After a year ofOverwatch, the most recent event and patch has been released this week. As a celebration for the millions of players who have bought and played Overwatch, this event allows players to collect over 100 Anniversary-themed rewards. These rewards include new skins, dancing emotes, voice lines, sprays, and player icons.
All standard loot boxes are converted into Anniversary loot boxes allowing players to obtain the new goodies. In addition, there are three new Arena maps that can be found in the Arcade. This event will end on June 12th so ensure you are playing consistently if you want to earn them all.
Overwatch New Patch Analysis
Simultaneously, the newest patch was released; it contains several character tweaks with numerous various bug fixes with some new changes to the kill feed. Having read through and played the changes, here’s an analysis of what they all mean for the meta.
Genji’sattack delay has been removed in hopes for him to be able to get in the action as soon as he finishes climbing. Genji has seen more time in the meta now since triple tank isn’t run as frequently as it was. Now teams like to run the triple DPS team composition involvingTracer, Genji, andPharahand with this slight tweak to Genji, players should be able to be more aggressive.
Hanzoalso has gotten the same removal of an attack delay after climbing, in addition to having his means of damage speed increased by 10% making his charge attack a quick release and being slightly more deadly. He can now keep his charged arrow ready while he is climbing. Hanzo has always been in an awkward spot as there aren’t many “good” Hanzo players and the character itself is viewed as a throw character. My experience with Hanzo after this patch is still uncertain as while both quick play and competitive has been littered with Hanzos, the results are still inconsistent. Players rather play him than a character that can better assist the team.
Orisahas been released for a short time and is already getting some changes. In order to be a better “main” tank, her barrier cool down will be lowered from 12 seconds to 8 seconds; meanwhile, her source of damage will be diminished by 9%. I still consider Orisa to be only be good in the Nepal Sanctum because of her mini graviton ability. Not to mention the fact, Orisa gets hard countered by Pharah which is probably the most picked DPS Hero. I’ve been seeing more Orisa play in games, but unfortunately, it’s not up to the hopes I have for her.
Reaperhas finally gotten a buff but I’m unsure who thought of this adjustment. Using Reaper’s Wraith Form now reloads his ammo similarly to Mccree’s Roll. Whenever I use the Wraith ability it is to regroup with my team after dealing damage or getting a kill. While I’m retreating I am always low on health, not ammo, so this new change has me confused. I would have rather seen movement in wraith form increased by 10% allowing players to retreat more quickly or perhaps a heal effect to promote Reaper’s deadly presence rather than ammo.
Reinhardt’sEarthshatter has taken a 1 meter nerf now making his ultimate ability less likely to climb objects as high as it used to be. This change is mostly minuscule and should not affect things much unlike the next hero change.
Soldier 76has been in the meta since his damage was boosted several patches ago. His damage is unparalleled compared to his burst fire counterpart McCree. An average Soldier will be the equivalent of a high tier McCree and Soldier’s kit edges out McCree when players are deciding to choose a DPS character. However, in this patch, Soldier 76’s bullet damage was lowered to 19 from 20. A top tier Soldier should still pump out damage by head-shotting his entire clip with help from his helix rocket.
While this change seems negligible, this indirectly buffsPharahandMercyin tandem. Players go double hitscans to counter Pharah while she is being pocketed by a Mercy and in top tier play, Pharah will most likely win this clash. Ever since Pharah received that jetpack hover boost in conjunction with Mercy’s 1 second health regain, Phar-Mercy has been a deadly combo in both console and PC. Hopefully we can see some changes in the future affecting Pharah, Mercy, and McCree.
As far as lingering issues, unfortunately, theSymmetrateleporter glitch is still not patched along with theSombraemote decloaking “trick” so be wary in competitive play. That wraps up the analysis, read on for the full patch notes:
Custom Games and Game Browser
General Hero Updates
Soldier: 76
UserInterface Updates
Custom Game Browser
Competitive Play
The free weekend begins today so you’re able to test all of these changes and experience the event for yourself! Enjoy the event and good luck on the battlefield. If you have any tips or analysis of your own, be sure to share them in the comments!
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