduce the frustration surrounding the power, while increasing the damage to make it a more viable option.

Increased cash income from damage and healing by 13.3%.

Lille Fælde – Power

Increased damage to 50% reduced damage (up from 60% reduced damage).

Added 25% reduced radius on Bola Shot fired by Lille Fælde.

VFX reduced to reduce visual noise of Bola Shot fired by Lille Fælde.

Updated tooltip to reflect earlier changes.

Hunter’s Mark – Rare Survival Hero Item

Added 5% Weapon Power.

Bonus Cash on Eliminating a target with a Bounty of 750 or more increased to 350 (up from 250).

Genji

Developer Comments: Melee Genji builds have become very prominent, which is awesome! However, the bursty backstab build is a bit too consistent and can feel hard to interact with. We’re reducing the damage ceiling for this build but upping it’s sustain to compensate. We’re also adding a little bit more power to the Ability Power Swift strike build to make its key pieces feel a bit more impactful early on in a match. We’ll be looking at making a larger set of changes to Genji in a future update.

Hidden Blade – Power

Reduced Quick Melee damage to 15 (down from 25).

Increased Melee Lifesteal to 60% (up from 50%).

Ambusher Optics – Item

Increased cost to 11,000 (up from 10,000).

Laceration – Power

Increased damage over time to 35% of Swift Strike’s damage (up from 25%).

Fixed an issue where this power did not benefit from Ability Lifesteal.

Clean Sweep – Item

Increase Ability Power to 15% (up from 10%).

Junkrat

Added to the Stadium Hero Roster

2 Frag 2 Frurious – Power

Frag Launcher has a 25% chance to shoot an additional projectile that deals 66% reduced damage.

Big Bang – Power

When a Frag Launcher shot bounces, its projectile size increases by 33%.

Soot Shaker – Power

After detonating Concussion Mine, gain 15% increased Attack Speed for 1.5s and refunds 20% Max Ammo.

Bango! – Power

Frag Launcher Direct Hits without bouncing burn for 20% extra damage over 2s

Bingo! – Power

Frag Launcher Direct Hits without bouncing reduce cooldown of all abilities by 25%.

It’s A(nother) Trap – Power

Gain 1 additional charge of Steel Trap.

Trap II, Esquire – Power

After Concussion Mine has landed for 0.5s, detonating it will spawn a mini Steel Trap that slows instead of immobilizing.

Slapnel – Power

Quick Melee explode for up to 100% Quick Melee damage, knocking you and nearby enemies back. (10s Cooldown)

Hop Boom – Power

After launching yourself with Concussion Mine, detonate a Concussion Mine wherever you land with 50% reduced effectiveness.

Rainin’ Lead – Power

After launching yourself, drop 1 Total Mayhem bomb with 25% reduced damage every 0.4s while you are airborne.

Gachabomb – Power

20% Total Mayhem Explosion Radius Total Mayhem creates a random number of additional bombs.

Rip Roll – Power

20% Ultimate Cost Reduction

During your ultimate, enter your Rip Tire. Launch out when it is destroyed or triggered.

Springier Spring – Rare Weapon Hero Item

25 Health

+5% Attack Speed

+25% Frag Launcher Bounce Distance

Cost: 4500

Spiked Gloves – Rare Weapon Hero Item

25 Health

+5% Weapon Power

Deal 10% increased damage and 25% increased Quick Melee damage to enemies that are airborne.

Cost: 4500

Improvised Explosives – Rare Ability Hero Item

+10% Ability Lifesteal

+10% Starting Ultimate Charge

After detonating Rip Tire, trigger Total Mayhem in 0.5s.

Cost: 4000

Rat Pack – Rare Ability Hero Item

+5% Ability Power

+50% Steel Trap Health

Steel Trap refunds 33% cooldown when destroyed.

Cost: 4000

Thermal Traps – Rare Survival Hero Item

+25 Health

When Steel Trap triggers, reveal the target and gain 25% Move Speed and 10% Attack Speed for 3s.

Cost: 4000

Zip Grease – Epic Weapon Hero Item

+25 Health

+5% Weapon Power

After detonating Concussion Mine, your next 2 Frag Launcher shots gain 200% Projectile Speed and deal 10% increased damage to airborne enemies.

Cost: 10000

Charged Chompas – Epic Ability Hero Item

+50 Health

+10% Ability Power

Whenever Total Mayhem deals damage, gain 3% Ultimate Charge.

Cost: 10000

Fawkes’ Funny Fuel™ – Epic Ability Hero Item

+10% Ability Power

+10% Ability Lifesteal

+15% Concussion Mine Explosion Radius

If Concussion Mine is 5m above the ground when detonated, increase its explosion radius by 25%.

Cost: 10000

Lithium Alloy – Epic Ability Hero Item

+25 Health

+50% Steel Trap Throw Distance

Triggering Steel Trap burns the enemy for 50 Ability Damage over 3s.

Cost: 10000

Jamison’s Jumpers – Epic Survival Hero Item

+10% Weapon Power

+10% Ability Power

+20% Concussion Mine Self Knockback Distance

Cost: 10000

Refreshing Radiation – Epic Survival Hero Item

+10% Cooldown Reduction

+50% Concussion Mine Health

For each target detonated by Concussion Mine, gain Overhealth equal to 5% of Max Life for 3s.

Cost: 10000

Mei

Developer Comments: While Avalanche was doing its job, it often created confusion for enemies where many couldn’t clearly understand why they were being slowed or where the effect was coming from. We’re shifting the focus of the power to enhance Mei’s primary fire, giving her more burst potential and rewarding players who can cage the enemy within a mini-blizzard or a blizzard. This should make the power feel more intuitive and impactful for both Mei and her opponents.

Avalanche – Power

Removed.

Cold Blaster – Power

New Power added.

Endothermic Blaster’s primary fire does 20% increased damage to enemies within Blizzard.

Permafrost – Power

Increases Mei’s size by 15% when above 30% ability power.

Himalayan Hat – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Increased attack speed to 15% (up from 10%).

Reaper

Developer Comments: This update to Reaper is primarily looking at making Ability Power Reaper a bit more reliable in the early and mid rounds. We’re reorganizing where some of the power of the build lies, as well as fixing a few interactions that were not quite working correctly. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this build as it has high snowball potential when it works. We’re also reducing the power of Wraith Renewal as it has been a consistent high performer in terms of survivability and cash gain.

Strangle Step – Power

Now also has +30% Shadow Step Cast Speed.

Wraith Renewal – Power

Reduced healing to 7% (down from 10%)

The Reaping – Hero Base Passive

Health restored from Lifesteal granted by The Reaping was unintentionally granting Stadium Cash.

Nightcreeper – Rare Weapon Hero Item

Moved to Rare (from Epic).

No longer has +30% Shadow Step Cast Speed.

Cost: 3,750.

Now Provides: 5% Weapon Power, 5% Move Speed, and after using an ability, nearby enemies are Revealed to you for 3s.

Crowd Control – Rare Ability Hero Item

Moved to Rare (from Epic).

Replaced Ability Power stat with 10% Ability Lifesteal.

Now grants 4% Ability Power per target (down from 5%).

Cost: 4,000.

Fixed a bug where the effect of this item was not affecting Death Blossoms triggered by Death Step.

Wreath of Ruin – Epic Ability Hero Item

Fixed a bug Where the Move Speed increase was not affecting Death Blossoms triggered by Death Step.

Crimson Cloak – Epic Ability Hero Item

Moved from Survival Items to Ability Items

Changed effect to: “When Death Blossom starts, gain Overhealth equal to 5% of your max Life for each enemy within its range.”

Reduced cost to 9500.

Devastation – Rare Survival Hero Item

Replaced Ability Lifesteal stat with 25 Health

Reduced effect cap to 75 Health (down from 100)

Cost reduced to 3,750 (down from 4,000)

Solider: 76

Developer Comments: Frontliners continues to be one of Soldier 76’s least popular options. We’re allowing the Overhealth to stack to enable more synergies with Powers that create additional Biotic Fields to allow for more build paths.

Frontline – Power

Overhealth now stacks when multiple Biotic Fields are active at once.

Overhealth based on Max Life reduced to 25% (down from 30%).

Support

Ana

Developer Comments: Double Dosage was originally designed to support aggressive plays. We’ve redesigned it to better serve as a forward-facing tool, rewarding players who take initiative and engage directly with the enemy.

Double Dosage – Rare Ability Hero Item

Redesigned to work only on enemies, only up to 30%. Does not stack.

Decreased cooldown to 30% (Down from 35%).

Juno

Developer Comments: Juno had a standout performance last season, with Pulsars delivering consistently high impact. For this season, we’re making targeted adjustments to slightly lower its peak output while opening up more room for build variety. The goal is to preserve her strength while encouraging a broader range of viable playstyles.

Evasive Glide – Hero Item

Removed.

Lock-On Shield – Rare Survival Hero Item.

Changed Item category from Ability to Survival.

Changed Item stat from 10% Ability Power to 25 Health.

Decreased Overhealth scalar to 25% (Down from 50%).

Boosted Rockets – Epic Survival Hero Item.

Changed Item rarity from Rare to Epic.

Changed Item price from 4000 to 12000.

Updated Item effect: During Glide Boost, gain 10% Damage Reduction.

Medicinal Missiles – Power

Removed additional 30 Healing.

Kiriko

Developer Comments: Soothing Step was designed to be a core part of Kiriko’s ability power-focused build, enabling her to serve as a highly mobile healer. This update brings it more in line with other build options while reinforcing her role as a capable burst healer in fast-paced fights. Additionally, Self-Care has been redesigned—both to address a bug and to make its healing more accurately reflect Kiriko’s healing output.

Soothing Step – Power

Increased Healing to 120 (Up from 80).

Replaced stat: From 10% Ability power to 10% Cooldown reduction.

Triple Threat – Power

Spread reduced by 50%.

Self-Care

Redesigned to: When you use Healing Ofuda, each Ofuda thrown heals you for 3% of max life.

Lúcio

Developer Comments: Due to the buffs to Lucio’s Crossfade Healing in the core game, we’re decoupling Crowd Pleaser’s healing from Crossfade. This will make Crowd Pleaser feel more impactful when outside of Amp It Up, while ensuring the healing during Amp It Up is within bounds. We’re also reworking Vivace to have a more specialized niche, as well as buffing Sonic Boom to enable more build options.

Crowd Pleaser – Power

Healing adjusted from 100% of Crossfade Healing to 20 Healing that is doubled while Amp It Up is active.

Vivace – Power

Removed “While you are Wallriding, Soundwave cooldown refreshes 25% faster and adds 1 Max Ammo every 1s until you reload”.

Added “Every 1s Wallriding, you gain 3% Move Speed and 1.5% Attack Speed for 5s, stacking up to 10 times”.

Sonic Boom – Power

Healing now also triggers on Quick Melee damage.

Zenyatta

Added to the Stadium Hero Roster

Flying Kick – Power

While airborne, Quick Melee becomes a dash kick that stuns if it knocks an enemy back into a wall. (5s Cooldown)

It’s Orbin’ Time – Power

Orb of Destruction’s secondary fire can charge up to 3 additional orbs.

Seeking Salvation – Power

Orb of Destruction’s secondary fire projectiles home when aimed at a target below 35% Life.

Enlightenment – Power

Allies affected by Harmony Orb are healed for 35% of the damage you deal.

Dual Harmony – Power

Gain a 2nd Harmony Orb but they both heal 45% less.

Gotta Have Faith – Power

Harmony Orb targets can be out of your line of sight for 5s longer before Harmony Orb returns to you.

Inner Peace – Power

Gain a Harmony Orb that is always attached to you. It heals for 75% less.

Discord Inferno – Power

When you critically hit a target affected by your Discord Orb, the Orb of Destruction explodes, dealing (AP)50 damage.

Discord Fever – Power

When Discord Orb is applied to a target, they take (AP)50 damage over 5s to the enemy.

Instant Karma – Power

When a target of your Discord Orb damages you, restore 30% of that damage over 2s.

Circle of Strife – Power

While using Transcendence, apply Discord Orb to all enemies within range.

Soul Control – Power

Transcendence can be canceled early, saving up to 65% of your Ultimate Charge.

Breezeborne Blessing – Rare Ability Hero Item

+10% Ability Power

Harmony Orb heals airborne allies for 15% more.

Cost: 4000

Satya’s Solution – Rare Ability Hero Item

+10% Ability Power

+10% Movement Speed

While Transcendence is active, its radius increases by 1m every 1s.

Cost: 4000

Hiking Hoverboots – Rare Hero Survival Hero Item

+10% Movement Speed

While airborne, Jump to hover for up to 3s.

Cost: 4000

Transference Protocol – Rare Survival Hero Item

+25 Shield

When you charge an orb with Orb of Destruction’s secondary fire, restore for 3% of your Life.

Cost: 4000

Keepsake of Chaos – Rare Survival Hero Item

+25 Armor

Eliminating an enemy affected by Discord Orb grants 5 Armor for the rest of the round, up to 50 Armor.

Cost: 4500

Haste Subroutine – Epic Weapon Hero Item

+15% Attack Speed

After using Harmony Orb or Discord Orb, gain 100% Projectile Speed for 3s.

Cost: 11000

Genji’s Galvanic Gloves – Epic Weapon Hero Item

+10% Weapon Power

+10% Attack Speed

Orb of Destruction’s secondary fire charges 20% faster.

Cost: 12000

Orb of Perception – Epic Weapon Hero Item

+15% Weapon Power

+15% Ability Power

Targets affected by Discord Orb are Revealed.

Cost: 11000

Friendship Bracelet – Epic Ability Hero Item

+10% Ability Power

Increase your healing by up to 20%, based on how close you are to your target.

Cost: 11000

Mind Shaper – Epic Ability Hero Item

+15% Ability Power

+15% Starting Ultimate Charge

Allies affected by Transcendence have their cooldowns refresh 15% faster.

Cost: 12000

Mondatta’s Mantra – Epic Ability Hero Item

+30% Transcendence duration

After using Transcendence, gain Overhealth equal to 100% of the healing it did.

Cost: 11000

Ramattra’s Reasoning – Epic Survival Hero Item

+50 Armor

For every 50 Armor you have, gain 5% Quick Melee Damage.

Cost: 10000

Meditation Mat – Epic Survival Hero Item

+50 Armor

When your shields are depleted, knock back nearby enemies, dealing 80 damage. Can only trigger every 6s after Shields are fully restored.

Cost: 10000

Teacher’s Totem – Epic Survival Hero Item

+50 Shield

Allies affected by Harmony Orb take 10% reduced Ability Damage.

Cost: 10000

Armory

Aerial Distresser – Epic General Weapon Item

New Item

25 Shield

10% Attack Speed

Weapon hits to airborne enemies deal 25% bonus damage over 3s.

10000 Cost.

Overdrive Core – Epic General Survival Item

New Item

25 Shield

10% Weapon Power

Once per life, if you take damage that would reduce you below 30% Max Life, you first gain 300 decaying Overhealth.

10000 Cost.

Sonic Recharge – Epic General Ability Item

New Item

25 Shield

10% Ability Power

Passive Life Regeneration can overheal up to 75.

9500 Cost.

Vitality Amplifier – Rare General Ability Item

New Item

25 Shield

10% Ability Lifesteal

While you are above 80% Life, gain 10% Ability Power.

4500 Cost.

Emergency Chip – Rare General Weapon Item

New Item

25 Shield

5% Weapon Power

While you are below 150 Life, gain 15% Weapon Lifesteal.

4500 Cost.

Electrolytes

Cost reduced to 1000 (Down from 1500).

Iron Eyes

Cost reduced to 4000 (Down from 4500).

Salvaged Slugs

Cost reduced to 9000 (Down from 9500).

Cushioned Padding

Cost reduced to 3750 (Down from 4000).

Biolight Overflow

Overhealth increased to 75 (Up from 50).

Divine Intervention

Life restored from taking more than 100 damage increased to 20% (Up from 15%).

The following now triggers On Ability use effects: Zenyatta’s Flying Kick, Mei’s Snowball Flight, and Ana’s Dash Boots.

Developer Comments: We’re adding additional general items to help combat fliers, such as Freja and Mercy, and give more survivability options to damage centric builds, particularly against high amounts of burst. We’re also buffing up some of our situational itemization to lower the opportunity cost of purchasing them.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue where the matchmaker would often backfill players into matches that were not near their MMR and causing the match to become imbalanced.

Heroes

Ashe

Fixed an issue where Ana’s mythic weapon did not change color based on healing or damaging an enemy.

Cassidy

Fixed an issue where Cassidy’s Deadeye did not properly account for Hazard’s Spike Guard ability.

Fixed an issue where Cassidy’s Deadeye failed to shoot through breakable objects.

Freja

Fixed an issue that incorrectly required level 20 progression with Freja to unlock the silhouette icon instead of level 10.

Fixed an issue where the “Random from Favorites” option was missing for Freja’s highlight intros.

Stadium

Stadium

Fixed an issue that could lock the screen if the player died while having a menu open.

Ana

Fixed an issue that prevented the Superflexor mod from stacking when used alongside Ana’s Pinpoint Prescription power.

