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There's been a hotfix for the heroes in Overwatch, and as the choices are proving a tad controversial, we can only say nature is healing. Emre, Mizuki, and Anran are among the central buffs, whereas the Jetpack Cat nerfs we were warned about have arrived, heralding the end of its furry dominance.
For Emre, his burst rifle damage got a 10% increase, going from 20 to 22, according to the patch notes. Then, Mizuki's Kekkai Sanctuary maneuver, his ult that serves as a protective bubble for allies and a possible trap for enemies, lasts a little longer, stretching from 6 to 7 seconds. Anran also got some TLC, since the cooldown on her Inferno Rush is down to eight seconds, shaving a whole half a second off, and Dancing Blaze will last for 2.25 meters over 1.5.
Now the nerfs. Jetpack Cat's Claws Out has a longer cooldown, and its Territorial move has been taken down to 33% damage instead of 50, really removing some bite. Meanwhile, Vendetta's Palatine Fang takes a couple of significant nerfs, losing ten damage and now susceptible to horizontal knockback - though it's noted that much is actually fixing a bug.
There are some cheerleaders for the attention Emre is enjoying. "More Emre buffs!" says one response on Twitter. "Holy shit that buff on Emre is actually insane," says another fan.
The attention for Anran is welcomed as well. "Anran's moves are chef's kiss now," one player adds. Naturally, as this is Overwatch, a long-running shooter with all sorts of balance discrepancies, the choices are contentious, too.
"Anran didn't need a buff, and Domina still needs a shield reduction," says one tweet. "Anran buff? Misunderstanding the strength of Domina's kit? Mizuki buff?" a fan tweets. "Yup, Overwatch is back."
There's a selection of fixes in tow, mostly tied to small issues surrounding animations and the UI. However, a glitch that apparently let Vendetta perform her ultimate repeatedly without even being at full charge in Stadium has been fixed, and I hope whoever encountered it while playing as her enjoyed it while they could.
Given this is all on the back of a rebrand, from Overwatch 2 to plain old Overwatch, and a new first season and narrative approach, it's comforting to see some things stay the same. Perhaps in another ten years, Blizzard will get the alchemy right on who needs buffed and who needs nerfed.
