Summary
- Season 12 brought big changes to Overwatch 2, and a new patch nerfs Juno, Winston, Ashe, and Sombra.
- Juno's recent patch buffs her Mediblaster fire rate but reduces overall damage and healing output.
- Fans express concerns over Ashe's reload speed nerf and Juno's decreased damage effectiveness.
Four Overwatch 2 heroes have received changes as part of the game's latest patch, including the latest support hero, Juno. Having joined the Overwatch 2 roster as part of Season 12 alongside the new Clash mode and two dedicated maps, Juno has already become somewhat of a fan favorite among the community.
The Season 12 patch that landed late last month already brought a ton of changes to Overwatch 2. New Hero Mastery courses for Zarya and Pharah were added, the new Group Respawn system was implemented, and Competitive ranks have been reset for all players. Alongside these headlining features came a myriad of changes to the game's ever-growing roster of heroes, including nerfs for D.Va, Echo, and Hanzo, as well as buffs for Lifeweaver and Zarya. So far, the reception to Juno's performance in matches has been mostly positive, with some feeling like her primary damage could use a small buff.
Overwatch 2 Player Designs Neat Evagelion Skin Concept For Juno
A talented Overwatch 2 fan creates a skin concept for Juno, and shows what a cosmetic based on the popular anime Evangelion would look like.
Some new changes to Juno have come just a few weeks after the launch of Season 12 in the form of a small patch. In it, Winston's Tesla Cannon damage is reduced from 75 to 70, Sombra's Virus damage-over-time effect is reduced to 75 from 90, and Ashe takes a small hit to her rifle's primary damage as well as to her reload speed. As for the newest Overwatch 2 hero, Juno, her Mediblaster fire rate received a small bump, while her damage and healing took a slight dip.
Fans seem to be the most puzzled about Ashe's new nerfs, as many have felt like her reload speed already took too long, especially after having emptied her rifle. Many have pointed out that the Overwatch 2 gunslinger's full reload is one of the longest in the game, though players do still have the ability to cancel it at any time if they need to fire in a pinch. While many Juno fans are happy about her original fire rate returning, it's caused her damage output to drop, potentially making her feel less effective when on the attack. Add the fact that she can't land headshots like most other heroes, and support players may be justified in their concern over the new hero.
Time will tell whether any of these changes will be reversed in the future, especially Juno's changes, as new heroes usually tend to go through more frequent alterations than long-established ones. Overwatch 2 fans have also been calling for a Sombra nerf, and while her Virus ability saw a drop in damage in this new patch, many still consider the hero to be too powerful, and this Virus nerf is unlikely to change that. Players should keep an eye out for more Overwatch 2 patches and updates as Season 12 continues.
Overwatch 2 September 3, 2024 Patch Notes
TANK
Winston
Tesla Cannon
- Damage per second reduced from 75 to 70.
DAMAGE
Ashe
The Viper
- Reload per bullet increased from 0.2 to 0.25 seconds.
- Primary fire damage reduced from 40 to 35.
Sombra
Virus
- Damage over time reduced from 90 to 75.
Support
Juno
Mediblaster
- Fire rate increased from 14.3 to 15.5 (reverted to the 34 shots per second during the projectile volley).
- Damage reduced from 8 to 7.5.
- Healing reduced from 7 to 6.5.
Bug Fixes
General
- Fixed a bug that occasionally caused heroes to be pulled down during a ledge mantle.
- Badges and Emblems are now correctly reflecting your player rank.
- Fixed an issue that caused large FPS drops at the start and end of matches on PlayStation® 5 consoles.
- Fixed a bug where the avoid list might not be respected during backfills.
Heroes
Doomfist
- Fixed the stretched texture on Doomfist's BAST skin.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