Cassidy

Fixed an issue where Cassidy’s Frankie’s Fixed power did not correctly grant the 50 bonus health.

D.Va

Fixed an issue that prevented D.Va’s damage from scaling properly without exiting and re-entering her mech.

Fixed an issue where the lava from D.Va’s Vesuvius Protocol mod did not apply other mod effects.

Fixed an issue where D.Va’s Legendary Loadout power inflicted excessive damage when combined with other ability mods.

Freja

Fixed an issue where Freja’s Lille Faelde power would max out weapon spread after using the take aim ability

Junker Queen

Fixed an issue where mods failed to apply to Junker Queen’s melee damage.

Juno

Fixed an issue where Juno’s Orbital power failed to apply a slow effect to enemies.

Kiriko

Fixed an issue with Kiriko’s Self Care power, it has been re-enabled.

Fixed an issue where Kiriko’s Donut Delivery power did not scale with increased ability powers.

Mei

Fixed an issue that prevented Mei’s Snowball Flight from being counted as an ability power when combined with mods utilizing ability power.

Moira

Fixed an issue where Moria’s Voidhoppers power would remove her healer vision on allies.

Reaper

Fixed an issue where Reaper’s Crimson Cloak mod only used base health in calculations.

Zarya

Fixed an issue where Zarya’s Volskaya Vortex power did not generate ultimate charge from the slowing vortex.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: June 3rd/4th 2025
Patch notes:

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue that caused the “Random from Favorites” option to disappear from the hero gallery.

Heroes

Ashe

In a previous update, fixed a stutter issue when aiming down sight with Ashe.

Echo

Fixed an issue where Echo’s 1st person SFX were being heard by other players.

Freja

In a previous update, fixed a stutter issue when aiming down sight with Freja.

Juno

Fixed an issue where Juno’s healing sounds were not playing.

Mercy

Decreased the SFX volume on Mercy’s Mythic Weapon.

Torbjörn

Fixed an issue with the damage SFX on Torbjörn’s ultimate.

Stadium

General

Fixed an issue so that we no longer apply a modifier for new players to every player in Stadium. Players should start to see faster queues and more competitive matches as they continue to play Stadium.

D.Va

Fixed an issue with D.va’s Biolight Overflow, Liquid Nitrogen, and Busan Blaster mods.

Kiriko

Fixed an issue where Kiriko’s Talisman of Velocity mod would benefit enemies.

Reinhardt

Fixed an issue in 3rd person where Reinhardt’s hammer swing might not register on enemies directly below him.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: May 29th/30th 2025
Patch notes:

Hero Balance Updates

Damage

Freja

Take Aim – Secondary Fire

Slow momentum time reduced from 1.5 to 1.0 second.

Reload time increased from 1.35 to 1.5 seconds.

Quick Dash – Ability 1

Cooldown increased from 4.0 to 4.5 seconds.

Updraft – Ability 2

Cooldown increased from 10 to 12 seconds.

Stadium Updates

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: D.Va’s been having a hard time asserting space effectively, especially when trying to control key areas. Buffing Lava should help her create more threatening zones and discourage enemies from waltzing into her turf uninvited. As for Focused Fusion—the concept was solid, but in practice it struggled to keep up when enemies were practically doing laps around her. We’re adjusting just a bit, so it doesn’t feel like D.Va brought a sniper rifle to a knife fight but still have the ability to hit enemies from near and far.

Focused Fusion – Power

Decreased Fusion Cannon spread to 50% (Down from 66%).

Ignition Burst – Power

Increased Lava damage to 80 (Up from 30).

Vesuvius Protocol – Rare Ability Hero Item

Increased Lava damage to 80 (Up from 30).

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Junker Queen’s axe has been doing most of the heavy lifting lately, leaving her shotgun and knife feeling a bit neglected. This update gives both of those tools some much-needed love to round out her kit and encourage more varied playstyles. We’re also adding a buff to Thick Skull to help her better withstand burst damage, giving her more staying power in fast-paced fights.

Royal Bullets – Power

Increased range to 15 meters (Up from 12 meters).

Increased damage to 50 (Up from 30).

Twist The Knife – Power

Increased Wounds extension to 1 second (Up from 0.5 seconds).

Blade Parade – Power

Increased Damage to 100% (Up from 35%).

Merciless Magnetism – Power

Increased range to 15 meters (Up from 12 meters).

Thick Skull – Epic Survival Hero Item

Increased Damage Reduction to 75% (Up from 50%).

Orisa

Developer Comments: Orisa’s Overheat build was underperforming, especially when it came to holding the line against aggressive pushes. It lacked the punch needed to deter advancing enemies or force them to reposition. This buff aims to bolster her ability to apply pressure and make her presence more threatening when anchoring space.

Scorched Earth – Power

Increased damage to 20% (Up from 10%).

Electro Lights – Rare Hero Weapon Item

Increased recovery rate to 50% (Up from 25%).

Reinhardt

Developer Comments: The interaction between Feeling the Burn and effects that triggered off Rocket Hammer damage proved to be too strong, so we’re removing it while giving some small improvements to some underutilized powers and items.

Barrier Reconstruction – Power

Increased Barrier Health Restoration from Damage to 15% (up from 10%).

Feeling the Burn – Power

No longer applies to Smashing and Dampener Grip.

Dampener Grip – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Increased Ability Power to 15% (up from 10%).

Damage

Ashe

Developer Comments: Ashe has been steadily climbing in overall competitiveness, but she’s still missing that extra oomph when the moment calls for it. These buffs target some of her underperforming powers and items, giving her more flexibility across different builds and helping her stay impactful in a wider range of scenarios.

Out with a Bang – Power

Decreased Explosives damage reduction to 30% (Down from 66%).

Molten Munitions – Power

Increased damage to 80 (Up from 50).

This change will not be represented correctly on the tooltip but it will be functionally set to 80. This information in the tooltip will be fixed next season.

Reload Therapy – Power

Increased heal to 10% (Up from 3%).

Sidewinder – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Increased attack speed to 15% (Up from 10%).

Increased damage to 25% (Up from 15%).

Freja

Developer Comments: Freja’s Bola build has enabled Freja to have access to too much crowd control too frequently. We’re pulling back the crowd control and damage here, in order to have the build have a fair payoff for how accessible it is. We have planned further changes to reduce the visual noise of this power, which we unfortunately couldn’t add to this hotfix, but will be included in a future patch.

We’re also tuning down other statistical outliers, while making a couple of less popular choices more viable.

Lille Fælde – Power Re-enabled.

Bola from Lille Fælde slow is decreased by 60%.

Bola from Lille Fælde no longer pulls enemies upon direct hit.

These will be reflected in the tooltip in a future update.

So Cooked – Power

Decreased increased damaging zone damage to 30% (down from 50%).

Decreased increased damaging zone duration to 2 second (down from 3 second).

Deep Pockets – Power

Max Ammo restored from using an ability reduced to 25% (down from 50%).

Forager – Power

Max Life heal per hit increased to 4% (up from 3%).

Portable Zipline – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Decreased Weapon Power to 5% (down from 15%).

Volley a Deux – Power

Increased damage to 33% reduced damage on additional bolts (up from 50% reduced).

Magnetic Maelstrom – Epic Ability Hero Item

Disabled.

Mei

Developer Comments: We’re looking to enhance Mei’s survivability in moments where Cryo-Freeze isn’t available by improving the synergy with Blizzard effects. This adjustment should give Mei more defensive value during her ultimate or mini-Blizzard, allowing her to better sustain herself in skirmishes and maintain pressure.

Blizznado – Power

Increased Heal per second to 15% (up from 5%).

Soldier: 76

Developer Comments: Biotic Field builds have been unpopular and underperforming, so we’re adding some additional firepower there. Chaingun has been very prevalent in all types of Weapon Power builds for Soldier, so we’re tuning it down a bit to allow for some more variety.

Hunker Down – Power

Decreased Biotic Field duration to 50% reduced duration (from 70% reduced).

Chaingun – Power

Decreased Weapon Power per shot to 0.4% (down from 0.5%).

Battery Pack – Rare Ability Hero Item

Increased Biotic Field Duration to 40% (up from 30%).

Rapid Response Radius – Epic Ability Hero Item

Increased Biotic Field radius to 40% (up from 30%).

Compression Fatigues – Rare Survival Hero Item

Removed 5% Attack Speed.

Added 5% Ability Power.

Support

Ana

Developer Comments: We’re aiming to make Ana feel more agile and resilient in mid-range engagements, where she often finds herself most vulnerable. By improving her survivability, these changes should help her better reposition under pressure and stay active in fights without compromising her high-impact support role. Tactical Rifle is a well-loved power, but we’ve received consistent feedback that its targeting could feel more like a hindrance than a help. In high-pressure moments, the auto-aim was too frequently locking onto allies instead of enemies, disrupting damage output. We’re refining its behavior to better prioritize threats and ensure it feels like a reliable tool in combat.

Tactical Rifle – Power

Reduced aim tracking angle by 50%.

Dash Boots – Rare Survival Hero Item

Increased Movement Speed bonus to 10% (Up from 5%).

Decreased cooldown to 3 seconds (Down from 4 seconds).

Cluster Core – Epic Ability Hero Item

Biotic Grenade cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds for each target it hits (up from 1 second).

Juno

Developer Comments: Hyper Ring has seen frequent use in Juno’s kit, but it hasn’t kept pace with the impact of her other powers. We’re giving it a boost to bring it in line with the rest of her options, making it a more competitive pick that rewards smart positioning and timing.

Hyper Healer – Power

Increased Overhealth to 100 (Up from 50).

Black Hole – Power

Increased Slow duration to 2 seconds. (Up from 1 second).

Kiriko

Developer Comments: Self-Care was falling short in terms of sustain, especially in longer engagements. This buff gives it a more meaningful impact, allowing players to recover more effectively and stay in the fight longer without relying solely on external healing.

Self-Care – Power

Increased heal to 15% (Up from 5%).

Bug Fixes

Stadium

D.Va

Fixed a bug where Fusion Cannon was shooting less pellets when equipped with the Focused Fusion power.

Freja

Fixed an issue where the direct hit of the Bola from Lille Fælde was doing more damage than intended.

Fixed an issue where the lingering damaging zone from So Cooked didn’t apply effects that triggered from Ability Damage.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: May 23rd/24th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Damage

Freja

Developer Comments: Freja is a hero with a very high damage ceiling, which can feel especially powerful in Stadium when ahead. We’re lowering her economy gain from damage to reduce the consistency and speed at which Freja can snowball in Stadium. We’ll be making a more targeted set of changes next week, including looking at the crowd control effectiveness and uptime of the Bola build and improving some of her weaker options.

Reduced income from damage and healing by 25%.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: May 20th/21st 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Continues!

Midseason is bursting with style, celebration, and surprises as Season 16 continues. Choose your fighter to KO the competition in the Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 collab and join Dokiwatch by unlocking the Mythic Merciful Magitech Mercy Weapon Skin! Then step back into another Overwatch Classic era, reignite the fight with Drives, and dress up like Palace Royals. Plus, Freja enters the Stadium and brings incredible powers that will blow the opponents away!

Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6

ROUND ONE – FIGHT! Overwatch 2 x Street Fighter 6 collide for an explosive crossover event, celebrating the heart-pounding action of both worlds. With eight hard hitting skins, emotes, plus cosmetic combos inspired by iconic moves and matchups, this collab brings Street Fighter 6 to the frontlines of Overwatch 2. So, get ready to hit those lightning-fast kicks, charge with Psycho Power, or unleash a Hadoken-like arrow, because every move hits harder with this collab’s fighting flair. It’s time to choose your fighter and KO the competition in the fight for the future.

Mythic Merciful Magitech Mercy Weapon Skin

Even in her absence from the Heroes of Heart, the spirit of Mercy endures. The Merciful Magitech Mythic Weapon channels the soul of Eleos, the Hamster of Benevolence, and reimagines Mercy’s Caduceus Staff and Blaster through the radiant lens of Magitech might. Rescued after a daring escape, Eleos now brings kindness, healing, and hope to those heroes still standing against Woe. When you’re defending your team, this charming companion within your Mythic weapon ensures that Mercy’s Hero of Heart legacy lives on in every beam, every boost, and every act of compassion.

Overwatch Classic: October 2020

The nostalgia is real and Overwatch: Classic is back in action! Experience the October 2020 Patch in all its 6v6 glory with returning balance changes, role queue, and heroes like Sigma, Echo, Baptiste, and more. Whether you’re a veteran returning home or a new hero curious about the past, this is a classic fight you won’t want to miss.

General Updates

Player Report Tool

Players can now receive an instant notification if a player is already actioned.

Prior to this feature, reporting a player that had already been banned or suspended would not result in any additional information. The Instant Reporting Feedback feature will immediately inform the player of the fact that banned or suspended players have been actioned when they are reported.

Hero Updates

Tank

Hazard

Developer comments: Hazard’s slower climbing fits his lumbering tank fantasy, but it was a point of friction when trying to chase down or escape from enemies, so we’re speeding up how quickly he can vault over a ledge. Additionally, we’re boosting Anarchic Zeal’s lifesteal as the current value wasn’t effective enough.

Vault – Passive

Ledge climb animation time reduced from 0.6 to 0.4 seconds.

Anarchic Zeal – Major Perk

Spike Guard’s Lifesteal is increased from 25% to 40%.

Reinhardt

Developer comments: Reinhardt generally does well across the game but falls off in effectiveness at high ranks. We’re increasing the speed and responsiveness of Fire Strike to make it more reliable from range.

Fire Strike – Ability 2

Projectile speed increased from 25 to 30 meters per second.

Recovery time reduced from 0.63 to 0.45 seconds.

Damage

Freja

Developer comments: Freja has continued to climb in win-rate now that players have become accustomed to her kit. We are partially reverting the Quick Dash cooldown to reduce her airtime and frequency of explosive bolts.

Quick Dash

Cooldown increased from 3.5 to 4 seconds.

Genji

Shuriken – Primary and Secondary Fire

Ammo reduced from 30 to 24.

Projectile speed increased from 60 to 75.

Hanzo

Developer comments: Hanzo’s been underperforming recently so we’re reverting his bow draw speed back to its original, faster value. The Sonic Disruption perk isn’t picked very often but increasing its duration will make it more useful and require less upkeep to control a health pack.

Storm Bow – Primary Fire

Draw time reduced from 0.8 to 0.72 seconds.

Sonic Disruption – Minor Perk

Health pack hack time increased from 12 to 30 seconds.

Pharah

Developer comments: Drift Thrusters and Concussive Implosion have been too consistent at securing kills. These adjustments will give better opportunities for counterplay when fighting against these perks.

Drift Thrusters – Minor Perk

Movement speed while using Barrage reduced by 20%.

Concussive Implosion – Major Perk

Distance pulled reduced by 50%.

Reaper

Developer comments: We’re aligning the recovery of Dire Triggers with Reaper’s primary fire to improve the flow when alternating between the two.

Dire Triggers – Major Perk

Recovery reduced from 0.7 to 0.5 seconds.

Soldier: 76

Developer comments: Stim Pack’s button mapping made it difficult to activate, especially in combat. Binding it to Weapon Swap improves the control scheme and removing the anti-heal makes it less punishing to use.

Stim Pack – Major Perk

Anti-heal removed. Now deals 75 self-damage on use.

Is now activated by using Weapon Swap.

Sombra

Developer comments: Invisibility is a frustrating mechanic to play against for many, so we’re increasing the windows for counterplay. Sombra will now take longer to exit stealth and to disappear after taking damage.

Translocator – Ability 2

Fade in time increased from 0.15 to 0.3 seconds.

Stealth reveal duration on taking damage increased from 1 to 1.3 seconds.

Widowmaker

Developer comments: Widowmaker is a more map-dependent hero than most and now with hero bans restricting her usefulness we’re looking to make her viable in more situations.

Widow’s Kiss – Primary Fire

Maximum spread reduced from 3 to 2 degrees.

Damage increased from 13 to 14.

Deadly Deux

Venom Mine’s bonus damage increased from 50% to 100%.

Support

Illari

Developer comments: Illari often has to move into high-risk positions to heal effectively. Extending the range on her healing beam will give her more flexibility in how she positions and supports her team.

Solar Rifle – Secondary Fire

Range increased from 15 to 20 meters.

Lifeweaver

Developer comments: The opportunity cost to use Thorn Volley is still too high compared to constantly charging Healing Blossom. We are improving the auto-charge to make weaving damage between healing less punishing.

Healing Blossom – Primary Fire

Auto-Charge rate increased by 25%.

Superbloom – Major Perk

The number of hits to trigger reduced from 20 to 16.

Stadium Updates

Mercy Rule

Now triggers when the cash disparity between the teams is at 10,000 or more (down from 15,000).

Developer comments: We feel that not enough games that reach 3-0 are triggering the Mercy Rule when they probably should. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this and will be considering other changes to the Mercy Rule system in the future.

Round Completion Cash

We’ve added a system where players are granted an additional boost to their Round Completion Cash in rounds that end with players on both teams having lower than intended amounts of cash. This additional cash will be equivalent for every player.

Competitive Rewards

Competitive points for winning a match has been increased to 20 per match.

