Blizzard released a much-needed quality of life patch today for Overwatch. While the notes are somewhat slim, the changes from the new Overwatch patch might make a bigger difference than you think. Here are some of the highlights of the new patch, will full patch notes provided below.
For starters, the increased payload speed in the Eichenwalde map is an interesting development. With this change, this map will have a faster payload move speed than that of other hybrid/escort maps. It should serve as a nice balance change for the map. The community has criticized Eichenwalde for being difficult on the offensive side. This is due to the proximity of a spawn room to the last capture point. Hopefully, the change pays off for teams coordinating a successful attack.
The other note that stands out is the bug fix that stops players from obtaining higher skill ratings than their actual rating. For obvious reasons, this was a necessary change. The bug created unfair matchups in games.
Finally, some players were apparently complaining about Mercy hogging the spotlight. The new Overwatch patch will now show fewer Plays of the Game featuring her Resurrection ability.
The full patch notes taken from Battle.net are below.
GENERAL UPDATES
General
- Players should now see fewer Plays of the Game featuring Mercy’s Resurrection ability
- Increased payload speed on Eichenwalde
USER INTERFACE UPDATES
General
- A new Competitive Tier legend has been added to the Competitive Play info screen
- A new Match Complete splash screen has replaced the former Round Complete splash screen in competitive matches
BUG FIXES
General
- Fixed a bug which prevented the Triple Kill announcement from being played after a kill streak of 3 or more
- Fixed several issues causing some players obtain a skill rating that’s higher than their actual rating
Note: A very small number of people were affected by these issues, but those who were affected will have their skill rating adjusted appropriately
Heroes
- Fixed a bug causing the wrong arrow to be shown on Hanzo’s bow, or disappear entirely (the correct arrow would still be fired)
- Fixed a bug preventing Junkrat’s RIP-Tire from receiving credit for kills, achievements, and other stats
Maps
- Fixed a bug allowing Reaper to Shadow Step to unintended locations on Hollywood