While most Ear Watch players were staring at the adorable Pachimaris, the developers were hard at work making more balance changes.
The PachiMarchi Challenge may be Ear Watch‘s big draw this month, but there is still work to be done behind the scenes. The live patch on March 11 brings all the experimental card changes from March 4 to the live servers.
Last week’s experimental map tested a number of small changes to damage traders such as Genji and Mei, which have the ability to achieve more balance during wild team fights. Reaper’s damage from the last direct patch was also withdrawn.
In addition, tank heroes like Sigma and Zarya have undergone some balance changes. Since both are still incredibly popular in the current meta of the game, it is important that players pay attention to how these changes will affect the game.
Here are the complete notes of Overwatch’s latest live update.
Damage hero changes
Genji
- The recovery of Shuriken decreased from 0.75 to 0.68.
- The final cost of Dragonblade increased by 15 percent.
“Shuriken’s lower recovery rate will” enable Genji to have a greater impact beyond its best, “the developers said. In many compositions, Genji is only played for its powerful Dragonblade Ultimate, which is often combined with Ana’s Nano-Boost or a Mercy damage boost for maximum effectiveness.
These changes allow Genji to have more influence on regular team fights. An increase in ultimate cost means players have to make better use of his abilities while Dragonblade charges.
May
- The cure per second of Cryo-Freeze increased from 37.5 to 50.
An earlier patch removed the possibility of May being targeted in her “ice block” form, officially known as Cryo-Freeze. This was a huge advantage for May players who got more time to avoid the rage of hostile players that would lock up before Cryo-Freeze was finished. But this lack of target also applies to allies who May could not cure in ice block form.
With this small increase, May can recover at a higher rate, so that she can regain full health (250 hp) within a maximum of five seconds, depending on the damage. May players can now be a little more adventurous because they know that Cryo-Freeze can land them in battle again faster.
Farah
- Hover Jet’s revival rate rose from 35 to 43.
Pharah has picked up developer lovers over the past few months not to be put off by fellow hero Echo. This change is an attempt to give her more buoyancy, while not giving her the freedom to ‘climb to the extreme heights that some ceilings allow, as it could lead to less interactive play’, the developers said.
Each increase in Hover Jet’s revival rate allows players to stay in the air longer and rain properly. Players also need to refuel “less frequently” by touching the ground.
Maggot
- Hellfire Shotguns damage per projectile increased from 5.5 to six.
The developers gave Reaper a review of the playing style in the live patch on Feb. 18, expanding the range of its primary weapon to make it more viable in team fights. The cost of this change was the projectile damage of his Hellfire rifles, which dropped from seven to 5.5. Feeling that the lack of damage was a problem, the developers pushed him back to a solid six damage per bullet.
Thinking change
Sigma
- Experimental cooling of Barrier reduced from 2.5 to two seconds.
As one of the most popular (and oppressive) tank heroes in the game, Sigma has been hit with the nerve stick several times in the past few spots. The biggest change was to his experimental barrier, the most important way he protected and protected himself and allies. An extension of the cooling time to 2.5 seconds was a bit, so developers are taking it back to two seconds.
It may seem trivial, but half a second can mean the difference between blocking a deadly attack or the final one and letting your team down.
Zarya
- The discharge rate of energy increased from 1.6 to 1.8 per second.
When heroes with high power and AoE damage, such as Ashe and Pharah, enter the meta, Zarya tends to regain popularity. The power of Zarya is due to her ability to absorb energy and damage it at high disks. This small nerve causes her energy to run off slightly faster between team fights or if she does not absorb damage directly. Zarya players will have to work a little harder to get their energy buzzing at 100 percent.
These changes now apply to everyone Ear Watch platforms including Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.