Tank

Reinhardt

Developer comments: To compensate for the buff to Reinhardt’s Fire Strike in Core Overwatch, we’re decreasing the burst potential of Reinhardt’s Fire Strike build and normalizing the max projectile speed Fire Strike can reach. We’re also tuning down Reinhardt’s Melee build to be a bit more counterable, which is performing too consistently given the high payoff of the build.

Smashing – Power

Reduced Move Speed per stack to 1% (down from 2%).

Reduced Life Steal per stack to 3% (down from 5%).

Increased maximum stacks to 10 (up from 5).

Reduced duration to 2s (down from 3s).

To Me, My Friends! – Power

Increased healing based on Max Life to 4% (up from 3%).

Wilhelmwagen – Power

Decreased healing from damage mitigated to 5% (down from 15%).

Rocket Strike – Epic Hero Ability Item

Decreased Fire Strike Projectile Speed to 25% (down from 50%).

Decreased Ability Power to 10% (down from 20%).

Chimera’s Maw – Rare Hero Ability Item

Decreased Ability Power to 5% (down from 10%).

Damage

Freja

Added to the Stadium Hero Roster

Cyclone – Power

New Stadium Power.

When you use Updraft, fire a Take Aim bolt at your crosshair.

Seekerpoint – Power

New Stadium Power.

When Take Aim bolt sticks an enemy, automatically fire 3 additional crossbow shots at them that deal 66% reduced damage.

Seismic Shot – Power

New Stadium Power.

Take Aim explosion radius is increased by 33%. Double this if the bolt is stuck to a target.

Thread the Needle – Power

New Stadium Power.

Take Aim bolts pierce enemies. Additional explosions deal 66% reduced damage.

Deep Pockets – Power

New Stadium Power.

When you use an ability, restore 50% of your Max Ammo.

Forager – Power

New Stadium Power.

For 2 seconds after using Quick Dash. Revdraw Crossbow hits heal you for 3% of your Max Life.

Peak Performance – Power

New Stadium Power.

While firing Revdraw Crossbow your fall speed is decreased by 80%.

Redux – Power

New Stadium Power.

Revdraw Crossbow hits against targets stuck by a Take Aim bolt or Bola Shot reduce the cooldown of your abilities by 5% and refunds 1 ammo.

Volley à Deux – Power

New Stadium Power.

Every fifth Revdraw Crossbow shot fires an additional 2 bolts in a spread that deal 50% reduced damage.

Lille Fælde – Power

New Stadium Power.

After using Updraft, your next Take Aim while airborne fires a Bola Shot that deals 60% reduced damage instead of an explosive bolt.

So Cooked – Power

New Stadium Power.

Bola Shot’s damaging zone deals 50% more damage and lingers for 3 seconds. Bola shot eliminations count toward Bounty Hunting.

Mighty Gust – Power

New Stadium Power.

Updraft launches a wind blast toward your crosshair, knocking back enemies and dealing 40 ability damage.

Tracker Tag – Rare Hero Weapon Item

New Rare Hero Weapon Item.

30% Max Ammo.

When Take Aim bolt sticks to an enemy, increase your Attack Speed by 20% for 3 seconds.

Slipstream Scarf – Rare Hero Weapon Item

New Rare Hero Weapon Item.

25 Health.

5% Weapon Power.

25% Quick Dash Distance.

Portable Zipline – Epic Hero Weapon Item

New Epic Hero Weapon Item.

15% Weapon Power.

Eliminations reset both charges of Quick Dash cooldown.

Windwalker Boots – Rare Hero Ability Item

New Rare Hero Ability Item.

25 Health.

5% Cooldown Reduction.

20% Updraft Height.

Magnetic Maelstrom – Epic Hero Ability Item

New Epic Hero Ability Item.

15% Ability Power.

Bola Shot pulls in nearby enemies even when it misses.

Hunter’s Mark – Rare Hero Survival Item

New Rare Hero Survival Item.

25 Health.

Enemies with a Bounty of 75- or more are revealed to you within 40 meters. Eliminating them grants 250 additional Stadium Cash.

Aeroweave Cloak – Rare Hero Survival Item

New Rare Hero Survival Item.

25 Health.

100% Take Aim Slowed Momentum Duration.

Tourniquet – Rare Hero Survival Item

New Rare Hero Survival Item.

25 Health.

After using Updraft, reset Quick Dash and gain 50 Overhealth for 5 seconds.

Toxin Tips – Epic Hero Survival Item

New Epic Hero Survival Item.

50 Health.

Take Aim bolts sticks and explosions slow enemies by 30% but takes 1 second longer to explode.

Soldier: 76

Developer comments: Soldier 76’s Helix Rocket build is one-shotting a little too consistently. We’re decreasing the damage here a bit to reduce the burst potential.

Cratered – Power

Reduced increased Explosion Damage to 15% (down from 25%)

General Items

Items

Developer comments: Stacking large amounts of Weapon Power or Ability Power have become too prevalent, crowding out other itemization options. We are lowering the cost efficiency of these items to promote greater item diversity and weaken builds that rely on high amounts of burst through stacking Weapon or Ability Power. We’re also strengthening some weaker item options.

Champion’s Kit – Epic Ability Item

Increased cost to 14000 (up from 13500).

Decreased Ability Power to 35% (down from 40%).

The Closer – Epic Weapon Item

Increased cost to 14500 (up from 13000).

Eye of the Spider – Epic Weapon Item

Increased cost to 14000 (up from 13500).

Nano Cola – Rare Ability Item

Increased cost to 6000 (up from 5500).

Talon Modification Module – Rare General Weapon Item

Increased cost to 6000 (up from 5500).

Gloomgauntlet – Epic Survival Item

Increased cost to 10000 (up from 9500).

Icy Coolant – Rare Weapon Item

Increased cost to 5500 (up from 5000).

Multi-Tool – Rare Ability Item

Decreased cost to 4500 (down from 5000).

Decreased Cooldown Reduction to 5% (down from 10%).

Increased Ability Power to 10% (up from 5%).

Bloodbound – Epic Survival Item

Decreased cost to 9000 (down from 9500).

Geneticist’s Vial – Epic Survival Item

Increased Life after reviving to 250 (up from 200).

Electrolytes – Common Survival Item

Now gives 100 Overhealth every time you respawn (instead of just at the start of the round).

Increased cost to 1500 (up from 1000).

Adrenaline Shot – Common Survival Item

Increased Health to 25 (up from 10).

Increased cost to 1500 (up from 1000).

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue where challenges were not progressing when queued as a specific role.

Fixed a graphical error that caused flashing for certain heroes on consoles.

Heroes

Doomfist

Fixed an issue where Doomfist was able to continue charging his punch through Sigma’s Accretion stun.

Illari

Fixed an issue where Illari’s Captive Sun Ultimate would not explode after a deflect.

Mercy

Fixed an issue where Mercy’s resurrect could complete in spawn if spawn timer was reached.

Stadium

Fixed a visual issue causing the Rank Progress bar to show incorrect Stadium Points after a match.

Fixed an issue with Competitive title rewards displaying the wrong role in stadium.

Fixed an issue with Zarya not working with Codebreaker item.

Fixed and issue where the mercy rule would activate inconsistently.

Fixed an issue with Mercy’s First Responder power.

Fixed an issue where the armory could load in an incomplete state.

Fixed an issue where the Better Together challenge was not tracking for D.VA players under certain conditions.

Fixed an issue where the Better Together challenge was not counting towards MVP or Star of the Show challenges.

Fixed an issue that occurs when Soldier uses the On Me power with both Vishkar Condenser and Vital-E-Tee mods together.

Fixed an issue that occurs when Junker Queen uses both the Reckoner’s Roar power and Cybervenom mod.

Fixed an issue that occurs when Ana uses both Comfy Cloud and Dreamy powers.

Fixed an issue that occurs when Mei uses both the Coulder power and Cybervenom mod.

Fixed an issue with Freja’s animation while holding down her secondary fire.

Fixed an issue with Mercy’s Equivalent Exchange mod and this has now been re-enabled.

Fixed an issue with Genji’s Deflect-O-Bot power and this has now been re-enabled.

Fixed an issue where Moira’s Empowering You power would not play hit markers when the buffed ally dealt damage.

Fixed an issue where Zarya’s Hybrid Battery item wouldn’t reset energy to 0 when sold.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: May 15th/16th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Economy

Increased bounty cap to 3000 (up from 2000).

Developer Comments: Bounties are intended as a comeback mechanic, and we feel like the current cap can increase to maximize that potential.

Armory

Reduced timer from 100 seconds to 75 seconds in round 1 and 3.

Reduced timer from 75 seconds to 60 seconds in round 2.

Developer Comments: We are reducing the amount of time you can shop during early rounds. We find that players need this time later in the game as they as are selling and countering, but it’s not as useful up front.

Tank

Zarya

Developer Comments: Zarya continues to overperform at all levels. Most of her power comes from how Weapon Power scales with Energy, allowing her to reach very high damage ceilings, so slowing down the rate at which she can scale her Weapon Power.

Reduced cash income from damage and healing by 12.5%.

Damage

Cassidy

Developer Comments: Cassidy continues to be too dominant too consistently, especially at higher levels of play. Most of his power comes from how well he scales with Weapon Power, so shaving off a bit of his currency gain to slow down the pace of his scaling.

Reduced income from damage and healing by 12.5%.

Reaper

Developer Comments: We’re squashing a few bugs that we believe have contributed to Reaper’s high win rate. We’re also making a slight adjustment to Revolving Ruin’s ramp up time and maximum stacks. We’re planning to make some more adjustments to Reaper’s weapon builds in the future to incentivize them to build stats other than just Weapon Power.

Revolving Ruin – Power

Reduced Attack Speed per stack to 4% (down from 5%).

Increased maximum stacks to 10 (up from 8).

Wraith Renewal – Power

Fixed an issue where Wraith Renewal healing was always being doubled, regardless of what your current Life was.

Spirited to Slay – Power

Fixed an issue that caused Reaper’s cooldowns to be reset without getting an Elimination.

Support

Ana

Developer Comments: Ana’s abilities feature some of the longest cooldowns in the support roster, and their impact hasn’t always matched that investment in Stadium. This update improves the effectiveness of her utility, helping her keep allies in the fight longer and better rewarding well-timed ability usage. These changes should give Ana more consistent value in extended engagements.

Home Remedy – Power

Increased Overhealth gain to 200% (up from 100%).

Dreamy – Power

Decreased heal to 80% (down from 100%).

Decreased duration to 4s (down from 8s).

Venomous – Power

Increased damage to 50 (up from 30).

Quick Scope – Rare Hero Weapon Item

Increased Weapon Power to +10% (up from 5%).

I.V. Drip – Rare Hero Survival Item

Increased Overhealth to 150 (up from 100).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: May 9th/10th 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Updates

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: D.Va has been struggling in matchups against beam-focused heroes like Zarya, where her defensive tools feel less effective. We’re adding some synergy with Defense Matrix Powers/Items when using it to mitigate Beam damage. We’re also adding some power to some of the builds that utilize her main defensive tool, Defense Matrix, in hopes to allow them to have a bit more flexibility and apply more pressure in team fights.

Countermeasures – Power

Decreased mitigation requirement to 100 (down from 150).

Mastermind’s Mitigator – Rare Ability Hero Item

Decreased damage mitigation requirement to 200 (down from 300).

Stat Boost – Power

Increased Defense Matrix recovery rate to 125% (up from 100%).

Ultrawide Matrix – Power

Defense Matrix duration increased to 25% (up from 20%).

Multi-Task Mod – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Increased Weapon Power to 20% (up from 10%).

Singijeon’s Pulse Plating – Epic Survival Hero Item

Increased Ultimate Charge gain to 10% (up from 5%).

Plot Armor – Rare Survival Hero Item

Damage reduced now gets counted as damage mitigated by Defense Matrix.

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Junker Queen thrives when she can close the distance and brawl up close, and her current mobility has been allowing her to engage too freely. We’re toning down her gap-closing potential to make her positioning more deliberate and reduce her ability to aggressively dive into enemy lines without consequence. This should encourage more thoughtful engagements while preserving her core bruiser identity.

Booming Voice – Epic Ability Item

Reduced Ability Power to 15% (down from 25%).

Slicing Spree – Rare Hero Survival Item

Reduced Move Speed stat to 5% (down from 10%).

Reduced Move Speed while near an enemy with a Wound to 5% (down from 10%).

Increased Attack Speed while near an enemy with a Wound to 10% (up from 5%).

Reinhardt

Developer Comments: Reinhardt has been overperforming, especially at lower levels. We’re tuning down some of the powers that are most difficult to counterplay, such as Melee Reinhardt feeling inescapable due to his crazy amount of Move Speed or being one shot by an Impact Burst Fire Strike. As an important known issue with this balance change, the Move Speed per stack is currently not represented correctly on the tooltip but it is functionally set to 2%. This will be fixed in a future update.

Impact Burst – Power

Reduced bonus damage to 15% (down from 20%).

Smashing – Power

Reduced Move Speed per stack to 2% (down from 3%).

Zarya

Developer Comments: Zarya continues to be overperforming, especially at higher levels of play. We’re reducing some of the survivability of Weapon Power Zarya builds so that she should be more vulnerable, especially if she is opting to itemize full damage.

Lifelift – Power

Reduced Particle Barrier health scaling to 25% of your bonus Max Life (down from 50%).

Pre-Workout – Power

Reduced Lifesteal to 15% of your Energy (down from 20%).

Damage

Ashe

Developer Comments: Ashe has strong potential in the hands of experienced players, but parts of her kit have been falling off in the later stages of the game compared to other heroes. We’re making targeted adjustments to help her scale more effectively into the late game, while also smoothing out some of the sharp edges that make her less forgiving for newer players. These changes aim to make Ashe a more rewarding pick across all skill levels.

Head Honcho – Power

Increased damage increase per unscoped shot landed to 5% (up from 3%).

B.O.B. Jr. – Power

Reduced Attack Speed reduction to 20% (down from 50%).

Infrared Lenses – Epic Ability Hero Item

Fixed an issue where the increased damage against Burning targets was only applying to The Viper and B.O.B. Now increases all damage dealt by Ashe to Burning targets.

Reduced increased damage to Burning targets to 20% (down from 25%).

Support

Lúcio

Developer Comments: Lúcio’s Ability Power Healing builds have continued to give too much healing output for how accessible and consistent they are, and have been overperforming at all levels of play. We’re tuning down the healing output here because of how consistently effective it is. Lúcio’s Weapon Power builds have mostly been crowded out by Ability Power builds, in both output and consistency. We’re adding a bit more power here to encourage some more build variety.

Crowd Pleaser – Power

Healing reduced to 100% of Crossfade healing (down from 150%).

Let’s Bounce – Power

Reduced Wall Slam damage to 25 (down from 40).

Reduced Knockback Increase to 25% (down from 30%).

Sonic Boom – Power

Increased Healing to 30% of damage dealt (up from 20%).

Fast Forward – Power

Increased damage increase to 30% (up from 25%).

#1 Single – Rare Ability Hero Item

Reduced Ability Power to 5% (down from 10%).

All Out Auditiva – Epic Ability Hero Item

Reduced Ability Power to 15% (down from 20%).

Reduced Amp It Up Duration to 25% (down from 33%).

Moira

Developer Comments: We’re adding some small buffs to some of the less popular Powers in hopes to better enable some new build paths.

Precarious Potency – Power

Increased healing to 25% of Biotic Grasp’s healing (up from 20%).

Destruction’s Divide – Power

Increased Coalescence effectiveness when toggled to 30% (up from 25%).

General

General Items

Developer Comments: Nebula Conduit has been too efficient of a purchase given the strength of its effect. We’re reducing some of the Weapon Power to put more focus on its niche and less of an obvious choice in Weapon focused builds. Booster Jets was too easily enabling builds that benefit from Move Speed, especially for a certain Tank that swings a large hammer. Generally, we’re going to be looking at peeling back some of the Move Speed increases as we felt we went a bit too far. We’re hoping that will help out our less mobile heroes feel like they have a better chance in Stadium.

Booster Jets – Epic Weapon Item

Reduced Move Speed when using an ability to 10% (down from 20%).

Nebula Conduit – Epic Survival Item

Reduced Weapon Power to 5% (down from 10%).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: May 6th/7th 2025
Patch notes:

General

Fixed an issue where some Loot Boxes were not auto-opened and were unable to be opened manually. They should now be opened and visible in Loot Box history.

Fixed a bug that could prevent you from participating in Hero Bans if you were watching a replay when the queue located a match.

Fixed a bug that caused the wrong skin to be equipped when using the “Try Out” button.

Fixed an issue with the Wave Respawn timer.

Heroes

Cassidy

Fixed an issue with Cassidy’s Quick Draw Perk and the Peacekeeper Secondary Fire.

Reinhardt

In a previous update, fixed an issue with Reinhardt’s Crusader’s Fire Perk.

Stadium

General

Fixed an issue preventing disconnected players from rejoining a Stadium match when that match is transitioning between rounds.

Fixed an issue where the UI was incorrectly displaying Competitive Points for winning when actually losing a Stadium match.

