Overwatch PTR: Thoughts on Patch 1.23.0.0

So, the latest PTR update (or just update, depending on when you’re reading this) introduced a plethora of changes, including a slight Hanzo rework that a lot of people have been waiting for. As of writing this, the current PTR build is still being updated every now and then, so instead of listing down the changes, let’s talk about some of them one at a time.

Maps

Let’s start off with the new map, Rialto. It’s an escort map based in Venice, and it’s essentially an edited version of the map used in the Retribution event. So far, the map looks like it has a lot of high ground and open spaces (it does get pretty narrow at certain parts though), making it very favorable towards sniper players. Rialto’s still a work-in-progress, with additional health packs being added to it the other day, among a few other tweaks. Don’t be surprised if they make a few more minor changes before it goes live.

Aside from that, they seem to be currently working on some major changes for Horizon Lunar Colony. A player managed to check the map out through a custom game, and Blizzard confirmed that this was an unintentional addition to the current PTR build and that it's far from final. This is something that the community has wanted for a while now, though whether or not this will solve people's issues with it remains to be seen.

Some Minor Adjustments

A bunch of heroes were tweaked in this patch, with a few of them receiving some slight nerfs. First, we have Brigitte, who had her Shield Bash cone reduced. While this may read like a nerf, I’d say that it’s more of a fix that benefits both her and her enemies. Basically, Brigitte players now have to be a little more precise if they want to connect with Shield Bash, but it also makes it harder for them to accidentally hit someone they would’ve otherwise whiffed.

Similar to that, Genji also had his Deflect hitbox size reduced. According to the patch notes, this was done mostly due to how it could sometimes deflect objects far away from him.

Junkrat’s RIP-Tire speed was reduced by one and the projectiles from his primary fire had their sizes decreased by a bit. It’s safe to assume that this will make his damage a little more inconsistent than it already is, especially since one of Junkrat’s strengths is that he can just spam nades at a chokepoint, hoping that he’ll hit someone.

Lastly, we have Tracer, who received her first ever nerf since the game’s launch. All they did was reduce Pulse Bomb’s damage by 100, which should make it harder for her to bust tanks. It’s still a fast-charging ult that can instantly kill most of the roster, so I personally think she’ll be fine.

Lucio

Surprisingly, Lucio was given a couple of buffs in this update. First of all, they changed his wall ride so that Lucio players can now latch on to the same wall they just jumped out of, as long as they land “far enough away” from their original position. Not only will this make wall riding easier in general, but it’ll also allow players to recover from mistakes that would’ve caused them to fall straight to the ground. They also made it possible to go around corners while wall riding.

This is a welcome change that lowers the skill floor for Lucio while also raising his skill ceiling at the same time. In addition to that, they also made it so that Soundwave no longer consumes ammo, which seems a bit unnecessary.

Hanzo

Hanzo received two new abilities and a few buffs in this patch. His primary fire’s projectile speed has been increased by quite a bit, and Sonic Arrow was balanced to have a smaller radius and shorter duration in exchange for a way shorter cooldown.

His first new ability is Lunge, which allows him to lunge towards any direction while he’s in the air. This extra mobility lets him both engage and escape encounters that he previously would have some difficulty with, and this may make him somewhat viable against dive comps now. As of writing this article, some players have discovered that it’s possible to “double dash” off walls, which seems to be an unintentional mechanic that may or may not be fixed in the near future.

His other new ability is Storm Arrows, which replaced his old Scatter Shot. With Storm Arrows active, Hanzo can rapidly shoot 6 fully-charged arrows that deal reduced damage. If used right, this can easily kill most of the roster with ease, and I can imagine that it’s going to be a great tool against anyone trying to flank him.

Conclusion

Overall, I personally like the changes in this patch, though it does feel like Junkrat might struggle a bit if this goes live. As for Rialto, it’s looking like a decent map so far, though we’ll most likely have to wait until it goes live to see its definitive ups and downs.

What do you think? Do you love or hate these changes? What about the new map? Let us know in the comments below!

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