Overwatch 1.11 PTR Patch Nerfs Soldier 76 and Buffs Reaper

Overwatch’s newest PTR (Public Test Realm) 1.11 patch has just gone live and with it comes a variety of rebalances to the game’s roster. One of the most notable is Reaper, who will not have all of his ammo restored once he exits Wraith Form, allowing him to take care of any targets that are chasing him. Some other notable changes include Orisa’s primary damage being reduced by 15% and Soldier 76’s bullets now dealing 19 damage instead of 20. Along with these changes are some interesting tweaks to the Custom Games and some much-needed bugs being removed.

Below are the full patch notes for Overwatch’s 1.11 PTR update:

GENERAL

 

Custom Games and Game Browser

• Players can now disable secondary fire and secondary weapons in Custom Games
• You can now disable one Symmetra ultimate while leaving the other active

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HERO UPDATES

 

Genji

• Removed the attack cooldown from Genji’s wall climbing ability, allowing him to engage with enemies immediately after completing a climb
• Developer Comments:This is a quality of life change to make wall climbing feel better.

Hanzo

• Removed the attack cooldown from Hanzo’s wall climbing ability, allowing him to engage with enemies immediately after completing a climb
• Storm Bow
  • Increased charge speed by 10%
  • Charged arrows now maintain their charge after climbing a wall, provided the button is continuously held
• Developer Comments:Decreasing Hanzo’s draw time gives him more overall DPS, while also letting him fully charge an arrow and more quickly return to full movement speed when needed. And, like the change to Genji’s wall climbing, this is a quality of life change that will make climbing feel better.

Orisa

• Fusion Driver
  • Damage reduced by 15%
• Protective Barrier
  • Cooldown reduced from 12 seconds to 8 seconds
• Developer Comments:To help Orisa maintain the front line for her team, we’re reducing the cooldown of her Protective Barrier. This change also helps her reposition the barrier more easily when needed. To compensate for this new defensive strength, we’re reducing her Fusion Driver’s damage, as it felt too high.

Reaper

• Wraith Form
  • Ammo is now entirely refilled when Wraith Form is used
• Developer Comments:Wraith Form is typically used as an escape ability after firing. This change gives Reaper a fighting chance if an enemy chases him down as he uses it.

Reinhardt

• Earthshatter
  • Effective height has been lowered from 3 meters to 2 meters
  • The height threshold of objects that Earthshatter can “climb” has been lowered from 3 meters to 2 meters, making Earthshatter less likely to climb tall objects as it “crawls” along the ground.
• Developer Comments:Earthshatter tended to climb unexpectedly high, frequently hitting targets that were significantly above the ground. These changes help the ability stay more grounded.

Soldier: 76

• Heavy Pulse Rifle
  • Bullet damage decreased from 20 to 19
• Developer Comments: Soldier:76 is in a much better place lately, but his damage output was making him a must pick, compared to similar roles.

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BUG FIXES

General

• Fixed an issue that prevented voice lines from being heard during the Play of the Game
• Fixed an issue causing shields to display the wrong team color during the Play of the Game
• Added new Kill Feed icons for environmental kills and a number of abilities
• Arcade
• Fixed a bug causing the introduction before 1v1 Mystery Duels to be interrupted
• Fixed an issue causing parties to be split between teams after joining as a group for a Custom Game

A.I.

• Fixed a bug that allowed bots to become stuck around the well on Ilios

Heroes

• Fixed a bug that caused Lucio’s healing and speed song auras to be inaccurately projected
• Fixed a bug that prevented Orisa’s Fortify from blocking the alternate fire from Lucio’s Sonic Amplifier
• Fixed a bug that prevented Orisa’s Protective Barrier from deploying in certain situations
• Fixed an issue that affected some graphics cards, causing an inaccurate ammo count to be displayed with Pharah’s Mechaqueen and Raptorion skins equipped
• Fixed a bug that could prevent two charging Reinhardts from being able to kill each other
• Fixed a bug that prevented Winston’s Primal Rage ultimate from restoring his health when hit by Ana’s Biotic Grenade

Maps

• Fixed a bug that caused Tracer to move oddly when she first appeared in the tutorial
• Fixed an issue causing asymmetry between pillars on the Ruins capture point on Ilios
• Fixed a bug that allowed Sombra to reach unintended locations on Watchpoint: Gibraltar

It’s important to remember that anything is subject to change in the PTR, as this area allows Blizzard to test out a variety of different changes to heroes before sending them live. Looking over the notes, many of the changes were really needed and will allow for certain heroes to perform better in their respective role. Maybe these changes will finally allow Reaper to have a more prominent role in competitive, instead of just being a situational hero.