Fixed an issue allowing enemy team selections to be viewed in the assemble phase in Stadium Matches.

Items

Fixed an issue where the Multi-Tool Rare Weapon Item was not boosting healing abilities for certain heroes.

Ana

In a previous update, fixed an issue with Ana’s Unscoped Resources Epic Weapon Hero Item, this item is now reenabled.

Cassidy

Fixed an issue with Cassidy’s Quick Draw Power.

Mei

Fixed an issue where the mini-blizzard from Mei’s Cryclone power would not target in front of the player correctly.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: May 1st/2nd 2025
Patch notes:

Stadium Balance Updates

Developer Comments: In this update we are primarily adjusting some outlier Powers and Items as well as adjusting a few that can lead to some undesirable experiences in Stadium. We’re also adjusting how much Stadium Cash is earned from damage and healing for a number of heroes. In the near future, we’ll be taking a close look at some of the Powers and Items that are underperforming to see how we can increase their viability.

Tank

D.Va

Developer Comments: Nano Cola™ Nitrous has been making it too difficult for opponents to take down D.Va while out of her mech and allowing her to get her mech back consistently. These changes will help add some risk of being out of her mech back into her kit.

Busan Blaster was allowing D.Va to get her mech back instantly, which was not the intention of this item’s design.

Nano Cola™ Nitrous – Epic Survival Hero Item

Health reduced to 25 (down from 50).

Reduced Max Life increase to 5% (down from 25%).

Reduced duration of Nano Boost to 4 seconds (down from 8 seconds).

Busan Blaster – Epic Ability Hero Item

No longer generates Ultimate Charge.

Orisa

Developer Comments: We’ve observed many scenarios where it feels like Orisa can become invincible. In combination with some of her other powers and items, we felt that Restorify was healing too much.

Solar Regenergy was too efficient for its cost, so we’re tuning it back to be more in line with items of similar cost.

Restortify – Powers

Reduced healing to 5% of your Max Life every 1 second (down from 10%).

Solar Regenergy – Rare Survival Hero Item

Reduced Armor Restoration to 3% of Max Life (down from 5%).

Reinhardt

Developer Comments: Reinhardt had a higher rate of earning Cash from damage and healing due to his range. However, Reinhardt has been overperforming and making a bit too much Cash so we’re pulling this back a bit.

Reduced the amount of Stadium Cash gained from damage and healing by 13.64%

Zarya

Developer Comments: Lifelift has proven to be the most consistently effective Power for Zarya. We’re reducing the scaling on it to try and make it feel less like a must pick in all styles of Zarya builds.

We’re also adding a little bit more healing in hopes of making Here to Spot You a bit more reliable of a power to choose from.

Lifelift – Power

Particle Barrier health scaling reduced to 50% of your bonus Max Life (down from 100%).

Here to Spot You – Power

Increased healing to 20% of your Max Life over 3s (up from 15%).

Damage

Mei

Developer Comments: While rolling around in ice balls has been very fun, we feel that the power currently feels too consistent at disrupting players for a long duration ability. We’re hoping with these changes that it will still feel powerful but reduce its ability to carry an enemy around for its entire duration.

Coulder – Power

Reduced the knockback frequency rate by 60%.

Increased how far enemies are knocked back.

Increased the damage dealt per knockback to 20 (up from 10).

Reaper

Developer Comments: Reaper originally had a higher rate of earning Cash from damage and healing since on average he has more difficulty dealing consistent damage due to his range. However, Reaper has been overperforming and making too much Cash so we’re pulling this back a bit.

Reduced the amount of Stadium Cash gained from damage and healing by 10%.

Soldier: 76

Developer Comments: Soldier 76 has been consistently making too much money from damage and healing, allowing him to consistently snowball his lead.

We love that players have been enjoying using Rocket Visor. It’s been great to see some players pick up Soldier: 76 who may not have played him much in the past. That said we have always intended for the build centered around Rocket Visor to be a strong accessible build, but not necessarily the build with the highest practical performance ceiling. We’ve seen that it’s overperforming and can feel frustrating to play against. We’re hoping to reduce a bit of the power with this change, but we will continue to keep a tactical eye on this build as we move forward with more balance updates.

We felt the payoff for making Biotic Bullseye work was a bit too low to be worth it.

Reduced the amount of Stadium Cash gained from damage and healing by 12.5%.

Rocket Visor – Power

Duration reduced to 0.5 seconds (down from 0.75 seconds).

Biotic Bullseye – Power

Increased ammo restoration to 10% per critical hit (up from 5%).

Support

Kiriko

Developer Comments: Kiriko was consistently earning a bit too much Cash from damage and healing.

Reduced the amount of Stadium Cash gained from damage and healing by 16.67%.

Juno

Developer Comments: We know Juno has been very popular in Stadium but we’re addressing some of the most oppressive aspects of those builds in this update. We have found that on average, Juno was earning less Cash from damage and healing than other heroes, especially in the early rounds. We’re increasing this to help balance out with some of the Pulsar Torpedo build nerfs, as well as to help out the other Juno builds that are underperforming.

Pulsar Torpedo enthusiasts have been everywhere you look in Stadium and sometimes it feels like there’s always a Pulsar Torpedo chasing you. We’re reducing the cooldown of Cosmic Coolant per hit to reduce some of her ability pacing.

We felt that PulStar Destroyers had too much vertical power for damage focused Pulsar Torpedo builds. We’ve replaced the Ability Power with Ability Lifesteal to retain that aggressive playstyle.

Solar Shielding was providing too much Ability Power combined with its effect at its current cost.

Increased the amount of Stadium Cash gained from damage and healing by 33.33%.

Cosmic Coolant – Power

Cooldown per target hit reduced to 0.5 second (down from 1 second).

PulStar Destroyers – Epic Ability Hero Power

Removed 15% Ability Power.

Added 10% Ability Lifesteal.

Solar Shielding – Epic Ability Hero Power

Ability Power reduced to 15% (down from 25%).

Lúcio

Developer Comments: On average, Lúcio was gaining less than average Cash from damage and healing, so giving him a small bump here.

In combination with Amp It Up, Crowd Pleaser was allowing for too much burst healing that was outside of acceptable output ranges.

Amp It Up healbot builds have been a little too consistent so we’re shaving a little off from Megaphone.

Weapon Power Lúcio builds have been overshadowed by Ability Power Healing and Soundwave builds. We’re adding more consistency to Signature Shift to make it a more reliable and accessible option.

B-Side Bop has a very low pick rate, so we’re adding more Health to make it a more attractive option and add more power to less popular Lúcio builds.

Increased the amount of Stadium Cash gained from damage and healing by 10%.

Crowd Pleaser – Power

Healing reduced to 150% of Crossfade healing (down from 200%).

Megaphone – Power

Amp It Up duration reduced to 15% (down from 20%).

Signature Shift – Power

Increased Projectile Size increased to 80% (up from 20%).

B-Side Bop – Epic Weapon Hero Item

Health increased to 50 (up from 25).

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: April 29th/30th 2025
Patch notes:

Hero Updates

Damage

Freja

Developer Comments: We originally posted this balance change in the previous patch but was not live in-game. This balance change is now applied.

Quick Dash – Ability 1

Cooldown reduced from 4.5 to 3.5 seconds.

Updraft – Ability 2

Cooldown reduced from 12 to 10 seconds.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue where armor no longer reduces damage per projectile in a shotgun burst.

Fixed an issue where Battle Pass XP from progression of the match was not showing to be earned during the end-of-match summary in Stadium.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Season 16 – Stadium)

Release date: April 22nd/23rd 2025
Patch notes:

Season 16 – Stadium

Enter the ultimate battleground with Stadium , an all-new way to play Overwatch 2 where customization takes the reigns in a fun, best of seven, round based fight. Then, celebrate the launch with the Stadium: Initiation seasonal event to unlock exclusive rewards. Plus, the relentless bounty hunter Freja arrives as the latest DPS Hero, bringing precision and mobility to every match. Meanwhile, the battlefield transforms with stunning skins, from the Dokiwatch team—led by Mythic Heart of Hope Juno—to Legendary Ashe, Genji, Brigitte, Lifeweaver, and Mauga in the Premium Battle Pass. Whether you’re outwitting opponents in Stadium, hunting your prey with Freja, or wielding magic with Dokiwatch, this season is packed with action, strategy, and a whole lot more.

Stadium: Initiation

Celebrate Stadium’s launch with the Stadium: Initiation, a special event where winning earns you more than just bragging rights. Make a name for yourself by conquering challenges, climbing the ranks, and unlocking seasonal cosmetics like the Stadium Rookie Soldier: 76 and Stadium All-Star Juno skins before they’re gone. Perfect your strategy, dominate your opponents, or just simply rake in some wins for the fun of it (and the prizes)—the Stadium: Initiation event is the here for you to flex your skills and reap the rewards all season long.

Take on event challenges to earn Stadium: Initiation exclusive rewards like the Soldier: 76 Stadium Rookie skin and additional rewards.

Reach All-Star rank in the new Stadium ranking system to earn the S16 exclusive Stadium All-Star Juno skin.

Complete multiple challenges for unique loot boxes.

Introducing Stadium

Step into Stadium, an all-new way to play Overwatch 2! This fast-paced, best-of-7, round-based experience you to strategically build your Hero’s loadout, customize on the fly, and outmaneuver your foes with tactical upgrades to rise through the Stadium ranking system. With the option to play in first or third person, bounties to speed up progress or make comebacks, and the freedom to play your Heroes in completely different ways, no two battles will ever be the same. Plus, Stadium will have 17 Heroes available at launch with regular updates bringing more Heroes, modes, Items, abilities, maps, and balances to keep things fresh. Rewrite the rules, conquer the ultimate battleground, and have some fun in Stadium. Learn more about how Stadium is played in our official blog.

Stadium is a new core game mode listed alongside the Unranked, Competitive Play, and Arcade cards in the main menu.

Two teams of five compete across multiple rounds and maps.

First to four round wins will win the match.

Available only in Role Queue.

Custom Game modes are not yet available for Stadium.

Players may group up with other players regardless of skill or Competitive rank in Stadium.

Stadium Maps

Nine new or modified maps on three different map types are added.

Control maps play one round only and capture progress is faster.

Clash maps play on three objective points only.

Push maps play with distance to the objective at approximately half the distance as full Push maps.

Heroes

Heroes selected are locked in for the entire match.

Tank Heroes: D.Va, Junker Queen, Orisa, Reinhardt, and Zarya.

Damage Heroes: Ashe, Cassidy, Genji, Mei, Reaper, and Soldier: 76.

Support Heroes: Ana, Juno, Kiriko, Lucio, Mercy, and Moira.

Perks are not enabled in Stadium.

Stadium Cash

Spend Stadium Cash to buy Items for your Hero and gain additional max health.

Earning Stadium Cash

Each player starts with 3,500 at the beginning of the match.

Players earn more Stadium Cash by dealing damage, providing healing, and getting eliminations or assists.

Players can earn bounties by eliminating or assisting with eliminating an opponent that has been performing well.

The player on each team with the most Stadium Cash earned for the round receives a 1,000 cash bonus.

A team that is significantly behind at the start of a round will have a bonus multiplier added to their earnings throughout that round.

Bounties

Every player starts with a value of 300 at the start of the match.

Every time a player gets an elimination or assist their bounty value increases by 75 and can have a maximum value of 2,000.

Every time a player with more than 300 is eliminated their bounty is reset to 300.

Every time a player with 300 or less is eliminated their bounty value drops by 100.

Any player with a bounty of 750 or more is displayed in the gameplay HUD.

Increase Max Health

For Damage and Support players every 500 total cash earned adds 1 additional max health at the end of the round and for the remainder of the match.

For Tank players every 750 total cash earned adds 1 additional max health for the remainder of the match.

Up to 300 additional health can be added on from Stadium Cash earnings.

The initial 3,500 cash at the start of the round does not provide additional max health.

Armory

At the start of each round, players will enter the Armory and have a limited time to browse.

Players can use Stadium Cash to buy Items that modifies their weapons, abilities, and more.

On round 1, 3, 5 and 7, players can equip Powers for transformative modifiers that enhances and changes that Hero’s playstyle.

Example Builds are available for every Hero. These are great places to start!

Items

Players can have up to six Items equipped at any time.

Players can sell previously obtained Items for equal value to the purchase price.

Items are organized into three categories, Weapon, Ability, and Survival.

Weapon Items typically modify the stats of weapons that have no cooldowns to use.

Ability Items typically modify the stats of abilities that are limited by a cooldown or ultimate charge.

Survival Items typically modify the stats of the Hero’s survival capabilities including max health, movement speed, and more.

Items are organized into Common, Rare, and Epic tiers. Common Items are the most affordable with Epic ones being the most exclusive.

Many Items are available to equip for all Heroes.

Each Hero will have exclusive Hero Items that specifically change the attributes of that Hero’s weapons, abilities, or passives.

Powers

At the start of the 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th round players will equip a Power for their Hero.

Powers cannot be removed once they are equipped.

Leagues

Stadium is a competitive mode with its own ranking system.

There is a total of seven Leagues, Rookie, Novice, Contender, Elite, Pro, All-Star, Legend

Each League has five divisions with 5 being the lowest rank and 1 being the highest.

Players start in the Rookie Division 5 League every season.

Players gain Stadium Points for every match win along with progress to advancing into the next League.

In the Rookie and Novice Leagues, players do not lose Stadium Points for a loss.

Players lose small amounts of Stadium Points after a match loss in the Contender or Elite Leagues.

Players lose similar amounts of Stadium Points to what they win after a match loss in Pro, All-Star, and Legend Leagues.

Rewards

Players earn 10 Competitive Points for every match win in Stadium.

Players earn additional rewards including Name Cards, Weapon Charms, and Titles based on which League they reached the highest throughout the season and these rewards are only useable for the duration of the next season.

Players can earn the Epic Orisa Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Tank Role in Season 16.

Players can earn the Epic Genji Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Damage Role in Season 16.

Players can earn the Epic Moira Elite Skin by reaching the Elite League in the Support Role in Season 16. Players can earn the Legendary Juno All-Star Skin by reaching the All-Star League in any Role in Season 16.

Competitive Leaver Penalties

The same leaver penalties for Competitive Play also apply for Stadium.

Players who disconnect or leave will only have a few minutes to return without penalty.

Players who abandon a match entirely will be given the same penalties as if leaving a Competitive Play match up and including a season ban.

Players who are suspended or banned in either Stadium or Competitive play cannot play both modes while that suspension is in effect.

New Hero: Freja

Once Overwatch’s top search-and-rescue operative, Freja now uses her elite tracking skills to hunt targets as a merciless bounty hunter. Agile, aggressive, and lethal, Freja rewards players who think fast, reposition smart, and strike with precision. Armed with her Revdraw Crossbow and a deadly set of movement abilities, Freja excels in high-pressure combat. Plus, her Bola Shot Ultimate tangles enemies together, setting up devastating team plays. With a dynamic, strategy-driven kit, she’s built for players who thrive on precision—and she never misses her mark.

Freja is added to the Hero Roster

Freja is now playable in Competitive Play

New Mythic Skin: Heart of Hope Juno Hero Skin

Juno, the newest Hero of Heart, steps into the fight against Woe with her Mythic Heart of Hope skin, featuring four brilliant stages of customization that evolve as her radiance grows. From a bright-eyed protector to an unstoppable warrior, and even a corrupted version lost to Woe In between, her progression tells a story of resilience and destiny. With dynamic ability VFX, shifting colorways, new hairstyles, and the Sharks of Dreams by her side, Juno’s transformation is more than just cosmetic—it’s a magical journey, yours to shape.

New Mythic Aspect: Iridescent Aspects

Introducing the new Iridescent Aspects, a prismatic upgrade that lets you bring even more personality to your fully leveled Mythic Hero Skins. This dazzling new customization option adds a vibrant, high-energy finish, making your Hero stand out like never before. Mythic Heart of Hope Juno’s Iridescent Aspect debuts at launch on April 22, with all previous Mythic Hero Skins gaining their Iridescent Aspects starting May 20.

General Updates

Streamer Protect

New Option: Hide Player Icon from Others – Displays the default player icon instead.

New Option: Hide Name Card from Others – Hides the Name Card, as if no Name Card were equipped.

New Option: Hide Player Title from Others – Hides the Player Title, as if no Player Title were equipped.

Reporting Features

Players can now receive an instant notification if a player is already actioned.

Prior to this feature, reporting a player that had already been banned or suspended would not result in any additional information. The Instant Reporting Feedback feature will immediately inform the player of the fact that banned or suspended players have been actioned when they are reported.

Players can now Report from Replays. This new feature benefits from Instant Reporting Feedback described above. Since Replays can be shared, a new set of measures has been developed that will always prevent organized mass reports from taking actions against players.

Competitive Play Updates

Hero Bans

Hero Bans have been added to Competitive Play modes.

Before the Ban Phase, players will be able to select their Preferred Hero. Selecting a Preferred Hero does not prevent it from being banned, it just communicates which Hero the player would like to play. This selection is optional.

Players will enter the Ban Phase before the Versus Screen is displayed.

Players can communicate with their own team during this phase but can’t see or communicate with the enemy team.

