Prepare your Bastions: A new Overwatch patch just went live

Welcome to the Bastion Overwatch meta.

Well, maybe that’s an exaggeration. A new Overwatch patch just went up on the game’s live server—and a Bastion rework is one of the most anticipated changes. Mercy and D.Va both got buffs, with Symmetra and Torbjörn getting slight buffs on console.

The update also added the Overwatch server browser and a permanent capture the flag game mode.

Here’s what to expect when you log on.

Bastion

• Configuration: Sentry
• Reconfiguration time decreased from 1.5 seconds to one second
• Bullet spread increased by 50 percent
• Bullet spread always at maximum instead of the spread increasing as it’s fired
• Magazine size increased from 200 to 300
• No longer deals critical damage
• Configuration: Recon
• Bullet spread decreased by 25 percent
• Magazine size increased from 20 to 25
• Self-repair
• Able to be used while moving
• Bound to secondary fire
• No longer interrupted by taking damage
• A resource meter will control how often it’s used and will recharge when inactive
• Configuration: Tank
• No longer grants bonus armor
• New passive ability: Ironclad
• Bastion takes 35 percent less damage while in Configuration: Sentry or Tank modes

Though Bastion was trouble for many when Overwatch was first introduced, the hero has since been easily countered due to its immobility. Blizzard’s new adjustments are aimed at moving Bastion’s power more toward its Recon mode. Sentry is still powerful, especially versus tanks and barriers. “Overall, Bastion should feel stronger and more flexible with these changes,” Blizzard said.

D.Va

• Defense matrix
• Projectiles (like Roadhog’s hook or Tracer’s pulse bomb) no longer need to travel a minimum distance before they can be blocked

D.Va was previously unable to block projectiles from enemies that were standing too close to her, as there was a minimum distance the projectiles had to travel before being blocked by the defense matrix. Now, D.Va will always destroy projectiles with her defense matrix regardless of the distance they’ve traveled.

Mercy

• Resurrect
• Mercy is now temporarily invulnerable while reviving allies
• Caduceus staff:
• Zenyatta is no longer able to be targetted when Transcendence (his ultimate) is active

Mercy has needed some buffs for a while now—she’s just not as effective as some other healers. This adjustment is a buff to Mercy’s survivability while using her ultimate. We’ve seen Mercy joining the competitive meta more and more, especially when partnered with Pharah, but we’ll see if this adjustment is enough to bump her usage a bit.

Roadhog

• Scrap gun
• Spread decreased by 20 percent
• Chain hook
• Targets pulled to a location 3.5 meters away, up from two meters
• Cooldown increased from six seconds to eight seconds

Our poor boy Roadhog just can’t catch a break. This adjustment is intended to nerf his hook a little, but actually buffs the effectiveness of his gun when not using the hook.

Winston

• Critical hit volume reduced by 15 percent

Winston is a gorilla. He has a big head. His hit box for his head was abnormally big, Blizzard said, so he took more damage than he should have. This adjustment aligns him more with other heroes.

Symmetra and Torbjörn

• Symmetra’s sentry turrets on console
• Damage per second increased from 21 to 25.5
• Torbjörn’s build turret on console
• Damage increased from 10 to 12
• Torbjörn’s rivet gun on PC and console
• Ammo is now loaded earlier in the reload animation

Symmetra and Torbjörn had their damage nerfed on console in July. These adjustments are to restore 15 percent of the damage previously taken away.

Mercy, Sombra, Widowmaker, Zarya, and Zenyatta have all also received additional sensitivity controls to give players more customization options.

Competitive play

Blizzard will no longer display skill ratings that fall below 500 in competitive play. Some players have intentionally thrown matches to reach the “lowest attainable skill rating,” Blizzard said, and the developer doesn’t want to incentivize this behavior.

Map balance

• Respawn delay
• When attackers outnumber defenders while taking a control point on Assault, Escort and Assault/Escort maps, the defenders’ respawn time will slowly increase until it hits a maximum value or the defense manages to gain the upper hand.

Defenders on Assault, Escort, and combination maps often throw themselves at the point to stall an attack, Blizzard said. Typically, this isn’t a strategy that works, it just delays the attackers’ progress. Now, defenders will see their respawn time increase until it hits a “maximum value or the defense manages to gain the upper hand.” These stalling tactics are more likely to be wiped out with this change—and that’s something competitive players have been asking for.

• Eichenwalde
• A second gate no longer closes after the payload passes through the castle doors. Instead, rubble from the damaged doorway partially blocks the entrance.

Blizzard found that after the offensive team pushes past the castle entrance on Eichenwalde, the defensive team often gained an advantage. Overall map balance is targeted with this adjustment, allowing more entrances to the castle.

Overwatch’s competitive season four is also scheduled to start today, so you’ll want to get some game time in to practice on the new patch before then. Season four begins at 4pm PT (7pm ET), but the developer has not yet released any more details.