Second Thoughts: Blizzard releases new surprise patch for Overwatch 2, targeting Sojourn and Doomfist once more

Rollback for Blizzard

Just two weeks into Overwatch 2’s Season 2 patch, and already targeted nerfs are heading Doomfist’s way. Entering into Season 2, Blizzard sought to buff Doomfist into a viable, force-driven tank that would be capable of disruption through his hard Crowd-Control engage of Rocket Punch. However, the buff has already seen high levels of oppression from Doomfist across all levels of play.

In a classic case of overtuning, Blizzard has once more created a monstrosity on the Overwatch servers. Players are reminded of the horror of Brigitte when she was first released. Thankfully, the quick fixes on the 15th of Dec seek to increase the cooldown of his Rocket Punch, as well as reductions to his self-sustain, reducing his ability to frontline for as long.

Furthermore, damage buffs to Tracer have also been rolled back as they were deemed overtuned. The British pilot has now been given a damage value midway between her original value and new one.

Too Much Damage for the Damage Queen

Sojourn sees another wave of nerfs hit her as the initial nerf during the launch of Season 2 still saw her oppression remain. Longer cooldown on Power Slide as well as the removal of the slow from her Disruptor Shot will prevent her from disengaging as frequently as she has, as well as reduce her area of effect denial that has allowed Sojourn to reign over other ‘snipers’ during this period of Overwatch 2.

However, her previous buffs remain and now her primary fire spread has also been increased exponentially. Coupled with her increased buffed primary fire damage, and Sojourn could potentially be a different kind of issue for Overwatch 2’s competitive servers. Time will tell.

Doomfist not alone

Doomfist is not the only tank to receive some well-deserved attention this patch, as shortly after release, Ramattra is already seeing the first wave of buffs to increase his appeal in competitive games. Nemesis Form is being buffed to received greater sustain on the level of other tanks in the game. Meanwhile, Orisa sees her Terra Surge buffed, now able to penetrate through shields. Adding to that, her primary fire has also been tweaked to increase the damage falloff range.

Orisa has already been on the cusp of the Overwatch meta thus far due to her great survivability. This recent slew of changes could push Orisa into S-tier for the foreseeable future. Moreover, with recent changes to Ramattra, the resultant buffs could push him too far into the other direction of ‘overpowered’. His kit was not inherently weak, but rather undertuned. The overt changes may have negative repercussions similar to Doomfist.

Support with Fangs

Ana has received a damage increase to her primary fire, as well as an increase to the effect timer on her Biotic Grenade. Finally, after recent changes that saw Kiriko’s Protection Suzu reduced in cooldown, the duration of invulnerability has now been reduced. Read for full detailed patch notes.

According to reports, following this latest patch, no further changes are expected for the coming weeks as Overwatch 2 gears up for the Winter Wonderland event.

Image credit: Overwatch 2