Bans are simultaneous, with each team banning 2 Heroes with a Ranked Choice system.

Each player’s first choice carries the most weight, while their second and third choices contribute proportionally fewer votes.

Players aren’t required to choose any Heroes to ban; they can pass by pressing the Ready button.

Players can reset all their ban choices with the Reset button, or they can select any current choice and then swap that choice individually.

Players can see which Heroes their allies are choosing to ban and which Hero they prefer to play on the left side of the screen during the bans phase.

Allied choices are ordered from left to right, with the leftmost choice being their highest priority to ban.

Ban Results are calculated when the Ban Phase ends. Only 2 Heroes can be banned per role.

If a Hero is tied for votes, ties are broken by the number of players that voted for that Hero.

If Heroes are still tied, ties are broken randomly.

Developer Comments: The battlefield just got more dynamic. With Hero Bans, you can influence matchups in Competitive Play through team-based voting to remove key counters from the game, leading to fresh strategies. You can remove up to two Heroes per match per team, so coordinate with your team, adapt your plans, and shape the meta your way.

In 6v6 Game modes, wave respawn threshold reduced from 6 to 3 seconds.

Developer Comments: At the start of Season 15 we introduced perks, and it’s been amazing to see how you’ve embraced and experimented with them. Our goal is to make sure there’s always a meaningful choice when it comes to both Minor and Major perks, with decisions influenced by the state of the game and your preferred playstyle. We’re constantly iterating on perks, which is why we’re making some changes across the Hero roster. There will be new perks for 9 Heroes, aiming to give those Heroes fresh and exciting ways to fight on the battlefield. We’re also fine-tuning several perks to improve the gameplay experience for both players who use them and those who face them. It’s been incredible to watch the community embrace this new system, and we’re constantly reviewing your feedback to make Perks as great as they can possibly be!

Tank

D.Va

Bunny Stomp

Now combined with Ejection Suit.

Bunny Power

New Minor Perk

Eject grants 75 temporary overhealth and Call Mech’s damage radius is increased by 50%.

Extended Boosters

New Minor Perk

Hitting an enemy with Boosters increases the duration by 0.5 seconds.

Hazard

Off the Top

Increase Leap Slash’s damage from 30% to 50%.

Orisa

Developer Comments: Orisa has been underperforming in comparison to other tanks. Increasing her damage to allow her to be more threatening without boosting her survivability.

Augmented Fusion Driver

Damage increased from 13 to 14.

Fortify

Now prevents Hack’s ability lockout from interrupting abilities.

Heat Dissipater

Increase amount of heat reduced per headshot by 33%.

Reinhardt

Fiery Uptake

Removed.

Crusader’s Fire

New Minor Perk

Refund a charge of Fire Strike when you stun an enemy, overfilling up to 3.

Shield Slam

Shield Slam distance increased by 50%.

Roadhog

Hog Toss

Removed.

Pent Up

New Minor Perk

When Pig Pen is triggered, refill 50% Take a Breather resource which can overfill.

Hogdrogen Exposure

Increased radius from 8 to 10 meters.

Sigma

Levitation

Jump can now be held down to hover.

Winston

Developer Comments: With the introduction of perks, Winston has been overperforming. By adjusting his survivability—exchanging some of his armor for health—we aim to bring him in line with other tanks, without significantly impacting his overall gameplay.

Base health increased from 225 to 275.

Base armor reduced from 250 to 200.

Wrecking Ball

In 6v6 game modes, Armor health reduced from 150 to 100.

Damage

Cassidy

Past Noon

Removed.

Even the Odds

New Minor Perk

Regenerate 20 health per second for each enemy targeted by Deadeye.

Freja

Developer Comments: We received positive feedback during Freja’s Hero trial, and it’s exciting to see how much you enjoy experimenting with her kit. However, we’ve noticed that Freja is struggling to keep up with other Damage Heroes, particularly in terms of lethality. So, we’re adjusting the time it takes for her to earn her minor perk, bringing it in line with other Heroes. Additionally, we’re increasing the number of shots before her max spread kicks in, making her Revdraw Crossbow more reliable at all ranges. Finally, while Freja’s Bola Shot was charging quickly, its effectiveness was somewhat lacking. We’re boosting both its damage and radius slightly, ensuring it can better secure eliminations when it lands.

Time to earn Minor Perk reduced by 18%.

Revdraw Crossbow

Number of shots before max spread increased from 8 to 12.

Bola Shot

Bola Shot Damage and Explosion radius increased from 5 to 5.5 meters.

Bola Shot damage over time increased from 75 to 90.

Hanzo

Developer Comments: Restoring the functionality of Hanzo’s Storm Bow to retain draw progress will enable him to use wall climb more effectively, improving his ability to take space and position himself.

Storm Bow

Arrow draw progress is preserved while wall climbing.

Storm Arrows

Projectile speed increased from 110 to 140 meters per second.

Junkrat

Aluminum Frame

Now also reveals trapped enemies to allies.

Tick Tock

The description has been changed to “Concussive Mine strengthens .5 seconds after landing, increasing damage by 50%, explosion radius by 50%, and health by 200%.”

Mei

Chilling Reach

Removed.

Biting Cold

Moved to Minor perk.

Secondary fire hits slow enemies by 20% for 1.5 seconds.

Deep Freeze

New Major Perk.

Continuously hitting enemies with primary fire freezes them for a short time.

Sombra

Viral Efficacy

Removed.

Encrypted Upload

New Minor Perk.

Hack can be used while invisible, successful hacks increase the duration of stealth by 2 seconds.

Stack Overflow

Removed.

Viral Replication

New Major Perk.

Hitting a hacked enemy with Virus spreads Virus to enemies within 8 meters.

Soldier: 76

Field Emergency

The description has been changed to “Biotic Field’s healing is increased by 100% on Low health targets.”

Torbjörn

Overloaded Turret

Now transforms into Level 3 Sentry Turret if Overload was activated before fully constructed.

Tracer

Flashback

Blinks restored reduced from 3 to 2.

Quantum Entanglement

Quantum Entanglement now additionally grants 20 over ammo.

Support

Ana

Groggy

Reduced initial slow from 75% to 50%.

Now also deals 50 damage over the duration.

Biotic Bounce

Second bounce damage and healing reduced from 50 to 25.

Baptiste

Biotic Launcher

Healing explosion increased from 50 to 60.

Direct impact healing increased from 20 to 30.

Maximum ammo reduced from 13 to 10.

Assault Burst

Will now do instant healing but cannot critically heal low targets.

Juno

Hyper Boost

Removed.

Re-Boots

Moved to Minor Perk.

Duration increase removed.

Locked On

New Major Perk.

Reduce the cooldown of Pulsar Torpedoes by 1.5 seconds for every enemy hit.

Lifeweaver

Thorn Volley

Projectile speed increased from 80 to 100 meters per second.

Lifeweaving

Bonus healing increased from 30 to 40.

Lúcio

Groovin

Removed.

Beat Drop

New Minor Perk.

Amp it Up is active during Sound Barrier.

Mercy

Angelic Recovery

Removed.

Angelic Resurrection

New Minor Perk.

Mercy gains 100 overhealth after casting Resurrect.

Zenyatta

Orb of Discord

In 6v6 game modes, Duration before expiring when target is out of sight reduced from 3 to 1.5 seconds.

Ascendance

Jump can now be held down to hover.

Duality

Increased converted damage from 20% to 30%.

Bug Fixes

Heroes

Juno

Fixed an issue with Juno’s Ember skin.

Kiriko

Fixed an issue preventing Kiriko’s wall climb animation from playing after swift step.

Ramattra

Fixed an issue with Rammatra’s Void Barrier animation.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: April 8th/9th 2025
Patch notes:

Totally Normalwatch Updates

These changes only apply to heroes for the Totally Normalwatch game mode.

Tank

Wrecking Ball

Health decreased from 425 to 350.

Bonus health increases from Roll impacts reduced from 25 to 20.

Damage

Echo

Sticky Bombs

Fire rate reduced by 30%.

Explosion damage reduced from 14 to 12.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: April 1st/2nd 2025
Patch notes:

Everything is Normal

There is nothing to worry about here. Everything is perfectly normal. The development team has been dealing with an ant problem at their desks for the last few weeks and somehow caused these changes to take place somewhere in the game, but we think we fixed it… maybe. Don’t look at that game mode in the Arcade. We’re not sure where it came from. We’ll try to get it taken down but we’re not able to update that until April 14. Until we do, we’ve put up some challenges to distract you with and you can earn some new cosmetics including the Rainy Ducky Orisa Legendary Skin. Thanks, and you may now resume your totally normal Overwatch 2 experience.

Very Normal Hero Updates

Perks are disabled as we address an issue with a certain member of the development team yelling “PERKS!” every time they say the word Perks in our meetings.

Tanks

D.Va

Developer Comments: The Meka Squad are having a rough time against the Gwishin Omnics. So, they are experimenting with new designs to save on materials and rations.

Mech Size reduced by 50%.

Mech Base Health reduced from 375 to 25.

Mech Armor Health is unchanged.

Pilot D.Va size reduced by 50%.

Pilot Base Health reduced from 175 to 25.

Fusion Cannons

Rate of fire increased by 100%.

Damage reduced by 50%.

Light Gun

Rate of Fire increased by 100%.

Reload Speed increased by 25%.

Damage reduced by 25%.

Self-Destruct

Press Interact during Self-Destruct to freeze mech in place.

Doomfist

Developer Comment: Doomfist decided the best way to win is by punching the opponents… a lot.

Hand Cannon

Removed from Primary Fire.

Quick Melee

Replaces Hand Cannon as the Primary Fire.

Melee speed increased by 50%.

Melee damage increased by 50%.

Doomfist now lunges toward nearby enemies when he melees.

Rocket Punch

Melee damage now builds Rocket Punch Charge meter.

Charge meter no longer decays.

Charge time reduced by 50%.

Seismic Slam

Cooldown decreased by 1 second.

Hazard

Developer Comments: Hazard got tired of rooting people in place, so he thought he’d try knocking them around instead.

Jagged Wall

Jagged Wall Knockback increased by 400%.

Jagged Wall Cooldown decreased from 12 to 8 seconds.

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Everyone got tired of Junker Queen shouting at them and started to ignore her. So, she has gotten selfish and is hoarding her Commanding Shout buffs for herself. She always wants to directly confront anyone who gets hit by Gracie .

Jagged Blade

Can no longer be recalled with Secondary Fire.

Junker Queen flies towards Gracie while Secondary Fire is held.

Commanding Shout

No longer affects allies.

Overhealth increased by 50%.

Bonus Move Speed increased from 30% to 60%.

Mauga

Developer Comments: Gunny and Cha-Cha will now lift up their Papa, and whoever is tethered to him.

While airborne and firing both Chainguns at the same time, Mauga is pushed backwards in the direction he is aiming.

Incendiary Chaingun

Ammo reduced from 300 to 150.

Reload Speed increased by 15%.

Volatile Chaingun

Ammo reduced from 300 to 150.

Reload Speed increased by 15%.

Overrun

Can now be used during Cage Fight.

Cage Fight

Tether is now centered on Mauga and follows him.

Grants Mauga infinite ammo for the duration.

Orisa

Developer Comments: “I see you glancing at me. You wish to ride me into battle?”

Hanzo can press Interact while near Orisa to ride her into battle, giving Orisa extra movement speed.

Javelin Spin

Javelin Spin now pulls enemies towards Orisa.

Ramattra

Developer Comments: Ramattra has elevated the discourse of battle, along with his opponents.

Ravenous Vortex

Now reverses the gravity of all enemies inside.

Reinhardt

Developer Comments: Reinhardt recently saw some street racing anime and has become so obsessed with it that he has learned to drift.

Charge

Cooldown reduced from 7 to 3.5 seconds.

Turn speed increased by 150%.

Charge lasts until you collide with a wall.

Roadhog

Developer Comments: We’ve been seen everyone’s feedback about Chain Hook being so inconsistent over the years, so we hope that throwing three of them at once makes it more reliably lethal.

Chain Hook

Now throws 3 Hooks at once.

Sigma

Developer Comments: Sigma’s realized he was not abiding by Newton’s third law of motion, so he figures by deflecting the projectiles he blocks with Kinetic Grasp would make him a more psychics law abiding citizen.

Kinetic Grasp

Deflects projectiles instead of absorbing them.

Sigma gains free flight during Kinetic Grasp.

Winston

Developer Comment: “Winston Slam!”

Jump Pack

Press Crouch to do a body slam and deal more damage while coming down during Jump Pack.

Wrecking Ball

Developer Comment: Hammond has decided to try imitating tumbleweeds and snowballs.

Size reduced by 50%.

Wrecking Ball gains Overhealth based on his size.

Roll

Damaging enemies during Roll increases Wrecking Ball’s size.

Piledriver

Area of effect increases based on Wrecking Ball’s size.

Zarya

Developer Comment: Zarya’s enemies have always feared her skills in battle, but now they will run in fear of her reflection too.

Particle Cannon

Primary Fire now ricochets off of enemy heroes and the environment.

Damage

Ashe

Developer Comments: Bob’s arm cannons are in the shop, but he’s much more eager to jump into the fray.

Coach Gun

Increased knockback on enemy heroes and briefly reduces their air control.

B.O.B.

B.O.B. no longer shoots.

B.O.B. now repeatedly dashes towards the nearest enemy hero and attempts to knock them into the air.

Ultimate Cost reduced by 70%.

Bastion

Developer Comments: Bastion made a new friend that happens to be grenade-sized.

A-36 Tactical Grenade

Now spawns an explosive training bot.

Configuration Artillery

Impacts spawns explosive training bots.

Cassidy

Developer Comments: Cassidy recently borrowed Hanzo’s scatter arrow and figured out how to make new ammunition out of the tech.

Peacekeeper

Primary and Secondary Fire both ricochet three times. Ricocheted bullets deal increased damage.

Echo

Developer Comments: Echo is testing new updates in flight technology, but it seems her other abilities were affected.

Tri-Shot

Now fires Sticky Bombs.

Damage reduced from 25 to 14.

Sticky Bombs

Now fires a volley of Tri-Shot projectiles.

Damage increased from 17 to 20.

Flight

Flight is now always active.

Activating Flight now causes Echo to dash a short distance.

Focusing Beam

Now does extra damage to enemies above half health.

Genji

Developer Comments: Genji can once again spam that annoying emote to heal himself, though there might be negative consequences this time.

Genji once again can occasionally heal himself when requesting healing.

Don’t abuse this. You’ve been warned.

Hanzo

Developer Comments: It’s not a preposterous thought. Hanzo is making a longtime dream come true.

Storm Bow

Fully-charged arrows ricochet twice.

Storm Arrow

Each arrow ricochets up to 5 times.

Wall Climb

While wall climbing, press Reload to attach yourself to the wall.

Samurai Kishu

New Passive

Press Interact while near Orisa to ride her into battle.

While riding, gain 25% damage reduction.

While riding, Orisa controls Hanzo’s movement.

While riding, feel 20% cooler.

Junkrat

Developer Comments: Junkrat loves explosions so much he decided to become one.

Concussive Mine

Can now place up to 5 mines at once.

Maximum damage reduced by 50%.

Max charges increased to 5.

Cooldown reduced to 4 seconds.

RIP-Tire

Junkrat becomes invisible and untargetable while using Riptire.

Junkrat teleports to Riptire when it explodes.

Junkrat dies if the Riptire is destroyed.

Mei

Developer Comments: The cold doesn’t bother Mei anymore, but it may bother Mei’s enemies.

Cyro-Freeze

Now creates a miniature Blizzard.

Mei can now move during Cryo-Freeze.

Moira

Developer Comments: Fixed a bug where Moira was classified as a Support Hero and removed any unintended healing. Thank you for your patience as we resolved this seven-year-old issue that has prevented Moira mains from reaching their ultimate damage potential.

Moved to Damage role.

Now has Damage role passive.

No longer has the Support role passive.

Biotic Grasp

Primary fire no longer heals and instead deals damage.

Biotic Orb

Healing Orb removed.

Coalescence

Now only deals damage.

Pharah

Developer Comment: Pharah now takes her enemies on a magic rocket ride.

Rocket Launcher

Direct hits deal increased damage to airborne enemies.

Jet Dash

Pull nearby enemies along with Pharah.

Jump Jet

Pulls nearby enemies along with Pharah.

Reaper

Developer Comment: Talon got tired of all of the shotguns Reaper was wasting and cut him off their weapon budget until he learns to be more resourceful.

Hellfire Shotguns

Reaper can no longer reload and drops his shotguns on the ground when empty.

Dropped shotguns must be picked up to restore ammo.

Movement Speed increased by 25% when out of ammo.

Picking up shotguns increases attack speed for a short duration.

Note: It’s hard to melee enemies without your shotguns.

Sojourn

Developer Comment: Railgun can now be overcharged to deal more damage. WARNING: Okoton Kelvin-87 Railgun’s recoil dampeners not certified for high energy payloads.

Raingun

Max charge is now 300%.

Railgun Secondary Fire deals increased damage at above 100% charge.

Railgun Secondary Fire knocks back Sojourn if fired at above 100% charge.

