2019 has, at least so far, been a fantastic year for Overwatch fans and players alike. The sophomore Overwatch League season is in full swing, we’ve just received a brand-new support hero, and Blizzard is actively balancing the game according to player feedback. All things considered, it’s a good time to play the game. This time around, we’re taking a closer look at the latest Overwatch patch 1.34, and the many changes that it brings to the table.

Generally speaking, Overwatch patches aren’t that large in terms of file size and they don’t cover a whole lot. This patch, however, is a completely different story — tons of buffs, nerfs, and hero adjustments.

First of all, the ever-growing list of heroes just got a little bit bigger. After weeks of being tested on the PTR (Public Test Region), Baptiste is finally available for play on live servers. For a more comprehensive, in-depth look at the hero, you can check our breakdown by clicking here.

gif courtesy of c0cco

Buffs

Doomfist

Blizzard is decreasing the cooldowns on “Rising Uppercut” and “Seismic Slam” from 7 seconds to 6.

Hanzo

The detection radius on Hanzo’s “Sonic Arrow” is going up from 7 meters to 9. This change should make it noticeably more effective on certain maps and areas.

Junkrat

Blizzard is increasing the damage output of Junkrat’s Frag Launcher — from 40 to 50 damage. To balance things out, they’re increasing the cost of his ultimate “Rip-Tire” by 10%.

You could argue that this is more of an even adjustment instead of a buff, but having Junkrat deal more damage in all areas of play should make him even more oppressive and strong.

Moira

Moira’s “Biotic Grasp” is getting a healing increase (from 50 to 65) along with a longer heal over time duration — from 3 to 4 seconds.

Orisa

The movement speed penalty while firing Orisa’s Fusion Driver is being reduced to 30% (from 50%). This is a significant change and should be immediately noticeable.

Pharah

The minimum explosion damage on Pharah’s Rocket Launcher is getting increased — from 16.25 to 20.

Soldier: 76

This is a big one. Soldier’s Pulse Rifle is getting a damage increase (from 19 to 20), the delay before you can fire after sprinting is getting reduced (from 0.5 to 0.3 seconds), and you’ll be able to use “Tactical Visor” to target a Junkrat “Rip-Tire” as well as Baptiste’s “Immortality Field.”

Sombra

The cooldown of Sombra’s hack will be reduced by half when hacking a health pack. Furthermore, when something does get hacked, there will be a more noticeable visual indicator.

Symmetra

Photon Projector’s primary fire damage will now ramp up 20% faster.

Widowmaker

Dying will now cancel Widow’s “Infra-Sight” but will reveal enemy health bars to her allies once activated.

Wrecking Ball

Activating “Adaptive Shield” will no longer cancel Hammond’s rolling. A strange, pretty unexpected buff, but a huge one regardless.

Adjustments

McCree

McCree’s secondary fire (“Fan the Hammer”) will deal less damage — from 55 to 50, but his ultimate “Deadeye” will now deal 550 damage per second (instead of 275) after locking onto a target for a 1.5-second duration.

Mei

Mei’s Endothermic Blaster just got a lot stronger — its primary fire damage is getting increased (from 2.25 to 2.75) which translates into 55 damage per second, instead of 45.

To keep her kit balanced, Blizzard is decreasing the health pool of her “Ice Wall” from 500 to 400.

Torbjörn

Blizzard wants to increase Torbjörn’s survivability, so they’re upping his base health by 50 armor (250 max health), but his “Overload” ability is losing the same amount and will now provide 100 armor instead of 150.

Zarya

The explosion radius of Zarya’s Particle Cannon will now be two meters regardless of her energy level.

Nerfs

Ana

Blizzard is looking to decrease the value of Ana’s ultimate “Nano Boost” so they’re lowering its heal amount from 300 to 250.

Lucio

Lucio brings a bit too much utility to the table right now. To counteract this, Blizzard is nerfing the speed boost on his “Amp It Up” and “Cross Fade” abilities — from 70% to 50%, and from 30% to 20%, respectively.

To balance things out, they’re increasing his wall riding speed buff from 20% to 40%. He’ll still be hard to catch, but the speed boost he provides will no longer be as monumental.

Reaper

The recent buff to Reaper took things a bit too far, so Blizzard’s decreasing the healing received from damage dealt to 40% (from 50%).

Zenyatta

Zenyatta is a mainstay in competitive play and the utility that he offers is unparalleled, which makes him a must-pick almost by default. Blizzard wants to nerf his innate strength, so they’re reducing the effectiveness of his “Orb of Discord” from 30% to 25%, but they’re also increasing the damage his orbs deal from 46 to 48.

General Updates

Starting with Overwatch patch 1.34, beam-type and DoT (Damage over Time) damage will be a lot more consistent. The former will now be reduced by 20% when hitting armor, whereas the latter will no longer be mitigated by armor.

If you’re unsure what falls under each category, you can take a closer look at the screenshot below:

Likewise, knockback distance will now be more consistent, and heroes that are flying will be susceptible to getting knocked back and slowed. Priority targets like Mercy (during her “Valkyrie”) will now be more vulnerable than ever.

That’s it for our Overwatch patch 1.34 breakdown! If you want to go over the patch in a more official manner, you can head over to Blizzard’s official website. Finally, if you’re into top-tier competitive play, make sure to tune in to the Overwatch League Stage 1 playoffs that are currently underway.