Blizzard is preparing Overwatch patch 1.41, which the developer is describing as a "remaster" of sorts. For this reason, the download for the PTR will be larger than usual. Blizzard is tweaking 13 heroes in this update. Most of the changes seem relatively small, but they can have a huge impact on how they're played moving forward.
D.Va
Defense Matrix
- Regeneration rate increased from 12.5% to 16% per second
- Delay before regeneration begins lowered from 1 second to 0.75 seconds
Orisa
Protective Barrier
- Cooldown increased from 9 to 10 seconds
Roadhog
Scrap Gun
- Ammunition increased from 5 to 6.
Sigma
Kinetic Grasp
- No longer blocks Chain Hook and Whip Shot
Gravitic Flux
- High gravity effect duration reduced from 1.2 to 0.9 seconds
Experimental Barrier
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- Regeneration rate reduced from 175 to 150 per second
- Now has a 1 second cooldown after recalling the barrier
- Initial 0.2 second cast time removed
Winston
Barrier Projector
- Duration increased from 6 to 9 seconds
- Health increased from 600 to 700
Baptiste
Immortality Field
- Health decreased from 250 to 200
Lucio
Crossfade
- Speed boost’s effect increased from 20% to 25%
Amp It Up
- Speed boost’s amplification increased from 50% to 60%
Wall Ride
- Speed buff reduced from 40% to 30%
Mercy
Valkyrie
- The extra beams created by Valkyrie now ignore enemy barriers
Moira
Biotic Grasp
- Self-healing reduced from 30 to 20 health per second
Doomfist
Rocket Punch
- Time to reach max charge increased from 1 to 1.4 seconds
The Best Defense…
- Shield health gained per hit reduced from 35 to 30
Sombra
Translocator
- Cooldown increased from 4 to 6 seconds
- Cooldown now begins immediately upon deploying the beacon or if it is killed by an enemy
Symmetra
Photon Barrier
- Duration reduced from 15 to 12 seconds
- Health reduced from 5000 to 4000
Sentry Turret
- Damage per second reduced from 50 to 40
Photon Projector
- Players impacted by the primary fire beam should now hear a louder impact sound
Tracer
Pulse Pistols
- Damage falloff now starts at 13 meters, up from 10 meters
Bug Fixes
General
- Fixed a player profile issue preventing hero win percentages from being displayed for competitive arcade mode seasons
Brigitte
- Fixed a bug with Brigitte’s Rally checking line of sight from her feet instead of from her head
- Fixed a bug with Inspire’s position being affected by the player’s aim pitch
Doomfist
- Fixed a bug that allowed Doomfist to use Meteor Strike before taking impact damage from Sigma’s Gravitic Flux
Sigma
- Fixed a bug that allowed Sigma’s Gravitic Flux to ignore line of sight through some ceilings
Sombra
- Fixed a bug with EMP’s position being affected by player’s aim pitch
Winston
- Fixed a bug that caused Winston’s Barrier Projector to not consistently play its destroyed visual effects
As is always the case with PTR updates, none of these changes are guaranteed to reach the live servers. Though, we suspect most of them will based on Blizzard's track record. When the final update comes out, expect Blizzard to have more to say with developer comments included with each hero.
As the former head of PC Gamer's hardware coverage, Bo was in charge of helping readers better understand and use PC hardware. He also headed up the buying guides, picking the best peripherals and components to spend your hard-earned money on. He can usually be found playing Overwatch, Apex Legends, or more likely, with his cats. He is now IGN's resident tech editor and PC hardware expert.