Soldier: 76

Developer Comment: Soldier: 76 being the stubborn old soldier that he is says he doesn’t need any help and can still outrun anyone on the battlefield.

Soldier 76 can no longer see allied or enemy health bars. Including his own.

Passive healing starts faster and heals much faster.

Sprint

Running speed increased by 100%.

Sombra

Developer Comment: Sombra is exploiting a memory leak, and the only way to shut her down is to press Alt+F4.

Hack

Hacking enemies grants a stacking buff (with a maximum of 10) of movement speed and magazine size.

Stacks are lost on death.

Symmetra

Developer Comments: Symmetra is trying out the latest Vishkar fashions on her allies: turrets! She also traded in her gun for a new tankbuster gun that is overcharged.

Photon Projector

Primary Fire now does damage based on target’s maximum health.

Secondary Fire charge time reduced.

Sentry Turret

Turret health Increased by 50%.

Cooldown reduced by 40%.

Projectile speed increased by 100%.

Can now stick to allies.

Torbjörn

Developer Comments: Torbjörn’s turret just needs some hammering to reach maximum potential.

Deploy Turret

Turret can be Overhealed by Forge Hammer.

When Overhealed, Turret gains increased size, damage, and health.

Tracer

Developer Comments: Reinhardt taught Tracer how to charge very short distances, if she stays low enough.

Blink

Blinking while crouching collides with enemies.

Colliding with enemies deals damage and knocks them back.

Venture

Developer Comments: Venture got tired of working underground. We hope you dig these changes.

If Venture is directly impacted by the projectile from Accretion or a similar ability, Venture is not knocked down and instead consumes the rock and heals themselves.

Burrow

Can now fly while burrowed.

Emerge can be charged longer for a stronger effect.

Widowmaker

Developer Comments: Widowmaker has learned how to catch her prey in her webbing.

Grappling Hook

Can now hit enemy heroes, dealing damage and granting Widowmaker Overhealth.

Quick Melee

First successful melee attack after hitting a hero with Grappling Hook deals extra damage.

Support

Ana

Developer Comment: We’ve heard feedback from Ana players that their teammates ignore them when they call out that they are reloading and go and feed into the enemies anyways. We’re hoping this change makes for good practice for them to start paying more attention to their Support teammates.

Biotic Rifle

• Magazine size reduced from 15 to 1. • Reload speed increased by 25%. • Damage and healing increased from 75 to 150.

Baptiste

Developer Comment: Baptiste discovered some of those old retro platformer video games and now it’s all he ever wants to do.

Exo Boots

Press Crouch while airborne to stomp on enemies.

Brigitte

Developer Comments: Mace to the face was working so well, so Brigitte thought she’d try her shield too.

Shield Bash

Removed.

Shield Throw

New Ability.

Shield Throw will toss Brigitte’s Shield which stuns and bounces between enemies.

Rally

During Rally, Shield Throw can hit more enemies.

Illari

Developer Comment: Illari got tired of allies being out of healing range, she altered her rifle accordingly.

Solar Rifle

Primary Fire now heals allies and does not deal damage.

Secondary Fire now damages enemies and does not heal allies.

Secondary Fire range increased by 50%.

Juno

Developer Comment: We fixed a bug where allies and enemies were not getting welcomed into orbit as indicated by her Ultimate voice line.

Quick Melee

Knockback increased.

Oribital Ray

Reverses gravity on all allies and enemies inside.

Kiriko

Developer Comment: Kiriko took some swiftness out of her step and put it into attack speed. What could go wrong?

Swift Step

Swift Step now grants Kiriko overhealth and increased attack speed, but she can no longer choose her target.

Lifeweaver

Developer Comment: Be careful, as you don’t not want Lifeweaver to be a thorn in your side.

Thorn Volley

Projectiles now home in on enemies.

Projectiles per shot reduced from 2 to 1.

Rate of fire reduced by 35%.

Projectile speed reduced by 70%.

When enough projectiles hit an enemy, they explode for 160 damage.

Lúcio

Developer Comments: “Can’t stop, won’t stop.”

Wall Ride

Lúcio gains increasing Move, Reload, and Attack Speed while wall-riding.

Buffs from Wall Ride persists for several seconds after touching the ground.

Mercy

Developer Comment: Mercy’s new pistol is just like a loot box… you’ll never know what you’ll get.

Caduceus Blaster

Now fire random projectiles.

Zenyatta

Developer Comment: “We are all one within the many, googly irises.”

Orb of Destruction

Now fires sticky googly eyes instead of orbs.

Damage reduced by 25%.

Attack Speed increased by 50%.

Bug Fixes

Developer Comments: On a positive note, we did fix a few other bugs. (Yes, these are real.)

General

Fixed an issue preventing users from using Perks in the 6v6 Maximum 2 Tanks Open Queue Quick Play and will now be played for the remainder of Season 16.

Fixed an issue preventing Perks to be selected while Overtime is in progress.

Fixed an issue with Zarya’s kit in hero mastery and have reenabled Zarya’s Hero Mastery Courses.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: March 25th/26th 2025
Patch notes:

Hero Updates

Balance changes apply to both 5v5 and 6v6 game modes.

Tank

Mauga

Cardiac Overdrive

No longer provides allies with damage reduction.

Cage Fight

Ultimate cost increased 8%.

Barrier health reduced from 1500 to 1200 HP.

Berserker Passive

Overhealth conversion rate reduced from 50% to 40%.

Roadhog

Take a Breather

Maximum healing increased from 400 to 450.

Whole Hog

Ultimate cost reduced 12%.

Winston

Primal Rage

Ultimate cost increased 10%.

Zarya

Energy

Degeneration rate increased from 2 to 2.5 per second.

Damage

Cassidy

Peacekeeper

Primary fire falloff range increased from 20 to 25 meters.

Secondary fire damage increased from 45 to 50.

Echo

Base health reduced from 225 to 150.

Shield health increased from 0 to 75.

Soldier: 76

Heavy Pulse Rifle

Primary fire now uses the larger projectile size (0.07 meters).

Sojourn

Power Slide

Cooldown increased from 7 to 8 seconds.

Maximum duration reduced from 1.2 to 1 second.

Widowmaker

Base health increased from 200 to 225 HP.

Support

Ana

Biotic Grenade

Cooldown increased from 12 to 14 seconds for non-6v6 games modes.

Cooldown increased from 10 to 12 seconds for 6v6 games modes.

Shrike

Self-Nano Boost duration reduced from 8 to 6 seconds.

Juno

Orbital Ray

Ultimate cost increased 10%.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: March 19th/20th 2025
Patch notes:

Introducing Freja

As head of Search and Rescue, Freja Skov dedicated her life to Overwatch and its mission of global peace. With the agency’s resources, there was no one Freja couldn’t find, no victim beyond her reach. But when Overwatch disbanded, Freja found herself adrift, purposeless… until she found a new market for her talent. As a bounty hunter, Freja attracted a different kind of clientele, one that showed her the true value of her skills. Now through March 24, get hands-on with her powerful crossbow, explosive bolts, and game-changing Ultimate. With a dynamic, strategy-driven kit, she’s built for players who thrive on precision and positioning—and she never misses her mark.

Freja

Damage Role

Not available in Competitive Play during the Hero Trial

Revdraw Crossbow

Primary Fire.

Rapidly fire automatic bolts.

Take Aim

Secondary Fire.

Slow your momentum to take aim with a high-speed explosive bolt. Using Quick Dash refreshes Take Aim.

Quick Dash

Ability 1.

Vault in the direction you’re moving and refresh Take Aim.

Updraft

Ability 2.

Launch upward with a gust of wind.

Bola Shot

Ultimate ability.

Fire an explosive bola. Hitting an enemy wraps them up and pulls in other nearby enemies.

Bounty Hunting

Passive ability.

Every 3 Final Blows, gain bonus ultimate charge.

Frost Bolts

Minor Perk.

Enemies hit by 3 regular bolts in quick succession are slowed by 20% for 2 seconds.

Tracking Instinct

Minor Perk.

Critical health enemies are revealed to you.

Ready to Hunt

Major Perk.

Updraft grants a temporary free use of Quick Dash.

Relentless Barrage

Major Perk.

Direct hits with Take Aim refund 4 automatic bolt ammo.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: March 18th/19th 2025
Patch notes:

Overwatch 2 X LE SSERAFIM

Overwatch 2 x LE SSERAFIM are back with a new collab, bringing their energy, attitude, and bold aesthetic to the battlefield. With five brand-new Legendary skins featuring vibrant colors and standout details—like Ashe’s dynamite to light up the fight with RGB effects—this collection is a must-have for fans of both Overwatch 2 and LE SSERAFIM. Complete in-game challenges to earn free cosmetics, including the Legendary Fawksey James Junkrat skin.

Overwatch 2 Classic – GOATS

Step into Overwatch history with Overwatch Classic: GOATS, where teamwork, sustain, and strategy reign supreme. This iconic meta defined an entire era of competitive play, proving that three tanks, three supports, and perfectly timed abilities could be the ultimate formula for victory. Whether you remember GOATS from its prime or are experiencing it for the first time, now’s your chance to relive one of Overwatch’s most influential moments that rewrote the rules of team play. Overwatch 2 Classic: GOATS begins on March 25.

Heroes added include Moira, Brigitte, and Wrecking Ball.

Maps added include Blizzard World, Rialto, and Busan.

Hero balance is adjusted to the September 2018 Hero Balance.

New Mythic Weapon – Widowmaker’s Dame Chance

A gift from Talon’s favorite financier, Dame Chance is a rifle of grace, refinement, and supreme lethality. Featuring a stunning crystalline core that reacts to your performance, evolving customization, exclusive animations, and a dynamic Mythic HUD, this is the ultimate sniper’s flex. If you live for those pixel-perfect headshots, it’s time to show the world what true precision looks like with the Mythic Dame Chance Widowmaker Weapon Skin.

Hero Updates

Tanks

Junker Queen

Developer Comments: Increasing the duration of Deep Wounds to ensure that Junker Queen can maintain wounds even longer on enemies she’s actively targeting.

Deep Wounds

Extended wound duration increased from 0.25 to 0.5 seconds.

Ramattra

Developer Comments: An additional element has been added to Prolonged Barrier to enable Ramattra to control a larger area and provide effective cover with the shield.

Prolonged Barrier

Now additionally increases the size of the Void Barrier by 25%.

Reinhardt

Developer Comments: We’re making improvements to several of Reinhardt’s perks to increase their usability in various situations.

Crusader’s Resolve

Passive Regeneration trigger rate increased from 50% to 75%.

Shield Slam

Cooldown reduced from 8 to 6 seconds.

Roadhog

Developer Comments: The increased throw distance modifies how Roadhog can use Hog Toss. Adding a damage increase component will make Pig Pen more effective even when not utilizing the throw distance

Hog Toss

Now also increases the damage of Pig Pen by 25%.

Winston

Developer Comments: Short Circuit is being adjusted to improve its effectiveness in specific matchups against deployables such as barriers or turrets.

Short Circuit

Damage versus deployable objects increased from 30% to 50%

Wrecking Ball

Developer Comments: The transfer cost is being reduced to amplify the value of shields when given to allies.

Transfer Efficiency

Ally transfer cost reduction increased from 33% to 50%.

Damage

Bastion

Developer Comments: Adding a resource meter will control Bastion’s healing ability, ensuring more balanced gameplay and fair engagements with low damage output heroes.

Self-Repair

Now has a resource required to heal.

Cassidy

Developer Comments: Increasing Past Noon’s refund aims to improve High Noon and its zoning capabilities, adding incentive to change how the ultimate is used.

Past Noon

Ultimate charge refunded increased from 30% to 40%.

Genji

Developer Comments: The utility of Genji’s perks, such as Acrobatics and Blade Twisting, has been limited due to their specific use cases. We have improved the conditions of these perks and increased the healing of Meditation to align it with other Major perks.

Acrobatics

Now also resets double jump on wall climb.

Meditation

Healing increased from 25 to 35 health per second.

Blade Twisting

Duration after an elimination to trigger bonus damage increased from 6 to 10 seconds.

Bonus damage is now dealt over 1 second instead of 2 seconds.

Mei

Developer Comments: The cooldown increase for Permafrost has been removed to ensure it does not create negative impact for Ice Wall.

Permafrost

No longer increases cooldown of Ice Wall.

Pharah

Developer Comments: We are increasing the amount of converted shields to enhance Pharah’s self-sufficiency when Helix Shields is selected.

Helix Shields

Converted Shields increased from 75 to 125.

Reaper

Developer Comments: The recovery time change will allow Reaper to weave primary fire shots between uses of Dire Trigger, reducing the friction of using this ability.

Dire Triggers

Recovery time reduced from 0.9 to 0.7 seconds.

Soldier: 76

Developer Comments: Reducing Stim Pack’s cast time will make it more responsive, allowing use during combat without dramatically affecting shooting uptime.

Stim Pack

Cast time reduced from 0.4 to 0.15 seconds.

Stim Pack anti-heal is now cleansable.

Sombra

Developer Comments: Improving Sombra’s Major Perks to ensure they’re providing value without heavily impacting her core gameplay.

Stack Overflow

Range penalty reduced from 30% to 15%.

White Hat

Hack is now uninterruptible from damage when healing allies.

Torbjörn

Developer Comments: Torbjörn’s Turret has become difficult to deal with when paired with his Major Perks. The base statistics of Deploy Turret are being reduced, and some power is being reallocated to the Minor Perk Craftsman.

Deploy Turret

Base health reduced from 250 to 225.

Turret Damage reduced from 13 to 12.

Craftsman

Now additionally increases Deploy Turret base health by 25

Tracer

Developer Comments: Increasing duration gives players additional time to take advantage of the overhealth after recalling.

Quantum Entanglement

Overhealth duration increased from 3.5 to 6 seconds.

Support

Baptiste

Developer Comments: Increasing Assault Burst’s attack speed to balance its loss of instant healing. Also, boosted Automated Healing as its current effectiveness is low for an ultimate perk.

Automated Healing

Healing per shot is increased from 25 to 30.

Assault Burst

Attack speed increased from 20% to 30%.

Brigitte

Developer Comments: Barrier Restoration now grants increased movement speed, offering Brigitte additional options when she is unable to use Shield Bash on opponents.

Barrier Restoration

After Shield Bashing, Brigitte gains 30% movement speed for 1.5 seconds.

Iliari

Developer Comments: Increasing the power of Summer Solstice for more effective use of her ultimate ability and improved flight time.

Solar Rifle

Weapon recharging is no longer paused while using Quick Melee.

Summer Solstice

Additionally provides 30% increased attack speed while Captive Sun is active

Juno

Developer Comments: Enhancing Re-Boots to be a more valuable mobility perk, allowing players to hover for longer and utilize the double jump reset.

Re-boots

Now also increases the duration of Glide Boost by 25%.

Lifeweaver

Developer Comments: Triggering Superbloom can be challenging, so we are making several changes to improve the consistency of the perk.

Superbloom

Damage increased from 30 to 40.

Number of hits to trigger increased from 16 to 20.

Window of time to land hits increased from 1.5 to 2.5 seconds.

Lifeweaving

Bonus to Healing Blossom heal increased from 20 to 30.

Mercy

Developer Comments: The cast time has been shortened to make Flash Heal more responsive for use in emergency situations.

Flash Heal

Cast time reduced from 0.875 to 0.4 seconds.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue causing Maximilien’s Vault cards to not show a full 5 cards.

Fixed an issue where the Overwatch League shop was missing from the shop menu.

Fixed an issue causing disconnects with the replay system.

Fixed an issue where the loot box thumbnails might not appear.

Fixed an issue with the switch spawn button not working.

Fixed a bug where some skins were incorrectly showing they were available for purchase in the hero gallery.

Fixed a bug where Ana’s Bastet skin was missing from the game.

Heroes

Orisa

In a previous update, fixed an issue where Orisa’s overhealth would not restore if fully depleted using the Bulwark perk.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Hotfix

Release date: March 4th/5th 2025
Patch notes:

Fixed an issue which applied the galaxy weapon tint to other hero items.

Fixed an issue which caused Ashe’s default weapon skin to disappear from the weapon skin menu.

Fixed an issue which would cause players to get stuck on the loot box screen if they were previously opening loot boxes before transitioning into a game.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Hotfix

Release date: February 25th/26th 2025
Patch notes:

Heroes

Ana

Fixed a bug with the Headhunter Perk that allowed Ana to land critical shots on a Fortified Orisa.

Bastion

Fixed a bug with the Lindholm Explosives Perk that prevented Direct Hits from granting Ultimate Charge.

Junkerqueen

Fixed a bug with the Perk Savage Satiation that caused Lifesteal to only trigger on the first enemy hit.

Juno

Fixed a bug with the Master Blaster Perk that allowed Juno to land critical shots on a Fortified Orisa.

Sojourn

Fixed a bug with the Dual Thrusters Perk allowing Sojourn an additional (third) slide.

Symmetra

Fixed a bug with Symmetra’s Turrets in Total Mayhem.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Hotfix

Release date: February 20th/21st 2025
Patch notes:

General

Fixed a bug with Perks not being granted at the start of round 3 on Payload and Hybrid Maps.

