Overwatch 2 patch notes just pulled back on the recent crowd-control changes implemented at the start of Overwatch 2 season five. Blizzard has toned down the slow and hinder effects recently handed to Overwatch 2 DPS heroes Mei and Cassidy, but they’re still well-positioned to cause havoc for tank players in the multiplayer game.
The pair had some of their CC, or crowd-control, effects returned recently. Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller says that the removal of most crowd-control effects (anything that falls in the realm of slows, stuns, boops, freezes, and so on) in the transition from the first Overwatch “was a positive change to the game.” However, the team decided to return some CC effects to Overwatch 2 to help deal with the abundance of high-mobility heroes.
For Cassidy, this made the cowboy perhaps a little too dominant. His homing Magnetic Grenade is already very easy to land, and its new ‘hinder’ effect preventing all movement abilities made him a real menace, shutting down almost any hero with impunity. As a result, its seeking abilities are being reduced – a welcome change, for sure, but not one that will benefit tanks like D.Va, Winston, and Wrecking Ball who are basically one giant hitbox anyway.
Mei fell the other way – the return of her slow did give the frosty terror more utility, but she lost just a bit too much damage on her Endothermic Blaster to remain viable. As such, her maximum slow effect has been lowered, while a chunk of her damage is returning. Again, the real losers here are tank players – the new 40% slow is still plenty to prevent most characters from getting away, so don’t expect to suddenly outrun Mei’s clutches once more.
Lifeweaver also gets an improvement to his main offensive tool, Thorn Volley. With more ammo and a tighter spread, this feels like little more than a token olive branch handed to Lifeweaver players to help them out until his more dramatic overhaul arrives. There’s also the return of the Antarctica Peninsula and Paraíso maps after an Overwatch 2 FPS exploit saw both disabled while Blizzard addressed a game-crunching bug.
Overwatch 2 patch notes – Wednesday June 28, 2023
Cassidy
Magnetic Grenade
- Seeking radius lowered from 1.5 to 1.3 meters.
- Homing duration lowered from 1 to 0.75 seconds.
Mei
Endothermic Blaster
- Maximum slow applied by primary fire reduced from 50% to 40%.
- Primary fire damage per second increased from 55 to 70.
Deep Chill (Passive)
- Maximum slow applied when this effect activates reduced from 75% to 65%.
Lifeweaver
Thorn Volley
- Increased the number of projectiles to reach maximum spread from 0 to 20.
- Maximum ammo increased from 70 to 80.
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug with the competitive Titles not unlocking after earning them in the previous season.
- Fixed a bug with our audio that caused an issue with the “Team Radio” feature, and call outs from team members should now more accurately reflect their locations.
- Fixed in a previous update – Fixed a bug where the challenge requirement for games played in the “Flex Your Power” weekly challenge was incorrect.
Maps
- Fixed a location that allowed players to escape the spawn room on Paraíso and Antarctica Peninsula.
- Fixed an issue causing low FPS performance when specific heroes were in certain areas on Paraíso and Antarctica Peninsula.
- Fixed an issue with an Attacker’s spawn room that allowed the Defenders to enter on Watchpoint Gibraltar.
Heroes
- Doomfist – Fixed a bug with Rocket Punch that could result in not applying knockback during some heroes’ abilities.
- Mei – Fixed a bug with Mei’s Secondary Fire not dealing extra damage to slowed heroes if you swapped heroes during the match.
- Mei – Fixed an issue with Blizzard where enemies who had been frozen previously with Mei’s Endothermic Blaster would not freeze/remain frozen in the Blizzard.
With plenty lined up for Overwatch 2 Season 6, the next few months are looking to be a real make-or-break time for Blizzard’s FPS. For those of you checking it out, our Overwatch 2 tier list is a great place to get a feel for what’s performing well right now.