Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Patch 1.41 will ‘remaster’ almost half of Overwatch’s heroes in various buffs or nerfs, and has gone live on the public test server yesterday (via Polygon).
Heroes including Sigma, Symmetra, Sombra, Lúcio, Moira, Tracer, D.Va, and Orisa will be affected by the changes, which Blizzard are terming a ‘remaster’ for the game. To update the game, ‘a relatively large download for all platforms’ will be required, with some players reporting that the patch is around eight gigabytes. ‘To share your feedback or report any issues, please post in the PTR Feedback or PTR Bug Report forums,’ Blizzard has stated, and plenty of players are voicing their opinion on the tweaks.
The changes themselves aren’t massive. Many of the adjustments are tiny buffs or nerfs to abilities, like D.Va’s Defense Matrix regeneration delay has been changed from one second to 0.75 seconds. Sigma’s abilities have seen the most revisions, as Kinetic Grasp will no longer interrupt Chain Hook and Whip Shot. The effect of Gravitic Flux has been decreased to a 0.9 second duration. And, the regeneration rate of Experimental Barrier has been reduced from 175 to 150 per second, the cast time has been removed, and there is now a one second cooldown after the ability is brought back.
These alterations are theorised to disrupt the dominant meta of Overwatch. Since Sigma arrived, the meta has shifted to shields due to the hero’s intensely powerful Experimental Barrier. When it's combined with shielding abilities from other fighters like Orisa and Symmetra, the opposing team feels like it’s shovelling snow while it’s still snowing bullets. Though they received no numeric changes, Roadhog and Brigitte have therefore been buffed, as their Chain Hook and Whip Shot abilities will now yoink enemies out from behind Sigma's shield.
In sum, Sigma’s been nerfed along with sympatico shielders Orisa, Baptiste, Doomfist, Moira, and Symmetra. Lúcio, D.Va, Mercy, Winston, Roadhog, and Tracer have been buffed, and Sombra’s Translocator ability has been adjusted slightly. You can read the patch notes in their entirety here.
Overwatch is out now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and a Nintendo Switch port is coming next month.
