The new Overwatch patch will finally nerf Reaper, a character whose reign of terror has been long-lived. Players have been asking for some changes to Reaper’s power level for quite some time. Now, it seems, Blizzard is responding to these requests.
While the shotgunning Phantom of the Opera cosplayer has not traditionally presented a major issue in the highest ranks of Overwatch, Reaper has for months been running rampant in the lower and mid-tiers. Currently, Reaper heals for 40% of his damage done - and can pump out a lot of damage. For a team not working together, a decently-player Reaper can be the reason a game is lost.
The new Overwatch patch on the Public Test Realm knocks down Reaper’s overall power significantly, GameSpot reports. The patch currently brings The Reaping down to healing 30 percent of damage done from the original 40 percent. This will make him easier to kill. At the same time, his passive should remain at a level that will sustain him in longer fights.
Reaper isn’t the only Overwatch character to be hit with nerfs in the latest PRT patch notes. Hanzo’s Storm Arrow ability’s damage is reduced to 60, down 10 points. McCree’s health receives a buff, up to 250 points from 200. Players will also be happy about a quality of life change - Deadeye no longer locks aim. But his primary fire recovery time receives a slight increase - up to a half-second from .042. Orisa also receives a damage nerf, with her primary fire dropping 2 points, from 11 to 9. In addition, her Fortify cooldown is increased to 10 seconds (from 8) and the snare duration of Halt! receives a hefty decrease from 1 second to .065. The patch also reduces the range of Sigma’s Hyperspheres, lowers Accretion damage from 60 to 40, and makes heavy changes to the effectiveness of Gravitic Flux. Even Baptiste receives a damage decrease in the form of increased recovery time on his primary fire. Players will also notice a 10-point reduction in Baptiste’s healing ’nades’s splash effect.
All of this is subject to change, of course, based on how the modifications perform. But it shows that Blizzard was serious when it promised more frequent overhauls to hero power levels. In shooting down rumors of an upcoming Overwatch hero ban feature, game director Jeff Kaplan agreed that balance issues in the game and vowed that the team would do more to fix them. This patch addresses many complaints players have voiced. It shows that while it is preoccupied with production of Overwatch 2,
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Overwatch is available on the PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4.
Source: GameSpot
