Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – July 19, 2018

Overwatch PTR Patch Notes – July 19, 2018

A new Overwatch patch is currently in development and now available for testing. To share your feedback or report and issue, please post in the PTR Feedback or PTR Bug Report forums.

Please note that the below patch notes only include changes currently available for testing on the PTR. While many of these changes will also be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in a future patch, the PTR is PC-only and therefore will only reflect changes coming specifically to that platform.

GENERAL UPDATES

General

  • Changed the name of Junkrat’s Buccaneer skin to Bilgerat
  • Added under attack voice lines for Zenyatta, Lúcio, and Moria

Hero Gallery

  • Added a What's New input that displays new unlockable content

Looking for Group

  • Settings will be saved after changing filters on the Looking for Group browse screen

HERO UPDATES

General

  • Channeled and transformation ultimate abilities now restore ammunition after completion for some heroes
    • Channeled abilities affected: Junkrat’s RIP-Tire, Pharah’s Barrage, Roadhog’s Whole Hog, and Zenyatta’s Transcendence
    • Transformation abilities affected: Genji’s Dragonblade, Winston’s Primal Rage

Developer Comments:The change removes the need to immediately reload after a long duration ultimate.

Ana

  • Nano Boost
    • Now also instantly heals the target for 300 health

Developer Comments:This change should give Ana the flexibility to use her ultimate in a wider variety of situations.

Brigitte

  • Shield Bash
    • Cooldown increased from 6 to 7 seconds

Developer Comments:Slightly increasing the cooldown will give Brigitte’s opponents more opportunity to play around her Shield Bash ability.

Doomfist

  • Rocket Punch
    • No longer impacts Symmetra’s teleporter
    • Now destroys Symmetra’s sentry turrets without stopping his movement

Developer Comments:These changes are just quality of life improvements for how Doomfist interacts with Symmetra’s placeables.

Hanzo

  • Lunge
    • Cooldown increased from 4 to 5 seconds

Developer Comments: Hanzo’s Lunge ability allows him to be very evasive, the increased cooldown should make him slightly easier to catch.

Moira

  • Biotic Grasp
    • Passive energy regeneration rate increased from 2 per second to 2.4 per second

Developer Comments: This gives Moira a bit more healing to work with in situations with no enemy targets available.

Lúcio

  • Crossfade
    • Aura radius increase from 10 to 12 meters
  • Sound Barrier
    • Temporary shields granted increased from 500 to 750

Developer Comments: Increasing the amount of shield health gained from Lucio’s Sound Barrier should make it more effective against incoming burst damage. The increased aura radius will help keep more allies within his heal and speed range.

Mercy

  • Caduceus Staff
    • Healing beam reduced from 60 healing per second to 50 healing per second

Developer Comments: Mercy’s previous healing output made her nearly impossible to replace in any team composition. Even after these changes she will still be able to deliver more healing over the course of a match than any other support hero. This change should allow for other healers to be a more viable pick.

Sombra

  • General
    • Reduced the size of Sombra’s head hit volume

Developer Comments: This is mostly a bug fix, as her head hit volume was abnormally large, especially from behind. Previously if you fired at her from behind near her upper spine, you could land a head shot. Now her head volume is much more accurate.

Reinhardt

  • Barrier Field
    • Decorative insignia no longer protrudes from the shield’s surface

Developer Comments: By smoothing out Reinhardt Barrier Field, he will be able to consistently block enemy abilities and projectiles (e.g. Junkrat’s grenades).

Widowmaker

  • Grappling Hook
    • Cooldown increased from 8 seconds to 10 seconds

Developer Comments: The increased cooldown will slightly reduce the frequency that Widowmaker can reposition herself.

Zarya

  • Energy
    • Drain rate reduced from 2 per second to 1.6 per second
  • Graviton Surge
    • Radius reduced from 8 to 6 meters

Developer Comments: With the reduced Energy drain rate, Zarya should be at higher energy on average resulting in more overall damage and quicker ultimate charge times. We’ve also decreased the wide area of Graviton Surge, so players are more able to aid allies without being pulled in as well.

BUG FIXES

Competitive Play

  • Fixed a bug that could cause players to lose an endorsement level if they exited before a match completes, but after the return timer for a leaving player has expired