After what feels like an entirety on the PTR, Doomfist has now finally made its way to Overwatch's live servers. He is quite a bit weaker than his initial incarnation, but worry not as he is more than capable of absolutely annihilating anyone that's dumb enough to stand in his way. Doing so is not going to be easy, however, so be prepared for a bit of a learning curve when it comes to mastering Doomfist.
Unlike the previous heroes Doomfist has arrived alongside a surprisingly awesome action-trailer, so if you're interested in seeing what he's capable of I would fully recommend you check the video out. Have a look:
Besides Doomfist this update has also brought with it an amazing change to Loot Boxes that just about prevents them from dishing out duplicates, an easy way to save highlights and plays of the game, as well as some minor but extremely welcome buffs to a variety of heroes. If you're interested in all of the minute details you will find the full patch notes on the official website, but for now here are all of the important bits:
LOOT BOXES
• We always want the experience of opening a loot box to feel exciting and rewarding, and in our latest patch, we’re working to improve that experience in two key ways. First, we’re drastically reducing the amount of duplicates you will receive when opening loot boxes. Second, to compensate for this reduction of duplicate items, we’re also increasing the overall amount of credits you will receive from loot boxes. On average, you should be earning just as many credits, if not slightly more, from loot boxes as you did prior to these changes.
USER INTERFACE
• Added ability to create customized reticles
- Reticle options can be found under the “Controls” tab in the “Options” menu (click the “Advanced” expander under the “Reticle” heading)
HERO UPDATES
D.Va
• Defense Matrix
- New sound effects and voice lines have been added, indicating when Defense Matrix has absorbed an enemy’s ultimate ability
Genji
• Deflect
- New sound effects and voice lines have been added, indicating when an enemy’s ultimate ability has been deflected
McCree
• Flashbang
- Stunned targets are now slowed heavily, meaning they're less likely to escape while stunned (especially while in the air)
Developer Comment: This change will make McCree's Flashbang consistent against fast-moving targets like Genji or Lúcio.
Reaper
• Shadow Step
- Sound effect and VO distance has been reduced by 50%
Developer Comment: Even though Shadow Step wasn't intended to be used as a way for players to teleport right next to an enemy without their knowledge, the sound effects were audible from distances that made teleportation difficult from nearly anywhere. This change allows Reaper to be a bit more sneaky with his flanking options.
Reinhardt
• Rocket Hammer
- Swing speed increased by 10%
Developer Comment: In the last update, Reinhardt’s Rocket Hammer had an issue that allowed players with higher latency to swing faster. We fixed this bug, which suddenly made the swing speed feel too slow, so we’re compensating by increasing his standard swing speed. During this process, we also found and fixed a few bugs with Rocket Hammer’s hit registration. Overall, the hammer should feel much better.
Zarya
• Graviton Surge
- Now disables mobility abilities on all affected targets
Developer Comment: In the past, the abilities that allowed heroes to escape Zarya’s Graviton Surge felt fairly arbitrary. We’re cleaning this up and increasing Graviton Surge's overall power by rendering all movement abilities unusable when an enemy is trapped.
And if that's just not enough changes for you, worry not as there are some major buffs to Junkrat coming in the near future, while poor ol' Roadhog will at least be getting some better defensive options. The exact date hasn't been revealed just yet, but the developers have assured us they are trying to get these changes out on the PTR as quickly as possible. Long story short, its going to be a rather interesting few weeks in Overwatch!