Overwatch Patch Notes & PTR Updates

It’s pretty common for Overwatch patches introduced on the public test realm to go straight to the official game unchanged, but it looks like Blizzard is taking its time with the current PTR build. In a post on Blizzard’s forums, Overwatch‘s principal designer, Geoff Goodman, revealed that the pending modifications to Ana, Roadhog and Sombra are getting tweaked a little bit more to find the right balance.

Here’s everything that’s changing in the latest Overwatch update to the PTR.

Overwatch Update PTR Patch Notes: Ana nerfs, Sombra buffs, Roadhog hook improvements

In response to some of the fan complaints surrounding Roadhog’s nerfed hook, called “hook 2.0,” the Overwatch team has made some additional tweaks to help it behave a little more reliably. For example, there was a GIF circulating on the Overwatch Reddit that showed a character easily avoiding Roadhog’s hook by hiding behind incredibly small bits of cover, even with the majority of the character’s body sticking out. The new changes will help Roadhog hook a partially covered target.

Here’s the relevant part of the patch notes:

Roadhog Hook
– Added some more line of sight checks towards the left/right of a potential hook target. This means it should be easier to hook someone who is sticking halfway out of a doorway or behind a thin pole, etc. These checks are also used for the persistent line of sight check, so if a hook target moves behind a slim object like a stump or a lightpole, they won’t be released anymore.

– Hooked targets are now slowed heavily while they are stunned, even if they are in the air. This means if someone is strafe jumping away from you and you land a hook, they are a lot less likely to slide out of line on sight, breaking the hook.

– Fixed a bug that could allow you to hook someone and pull them behind you if you spun around before the hook landed.

There’s also a new nerf to Ana’s biotic grenade. The duration of the grenade is now four seconds, down from five. This nerf is in addition to the previous patch that reduced the healing boost the grenade provides to friendly targets.

The new PTR update also gives a pretty nice buff to Sombra’s hack ability. It now has a cooldown of just eight seconds, down from 12. The previous PTR patch reduced the activation time for the ability to .8 seconds, down from one second.

The new PTR patch did not mitigate the nerfs to D.Va’s health pool, even though that’s something a lot of Overwatch fans have been vocal about. Whether Blizzard will adjust the modifications to her armor and health remains to be seen, but Mic will keep you updated if any further changes are made.

More Overwatch news and updates

For more on Overwatch, check out the rest of what Mic has to offer. Here is a full explanation of the different types of health in Overwatch, the latest rumor of a Terry Crews-voiced Overwatch character, an update on that Mei ice wall exploit, hilarious video of a play of the game involving the jump pad on Oasis, a roundup of the best Overwatch plays of the week, our definitive ranking of every Overwatch hero and a giant Overwatch FAQ for beginners.