Overwatch 2 season 16 midseason patch nerfs Sombra and buffs Reinhardt

Overwatch 2 now has its midseason patch for season 16 rolled out on May 20, and the update has nerfed Sombra and buffed Reinhardt.

This patch has also brought the Street Fighter 6 collab, featuring various skins, along with an in-game event with several challenges and rewards to earn.

All hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 season 16 midseason patch (May 20)

The highlight of this OW2 patch are Sombra’s nerf and Reinhardt’s buff.

According to the devs, Sombra’s “Invisibility is a frustrating mechanic to play against for many, so we’re increasing the windows for counterplay.” This DPS Hero now takes longer to exit stealth and to disappear after taking damage.

“Reinhardt generally does well across the game but falls off in effectiveness at high ranks,” they said. So, to counter that, the devs have increased the speed and responsiveness of Fire Strike to make it more reliable from a range.

Below, you can find the full breakdown of all hero changes:

Tank

Hazard

• Vault – Passive
  • Ledge climb animation time reduced from 0.6 to 0.4 seconds.
• Anarchic Zeal – Major Perk
  • Spike Guard’s Lifesteal is increased from 25% to 40%.

Reinhardt

• Fire Strike – Ability 2
  • Projectile speed increased from 25 to 30 meters per second.
  • Recovery time reduced from 0.63 to 0.45 seconds.

Damage

Freja

• Quick Dash
  • Cooldown increased from 3.5 to 4 seconds.

Genji

• Shuriken – Primary and Secondary Fire
  • Ammo reduced from 30 to 24.
  • Projectile speed increased from 60 to 75.

Hanzo

• Storm Bow – Primary Fire
  • Draw time reduced from 0.8 to 0.72 seconds.
• Sonic Disruption – Minor Perk
  • Health pack hack time increased from 12 to 30 seconds.

Pharah

• Drift Thrusters – Minor Perk
  • Movement speed while using Barrage reduced by 20%.
• Concussive Implosion – Major Perk
  • Distance pulled reduced by 50%.

Reaper

• Dire Triggers – Major Perk
  • Recovery reduced from 0.7 to 0.5 seconds.

Soldier: 76

• Stim Pack – Major Perk
  • Anti-heal removed. Now deals 75 self-damage on use.
  • Is now activated by using Weapon Swap.

Sombra

• Translocator – Ability 2
  • Fade in time increased from 0.15 to 0.3 seconds.
  • Stealth reveal duration on taking damage increased from 1 to 1.3 seconds.

Widowmaker

• Widow’s Kiss – Primary Fire
  • Maximum spread reduced from 3 to 2 degrees.
  • Damage increased from 13 to 14.
• Deadly Deux
  • Venom Mine’s bonus damage increased from 50% to 100%.

Support

Illari

• Solar Rifle – Secondary Fire
  • Range increased from 15 to 20 meters.

Lifeweaver

• Healing Blossom – Primary Fire
  • Auto-Charge rate increased by 25%.
• Superbloom – Major Perk
  • The number of hits to trigger reduced from 20 to 16.

Apart from that, several other items have been added to Overwatch 2. This includes the:

• Mythic Merciful Magitech Mercy weapon skin
• Overwatch Classic (October 2020 patch): Full 6v6 mode with returning balance changes, role queue, and heroes like Sigma, Echo, Baptiste, and more.
• Player Report Tool update: Players can now receive an instant notification if a player is already in action.

The Stadium mode also has a slew of updates. You can find it all on their official OW2 patch notes blog.