The Overwatch 2 development team has shared a new blog post that details day-one balance changes coming to the game on launch.
The blog detailed balance changes for several heroes and gave developer commentary on many of them with the goal of explaining the team’s rationale behind each change. Some of the biggest changes came to Junker Queen, whose Commanding Shout ability was deemed too strong. The health bonus it grants allies will be reduced from 100 HP to 50 HP, its duration will be decreased from five seconds to three, and its cooldown will be increased from 11 seconds to 15. The developers hope these changes will make using the ability “more deliberate” and less spammable.
On the flip side, Orisa received some strong baseline buffs. Her base health will be increased from 250 to 275, her base armor will be increased from 250 to 275, and her Energy Javelin cooldown will be reduced from eight seconds to six. The development team noted that she’s one of the hardest heroes to balance, citing her “in-your-face” playstyle and her extremely low win rate during Overwatch 2’s beta. Their goal with these buffs is to help her feel more active on the frontlines of battle.
Junker Queen and Orisa weren’t the only heroes who received adjustments. D.Va, Baptiste, Sombra, and Bastion saw minor buffs, while Sojourn and Brigitte were nerfed. Mercy received quality-of-life changes related to her “super jump” Guardian Angel adjustments during the game’s second beta. A handful of general hero category changes are coming as well: all heroes will now refund up to 30 percent ultimate power when their player swaps to a new hero, and all damage heroes will now receive 25 percent increased reload and movement speed for 2.5 seconds upon getting a kill.
Check out the blog post for a full list of balance changes. Overwatch 2 is set to launch on Oct. 4.
