Overwatch update 1.41: Balance changes to 13 heroes on the way

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The patch is currently on the PTR and requires a larger download than usual.

(Image credit: Blizzard)

Blizzard is preparing Overwatch patch 1.41, which the developer is describing as a "remaster" of sorts. For this reason, the download for the PTR will be larger than usual. Blizzard is tweaking 13 heroes in this update. Most of the changes seem relatively small, but they can have a huge impact on how they're played moving forward.

D.Va

  • Regeneration rate increased from 12.5% to 16% per second
  • Delay before regeneration begins lowered from 1 second to 0.75 seconds

Orisa

Protective Barrier

  • Cooldown increased from 9 to 10 seconds

Roadhog

Scrap Gun

  • Ammunition increased from 5 to 6.

Sigma

Kinetic Grasp

  • No longer blocks Chain Hook and Whip Shot

Gravitic Flux

  • High gravity effect duration reduced from 1.2 to 0.9 seconds

Experimental Barrier

  • Regeneration rate reduced from 175 to 150 per second
  • Now has a 1 second cooldown after recalling the barrier
  • Initial 0.2 second cast time removed

Winston

Barrier Projector

  • Duration increased from 6 to 9 seconds
  • Health increased from 600 to 700

Baptiste

Immortality Field

  • Health decreased from 250 to 200

Lucio

Crossfade

  • Speed boost’s effect increased from 20% to 25%

Amp It Up

  • Speed boost’s amplification increased from 50% to 60%

Wall Ride

  • Speed buff reduced from 40% to 30%

Mercy

Valkyrie

  • The extra beams created by Valkyrie now ignore enemy barriers

Moira

Biotic Grasp

  • Self-healing reduced from 30 to 20 health per second

Doomfist

Rocket Punch

  • Time to reach max charge increased from 1 to 1.4 seconds

The Best Defense…

  • Shield health gained per hit reduced from 35 to 30

Sombra

Translocator

  • Cooldown increased from 4 to 6 seconds
  • Cooldown now begins immediately upon deploying the beacon or if it is killed by an enemy

Symmetra

Photon Barrier

  • Duration reduced from 15 to 12 seconds
  • Health reduced from 5000 to 4000

Sentry Turret

  • Damage per second reduced from 50 to 40

Photon Projector

  • Players impacted by the primary fire beam should now hear a louder impact sound

Tracer

Pulse Pistols

  • Damage falloff now starts at 13 meters, up from 10 meters

Bug Fixes

General

  • Fixed a player profile issue preventing hero win percentages from being displayed for competitive arcade mode seasons

Brigitte

  • Fixed a bug with Brigitte’s Rally checking line of sight from her feet instead of from her head
  • Fixed a bug with Inspire’s position being affected by the player’s aim pitch

Doomfist

  • Fixed a bug that allowed Doomfist to use Meteor Strike before taking impact damage from Sigma’s Gravitic Flux

Sigma

  • Fixed a bug that allowed Sigma’s Gravitic Flux to ignore line of sight through some ceilings

Sombra

  • Fixed a bug with EMP’s position being affected by player’s aim pitch

Winston

  • Fixed a bug that caused Winston’s Barrier Projector to not consistently play its destroyed visual effects

As is always the case with PTR updates, none of these changes are guaranteed to reach the live servers. Though, we suspect most of them will based on Blizzard's track record. When the final update comes out, expect Blizzard to have more to say with developer comments included with each hero.

Bo Moore
Bo Moore

As the former head of PC Gamer's hardware coverage, Bo was in charge of helping readers better understand and use PC hardware. He also headed up the buying guides, picking the best peripherals and components to spend your hard-earned money on. He can usually be found playing Overwatch, Apex Legends, or more likely, with his cats. He is now IGN's resident tech editor and PC hardware expert.