[Update #2]: Overwatch update has brought in some excellent buffs for McCree, Orisa and Roadhog.
[Update]: Overwatch is improving the profanity filter, elevators and Reinhardt's ultimate.
With very low mobility and a heavy reliance on his team for support, the recent DPS nerf really hit McCree hard. Because of this, both his winrate and pickrate have plummeted across all ranks, which is a damn shame given how important his anti-flanker role is to the health of the game.
Thankfully, this will only be a temporary setback for McCree as a new experimental update has just arrived with a nice mobility buff in tow! The update has also beefed up Orisa, Roadhog and Baptiste, as well as given Ashe's dynamite its long-awaited nerf. Here's what exactly is being changed:
Ashe
Ashe is still a bit too powerful, but we'd like to keep her rifle feeling impactful so we're taking some power out of her Dynamite ability.
• Dynamite
- Explosion damage reduced from 75 to 50
Baptiste
Baptiste generates a majority of his ultimate charge through area-of-effect healing. As we reduced area healing values recently, we're also scaling down the cost of his ultimate.
• Amplification Matrix
- Ultimate cost decreased 15%
McCree
After scaling down the damage output of McCree's primary fire, we're looking to give back a bit of power through improvements to his abilities.
• Combat Roll
- Can now be activated in the air
- Distance increased 20%• Flashbang
- Stun duration increased from 0.7 to 0.8 seconds
Orisa
Increased projectile speed will help Orisa’s weapon feel more responsive, reducing the need to lead targets. We found that recent adjustments to Orisa’s abilities were more impactful than we originally anticipated and have increased her armor to compensate.
• Base armor increased from 200 to 250
• Fusion Driver
- Projectile speed increased from 90 to 120
Roadhog
After the last round of shotgun improvements, Roadhog's Chain Hook combo still wasn't effective against some of the smaller enemy heroes. This change pulls targets closer to melee range for swifter, more reliable combo execution.
• Chain Hook
- Now pulls targets 0.5 meters closer (3.5 meters down to 3.0 meters)
Unlike the past few updates that featured some rather questionable changes, I think this one has the right idea, even if the numbers might need some more tweaking. I'm particularly excited about testing out the new Orisa as she has now fully transitioned from being a boring "spam shields and hold left click" snoozefest into a damage-dealing powerhouse that still helps team out with shielding, but doesn't depend on them like a crutch. And now with Roadhog being buffed as well, this could mark the glorious return of the classic Orisa + Roadhog tank combo!
Whatever the case may be, have fun with the new experimental mode, and I'll make sure to let you know once the whole thing goes live.