[Update]: The latest patch has brought in experimental Assault (2CP) changes and Genji nerfs.

Out of all the game modes in Overwatch, it is the Assault (2CP) mode that seems to attract the most criticism, and for good reason. If the teams are evenly balanced the matches can take around 30 minutes to finish, the whole thing is incredibly 'snowbally' and even a single mistake on point A defense can result in a quick loss of point B, while the attacking team can often feel like they're slamming their heads against the wall for minutes and minutes on end.

While I'm afraid the upcoming patch does not offer solutions to all of those problems, it does at least make things slightly better. The time awarded for capturing point A is being reduced from 4 to 3 minutes, while any defenders that die upon losing point A will be given a respawn time that caps out at 3.5 seconds maximum. Not exactly massive changes, but they should help reduce some of the frustrations inherent in the Assault game mode.

Besides the Assault changes, this update also brings with it a variety of small (but impactful) buffs and nerfs. There's no easy way to summarize them since they're mostly numerical, so here's the full list of hero changes and the reasoning behind them:

Baptiste

• Biotic Launcher

- Increased heal ammo from 10 to 12.

• Amplification Matrix

- Ultimate duration increased from 8 seconds to 10 seconds.

Developer Comments: Given the dual nature of Baptiste’s weapon, he ends up having to reload often. We’re increasing the amount of ammo he has to work with so he can get more firing time while healing. Similarly, increasing the duration of Amplification Matrix will allow allies more time to get into position to make use of it.

D.Va

• Defense Matrix

- Reduced length of Defense Matrix from 15 meters to 10 meters.

Developer Comments: Defense Matrix is a very powerful defensive ability and can often feel oppressive from far away. Reducing the range on it will require D.Va to position herself more carefully to take advantage of its effects.

McCree

• Peacekeeper

- Primary fire recovery reduced from 0.5 seconds to 0.4 seconds.

Developer Comments: On average, McCree’s damage output wasn’t quite making up for the relatively low mobility or utility in his kit. Reducing his weapon’s recovery time improves the potential damage output without affecting the number of successful shots to kill an enemy.

Orisa

• Protective Barrier

- Barrier can be deployed without interrupting reload.

Developer Comments: Orisa has one of the longest weapon reloads and interrupting it to deploy a new barrier felt too disruptive to her gameplay. This change allows her to reload as needed while still being able to protect herself and her team.

Symmetra

• Teleporter

- Teleporter interact range increased from 1 meter to 1.5 meters.

Developer Comments: This is primarily a quality of life improvement as it was possible to create a teleporter that Symmetra was unable to interact with unless she moved toward it.

Torbjörn

• Rivet Gun

- Secondary Fire damage per pellet reduced from 12.5 to 10.5 (105 dmg total per shot).

Developer Comments: The combined damage output of Torbjörn’s secondary fire with his Overload ability was too high given his recently increased survivability.

The final thing worth mentioning is that this update has also added the long-awaited replay system! This will only be the initial test version so it'll be limited to your own replays, but it is still a pretty cool feature, and one with plenty of uses for both competitive and casual players. Long story short, Overwatch's future is looking quite bright indeed!