Overwatch Season 4 Midseason Patch Introduces D.Mon Buffs, Freja & Kiriko Nerfs, and More
The Overwatch Season 4 Midseason Patch arrives as we hit the halfway point of the season. The latest update introduces crucial hero balance changes for 20 heroes. Some are minor adjustments, while others are more substantial.
The newest hero, D.Mon, is among those buffed, with her mech's transformation now faster. Similarly, Baptiste's Immortality Field and Winston's Barrier Projector received some much‑needed improvements.
Jetpack Cat also received an interesting balance update. Enemies can now force Cat to drop a carried teammate using a stun or mobility‑locking ability. Additionally, her allies will now automatically accept Lifeline when over a death plane. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
On the nerf side, Zarya's Projected Barrier cooldown has been increased, Mauga's Chainguns' double‑firing potential has been reduced, and Zenyatta and Wuyang have seen their line‑of‑sight timeouts downtuned.
The heaviest nerfs, however, were reserved for Kiriko and Freja. Kiriko's Healing Ofuda is now 25% slower with reduced range, and her Suzu's invulnerability duration and range were also hit. Freja, meanwhile, saw her overall damage potential reduced through nerfs to her Crossbow, Take Aim, and Relentless Barrage perk.
There are plenty more changes to cover. Read on for the bigger picture.
Junkrat’s Loot Hunt
The popular in‑game event is set to return with a specially themed twist. Junkrat's Loot Hunt in Season 4 will run for three weeks, from September 12-29.
Widowmaker Mythic Skin
The midseason patch also introduced the Void Dancer Widowmaker Mythic skin. This marks the popular sniper hero's second Mythic skin, following Spellbinder, which arrived with Overwatch 2 Season 13 in late 2024.
The Void Dancer Widowmaker skin is now available for purchase in the in-game Shop using Mythic Prisms.
Hero Balance Changes
Tank
|
Hero |
Ability/Perk |
Change |
|
D.Mon |
Armor (6v6) |
Reduced from 325 to 300. |
|
Plasma Saber |
Damage reduced from 65 to 60. | |
|
Power Barrier |
Cast time decreased from 0.065s to 0.016s. Notches on side of shield reduced in size. | |
|
Call Mech |
Transformation duration has been reduced from 1.95 to 0.95 seconds. A new first-person bootup animation lasting 1 second has been added. | |
|
Portable Fusion Repeater |
Spread reduced from 2 to 1.75 degrees. Minimum falloff range reduced from 30 to 20 meters. | |
|
D.Va |
Health |
Mech base health increased from 175 to 200. (5v5) |
|
Domina |
Ultimate |
Cost reduced by 6%. |
|
Mauga |
Armor |
Base armor reduced from 150 to 125. |
|
Chainguns |
Maximum spread when firing a single gun reverted from 1.5 to 1 degree. Maximum spread when firing both guns increased from 4 to 5 degrees. Damage falloff minimum range when firing both guns reduced from 15 to 10 meters. | |
|
Winston |
Barrier Projector |
Cooldown reduced from 12 to 10 seconds. (5v5) Duration reduced from 8 to 7 seconds. |
|
Wrecking Ball |
Adaptive Barrier (Major Perk) |
Duration reduced from 1.5 to 1 second. |
|
Zarya |
Particle Barrier |
Cooldown increased from 11 to 12 seconds. (5v5) |
Damage
|
Hero |
Ability/Perk |
Change |
|
Anran |
Dancing Blaze |
Reduced the amount of visual effects enemies see when impacted by Dancing Blaze. |
|
Vermillion Revival |
Cast time reduced from 3 to 2.5 seconds. | |
|
Freja |
Relentless Barrage (Minor Perk) |
Refunded automatic bolts reduced from 8 to 5. |
|
Revdraw Crossbow |
Damage reduced from 30 to 28. | |
|
Take Aim |
Explosive Bolt explosion damage reduced from 80 to 75. Explosive bolt impact sound effects reduced. | |
|
Junkrat |
Nitro Boost (Minor Perk) |
Bonus speed reduced from 125% to 100%. |
|
Concussion Mine |
Cooldown reduced from 8 to 7 seconds. | |
|
Sierra |
Helix Rifle |
Weapon projectile speed increased from 90 to 120. Damage reduced from 9 to 8.5. |
|
Tracking Shot |
Damage reduced from 9 to 8.5. | |
|
Tremor Charge |
Cooldown reduced from 8.5 to 7 seconds. | |
|
Symmetra |
Teleporter |
Placement range reduced from 30 to 25 meters. Teleport reuse cooldown increased from 1 to 1.25 seconds. |
|
Torbjorn |
Anchor Bolts (Major Perk) |
Deploy turrets increased throw range reduced from 50% to 25%. |
|
Rivet Gun |
Secondary fire spread reduced from 4.5 to 4 degrees. | |
|
Vendetta |
Palatine Fang |
Initial Swing delay reduced from 0.3 to 0.15 seconds. Horizontal swing duration reduced from 0.25 to 0.2 seconds. Combo link duration increased from 0.75 to 0.9 seconds. |
|
Whirlwind Dash |
Recovery increased from 0.5 to 0.75 seconds. | |
|
Sundering Blade |
Recovery increased from 0.2 to 0.5 seconds. Camera pitch is no longer fully locked during the slash. |
Support
|
Hero |
Ability/Perk |
Change |
|
Baptiste |
Immortality Field |
Unkillable health threshold increased from 20% to 25%. Cooldown reduced from 22 to 20 seconds. Health increased from 125 to 150. |
|
Brigitte |
Health |
Reduced from 200 to 175. |
|
Armor |
Increased from 50 to 75. | |
|
Jetpack Cat |
- |
Increased sound priority and volume of base movement and Frenetic Flight. |
|
Biotic Pawjectiles |
Damage and healing per projectile reduced from 4.5 to 4. | |
|
Lifeline |
Stuns and mobility locking effects on a carried target now disconnect Lifeline. Allies now automatically accept Lifeline when over a death plane. | |
|
Kiriko |
Healing Ofuda |
Projectile travel speed reduced from 24 to 18 meters per second. Maximum seeking range reduced from 35 to 30 meters. |
|
Protection Suzu |
Phased out invulnerability duration reduced from 0.65 to 0.5 seconds. Explosion radius reduced from 5 to 4 meters. | |
|
Wuyang |
Restorative Stream |
Regeneration rate increased from 12.5% to 15% per second. Line of sight timeout reduced from 5 to 3 seconds. |
|
Zenyatta |
Harmony Orb |
Line of sight timeout reduced from 5 to 3 seconds. |
Stadium Updates
|
Hero |
Item/Power |
Change |
|
D.Va |
MEKA Ejector (Power) |
Ultimate Charge cost reduction increased to 60% (Up from 50%). |
|
Junker Queen |
Cut 'Em Gracie (Power) |
Return damage reduced to 30 (Down from 40). |
|
Genji |
Laceration (Power) |
Cooldown reduction per target increased to 2.5s (Up from 2s). |
|
Vendetta |
Apex Bloodlust (Power) |
Lifesteal per stack reduced to 4% (Down from 5%). |
|
Ana |
Falconer (Power) |
Attack speed bonus increased to 50% (Up from 30%). Ultimate Charge gain reduced to 10% (Down from 25%). |
|
Jetpack Cat |
Territorial (Power) |
Damage reduced to 20% of healing (Down from 30%). |
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Featured Image Credit: Blizzard Entertainment
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