Brigitte and Moira were also buffed with the latest update.
Ahead of a larger update coming later this month, Overwatch 2 has received a new update introducing mid-season balance changes for tank/support heroes, such as Junker Queen, Zarya, Brigitte, and Moira. Players should not expect to see a large number of changes or adjustments in this update, as it serves as a preparation for the next one that will be released before February.
The update introduces a new seasonal mode, Battle for Olympus, which allows players to fight for the throne of Olympus as one of the seven gods and monsters from Greek mythology in a team deathmatch. Each god and monster has their own unique divine power that can be used as the ultimate ability.
The mid-season update also brings changes to some tank and support heroes to make them more appealing to players. Junker Queen has her carnage ability reduced by two seconds for each enemy it impacts. Additionally, her Jagged Blade ability will add a 30-damage wound to the struck target with thrown direct impacts.
Zarya is another tank hero to be buffed with the new update, as she received changes to her energy ability that reduce energy degeneration. As for support heroes, Brigitte has her barrier shield health increased from 250 to 300, and Moira can now restore a small amount of biotic energy by dealing damage with biotic orb.
“Today’s balance patch is a bit lighter than usual because some of its planned changes were pulled forward to the mid-December patch. Also, a friendly reminder that the scheduled changes to Roadhog are not part of today’s patch and are slated for mid to late January.” Overwatch 2 Director Aaron Keller teased the upcoming update. You can check out the official patch notes below for further details:
New Seasonal Event: Battle For Olympus FFA
In this free-for-all Deathmatch mode, battle for the throne of Olympus as seven powerful gods and monsters from Greek Mythology, each with a unique Divine Power that kicks in when they use their ultimate ability. The most valiant contenders in the Battle for Olympus will have the chance to earn limited-time voice lines and player titles, to brag about their accomplishments for all eternity. At the end of the event, the hero whose powers were used to secure the most eliminations across all matches will be crowned the new ruler of Olympus!
Competitive Play
- The 2023 season of Competitive Capture the Flag begins on January 10 and can be found in the Competitive Play menu
- The Competitive Play loading screen has been updated
Hero Updates
Junker Queen
Adrenaline Rush
- Now heals for the remaining wound damage when an enemy dies with wounds on them
Carnage
- Cooldown is now reduced by 2 seconds for each enemy it impacts
Jagged Blade
- Thrown impact damage reduced from 80 to 50
- Thrown direct impacts now add a 30 damage wound to the stuck target. Stacks with wounds caused by Quick Melee or returning Jagged Blade hits.
Zarya
Energy
- Energy degeneration reduced from 2.2 to 2 per second
- Delay before energy degeneration begins after gaining energy increased from 1 to 2 seconds
Brigitte
Barrier Shield
- Health increased from 250 to 300
Moira
Biotic Orb
- Dealing damage with Biotic Orb now restores a small amount of Biotic Energy
Bug Fixes
General
- Fixed a bug with Souvenirs being incorrectly placed on Ramattra
- Fixed an issue with Kiriko’s Ofuda displaying black textures during her Whirlwind emote
- Fixed an issue with Reaper’s animations when ending his ‘Take a knee’ emote
- Resolved an issue with placeable abilities (turrets, mines) floating after the destructible environment they were placed on was destroyed
- Fixed an issue that resulted in some users seeing a black screen as their Main Menu background
- Fixed a bug that caused “Group Up” to say “I’m on my way” in unintended circumstances.
- Fixed an issue on some consoles that resulted in blurry graphics
- Fixed an issue where some players were not able to invite across certain consoles
- Fixed some performance issues in the Hero Gallery on Console platforms
- Resolved an issue where Daily Challenges were not rolling over for some users
- Fixed an issue where the end-of-game ‘DRAW’ text would not appear for players if a colorblind setting was active
- Resolved an issue with ‘Invite to Custom Game’ not appearing as an option in the Social Menu
Maps
Watchpoint Gibraltar
- Fixed some areas that allowed players to escape the map boundaries
Shambali Monastery
- Fixed some areas where players could become stuck
- Fixed some areas where some abilities could be ‘eaten’ by the environment
- Fixed lighting and geometry in several areas across the map
Heroes
Bastion
- Fixed an issue where Bastion’s sound effects could loop at the location of death
- Fixed an issue where Bastion’s whole screen would turn yellow when healed by a Brigitte Repair Pack
Kiriko
- Fixed a bug with Swift Step in Capture the Flag that would send the Flag to the destination instead of dropping it where the ability was activated
Mercy
- Fixed Mercy’s Guardian Angel sometimes allowing her to escape Ramattra’s Ravenous Vortex
Ramattra
- Fixed an issue with missing assets on Ramattra’s Hero Information page
- Fixed an issue with Ramattra’s Primary Fire effects not displaying the correct amount of projectiles for other players
- Ramattra should now play rumble effects on gamepads/controllers
- Ramattra can no longer have more than one barrier active at a time. Note: This could not happen in standard modes, only Custom Game or modes with low cooldowns
Tracer
- Fixed an issue where Pulse Bomb would not damage Tracer if it was ‘Stuck’ to an enemy
