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D.Va and Reinhardt also got some interesting changes in the latest Overwatch PTR update - full patch notes

Overwatch players are all abuzz about everyone's favourite healer, but we need to talk about D.Va.

Overwatch's latest PTR update transforms Mercy into a vengeful god, which will hopefully help put an end to lobbies of four Genjis screaming SOMEONE GO HEALER at each other.

But Mercy isn't the only Overwatch hero to get an overhaul in this test patch, and D.Va in particular has had some interesting changes. Here's what the Overwatch dev team had to say about her:

D.Va’s Defense Matrix uptime has proven to be too strong, but simply reducing it without making other changes would make her too weak (and far less interesting to play). Instead, we’re adding a new ability, and giving her the ability to fire while flying. These changes give D.Va a lot of new options while maintaining Defense Matrix’s ability to shut down big enemy attacks.

The other hero to get a balance change in the new Overwatch PTR update is Reinhardt. Our glorious metal man has had a subtle but important change, allowing noble tank players to move the camera while using his shield ability. Here's Blizzard's comment, which is pretty straightforward:

This change gives Reinhardt more situational awareness while using his shield, allowing him to keep an eye on the battlefield while still protecting his team.

This won't mean much to vanilla DPS Overwatch players but Reinhardt mains will be pretty excited by this small but important boost to their effectiveness.

As ever, we can't help but take this opportunity to remind you that Overwatch is perfectly balanced and the lopsided meta is all the players' fault.

The PTR update also makes some changes to the Respawn as a Random Hero system to make it less frustrating and abusable, makes a few tweaks to the UI and squashes many bugs. You can view the patch notes in full below, via Battle.net, or just stay tuned for word of when and if these changes will roll out to live Overwatch.

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Overwatch PTR patch notes, August 24

    Arcade and Custom Games
  • Players will no longer see the Assemble Your Team screen at the beginning of a game when Respawn as a Random Hero is enabled.
  • Players who purposefully kill themselves in a game where Respawn as a Random Hero is enabled, will no longer respawn as a new hero. However, their Ultimate ability will reset and any equipment that’s been placed (i.e. Torbjörn’s turret) will despawn.
  • In games where Respawn as a Random Hero is enabled, players will no longer receive the same hero two consecutive times, unless Custom Game settings have restricted the hero pool to a single hero
    User Interface Updates
  • The skull icons that indicate where teammates were killed throughout the map have been replaced with Hero Portrait icons
  • Third person camera view will now frame the action automatically when spectating or waiting to respawn
    Hero Updates - D.Va
  • Micro Missiles (New Ability)
    D.Va fires a barrage of small rockets that detonate on impact, dealing damage in a limited radius around each explosion. These can be fired while D.Va is using any other ability or firing her Fusion Cannons
  • Defense Matrix
    Defense Matrix's resource meter will now deplete twice as quickly
  • Boosters
    Fusion Cannons can now be fired while flying
    Hero Updates - Mercy
  • Resurrect (formerly Mercy’s Ultimate ability)
    • Ability now targets a single player, instead of every player within a radius
    • Radius reduced to 5 meters
    • Ability cooldown is 30 seconds
    • Mercy is no longer granted invulnerability while Resurrect is active
  • Valkyrie (New Ultimate Ability)
    Valkyrie unleashes the full power of Mercy’s Valkyrie Suit, enhancing her weapons and abilities for 20 seconds:
    • Caduceus Staff: Mercy’s healing and damage boost beams now affect all allies near the targeted teammate, and the staff’s effective range has been extended
    • Caduceus Blaster: Granted infinite ammo, while simultaneously increasing damage and fire rate
    • Guardian Angel: Increased range and movement speed
    • Resurrect: Cooldown is instantly reset when Valkyrie is activated and reduced to 10s after the initial cast
    • Hover: Mercy gains the ability to fly freely, at increased movement speed
    • Regeneration (Passive): No longer interrupted when Mercy takes damage
    Hero Updates - Reinhardt
  • Barrier Field
    Holding primary fire while your shield is active now allows you to rotate the camera
    User Interface
  • Added an “Outline Opacity” option under the custom reticle settings (found under Controls > Options > Advanced), which allows players to control the opacity of the black outline surrounding the reticule
    Bug Fixes - General
  • Fixed an issue that prevented players from automatically joining Match Chat, even when the option was enabled
  • Fixed a bug that prevented players from receiving the Perfect Round indicator after an Elimination game if they received a temporary health boost from an ability (e.g. Lúcio’s Sound Barrier)
    Bug Fixes - Heroes
  • Fixed a bug that occasionally caused the heroes’ “sigh” voice line to play when respawning
  • Fixed a bug that interrupted the animation on Ana’s eye during the Beach Ball emote with her Captain Amari skin equipped
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Doomfist from being knocked back when his Rocket Punch ability was being used
  • Fixed a bug that allowed Doomfist’s Rocket Punch to hit players through the taxi on King’s Row
  • Fixed a bug that caused a pair of pink fuzzy dice to mysteriously float onto the screen when viewing D.Va’s weapon in the Hero Gallery if her Cruiser skin was equipped
  • Fixed an issue that caused the golden tint of Junkrat’s weapon to appear dull when his Firework skin was equipped
  • Fixed a bug that caused Mei’s Ultimate to appear friendly (it failed to change from blue to red) after being reflected by Genji
    Bug Fixes - Maps
  • Fixed a bug that prevented reflections from appearing on weapons while standing in certain areas on Ilios
  • Fixed a lighting issue that caused some items on the last point of Route 66 to take on a pinkish hue when players used low video settings
  • Fixed an issue that caused reflections to appear overly dark while players were standing in areas of The Cave Inn on Route 66
  • Fixed an issue that caused excessive camera zoom and flashing lights when players loaded into the tutorial map
  • Fixed a bug that prevented plated railings from being properly destroyed by weapons fire on Volskaya Industries

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