Overwatch’s 1.30 patch is now complete. Before BlizzCon it was a smaller, polishing patch, making a number of tweaks to a few off-meta heroes, namely Reaper, Roadhog, and two of Blizzard’s most recurring thorny problems, Mercy and Symmetra. None are too radical, but all should help these heroes perform more consistently. For example: Reaper’s spread pattern was adjusted to give him more damage at close range, but that didn’t work, so it’s been adjusted again.
With Blizzard’s annual party and an accompanying update behind us, though, it’s one of the biggest patches of the year so far, introducing a new hero who’s already becoming a fan favourite. Hero 29 is Ashe, a versatile damage hero with one of the best effective ranges in the game and the ability to summon her adorable omnic companion, Bob, as an ult. Bob essentially functions as a seventh teammate in that he is able to capture objective points and even push payloads.
These changes are now final and, indeed, live – Overwatch version 1.30 is now complete. Read on to learn the current state of the game.
OVERWATCH PATCH 1.30 RELEASE DATE
Patch 1.30 is out now! And our prediction of a release on Tuesday, November 13, turned out to be correct. Everyone’s happy. The below changes are now in the live game.
Ashe
Overwatch patch 1.30 new hero: ashe
Overwatch’s 29th hero, Ashe, was revealed at BlizzCon 2018. She was added to the PTR with the accompanying November 5 update and is now playable on the rest realm. Ashe is a versatile offensive hero with one of the best ranges in the game right now, able to outdistance both McCree and Soldier: 76. She also has tools for crowd control, mobility, and burst damage.
Her primary weapon is the Viper, a lever-action rifle with two firing modes: semi-automatic and aim-down-sights. In semi-automatic mode, the Viper shoots rapidly with a high spread. Aiming down the sights lets Ashe line up precise shots, increasing damage at the expense of speed. Her Coach Gun is a short-range, high-impact sidearm that deals big damage and clears the way by knocking back nearby enemies. Ashe can also use it to knock herself back, perhaps to reposition for a clear shot, or to escape pursuing enemies.
Ashe can also throw a bundle of Dynamite, which will detonate after a delay. It deals damage in a wide radius and sets enemies on fire for additional damage over time. Ashe can also shoot the dynamite to detonate it early, allowing her to damage unsuspecting enemies. Ashe’s ult is B.O.B., which will send Ashe’s loyal omnic companion, Bob, rushing into the fray. On his initial deployment Bob will shove aside the frontline, after which he’ll come to a halt and spray damage around to rough up targets in the backline. Bob is a seventh teammate in many essential respects – he has a big health pool, can capture points and even push the payload.
Hero changes
OVERWATCH PATCH 1.30 HERO UPDATES
There’s no major rework this patch, but several off-meta heroes are getting a little boost to bring them up. Confirmed for buffs or adjustments so far are Mercy, Reaper, Road Hog, and Symmetra, but all heroes are affected by this general change:
- Made jump height consistent across hero roster
Mercy
Valkyrie
- Ultimate cost decreased by 15%
- Healing per second increased to 60 (from 50)
Developer Comments: Mercy’s ultimate was charging a bit too slowly after her base healing was reduced in a previous update. These changes should restore some of her ultimate’s strength and let it build up more quickly.
Reaper
Hellfire Shotguns
- Spread randomisation decreased by 50%
- Update, October 31: spread pattern adjusted
Developer Comments: This is the second component of Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns adjustments (the prior one reduced spread randomization by 50%). This change brings a couple of Reaper’s pellets from the outer ring into the middle ring and reduces the amount of empty space between rings when firing from further distances.
The Reaping
- Life-steal increased to 30% (from 20%) of damage dealt
Developer Comments: Reaper’s specialty is fighting at a very close range. The more consistent spread pattern and increase in healing from his passive ability will make him more capable of standing toe-to-toe with his enemies.
Roadhog
Chain Hook
- Decreased the delay before pulling a hooked target to 0.3 seconds (from 0.5 seconds)
- Now greatly reduces the target’s momentum upon being hooked
- Cooldown now begins immediately, instead of after the target has been pulled
Scrap Gun
- Spread pattern adjusted for both primary and secondary fire
- Spread randomisation decreased by 50%
Whole Hog
- Knockback maximum velocity increased to 10 meters per second (from 8)
- Horizontal recoil decreased slightly
Developer Comments: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook’s cooldown now begins immediately upon use, it no longer varies based on Roadhog’s distance to the target. We’ve also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we’ve increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.
