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Overwatch patch 1.14: Deathmatch, new map, buffs for Junkrat, Orisa, Roadhog, Widowmaker

Patch-1.14-Article

The latest version of Overwatch is now complete and has been taken off the PTR. The undoubted highlight is the addition of deathmatch modes to the Arcade, but there’s also a new map, and four heroes get a bit of a boost. Read on for a full breakdown.

Here’s what’s next for Overwatch

Overwatch Patch 1.14 Release Date

Patch 1.14 has been taken off the PTR. When this happens, it gets pushed to live when the next PTR goes up, which is usually the following Tuesday. That would be August 29, so expect patch 1.14 to go live then, sometime between 18:00 and 20:00 BST.

Game director Jeff Kaplan sayswe can expect a new PTR “this week or next with the next patch.” That patch will bring Mercy and D.Va changes – check our embryonic 1.15 update post for the details so far.

In the meantime, patch 1.14 is now complete. Read on to learn how Overwatch is about to change.

Overwatch Patch 1.14 hero changes

It’s all buffs, no nerfs in patch 1.14, as four underperforming heroes get some love.

Junkrat

  • Concussion Mine
    • Junkrat can now hold two mines
  • RIP-Tire
    • Tire’s movement speed increased 30%
    • Tire no longer has a time limit when climbing walls

With two mines (plus a possible third if he’s planted one), Junkrat is now more flexible, especially if using mines for mobility. The RIP-Tire buff is intended to let it connect more often, and reduce the time Junkrat is vulnerable while controlling it.

Orisa

  • Fusion Driver
    • Projectile speed increased by 20%
  • Protective Barrier
    • Barrier size increased by 20%
    • Barrier shape changed to allow for more coverage from enemies that are beneath it

The projectile speed boost helps Orisa’s consistency at longer ranges, while the barrier buff makes her more effective at what a tank is supposed to do – protect the team.As you can see, the extra 20% size counts for a lot – Orisa’s barriers can now comfortably cover a payload’s frontage. Reddit seems to be enjoying it.

Roadhog

roadhog_overwatchpatch

  • Take a Breather
    • Roadhog can now move at full speed, and receives 50% less damage, while using Take a Breather.

Blizzard and the community agreed that Roadhog was in a bad spot after the nerf to his hook-one shot combo. To balance this out, he’s gotten a significant buff to his survivability, enabling him to be more aggressive when seeking targets. Here’s principal designer Geoff Goodman on the change.

Widowmaker

  • Grappling Hook
    • Cooldown reduced to 8 seconds from 12
  • Venom Mine
    • Widowmaker can now see affected targets through walls

If you’re good at landing charged headshots, Widowmaker has no damage problems at all. The rest of her kit is intended to help her mobility and threat awareness, and Blizzard reckon it’s underperforming in this regard right now.

Overwatch Patch 1.14 Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes

Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch have been added to the Arcade on the PTR. If you know shooter nomenclature, you know what they are already: Deathmatch is an eight-player free-for-all that ends when one player scores 20 points. Killing blows on an enemy are worth one point, and one point is lost for self-inflicted deaths.

Team Deathmatch follows the same rules, except it’s two teams of four and a score limit of 30 points. If a player is resurrected before they respawn, the point for their death is deducted from the enemy score.

These new modes can be played on the following maps:

  • Hanamura
  • Horizon Lunar Colony
  • Temple of Anubis
  • Volskaya Industries
  • Dorado
  • Eichenwalde
  • Hollywood
  • King’s Row
  • (TDM only) Black Forest
  • (TDM only) Castillo
  • (TDM only) Ecopoint: Antarctica
  • (TDM only) Necropolis

Several maps have been modified to fit these modes, and a brand new one has been added:

Overwatch Patch 1.14 New Map: Château Guillard

Château Guillard is located near Annecy in southeastern France. For hundreds of years, it was the estate of the influential Guillard family, until it gradually fell into disrepair after the family’s power waned in the decades after the Revolution. Recently, the château has found a new owner: the Talon agent Widowmaker, who has returned to her family’s ancestral home.

For more details on the new map, and to watch some gameplay, check out our announcement story.

Overwatch Patch 1.14 Crosshair Outline Opacity

You can already change its colour and opacity, but if you’re still having issues getting your crosshair exactly right, you’re getting even more control: in patch 1.14 you can change the opacity of the crosshair’s black outline. Because that’s what’s been holding you back from Grand Master, obviously.

Overwatch Patch 1.14 Bug Fixes

And finally, it’s not a patch unless some bugs get squashed.

General

  • Fixed a bug that occasionally required the Capture Point progress bar to progress past the second tick mark before being activated

Heroes

  • Fixed a bug that could cause D.Va’s black ejection screen to briefly reappear after being ejected from her mech
  • Fixed a bug causing D.Va’s Light Gun to use the wrong texture while outside of her mech when the Junker skin was equipped
  • Fixed a bug that caused D.Va’s hair to stand straight up on the Hero Select screen when her Cruiser was equipped
  • Fixed a bug causing the lights on the back of Doomfist’s gauntlet to incorrectly indicate full ammo when his Hello emote was activated
  • Fixed a bug that prevented the area-of-effect circle for Doomfist’s Meteor Strike from being visible to all players
  • Fixed a bug preventing the height from Doomfist’s Meteor Strike from being high enough to reach certain locations
  • Fixed a bug that was preventing Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from connecting with enemy players that were moving up an incline
  • Fixed a bug that caused Hanzo’s arrow to disappear when his Meditate emote was active
  • Fixed a bug preventing Orisa’s “Overclocked” achievement from being granted, even after the criteria was met
  • Fixed a bug causing Sombra’s teeth to be visible while her Stealth ability was active when her Los Muertos skin was equipped
  • Fixed a bug causing Sombra’s reload animation to play even when interrupted

Maps

  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations on Ecopoint: Antarctica
  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to see past the map’s background on Black Forest
  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations on Black Forest
  • Fixed a bug that caused the announcer to say “Traveling to Dorado” when joining Castillo
  • Fixed a bug that prevented some equipment (vents, pipes, etc.) from properly connecting to the walls of the power plant on Dorado
  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations on Hanamura
  • Fixed an issue that caused sprays to display incorrectly on the crane on the Horizon Lunar Colony
  • Fixed a bug that could cause A.I. heroes to get themselves stuck while traveling to the Well Capture Point on Ilios
  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations on Ilios
  • Fixed a bug that allowed players to reach unintended locations on Oasis
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Pharah’s Jump Jet from recharging while perched on doorframes in Oasis
  • Fixed a bug that prevented doorframes from being visible and lacking collision on the Practice Range

User Interface

  • Fixed a bug in the Options > Controls menu that prevented the asterisk (which normally indicates that changes have been made) from being removed from the hero’s dropdown after controls have been set to default
  • Fixed a bug causing the Back button to disappear when scrolling through the list of available games in the Game Browser
  • Fixed a bug that prevented grouped players from appearing linked in the tab menu during a Custom Game

Phew. Here’s Blizzard’s official announcement over on the forums, and that’s your lot for the new PTR. What do you think of the hero changes? Are you enjoying Deathmatch? Sound off in the comments.