Heroes

Ashe

Fixed a bug with Viper’s Sting failing to properly refresh its count when hitting new targets.

Doomfist

Fixed a bug with Block not granting Doomfist charge for Blocking some abilities.

Illari

Fixed a bug with Illari’s Solar Power Perk occasionally locking out Illari from using Solar Rifle’s Healing Beam.

Pharah

Fixed a bug with Helix Shield not correctly applying if the Perk is selected while you are dead.

Venture

Fixed a bug with the Covered in Dirt Perk erroneously affecting Drill Dash.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Season 15)

Release date: February 18th/19th 2025
Patch notes:

Season 15 – Honor And Glory

Season 15 introduces Perks, Overwatch 2’s groundbreaking new gameplay feature that lets players unlock mid-match hero upgrades, providing more choice and strategy. With the launch of the 2025 Competitive Year, fresh rewards like Galactic Weapon Skins and exclusive charms await those who climb the ranks. Plus, weekly challenges in the Perked Up event offer exciting treasures, including Rainy Day Mercy and Legendary Loot Boxes. Don’t miss out on Mythic Pixiu Zenyatta and more as Overwatch 2 takes bold steps into its most exciting season yet!

New Mythic Skin – Pixiu Zenyatta

Inspired by the golden dragon Pixiu, the Mythic Pixiu Zenyatta skin combines godly beauty with unique customizations. This skin evolves as you do, featuring four progression levels, thematic sound effects, and an optional Gilded Aspect so you can dominate the battlefield in true divine style.

Loot Boxes Are Back

Get ready for the return of Loot Boxes, loaded with loot and surprises to expand your arsenal and bring the hype. Whether you’re new or a veteran hero, you’ll love the thrill of Loot Boxes to unlock new content as you progress through the Premium Battle Pass or when you earn loot boxes as you complete games every week! There will be two types of Loot Boxes that you’ll be able to earn, Loot Boxes and Legendary Loot Boxes.

Starting in Season 15, you can earn up to three Loot Boxes every week by completing up to 27 games each week with wins counting as double.

Starting in Season 15, you can earn a free Legendary Loot Box in the free track of the Battle Pass and an additional two Legendary Loot Boxes in the Premium Track of the Battle Pass.

Loot Box

Every Loot Box draws from a curated collection of Overwatch and Overwatch 2 cosmetic items.

Each box will drop four items when opened. The items you get are now randomly selected at the time of box opening.

Loot Boxes will prioritize giving you items you don’t already own.

If a Loot Box can’t avoid giving you any items you already own, the loot box will instead grant progress towards a bonus Loot Box.

At the start of each season, any unopened boxes from previous seasons will be automatically opened and all items dropped from them are added to your collection.

Drop Rates

On average, each rarity has the following chances of dropping per one Loot Box opened.

Legendary: 5.1%

Epic: 21.93%

Rare: 96.26%

Common: 97.97%

Guaranteed Drops

A Legendary item is guaranteed to drop within 20 consecutive box openings.

An Epic item is guaranteed to drop within five consecutive box openings.

At least one Rare item or better is guaranteed to drop in every box.

Legendary Loot Box

Each Legendary Loot Box is guaranteed to contain at least one Legendary item.

Drops Rates

On average, each rarity has the following chances of dropping per one Legendary Box opened.

Legendary: 100%

Epic: 21.93%

Rare: 96.26%

Common: 97.97%

Competitive Play Updates

It’s a whole new year for Competitive with Perks reshaping strategy, rank resets leveling the playing field, and stellar new Galactic Weapon Skins plus Weapon Charm rewards waiting at the top. Are you ready to rise? Show the world your skill and climb the ladder like never before—victory awaits.

Skill Rank Reset

The highest Ranks (Master, Grandmaster, and Champion) have been tuned to include a higher percentage of the player population once players are well calibrated.

Given the addition of Perks and the tuning of higher Tiers, this reset is designed to put players on an even playing field and give them a chance to climb even higher than ever before.

All ranks in Role Queue and Open Queue in Competitive Play have been reset to Unranked and all players will need to complete their respective 10 placement matches for each role.

Competitive Rewards

Galactic Weapon Variants can now be unlocked with Competitive Points, allowing you to reach for the stars while you rank up.

Jade Weapon Variants join Gold Weapon Variants as Legacy Rewards.

Legacy Rewards can be purchased with Legacy Competitive Points.

Competitive Weapon Charms will be awarded to players in Platinum and above in Season 16 based on your performance in Season 15.

End-of-season titles for Competitive Role Queue now include the role the rank was achieved in. Examples include Champion Tank, Champion Support, Champion Damage, and Open Queue Champion.

Competitive Point Conversion

All Competitive Points earned in the 2024 Competitive Year have been converted into Legacy Competitive Points.

Competitive Points can now be manually converted into Legacy Competitive Points when purchasing Weapon Variants.

Ranks on Portraits

Competitive Hero Portraits return to Competitive Play with Overwatch 2’s Rank icons, giving players that share their gameplay new opportunities to show off their skill.

Map Pool

Clash Maps Hanaoka and Throne of Anubis are removed from the Competitive Play pool.

All players can still play on all Escort, Hybrid, Control, Push, and Flashpoint maps.

General Updates

Voice Lines

Refactored ultimate voice lines to allow custom player-specific voice lines instead also being heard by opponents.

Mode-specific ultimate lines are now enabled to play game-wide for players with relevant skins equipped (ex. Warlock Ashe, Greek Gods skins, etc).

Custom ultimate lines are now enabled for several Mythic skins, with more to come in future patches.

Previously unused custom ultimate lines are now available for several other skins.

Developer Comment: Going into Overwatch 2, we took into account player feedback that skin-specific ultimate lines from enemy heroes created gameplay difficulties for many players. As such, we restricted any custom hostile ultimate VO to special game modes, but we were not able to implement them into the broader game.

By changing the way we trigger ultimate voice lines, we can now play a player-specific custom line without affecting the line heard by enemy players. This means that we’ll have much more flexibility for changing ultimate voice lines in the future.

Emotes

Emotes can now be cancelled mid-animation shortly after they are activated.

Introducing Perks

Take your gameplay to the next level with Perks—Overwatch 2’s dynamic new mid-match upgrade system for Quickplay and Competitive. As the action heats up, unlock and choose game-changing abilities to amplify your hero’s power and evolve your strategy in real time. Adapt to every challenge, counter your enemies, and turn the tide of battle in your favor.

Perks are now enabled in Quick Play and Competitive modes.

How to gain Perk progress

• Perk progress is gained by dealing damage, securing eliminations, and healing your allies. • Throughout the match, the rate at which you gain Perks will gradually increase. • When you eliminate an enemy who is at a higher perk level than you (full level), that elimination is also worth more Perk progress.

Swapping Heroes

When you swap heroes, your new hero will be set to level 1 with zero perk progress.

Your progress will be saved on any heroes that you play throughout the round though. So, if you played Tracer to Level 3 and got her Major Perk, when you switch back to Tracer you will be at Level 3 with your perks equipped.

Selecting Perks

There are multiple options available to select your perks into fit your personal play style.

Standard Selection: Hold down Left Alt on keyboard or up on the directional pad for controller, then aim at the left or right perk or press your shoulder buttons on controller to select.

Quick Selection: You can also set your own bindings to select your perks without bringing up the Perk selection user interface, which is great for once you’ve really gotten your perks down and don’t need the menu.

You can also bind your perk selection to be a toggle instead of holding by default.

Celebrate In Our Perked-Up Event

Celebrate the debut of Overwatch 2’s game-changing Perks system with the Perked Up Event, available all season long. Take on challenges to snag weekly rewards, including up to 10 Loot Boxes per week and Rainy Day Mercy! Plus, team up with the community via Twitch Drops and Support a Streamer to unlock Rainy Day Mei and Tracer. This limited time event runs from February 18 to April 22.

For season 15 only, players can earn up to an additional 10 loot boxes each week by completing up to 15 games with wins counting as double.

Challenges for Loot Boxes reset every week, so any loot boxes not earned in that week are missed out.

Hero Perks

Instead of hero balance updates, we’re opening up Season 15 with adding Hero Perks to all 41 heroes. Our intention is to give you some time to adapt to such a large shift for the game, but we’ll be monitoring to see if any perks need immediate tuning. So, check out each new perk and plan out new strategies and playstyles that can benefit your playstyle.

Tanks

D.Va

Bunny Stomp

Call Mech’s damage radius is increased by 50%.

Ejection Suit

Eject grants 75 temporary overhealth.

Shield System

Convert 150 health to shields. Defense Matrix restores shields based on 25% of its damage absorbed.

Heavy Rockets

Micro Missiles are swapped for Heavy Rockets which fire fewer projectiles with increased damage and explosion size.

Doomfist

One-Two

Hitting an enemy with Rocket Punch reloads all Hand Cannon ammo.

Survival of the Fittest

The Best Defense grants 25 overhealth from eliminations and its max overhealth is increased by 50.

Seismic Empowerment

Hitting 3 or more enemies with Seismic Slam empowers Rocket Punch.

Power Matrix

Power Block absorbs projectiles for the first second of its duration.

Hazard

Off the Top

Violent Leap’s Slash deals 30% more damage to enemies above 250 health.

Reconstitution

Jagged Wall hits charge Spike Guard with 25 energy, up to 50 extra.

Anarchic Zeal

Spike Guard’s spikes gain 25% Lifesteal.

Deep Leap

Violent Leap’s range is increased by 20%.

Junker Queen

Rending Recall

Recalling Jagged Blade from a stuck target refreshes its wound.

Battle Shout

Commanding Shout fully reloads Scatter Gun and increases allied reload speed by 50%.

Deep Wounds

Scattergun hits extend your wound durations on those enemies by .25 seconds.

Savage Satiation

Carnage’s impact damage gains 100% lifesteal.

Mauga

Kinetic Bandolier

Overrun reloads up to 150 ammo while charging.

Two Hearts

While on an objective, Mauga counts as 2 heroes and regenerates 20 health per second.

Firewalker

Overrun ignites enemies hit.

Combat Fuel

Critical hits grant Mauga 2 temporary overhealth on Cardiac Overdrive’s next use, up to 100 overhealth.

Orisa

Heat Dissipator

Primary Fire critical hits refund heat.

Fleeting Bulwark

Fortify briefly grants an additional 100 overhealth when activated.

Charged Javelin

Hold Secondary Fire to charge Energy Javelin, increasing its speed and knockback. Pierces enemies at full power.

Protective Barrier

Convert Javelin Spin to instead launch a barrier.

Ramattra

Void Surge

Void Accelerator periodically releases a burst of 6 additional projectiles during continuous fire.

Prolonged Barrier

Void Barrier’s duration is increased by 25%.

Nanite Repair

Ramattra is healed for 50 health per second while within Ravenous Vortex.

Vengeful Vortex

While Ravenous Vortex is airborne, use Secondary Fire again to detonate it, dealing 50 damage and pulling enemies downward.

Reinhardt

Crusader’s Resolve

While using Barrier Field, your passive health regeneration triggers 50% sooner.

Fiery Uptake

Barrier Field is healed for 100% of Fire Strike’s damage dealt.

Shield Slam

While Barrier Field is active, use Secondary Fire to damage and knockback enemies.

Crushing Victory

Charge damage grants temporary overhealth for 50% of the damage dealt.

Roadhog

Scrap Hook

Chain Hook hits reload 2 ammo.

Hog Toss

Pig Pen’s throw range is increased by 50%.

Invigorate

Take A Breather rapidly increases Roadhog’s movement speed by 30%.

Hogdrogen Exposure

Take A Breather also heals nearby allies for 50% of its healing.

Sigma

Kinetic Cycle

Absorbing projectiles with Kinetic Grasp also reduces Accretion’s cooldown.

Massive Impact

Accretion’s knockdown duration increases to up to 3 seconds based on travel distance.

Hyper Strike

Every 5 direct hits with Hyperspheres, your next successful Quick Melee levitates and knocks away enemies.

Levitation

Activate and hold Double Jump to briefly levitate upward.

Winston

Short Circuit

Tesla Cannon deals 30% more damage to deployable objects.

Heavy Landing

During Primal Rage, Jump Pack’s damage and area increase by up to 75% while airborne.

Chain Lightning

Fully charged Secondary Fire hits bounce to up to 2 additional targets.

Revitalizing Barrier

Barrier Projector heals allies within it for 30 health per second.

Wrecking Ball

Steamroller

Roll impacts deal 100% more damage to Tanks.

Pack Rat

Health Packs heal an additional 100 health.

Hang Time

Piledriver winds up longer, gaining air control and dealing up to 50% more damage.

Transfer Efficiency

Reactivating Adaptive Shield reduces its cooldown by 1.5 seconds per ally affected and ally health gained is increased by 33%.

Zarya

Jump-Ups

Secondary Fire’s self-knockback is increased by 75%.

Graviton Crush

Graviton Surge deals up to 30% of enemy max health as damage over time.

Energy Lance

Particle Cannon’s beam pierces enemies while over 50 energy.

Spotter

Projected Barrier activates ally health regeneration and increases their movement speed by 15%.

Damage

Ashe

Rapid Fire

Unscoped shots gain 30% increased attack speed, but deal 15% less damage.

Sidewinder

Coach Gun pushes Ashe and enemies 20% farther.

Viper’s Sting

Hitting 2 consecutive scoped shots on a target deals 25 extra damage and reloads 2 ammo.

Airburst

Dynamite has a 40% increased detonation radius while airborne and refunds 3 ammo when thrown.

Bastion

Smart Bomb

A-36 Tactical Grenade’s self-knockback is increased by 25% and no longer damages you.

Armored Artillery

Configuration: Artillery grants 300 temporary overhealth.

Lindholm Explosives

Configuration: Assault’s weapon slowly fires explosive shells instead of a rotary cannon.

Self-Repair

Press Ability 2 to rapidly heal yourself.

Cassidy

Quick Draw

Fan the Hammer shots are individually controlled and can crit for 50% more damage.

Past Noon

Deadeye refunds 30% Ultimate Charge if it fully expires.

Gun Slingin’

Critical hits with Primary Fire reduce the cooldown of Combat Roll by 3 seconds.

Bang Bang

Cassidy throws a second Flashbang that travels farther, but both Flashbangs deal 30% reduced damage.

Echo

Friendly Imaging

Duplicate can also target allies.

Enhanced Duplication

During Duplicate, your clone’s first ultimate extends Duplicate’s duration by 3 seconds.

Full Salvo

Sticky Bombs fires 50% more projectiles, but all Sticky Bombs deal 15% less damage.

High Beams

Focusing Beam eliminations reset Flight’s cooldown.

Genji

Acrobatics

Swift Strike resets double jump.

Dragon’s Thirst

Dragonblade swings gain 30% lifesteal.

Blade Twisting

Swift Strike deals 25 additional damage over time when used shortly after an Elimination.

Meditation

Regenerate 25 health per second while Deflect is active.

Hanzo

Sonic Disruption

Sonic Arrow hacks nearby Health Packs for 12 seconds.

Scatter Arrows

Storm Arrows split into 3 new projectiles on their first ricochet and bounce 2 extra times.

Dragon Fury

After hitting an enemy with Primary Fire, gain 25% attack speed for 1 second.

Yamagami Technique

Wall Climb accelerates your Lunge cooldown by 250%.

Junkrat

Aluminium Frame

Steel Trap’s throw range is increased by 50%.

Nitro Boost

During RIP-Tire, use Ability 1 to gain a quick boost of speed. Doing so reduces RIP-Tire’s damage by 50%.

Frag Cannon

Frag Launcher’s projectile speed is increased by 40%, but its max ammo is reduced by 1.

Tick Tock

Concussive Mine arms .5 seconds after landing, increasing damage by 50%, explosion radius by 50%, and health by 200%.

Mei

Chilling Reach

Primary Fire’s range is increased by 30%.

Permafrost

Ice Wall’s duration and cooldown are increased by 2 seconds.

Biting Cold

Secondary fire hits slow enemies by 15% for 1.5 seconds, stacking up to 30%.

Cryo-Storm

Cryo-Freeze slows and deals 70 damage per second to nearby enemies.

Pharah

Drift Thrusters

Pharah can move while Barrage is active.

Helix Shields

Convert 75 health to shields.

Concussive Implosion

Concussive Blast’s knockback is inverted to a pull in.

Fuel Stores

Jet Dash grants 50% fuel. Maximum overfuel is increased by 100%.

Ramattra

Death’s Shadow

Shadow Step reloads Hellfire Shotguns and has 25% increased range.

Soul Reaving

Collect Soul Globes from dead enemies to restore 50 health.

Dire Triggers

Use Secondary Fire to fire a volley with long range accuracy from both Hellfire Shotguns.

Ravenous Wraith

Leaving Wraith Form grants 40% additional lifesteal for 3 seconds.

Sojourn

Extended Mag

Maximum ammo increased by 15.

Overcharged

Railgun’s maximum energy is increased by 50 while Overclock is active.

Dual Thrusters

Power Slide gains an additional charge and its jump height shifts to lateral movement.

