#owr-update

New map! Petra

Petra will be a map for 8 player deathmatch mode, which can be found in the arcade. The upcoming competitive mode: 8 player deathmatch will feature both this map as well as Chateau Guillard 

Geoff Goodman posted today with the official Symmetra rework which is live right now on the ptr

PRIMARY FIRE

“The biggest change to Symmetra’s primary fire is that it no longer locks onto enemies. This change, in turn, allows the weapon to deal significantly more damage and have increased range. While Photon Projector’s damage ramps up more slowly than previously, it also ramps down more slowly which makes it easier to maintain for the duration of a big fight”

Replaces Photon Projector

No longer locks onto targets

Range increased to 10 meters

Damage ramping (both up and down) now takes 2 seconds per damage level instead of 1 second

Damage ramp increased from 30/60/120 to 60/120/180

Now generates ammo instead of spending it when hitting barriers

SECONDARY FIRE

No longer pierces targets

Now explodes on contact

Projectile speed increased

Charge up speed increased

Damage changed to 60 impact / 60 explosive

ABILITY: SENTRY TURRET

Turret is now placed like a projectile instead of being set in place

Can hold a max of 3 now, down from 6

Can now deploy a max of 3, down from 6

Health increased from 1 to 30

Damage increased

Amount of slowing effect increased

ABILITY: TELEPORTER 

Can now place the exit up to 25 meters away from Symmetra

The entrance will automatically be built in front of Symmetra, rather than at her team’s spawn point

Lasts 10 seconds

Health lowered to 300

More things can teleport through it, such as Junkrat tire and D.Va’s exploding mech

Entrance can now be destroyed

* If either the entrance or exit dies, the other is removed

ULTIMATE: PHOTON BARRIER

Deploys a barrier that is big enough to span and cut through an entire map

Orientation can be changed by pressing the ultimate button again

Has 5000 health

Lasts 15 seconds

To see video examples, you can look at the source (x) where there are short videos showcasing the new abilities

Overwatch Free weekend coming soon November 17-November 20

If you or a friend have ever wanted to test out Overwatch without spending the money, this weekend is the time. 

Developer Update: Happy New Year

Recaps events of last year (until 1:30)

States that team has many things prepared for 2018

Overwatch League Skins

Beginning of Overwatch League

New Maps:

Blizzard World

Great new maps in the works

New Heroes

Hero 27 is almost ready! 

States that the hero is a ton of fun to play, and they want to get it right before releasing it.

The team is already thinking beyond hero 27

Working towards improving competitive play

Looking for good short term fixes to help competitive play

Removing performance based sr for diamond and above players (viewed as short term)

Long term Change: Evolve view on competitive play overall (still being determined)

Continue story development

Mentions Winston’s recall and the heroes’ responses to that (going to be mentioned in both comics and cinematics)

Event: 

Lunar New Year: Year of the Dog

Significant content that players will be very happy with

Other vague changes based on player feedback

Uprising

States that uprising should return for players who have never played it

BUT it is going to evolve 

The development team has many “big ideas” that will be fun

Anniversary Event

Dance emotes will return

Non Event Lootbox

End of January

Tons of new content

Developer Update: MAJOR PTR CHANGES

WARNING: some of these changes are meta shifting and will nullify some of the older professional strategies 

Lunar new year patch accidentally patched in some changes meant for the ptr

not fully finished and not all of the changes made it

Hero Changes:

Mei:

Increase duration of freeze

from 1 second to 1.5 seconds

Will give Mei more chances to fully freeze enemies

Secondary fire (icicles) will require less ammunition to fire

increased amount of icicles per reload

Sombra:

Hacked health packs no longer provide ultimate charge

Done to decrease frequency of EMP (ultimate)

Move ultimate generation solely to damage done

Changed gun (not specified)

Sped up hack time

Hack affects passive abilities (Genji’s double jump, Mercy’s guardian angel, Pharah’s hover jets)

Time increased on translocator (not specified how much added)

Doomfist:

Primary fire (hand cannon) ammo recover rate is now faster

Next ptr patch:

Hanzo:

looking for completely new ability

possible rapid succession arrows

up to 5 arrows at high fire rate

horizontal leap

allows Hanzo to leap forward, back, left or right to disengage or engage 

On list but not in patches

Symmetra:

not specified

Torbjorn:

how to make him more viable and more accepted

Why these changes matter (not in video)

Mei:

Mei’s changes allow her to become a more viable character on the competitive ladder, allowing her to zone out and successfully destroy flankers (Genji/Tracer)

SOMBRA! (Reaper voice: somBRAH)

Destroys perception of her as a viable off healer

Drastically decreased ultimate buildup

Changes playstyle completely 

No incentive to actually hack health packs to help team

Somehow increase stigma against Sombra one-tricks on the ladder 

Mei, Hanzo, and Torbjorn:

Defense heroes are classified from their high dps output and zoning capabilities. If tweaked too much, a defense hero could either become “over powered” or unplayable. All three of these heroes are already controversial to pick on ladder and changing them could seriously change the meta for non professional players. 

What do you think about these changes?