Junker Queen is getting a hefty nerf ahead of Overwatch 2 Season 1

Overwatch 2 is finally almost here and ready to launch. The game has been a long time coming, and there have been numerous issues along the way that have divided the fanbase. One consistent positive that always unites the Overwatch community is the addition of new playable heroes, and Overwatch 2 is not lacking here. Sojourn, Kiriko, and Junker Queen are joining the fray, but developer Blizzard has now confirmed that Junker Queen is getting hit with a nerf before Overwatch 2 is even out.

In a new blog post, Blizzard goes into depth about its new seasonal model and the changes it’s making to the heroes. When it comes to the Junker Queen, her Commanding Shout ability has seen some substantial changes in Overwatch 2. The health bonus to allies is only 50 hp now, as opposed to the previous 100 hp. The duration has also gone down from 5 seconds to 3 seconds. Additionally, the temporary health it provides won’t decay over time, and the cooldown time has increased to a total of 15 seconds.

After beta feedback and gathering data from professional levels of play, Blizzard believes “the temporary health granted by Junker Queen’s Shout ability has proven too strong overall and enabled a dominating team composition at the very upper ranks of play.”

The post goes on to say, “Reducing the health gain and duration while increasing the ability’s cooldown are intended to reduce the overall power of this ability and make its use more deliberate and less forgiving. We’ll continue to monitor Junker Queen’s performance and win rate, as well as broader player sentiment in the weeks following launch.”

Heroes are changing

Fans of the original Overwatch will remember how long they had to wait for the addition of new heroes. That said, Blizzard plans to be more consistent this time around. A new nine-week seasonal model will update the game with new modes, maps, and heroes at regular intervals, and the developer has stated that it wants to release a new hero every other season.

Blizzard is also changing things up for its legacy heroes. Orisa has seen a health buff, while D.VA and Baptiste have seen slight damage buffs. For a full list of hero changes check out the official post. Overwatch 2 will launch into early access on October 4.