Adhesive Siphon

Disruptor Shot can stick to enemies and generates Railgun energy when dealing damage.

Soldier: 76

Recycled Pulse Munitions

Helix Rockets reload 15 ammo if they damage an enemy.

Field Emergency

Biotic Field’s healing is increased by 100% on critical health allies.

Agility Training

Sprint’s speed is increased by 20% and Reload can be performed while Sprint is active.

Stim Pack

Biotic Field can be used as a Stim Pack, increasing Attack Speed and Reload Speed by 30% while being unhealable for 4 seconds.

Sombra

Viral Efficacy

Virus’ cooldown is reduced by 3 seconds when an enemy affected by Virus is eliminated.

CTRL ALT ESC

Teleporting with Translocator while at critical health initiates passive health regeneration.

White Hat

Hack can be used on allies to restore 100 health over 2 seconds.

Stack Overflow

Hack’s silence duration is increased by 100%, but its range is decreased by 30%.

Symmetra

Sentry Capacity

Sentry Turret gains an additional charge.

Advanced Teleportation

Teleporter’s range is increased by 50%.

Perfect Alignment

Primary Fire’s range increases by 15% with each additional charge level.

Shield Battery

Symmetra regenerates 20 shields per second while within 10 meters of her teleporter.

Torbjörn

Craftsman

Forge Hammer can restore armor health to allies. Turret repair’s heal is increased by 25%.

Fully Loaded

Activating Overload fully refills Rivet Gun’s ammo.

Anchor Bolts

Deploy Turret’s throw range is increased by 50% and it can now attach to walls and ceilings.

Overloaded Turret

Overload upgrades your Turret for 5 seconds, increasing its health and damage.

Tracer

Blink Packs

Health Packs restore 1 Blink charge.

Blast from the Past

Pulse Bomb’s radius is increased by 50%.

Flashback

Recall restores all Blink charges.

Quantum Entanglement

Recall grants 50 overhealth that decays over time.

Venture

Seismic Sense

While underground, Venture can sense enemies within 25 meters.

Excavation Exhilaration

While Tectonic Shock is active, cooldowns refresh 300% faster

SMART-R Excavator

SMART Excavator’s range is increased by 25%.

Covered In Dirt

Dealing damage with Clobber grants up to 30 Explorer’s Resolve shields.

Widowmaker

Scoped Efficiency

Scoped shots cost 3 ammo instead of 5.

Focused Aim

Scoped shots charge 50% faster during Infra-sight.

Escape Plan

Scoped shot hits reduce Grappling Hook’s cooldown by up to 4 seconds.

Deadly Deux

Venom Mine gains 50% increased damage and a second charge, enabling 2 active mines at a time.

Support

Ana

Groggy

Enemies waking from Sleep Dart are slowed for 2 seconds.

Biotic Bounce

After exploding, Biotic Grenade bounces and explodes again for 50 damage and healing.

Headhunter

Biotic Rifle can crit enemies.

Shrike

Using Nano Boost also casts it on Ana.

Baptiste

Field Medicine

Immortality Field restores 80 health to nearby allies and 40 health to Baptiste when destroyed.

Automated Healing

After placing Amplification Matrix, your Shoulder Turret periodically fires up to 12 shots at allies, each restoring 25 health.

Assault Burst

Regenerative Burst grants Baptiste 20% attack speed for 4 seconds, but no longer instantly heals.

Rocket Boots

While airborne from Exo Boots, use Jump to dash horizontally.

Brigitte

Barrier Restoration

Shield Bash restores 100 health to Barrier Shield when it hits an enemy.

Morale Boost

Inspire lasts 3 seconds longer when activated by Whip Shot.

Quick Fix

Repair Packs instantly heal an additional 35 health to critical health allies.

Whiplash

Whip Shot’s knockback can slam enemies into walls, dealing 50 extra damage.

Illari

Rapid Construction

Healing Pylon builds 300% faster and its cooldown is reduced by 1.5 seconds.

Summer Solstice

Illari’s flight time during Captive Sun is increased by 3 seconds and her flight speed is increased by 20%.

Solar Power

Fully charged Solar Rifle hits grant 12.5% of your maximum solar energy, overfilling up to 50%.

Sunburn

Outburst ignites enemies, dealing an additional 70 damage over 3 seconds.

Juno

Familiar Vitals

Pulsar Torpedoes lock onto allies 35% faster.

Hyper Boost

While using Glide Boost, passing through Hyper Ring pushes you forward.

Master Blaster

Mediblaster can crit enemies.

Re-Boots

Activating Glide Boost resets Double Jump.

Kiriko

Urgent Care

Healing Ofuda projectile speed is increased by 50% when seeking critical health allies.

Fortune Teller

Kunai hits launch 2 Healing Ofuda to an ally in front of you.

Shuffling

Swift Step can be used again within 4 seconds of its initial cast.

Foxtrot

Protection Suzu grants 40% movement speed to allies for 2 seconds.

Lifeweaver

Cleansing Grasp

Life Grip cleanses negative effects.

Life Cycle

While alive, regenerate 10 health per second. Upon death, drop a healing seed that heals allies for 250 health.

Lifeweaving

Rejuvenating Dash adds 20 healing to your next Healing Blossom within 3 seconds.

Superbloom

Thorns detonate for 30 extra damage when enough stick within 1.5 seconds.

Lúcio

Bass Blowout

Soundwave’s knockback is increased by 15%.

Groovin’

Regenerate 4 ammo per second while wall riding.

Noise Violation

Crossfade’s range is increased by 150% while Amp It Up is active.

Accelerando

Lucio’s attack speed is increased by 50% while Amp It Up is active.

Mercy

Angelic Recovery

Mercy receives 15 health per second while Caduceus Staff is attached to a full health ally.

Winged Reach

Guardian Angel’s range is increased by 30%.

Chain Boost

Secondary Fire links to a second nearby ally.

Flash Heal

Resurrect can be used on Caduceus Staff’s active target to restore 150 health. Doing so incurs a 15 second cooldown.

Moira

Vanish

Fade’s duration is increased by 0.5 seconds.

Uprush

Fade’s jump height is increased by 50%.

Ethical Nourishment

Biotic Orb’s first 50 healing is instant on each ally it encounters.

Contamination

Enemies being damaged by Biotic Orb receive 25% reduced healing.

Zenyatta

Zenith Kick

Snap Kick’s knockback distance is increased by 30%.

Ascendance

Activate and hold Double Jump to hover for up to 3 seconds.

Focused Destruction

Secondary Fire charges 20% faster and can store 1 extra Orb of Destruction.

Duality

Zenyatta heals Orb of Harmony targets for 20% of his damage dealt to Orb of Discord targets.

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed a bug where players were unable to rename highlights when saving them.

Fixes a bug where Voice Line Icons would sometimes appear over prestige tiers in the battle pass.

Fixed a bug where the Drives Signature VFX would sometimes extend off the nametag.

Fixed a bug where the final score would sometimes not appear in ranked games.

Heroes

Fixed a bug where Hazard’s Jagged Wall projectiles would not respect barrier.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: February 7th/8th 2025
Patch notes:

Bug Fixes

Heroes

Doomfist (Overwatch Classic – Moth Meta)

In Overwatch Classic, we’ve adjusted Seismic Slam’s ground checks and the shockwave hitbox to the older values.

In Overwatch Classic, air time for Uppercut was adjusted to the original value. Loss of air control duration is set to the original 3 seconds instead of 0.6 seconds.

In Overwatch Classic, Meteor Strike no longer can cancel Seismic Slam and Uppercut.

In O verwatch Classic, Rocket Punch no longer can cancel Seismic Slam and Uppercut.

Developer comment: We’ve applied multiple adjustments to retune Doomfist to be closer to his original balance from the original September 2017 balance for both gameplay and feel. We are looking to apply additional bug fixes next week to address other issues reported.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: February 6th/7th 2025
Patch notes:

Bug Fixes

Heroes

Mercy (Overwatch Classic – Moth Meta)

Guardian Angel has been updated to have increased speed and range during Valkyrie.

Mercy’s resurrect cast time has been improved.

Developer Comment: We have made some adjustments to Mercy’s abilities to be more like the original feel of the hero in 2017. Additionally, we’re planning an update to Doomfist in the mode in the next patch.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: February 4th/5th 2025
Patch notes:

Bug Fixes

General

Fixed an issue where the game may ask you to restart to apply changes when no changes have been made.

Heroes

Ashe

Fixed an issue causing Ashe Lead Rose Mythic weapon to clip into the stage inside the Mythic Shop.

Moira

Fixed an issue with texture distortion when using the Facepalm emote as Moira with certain skins.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Hotfix)

Release date: January 28th/29th 2025
Patch notes:

New Player Experience

Players new to Overwatch 2 may encounter AI-controlled opponents in the first five opening matches of Quick Play.

New players will now have Quick Play Role Queue available instead of Quick Play Open Queue.

The total number of matches required to unlock all other modes has been reduced from 10 to 5.

Players on new accounts that demonstrate clearly experienced performance may be immediately seeded to higher MMR faster. Those on seasoned accounts who have already played multiple games are not subjected to this rapid MMR adjustment.

Developer Comment: We have noticed that genuinely new players can sometimes be paired against players who are starting alternate accounts which can create a poor first-time experience for those new players. Also, to help keep players on alternate accounts from playing at a high level on lower skill matches, we are starting to roll out a new system which will rapidly adjust the initial matchmaking rating of new players to match their skills significantly faster.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ??? (Season 14 Mid-Season Update)

Release date: January 21st/22nd 2025
Patch notes:

YEAR OF THE SNAKE SEASONAL EVENT

Celebrate the Lunar New Year – Year of the Snake – in Overwatch 2 with the return of Mischief & Magic, a festive game mode that blends strategy, stealth, and skill along with Bounty Hunter and Capture the Flag. Complete event challenges to unlock exclusive rewards, including Lunar New Year-themed cosmetics that capture the joy and vibrancy of the season. Don’t miss your chance to outwit, outplay, and outlast your opponents!

VALENTINE’S DAY 2025

Take aim and fall in love again with the return of the Love of Geometry game mode. This team Deathmatch brawl pits teams of four Cupid Hanzos against each other. Be sure to watch out as hiding around corners is not safe as everyone can use the original Scatter Arrow ability for Hanzo. This is an event that you’ll fall in love with again as it runs from February 4 to February 18.

6V6 EXPERIMENTAL – MINIMUM 1, MAXIMUM 3

Step back into Overwatch’s origins even more with a fresh twist on the beloved six-player team format. The 6v6 Min 1, Max 3 Mode is a unique experiment that blends nostalgia with modern gameplay dynamics, offering a structured composition alongside the flexibility to switch roles mid-match. And your participation in this experiment will help shape the future of Overwatch 2’s gameplay—so don’t miss this chance to leave your mark.

Heroes are selected first come, first serve.

Each team must have at least one hero from all three roles, but cannot have more than three heroes from any given role.

Players can switch between roles while in the spawn room.

Hero balance for this experiment uses the same hero balance from the 6v6 2-2-2 Role Queue experiment.

This game mode is available to play in Unranked from January 21 to February 3.

OVERWATCH CLASSIC – MOTH META

Overwatch Classic – Moth Meta brings you back to one of the most iconic and chaotic chapters in Overwatch history. Mercy’s legendary “Moth” gameplay takes the spotlight as her lightning-fast Resurrects redefine team fights, while heroes like DPS Doomfist and Symmetra with her Shield Generator make a triumphant return to the battlefield. Step onto beloved maps Oasis, Eichenwalde, and Junkertown, where every skirmish is packed with nostalgic strategies and unpredictable mayhem.

Heroes added include Ana, Sombra, Orisa, and Doomfist.

Maps added include Eichenwalde, Oasis, Horizon Lunar Colony, and Junkertown.

Hero balance is adjusted to the September 2017 Hero Balance.

NEW MYTHIC WEAPON – ASHE’S LEAD ROSE

Our latest Mythic Weapon is Ashe’s Lead Rose. Growing up in the Lead Rose Manor, Ashe was expected to be the perfect daughter. But while her parents had hoped for a flawless rose, they never expected Ashe’s thorns. Like Ashe, this weapon is both beautiful and lethal. The more Ashe embraces her rebellious nature by earning eliminations, the more she blooms into the person she was meant to be! At level one, players will unlock her base Mythic weapon. Level two unlocks reactivity and the Mythic HUD. The beloved flourish is on Level Three which allows Ashe to tauntingly toss a rose at her opponents. And Level Four is the elimination effects, exploding enemies in a burst of rose petals.

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

COMPETITIVE DRIVES

A new Drives signature is available to earn from February 11 to February 16

Players can now earn up to 6,000 Competitive Points by completing Competitive Drive Stages, enough to unlock 2 Jade or Golden Weapon Variants.

COMPETITIVE REWARDS

As the 2024 Competitive Year concludes, Season 14 is the last chance to redeem Competitive Points for Jade Weapon Variants. After Season 14 is complete, any accumulated Competitive Points will be converted to Legacy Competitive Points which can be redeemed for Golden Weapon Variants. Jade Weapon Variants will not be available to collect starting in Season 15.

HERO UPDATES

These hero balance updates only apply to our standard game modes and not the 6v6 Experiment or Overwatch Classic.

TANK

Ramattra

Developer Comment: Ramattra has been underperforming relative to other brawl tanks. Adding a small increase to his armor will provide a necessary boost without altering his core gameplay.

Base Armor increased from 75 to 100

Winston

Developer Comment: Winston’s dive potential has been impacted by the increased health pools of enemies. By boosting the damage of the Tesla Cannon’s secondary fire and providing more ammo, this will allow Winston to follow up and finish off enemies without needing to reload as often.

Tesla Cannon

Ammo increased from 100 to 120

Secondary fire max charge damage increased from 50 to 60

Primal Rage

Ultimate ability cost increased by 12%

Hazard

Developer Comment: We’re finding our newest tank’s mobility to be a little too hazardous. By decreasing Violent Leap’s cooldown, Hazard will have to be more selective with how he dives into the opponent backlines.

Violent Leap

Violent Leap cooldown increased from 5 to 6 seconds.

DAMAGE

Echo

Developer Comment: Echo has been slightly underperforming recently, so we are increasing the base damage of the Focusing Beam. This change will make it easier to push enemies into the critical health threshold.

Focusing Beam

Damage-per-second on targets above 50% HP increased from 50 to 75.

Tracer

Developer Comment: Tracer has remained less threatening since the damage reduction to her Pulse Pistols. Reducing their spread will make her damage more consistent at slightly longer ranges.

Pulse Pistols

Spread decreased by 15%

SUPPORT

Ana

Developer Comment: Recent changes to her rifle have made Ana a highly impactful support. Reducing the damage of her Biotic Grenade will adjust some of her breakpoints and slightly affect her self-sustainability.

Biotic Grenade

Explosion damage and healing decreased from 90 to 75.

Illari

Developer Comment: lllari can struggle to heal allies without her Healing Pylon. Increasing the maximum resource of her secondary fire will allow her to support her team more effectively during those moments.

Solar Rifle

Secondary Fire Maximum resource increased from 3 to 3.5 seconds.

Juno

Developer Comment: Juno’s ultimate remains too powerful when used effectively by her allies. Reducing both the duration and damage amplification will reduce the potency of the ultimate.

Orbital Ray

Duration reduced from 10 to 8 seconds

Damage amplification reduced from 35% to 30%

BUG FIXES

GENERAL

Fixed an issue where competitive titles will sometimes unequip after a logout.

MAPS

Circuit Royal

Fixed an issue which now prevents turrets from being placed inside the sportscars.

HEROES

Bastion

Fixed in previous release, fixed an issue causing Bastion’s Ultimate to not have impact sounds or VFX.

Hazard

Fixed an issue where Hazard’s Jagged Wall projectiles would pass through certain player made objects such as Cryo-Freeze, Ice Wall, Petal Platform.

Sombra

Fixed an issue where Sombra’s EMP can sometimes fail to hit opponents if they had previously interacted with Jagged Wall.

Zenyatta

Fixed an issue causing Zenyatta to T-Pose with the “Retro Hero” emote.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

Overwatch 2 – Ver. ???

Release date: January 7th/8th 2025
Patch notes:

Hero Balance Updates

These hero balance updates only apply to our standard game modes and not the 6v6 Experiment.

Tank

Hazard

Spike Guard

Damage reduction is reduced from 75% to 65%.

Duration reduced from 3.5 to 3 seconds.

Damage

Sojourn

Railgun

Time before energy degeneration begins decreased from 12 to 9 seconds.

Widowmaker

Widow’s Kiss

Scoped shots no longer benefit from global projectile size increases.

Additional notes: none.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment

How to download updates for Overwatch 2 for the Nintendo Switch?

To download the updates for Overwatch 2, you have three options:

let the console do its thing if you have automatic downloads activated, and didn’t completely turn it off

If not…

try to launch the game from the Home Menu while being connected to the internet. You should get a prompt when doing so: simply follow the instructions on screen;

select the game > press either + or – to go to the Options page > select Software update > select Via the Internet.

To check that you have the latest version installed, simply select the game on the Home Menu, and press – or + to go to the Options: the version number is displayed just below the game title.