During the initial reveal I speculated that Moira will be making her way onto the PTR within a week, but what I didn't expect is that she would arrive this soon! So if you were eager to give this life-stealing healer a try, you'll be glad to hear that you now a chance to do just that. Simply change your server region to the PTR (PC version only), download the update, and you'll be playing in no time.
Besides Moira, this PTR update has also brought with it the long-requested damage buff for Ana, as well as some much needed nerfs to Mercy. You can find the full patch notes over at the official website, but if you're just interested in the hero changes you'll find them right below. Have a look:
Ana
• Biotic Rifle
- Damage increased from 60 to 70
Developer Comment: Ana has been outshined by other support heroes lately. Boosting her damage will help her defend herself and make her more threatening to the enemy team.
Mercy
• Resurrect
- Cast time increased from 0 seconds to 1.75 seconds
- Mercy’s movement speed is now reduced by 75% while casting
- Can now be interrupted when Mercy is knocked back, stunned, or hacked
• Valkyrie
- When activated, Resurrection no longer has a cast time
- While active, casting Resurrect does not reduce Mercy's movement speed
Developer Comment: We feel that Mercy’s recent rework has been successful, but her Resurrect ability still feels too strong and frustrating to play against. Now that it has a cast time, there is more room for enemies to counter the ability. However, casting Resurrect happens instantly when Valkyrie is active. This should make her feel powerful when she transforms on the battlefield.
It is worth mentioning, however, that the newly announced Blizzard World map is not a part of this PTR update. It's still expected to arrive at some point in the very near future, but I suppose getting the new hero battle-tested was a bit of a higher priority for Blizzard, especially since the last few heroes launched as either underpowered or overpowered.
Before you go, make sure to also check out the recently posted preview video for Moira. Its obviously a bit exaggerated, but it should still give you a good idea of what she's capable of. Enjoy!