New Overwatch Hero Baptiste Out Now, Numerous Characters Changed In Patch

Overwatch's new hero, Baptiste, is out now for everyone on PS4, Xbox One, and PC as part of a new update. As with all new characters, Baptiste had been available on Overwatch's PTR for testing, but players on all platforms can now give him a try. Like Overwatch's other post-release characters, he's free--and his release comes alongside numerous changes to the existing roster of characters. Read on for an overview of Baptiste and some of the other key changes in this patch.

Baptiste is Overwatch's 30th hero. A combat medic who serves as a support class in Blizzard's hero shooter, his primary weapon is the Biotic Launcher, which is a burst-fire rifle that fires three rounds at a time. His secondary fire heals allies.

He is also capable of jumping extra high thanks to his powerful Exo Boots. Additionally, Baptiste wields an "Immortality Field" that creates a field that keeps his allies alive, while he also has an "Amplification Matrix" that doubles damage and healing effects.

Baptiste is part of the latest update for Overwatch. Blizzard has released the full patch notes, and they tweak various parts of the game, including several of the game's other characters. Junkrat gains damage to the impact of his weapon, while his Rip-Tire Ultimate now will take longer between uses.

"Junkrat is one of the best barrier and tank busters in the game, and this change will help solidify this role," Blizzard explained. "This doesn’t change the Frag Launcher’s explosive damage, which remains at 80. The total damage for direct impact is now 130, up from 120. Since we increased Frag Launcher’s damage output, Junkrat builds his ultimate too quickly. We’re increasing the cost of his ultimate to balance this change with his increased damage-dealing capabilities."

Doomfist sees the cooldown reduced on two of his abilities (Rising Uppercut and Seismic Slam), Hanzo's Sonic Arrow has its range increased, and Moira's healing is improved, among others. Lucio, Mei, Junkrat and others all sees adjustments as well, while Orisa is now slowed less when firing.

One change that impacts many of the characters involves how armor works. "The damage taken by armor from damage over time effects, such as Widowmaker’s Venom Mine, and beam weapons, like Symmetra’s Photon Projector, varied greatly," Blizzard explained. "Now it will be more consistent and predictable."

Here's how that's outlined in the patch notes:

• Beam-type damage is now reduced by 20% when hitting armor
  • Mei: Primary Fire
  • Moira: Alternate Fire, Coalescence
  • Symmetra: Primary Fire, Sentry Turret
  • Winston: Primary Fire
  • Zarya: Primary Fire
• Damage over time effects are no longer mitigated by armor
  • Ana: Primary Fire
  • Ashe: Dynamite
  • Hanzo: Dragonstrike
  • Mei: Blizzard
  • Moira: Biotic Orb
  • Widowmaker: Venom Mine
  • Zarya: Graviton Surge

Check out the video in the embed above to see Baptiste in action.