Overwatch Update Patch Notes: D.Va Nerf, Reaper Buff, And More

Blizzard has released the latest Overwatch patch, and of course the most exciting additions come in the form of cosmetics--including new Legendary skins--and a new limited-time co-op Brawl. But more meaningful to the game long-term are the balance changes, which are revealed in the full patch notes for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

New content related to Overwatch Archive 2018 event aside, there are several hero updates in this patch. D.Va receives a small nerf, as the explosive damage from Micro Missiles is reduced to 4 from 6 and Boosters now does less impact damage (10, down from 25). According to Blizzard, she simply could deal too much damage in a hurry as-is.

"D.Va's burst potential is a bit too high, so we're reducing the damage of her Micro Missiles and Boosters impact," Blizzard explained in the patch notes on its website. "Prior to this change, each missile dealt 3 impact damage and 6 explosive damage. We're reducing explosive damage from 6 to 4 but leaving the impact damage the same, the net result being 21% damage reduction."

Reaper also sees some changes, but for the better (assuming you like Reaper). Death Blossom now reloads his shotguns after it's used, and his Wraith Form gets some improvements. Its movement speed bonus has been increased to 50% from 25%, and the ability can now be canceled. "These changes help Reaper use Wraith Form more consistently as an escape, but they also open up new options, such as chasing down key targets," Blizzard said.

Another notable change involves Mei's Endothermic Blaster now being able to pierce through enemies--but not barriers like Reinhardt's shield. As Blizzard explained, "This change helps Mei combat multiple targets that are clumped up and makes it easier for her to keep freezing a specific target if another enemy gets in the way. This change also helps her ultimate more consistently freeze enemy targets, especially if they are near each other."

Brigitte, the game's newest hero, gets a new option for her Barrier Shield to be toggled on and off (rather than holding the key or button), while Zenyatta loses 15% of the fire rate on Orb of Destruction's secondary fire. "Zenyatta is meant to be able to deal a lot of damage, especially for a support, but his alternate fire burst damage was a bit too high," Blizzard said. "This change keeps the overall damage the same but lowers the DPS slightly and makes it harder to hit multiple shots at very long ranges."

Finally, Moira gets some attention, although purely in a cosmetic way. Blizzard has adjusted the transparency of her visual effects depending on how close they are to the camera.

Alongside all of this, the patch makes a wide variety of bug fixes. You can check out the new Retribution co-op mode in the video above--it's available until April 30, a decision Blizzard recently explained to us.