The newest Overwatch patch notes have been released and it looks like everyone's favorite tank duo will be getting much needed nerfs. Patch 1.41 is currently on the PTR and features a large variety of both nerfs and buffs along with some general bug fixes. The most notable changes upcoming with the new patch are nerfs to the tanks Orisa and Sigma.
You can read all of the latest patch notes here.
Since Sigma (a new shield-based tank) was released, a new meta emerged with the competitive Overwatch scene. The meta featured both Sigma and Orisa working together to keep a seemingly endless supply of shields on the map at all times. Players have continued to express their issues with this meta as they believe it lowers the fun of Overwatch as two shields are so oppressive during the match that only select damage heroes (Doomfist) can even be effective. This limits the ability of players to be flexible with their gameplay.
For Sigma, his kinetic grasp ability will no longer be able to block Roadhog's chain hook and Brigitte's whip shot. His ultimate is also reduced to last only .9 seconds instead of 1.2 seconds. Finally, his shield regeneration rate has been reduced from 175 to 150 per second and a one second cool-down has been implemented after he recalls the barrier.
Orisa wasn't changed as much, but her shield cool down time has increased from nine seconds to ten seconds. Every second counts in a game like Overwatch and the increase puts Orisa at larger risk of getting her shield broken and having a longer time being unprotected because of it.
Other characters to get nerfs include Doomfist, Moira, Baptiste, and Symmetra. These heroes (aside from Symmetra) have been featured heavily in the new meta and contains largely crowd-control abilities which players have been having issues with.
Certain heroes received buffs in the new patch as well. Most notable of these heroes are Winston and D.Va which shows that Blizzard is trying to allow more heroes to be viable, especially in regards to tanks. Tracer, Mercy, Lucio, and Roadhog also received some solid upgrades.
With this patch, it seems like Blizzard is listening to its player base. The nerfs to both Orisa and Sigma should prove to be a turning point in the game and allow for a lot more variation in comps instead of the constant double shields (seen at higher ranks). Overall, the 1.41 patch looks to bring more variety to Overwatch as it makes a larger array of heroes more viable picks for matches and variety is a large appeal to the game.