Symmetra
Photon Projector
- Primary fire beam charges 20% faster
Developer Comments: It’s still difficult to use Symmetra’s Photon Projector beam effectively, even after its range was increased. By speeding up the primary fire charge rate, it takes less time to ramp up to its full damage potential and will be a stronger option when she’s presented with targets to charge up on.
General updates and bug fixes
overwatch patch 1.30 GENERAL UPDATES
- Made changes to improve game stability
- Update, November 5: removed ‘unlock all’ option in the Hero Gallery
Audio
- An option to use Windows Spatial Audio is now available.
- This feature can be found in the Windows Start Menu under Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound > Speaker Device > Spatial Sound
Developer Comments: Since launch, we’ve supported Dolby Atmos for players who use headphones, and we’re now expanding this support to include the Windows 10 implementation for spatial audio. Spatial audio is configured in the Windows 10 sound settings and will take priority over the settings in the game client. This will allow for more options, including settings for Windows Sonic Headphones, Dolby Atmos for Headphones, and Dolby Atmos for Home Theater.
OVERWATCH PATCH 1.30 Map UPDATES
- Reduced the setup timer for Assault, Escort, and Assault/Escort maps to 45 seconds (from 1 minute)
- Assemble Your Team timer increased to 25 seconds (from 10) in the second round on Assault, Assault/Escort, and Escort maps
OVERWATCH PATCH 1.30 BUG FIXES
As ever, plenty of bugs are getting squashed in the latest Overwatch patch. Read on for a full list:
A.I.
- Fixed a bug that caused Mei bots to attempt landing headshots on Wrecking Ball while he was immune to them in Roll mode
- Fixed a bug that caused bots to get stuck near Point A on Eichenwalde
Hero Gallery
- Fixed an issue that caused some heroes legs to twitch when viewed in the Hero Gallery
- Fixed a bug that prevented players from rotating heroes in the Hero Gallery while the UI was hidden
Maps
- Fixed a bug that prevented the payload from healing attackers if they were damaged while pushing it on Assault/Escort and Escort maps
- Fixed a lighting issue that caused a skyscraper in Hollywood’s skyline to appear pitch black
Social
- Fixed a bug that allowed players to hear the voice lines of heroes controlled by players they muted
Game Browser and Custom Games
- Fixed a bug that prevented the payload from healing attackers if they were damaged while pushing it on Assault/Escort and Escort maps
- Fixed a lighting issue that caused a skyscraper in Hollywood’s skyline to appear pitch black
Brigitte
- Fixed a bug that prevented Brigitte’s Whip Shot from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
Doomfist
- Fixed a bug that prevented victims of Doomfist’s Rocket Punch from ragdolling if they were eliminated by it
- Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut from damaging enemies
- Fixed a bug that prevented Doomist’s Seismic Slam from dealing damage if he hit by a knockback ability the moment he landed
Junkrat
- Fixed a bug that caused Junkrat to return to his idle animation if he was stunned while using RIP-Tire
Lúcio
- Fixed a bug that caused some allied heroes to say their “under attack” voice lines when receiving a friendly Sound Barrier
Orisa
- Fixed bug that prevented Orisa’s Fortify from canceling Doomfist’s Rising Uppercut air control effects
Reinhardt
- Fixed a bug that allowed Reinhardt’s Earthshatter to hit Brigitte when she blocked it with her Barrier Shield if she was strafing during high latency periods
Roadhog
- Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from going on cooldown if it was interrupted before the chain retracted
- Fixed a bug that prevented Chain Hook from destroying breakable objects when pulling the target backward
- Fixed a bug that caused Roadhog’s Whole Hog visual effects to cover a wider area than the spread of projectiles
Symmetra
- Fixed a bug that prevented Symmetra to charge up her primary weapon on enemy ice walls
Torbjörn
- Fixed a bug that prevented Santaclad Torbjörn’s ultimate voice lines from playing when activating Molten Core
- Fixed a visual issue that prevented Molten Core’s magma globules from appearing in the correct place with his Barbarossa or Blackbeard skins equipped
- Fixed an animation issue that caused Torbjörn’s claw arm to suddenly appear when Overload and Molten Core were used in quick succession
Tracer
- Fixed an issue that caused Tracer to accelerate slightly slower and decelerate slightly faster than other heroes
Wrecking Ball
- Fixed a bug that prevented Wrecking Ball voice lines from playing when previewed after opening a Loot Box
Zarya
- Fixed a bug that allowed heroes to charge through a Graviton Surge without getting trapped