Overwatch 2 Update Nerfs Roadhog and Sigma

Summary

Overwatch 2's latest update nerfs Roadhog and Sigma for better game balance and competitive play.
Roadhog's Take a Breather healing and resource regeneration are reduced, while Sigma's Gravitic Flux now requires line of sight.
Future updates tease adjustments for heroes like Lifeweaver, Mercy, Cassidy, and Reaper in Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2 has released a new update with nerfs for Roadhog and Sigma. Competitive games often get tweaks to ensure the most balanced experience possible, and it's no different with Overwatch 2. The season 10 launch brought a slew of changes to Overwatch 2, as well as adjustments to the heroes through recurring updates.

However, sometimes updates make heroes broken or too weak to be competitive. In the first case are Roadhog and Sigma, two tank heroes who now are solid picks. Sigma has received a significant number of buffs that have made him a threat to most Overwatch 2 heroes. Roadhog finally got his long-awaited rework, and buffs in subsequent updates, which, for example, have made his hook more effective. But after giving the spotlight to the two heroes, Overwatch 2 has less exciting news for the duo.

A new Overwatch 2 update is available with nerfs for Roadhog and Sigma. Roadhog's Take a Breather healing goes from 450 to 400, while the resource regeneration rate goes from 10 to 8 per second, and the cooldown time from 1.5 to 1.25 seconds. Roadhog benefited greatly from the headshot damage reduction that Overwatch 2 tanks received, so this nerf aims to make the hero less bulky, while the healing will come back online a little faster. To compensate, Whole Hog's knockback has been increased from 14 to 16, and the damage per pellet has dropped from 7 to 6.

The May 24 patch includes nerfs to Sigma's Gravitic Flux, which now requires line of sight for players to raise their targets again. With the May 14 update, Overwatch 2 no longer required line of sight for the center of Gravitic Flux's effect, a change due to the number of counterattacks Sigma's ultimate has. But the adjustment broke Sigma's ability in a way that he could flank opponents even with a building blocking his line of sight. With this new patch, the devs have decided to reverse this.

While Overwatch 2 brings a new round of changes to two dominant tanks, players of the hero shooter are starting to look to the future. Overwatch 2 teased changes for heroes such as Lifeweaver and Mercy, while Roadhog was one of the heroes with confirmed adjustments. Cassidy is another hero with confirmed upcoming changes, this time for his Magnetic Grenade. The same will happen with Reaper, who will receive a major Shadow Step rework and non-Tank buster buffs.

Overwatch 2 May 24 Update

HERO UPDATES

ROADHOG

Developer comments: Roadhog benefitted greatly from the recent headshot reduction passive for Tanks so we are nerfing his survivability. This change to Take a Breather is aimed at encouraging more mindful resource management. The change to Whole Hog will make the ultimate more of a zoning tool while lowering its lethality, especially against tanks with their recently increased knockback resistance.

Take a Breather

Resource regeneration rate reduced from 10 to 8 per second.
Maximum healing reduced from 450 to 400.
Cooldown reduced from 1.5 to 1.25 seconds.

Whole Hog

Knockback increased from 14 to 16.
Damage per pellet reduced from 7 to 6.

SIGMA

Developer comments: Our last patch aimed to make some Tank ultimates more forgiving to use during combat. Sigma’s Gravitic Flux can suffer from missing due to slight line of sight checks but we don’t believe this change had proper communication for all instances. We may return to this change for Sigma down the line with updated visuals.

Gravitic Flux

Gravitic Flux now requires line-of-sight to lift targets again.

Overwatch (Formerly Overwatch 2)

6 /10

Released: August 10, 2023

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