Overview of Recent Changes
- The cost of Hazard’s Ultimate was raised by 13% in the latest Overwatch 2 hotfix aimed at hero balancing.
- Sojourn’s Railgun damage has been decreased, and adjustments were made to energy generation from her Overclock ability.
- This hotfix demonstrates Blizzard’s Rapid Balance Update feature, first implemented in Season 13.
A newly released Overwatch 2 hotfix has made significant adjustments by increasing the Ultimate cost for Hazard and nerfing both Sojourn’s damage output and the energy generation from her abilities. These modifications respond to the enhancements both characters received during Overwatch 2 Season 14, which commenced on December 10.
With the arrival of Season 14, Overwatch 2 introduced a variety of hero balance adjustments. Among these changes were notable buffs, especially for Sojourn, whose Railgun damage was amplified. Hazard, introduced in this season as a tank hero, experienced a broad expansion of his abilities, enhancing his overall effectiveness.
The recent hotfix aims to recalibrate the strengths of these heroes. The adjustment to Hazard’s Ultimate, specifically an increase of 13% in the cost of his Downpour ability, means that his Ultimate will be less accessible, slightly prolonging its deployment time. Simultaneously, Sojourn’s nerf includes a reduction in her primary fire’s damage output by one, a 20-point decrease in energy generation from her Overclock ability, and a removal of energy generation from her Disruptor Shot.
This hotfix aligns with Blizzard’s innovative Rapid Balance Update mechanism, which allows the team to implement quick balance changes outside of the regular schedule of monthly patches. This approach enables developers to quickly respond to shifts in hero performance and player feedback, which is critical for maintaining a balanced gameplay experience.
In a recent statement, Alec Dawson, lead gameplay designer for Overwatch 2, provided insights regarding the ongoing adjustments in Season 14. He noted that Hazard has landed on the “safe side of strong,”with the intent to moderate his overperformance. Meanwhile, Sojourn was acknowledged as enjoying a favorable state, despite previous nerfs aimed at reducing her impact among varying ranks. Notably, other heroes, including Ashe, Cassidy, Reaper, and Widowmaker, have seen increasing popularity, while Reinhardt, Mercy, Kiriko, and Ana are among those being played more frequently. Conversely, characters like Orisa, Mauga, Roadhog, and Juno have lost traction in the current meta.
Tank – Hazard landed fairly well, safe side of strong. Originally had some similarities to Winston on Console (hard to turn around, affects how well he does) but that has picked up. – Bottom 3 tanks are Orisa, Mauga, Roadhog. Orisa buff intended to keep her low and it did. — Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) December 16, 2024
Damage – Hitscan slightly down in lethality due to radius nerf. – Sojourn at one of her strongest states since launch, but don’t see the gulf in performance that used to exist between low and high ranks. – Torbjorn is an outlier on Console and at low ranks, keeping an eye on it. — Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) December 16, 2024
Support – Not too much change here but Mercy/Kiriko/Ana continue to gain in popularity as Juno continues to have a downtrend. – Lucio survivability up despite dps passive increase, his crossfade buff more than making up for it. — Alec Dawson (@GW_Alec) December 16, 2024
The patch notes also clarify that replay codes from the December 10 update will not be reset due to the hotfix. However, a separate bug fix is scheduled for December 19, which will erase all existing replay codes from Season 14. Players eager to retain their gameplay highlights, particularly those featuring Hazard and others since the launch of Season 14, should be sure to record their replays before the scheduled patch.
Overwatch 2 Season 14 Hotfix – December 16, 2024
Balance Adjustments
This hotfix addresses important hero balance changes. Replay codes from the December 10 patch remain intact.
HERO BALANCE CHANGES
TANK
- Hazard
- Downpour
- Ultimate cost increased by 13%.
- Downpour
DAMAGE
- Sojourn
- Railgun
- Primary fire shots-per-second reduced from 16 to 15.
- Disruptor Shot
- No longer generates energy.
- Overclock
- Energy charge rate reduced from 120 to 100 per second.
- Railgun
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