Blizzard has released the patch notes for a Stadium balance hotfix applied toOverwatch 2on July 24. The patch affects the abilities of fourOverwatch 2heroes: D.Va, Freja, Mei, and Juno. The changes made in the July 24 hotfix are meant to supplement a larger mid-season patch released on July 22, just days before.
TheJuly 22 patch forOverwatch 2marked the halfway point for Season 17 and brought a number of changes to the game’s hero balancing, systems, and maps, namely New Junk City and Suravasa Flashpoint. Heroes D.Va, Freja, Mei, and Juno all received a power-up for one or more of their abilities, as did coreOverwatch 2characters Reinhardt, Winston, Bastion, Hanzo, Junkrat, Widowmaker, and Zenyatta. The update also added Loot Box rewards for players who queue up with friends, with Stadium matches counting twice toward each milestone. With the July 24 hotfix specifically affecting Stadium games, diligent players will want to pay close attention to the recent changes to have an edge on the competition.
Blizzard posted the retail patch notes for the July 24 hotfix balance update, which solely applies to theOverwatch 2Stadium game mode. Of the four heroes affected by the hotfix, D.Va and Mei had their abilities nerfed, while Freja and Juno both received buffs. The damage D.Va is required to take before automatically firing Micro Missiles with her Defense Matrix has been increased from 100 to 150, and Mei’s Slowball will now only decrease enemies' speed by 15% instead of 30%. Freja’s Bola Build was strengthened to keep up with her Weapon Power builds by increasing the effectiveness of her Lille Faelde Power and the duration of her So Cooked Power, while the critical hit damage bonus of Juno’s Medimaster Power was buffed to a 1.5 multiplier.
None of the changes made in the recent hotfix affect those made in the July 22 patch. Notably absent from the update is a fix for therecently disabledOverwatch 2map Midtown, which was removed from the map pool in the Unranked and Competitive game modes due to an issue with cars becoming invisible on lower graphics settings. Blizzard has still not provided a timeline for the map’s return as of this writing.
With Season 17 at the halfway point, fans have a little over a month left before Season 18 releases on August 26, bringing abrand new support hero toOverwatch 2. Water-themed rebel Wuyang promises to make waves when he premieres alongside the new season, with Blizzard teasing that the healer/damage hybrid will be difficult to master.
TANK
D.Va
Developer Comments: Micro Missile build has been delivering consistently high damage output, often exceeding expectations in both burst and sustained fights. This update tones down its effectiveness slightly to bring it more in line with other build options, while still preserving its core playstyle and impact.
DAMAGE
Freja
Developer Comments: Freja’s Bola Build has been underperforming, especially when comparing to Freja’s more dominant Weapon Power builds. We’re increasing the power here to add more build variety for Freja.
Mei
Developer Comments: Slowball has been effective at disrupting enemies, but the slow was a bit too punishing for how easy it was to apply. We’re reducing the slow strength to make it less oppressive while still rewarding accurate shots and smart use of Mei’s secondary fire.
SUPPORT
Juno
Developer Comments: Medimaster wasn’t quite delivering the payoff expected for a critical-focused builds. This buff increases its crit multiplier to better reward precision and reinforce its role as a high-risk, high-reward option for skilled players.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
