Blizzard Entertainment has released a new patch to the Overwatch Public Test Realm. These changes and fixes can be tested by players before they send it to the live servers. If you want to take part in public testing, you'll have to go into your Blizzard app and select the PTR from the drop-down menu where you can choose your region. You can read the full patch notes by going here. Alternatively, you can read on to find the biggest fixes and changes found in this patch.
First off are the two Shimada brothers. Both Hanzo and Genji have the ability to run up walls. Previously, you had to wait a short while after climbing something before you regain the ability to attack. This new change removes that short delay so you can start fighting the moment you're done with climbing a structure. This will give some extra mobility to the two heroes and will make climbing a more viable option in fights.
Hanzo's bow has been buffed, increasing the bow's charge time by 10%. Arrows you've kept charged while climbing (i.e. holding the primary fire button while you're climbing) can be immediately fired as soon as you stop climbing.
Decreasing Hanzo’s draw time gives him more overall DPS, while also letting him fully charge an arrow and more quickly return to full movement speed when needed. And, like the change to Genji’s wall climbing, this is a quality of life change that will make climbing feel better.Orisa's primary fire has been nerfed by 15% and the cooldown for her Protective Barrier has been reduced from 12 seconds to 8.
To help Orisa maintain the front line for her team, we’re reducing the cooldown of her Protective Barrier. This change also helps her reposition the barrier more easily when needed. To compensate for this new defensive strength, we're reducing her Fusion Driver's damage, as it felt too high.Everyone's favorite Hot Topic patron Reaper has also been getting a few buffs. Due to Reaper's relatively low health and high damage output, this hero is best suited for quick in-and-out assassination jobs, and a slightly too slow extraction usually means death for the masked assassin. Starting with this patch, Reaper's Wraith Form, which allows him to escape any situation unharmed, will completely refill your ammo, allowing you to fight off anyone who decides to follow you while you try to escape.
Wraith Form is typically used as an escape ability after firing. This change gives Reaper a fighting chance if an enemy chases him down as he uses it.Then there's Reinhardt's Earthshatter nerf that lowers the effective height of the ultimate from 3 meters to 2 and will no longer hit targets that are higher than 2 meters away from where the hammer came down. Soldier: 76 has also gotten a slight nerf that decreases bullet damage from 20 to 19.
Some unlisted changes include Mercy's rez showing up in the kill feed, some changes to Roadhog's hooking ability, some new voice lines for several heroes, and a change where Hanzo's ultimate arrow can no longer be fired through walls, with the dragons spawning after the first wall hit.
What do you think of the new fixes and changes on the Overwatch PTR right now? Let us know in the comment section below!
