The next big patch for Overwatch, aka the Doomfist, Mei, and Sombra patch, is out now! There are big changes to Sombra, and smaller ones to Doomfist and Mei, in line with director Jeff Kaplan’s recent comments about Mei not needing a significant rework. Thanks to a recent dev update, we know Blizzard are testing some big changes to Hanzo, and have their eyes on Torbjorn and Symmetra further in the future, but none of that is in this patch, unfortunately. Now that it’s out, here’s the full patch notes!
Stage one of the Overwatch League is complete, and the teams are bracing for the impact of balance changes and trades. Get caught up with our OWL stage two preview.
Overwatch Patch 1.20 release date
The patch is out now! Your Battle.net client should be downloading it as we speak.
Overwatch Patch 1.20 hero changes
Doomfist
Hand Cannon
- Ammo recovery rate increased from 0.8 to 0.65 seconds per bullet.
Comments from lead designer Geoff Goodman: “this change will help Doomfist more consistently be able to use his weapon as part of his combos.”
Mei
Endothermic Blaster
- Freeze (slow) duration increased from 1 second to 1.5 seconds
- Alternate fire ammo cost reduced from 25 to 20
Goodman: “increasing Mei’s slow duration helps her freeze targets that are particularly elusive, such as Genji or Lúcio. Lowering her alternate fire ammo cost allows her to more safely use it without costing her the ability to freeze enemies.”
Sombra
EMP
- No longer blocked by small objects (e.g. sign posts)
Hack
- No longer gains ultimate charge from health pack healing
- Cast time reduced from 0.8 to 0.65 seconds
- Now also disables the following abilities:
- Genji’s double-jump
- Hanzo’s wall-climb
- Pharah’s hover jets
- Lúcio’s wall-ride, healing boostandspeed boost (mutes current song)
- Mercy’s angelic descent
Machine Pistol
- Bullet spread reduced from 3 to 2.7
Opportunist
- Enemy health bars are now visible when health drops below 100% (formerly 50%)
- Ability to detect enemies through walls at 50% or less remains unchanged
Translocator
- Duration increased from 15 to 20 seconds
Goodman: “The goal of these changes for Sombra is to remove the necessity for her teammates to take damage and heal themselves with her hacked heath packs to try to get her ultimate charged up quickly. Her ultimate will now come up less often, but there are more abilities that are disabled by Hack so it is more effective when used. Previously, Opportunist would only activate when an enemy’s health bar dipped below 50% but now the passive will reveal all damaged enemies in her line of sight which should help Sombra identify targets to pick off. Overall these changes should make her more effective and less reliant on her ultimate.”
Overwatch Patch 1.20 Map Changes
Blizzard World
- Some health pack sizes have been reduced
- Some health pack locations have been changed
- Additional health packs have been added
Developer comments: “Health packs are a valuable resource in Overwatch and positioning around them is key to holding ground on defense or keeping up momentum on offense. We have moved the location of some health packs and included additional ones to improve game play on Blizzard World.”
Overwatch Patch 1.20 User Interface Changes
Mercy
Valkyrie
- No longer shows enemies’ health bars unless they have taken damage
Goodman: “This helps remove some clutter from Mercy players’ screens when they use her ultimate.”