A new patch for Overwatch went live today that brings significant features and changes to Blizzard Entertainment‘s team-based shooter on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Overwatch launched in May 2016. It has reached over 40 million players, and updates like this one keep dedicated fans engaged and encourages lapsed players to return.
In the patch, Blizzard reworked Symmetra, a character the studio has had trouble nailing down. Symmetra was a support class whose ultimate ability summoned a Teleporter. Now, she’s a damage-focused character. Her weapon no longer auto-aims to enemies, and her Teleporter is now a normal ability. She cans summon them more frequently, but they only last 10 seconds. When she makes one now, one side of the Teleporter will summon right in front of her, while the other appears where she’s aiming (up to 25 meters away).
Symmetra’s new ultimate ability summons a giant barrier that stretches across the entire level. It will stop most enemy projectiles. It lasts for 15 seconds. Her mini turrets can now be fired as a projectile. When they hit a surface, they’ll stick to it. This will make her a more viable character, especially competitively. Symmetra does not see play in Overwatch esports at the moment, but this patch could change that.
These are some major changes for the character, but the patch also adds new features like creating and joining groups. People can dedicate themselves to specific roles: damage, support, and tank. This will help people find people to play with and avoid situations where they randomly join a game with players who don’t want to heal or tank.
To further encourage people to play nice, the update also adds Endorsements. Players can give these out to teammates at the end of a match to reward things like good teamwork or communication. These will be displayed in a player’s profile page.
The patch also gives some buffs to Orissa and Doomfist, and it makes some changes to the Horizon: Lunar Colony map. You can find the full patch notes here.