Overwatch UPDATE: Early patch notes for Storm Rising event on PS4 and Xbox

Today will see the release of the next Overwatch update for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

And thanks to the game’s PTR, we have a good idea about what will be included alongside the Storm Rising event.

As many fans will already know, today is when Blizzard will be releasing their next Archives story content on PS4, Xbox One and PC.

The new mission involves Winston, Tracer, Genji, and Mercy and is set in Cuba, revolving around the capture of Talon agent, Maximilien.

This new event will be running until May 6 and will allow fans to unlock a range of new skins and cosmetics, as well as returning seasonal designs.

Overwatch Archives is part of the yearly event cycle in which critical moments from the Overwatch universe are explored.

But it will also see a new mode added to the game, something that fans can enjoy alongside the standard action and brawls.

And the new Overwatch update today will bring its own set of change to the balancing of heroes.

Blizzard uses Public Test Servers to try out these changes before they are released on all platforms.

And it just so happens that we have had three different builds go live over March 2019. However, due to the nature of the PTR, it should also be noted that some of these tweaks might not make it into the final version.

This will give us some idea of what will be included in today’s Overwatch patch notes, which are expected to be released when the new update goes live.

The new Overwatch update is expected to go live between 6pm and 8pm BST, so fans won’t have to wait long until they have the official list.

Until then, here are some of the PTR patch notes that have been shared recently by Blizzard:

(Please note that the below patch notes only include changes currently available for testing on the PTR. While many of these changes may also be available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in a future patch, the PTR is PC-only and only reflects changes coming specifically to that platform.)

OVERWATCH PATCH NOTES

HERO UPDATES

Junkrat

  • Frag Launcher
  • Projectile speed increased from 20 to 25
  • Grenades now bounce less but explode sooner

Developer Comments: With this change, we’re looking to slightly increase the range at which Junkrat can land direct hits. The speed of his bombs has increased, but we tuned it so this wouldn’t affect the arc of his projectile. This means that aiming with it will feel the same. The grenades bounce less and explode sooner, which will allow Junkrat to aim them more deliberately. This will reduce the amount of rolling grenade spam when playing against him.

Reaper

Shadow Step

  • Can now be used in air
  • Time to exit Shadow Step reduced from 1.0 second to 0.5 of a second
  • Reaper is now invisible for the entire time it takes to exit shadow step
  • Can now teleport onto surfaces that would usually break, like railings

Developer Comments: Shadow Step was originally intended to be purely an out-of-combat mobility tool to traverse the map, since Wraith Form was already a great tool for disengaging. However, this made Shadow Step very situational, so we’re increasing its flexibility to make it a better, less niche ability. This will enable Reaper to use Shadow Step in more offensive situations.

Symmetra

Teleporter

  • Railings and other breakable objects no longer block teleporter placement and teleporting

USER INTERFACE UPDATES

Hero Gallery

  • You can now set your Victory Pose choice to random

Social

  • There is now an option to set your profile so only your current group can view it

BUG FIXES

Heroes

Doomfist

  • Fixed a bug where targeting Seismic Slam on a surface that inclines or declines, like stairs, would fail if you were looking downwards

Mei

  • Fixed a bug where placing Ice Wall on a surface that inclines or declines, like stairs, would fail if you were looking downwards

Reaper

  • Fixed a bug where placing Shadow Step’s target on a surface that inclines or declines, like stairs, would fail if you were looking downwards

Symmetra

  • Fixed a bug where Teleporter wouldn’t fit in some short windows
  • Fixed a bug where placing Teleporter on a surface that inclines or declines, like stairs, would fail if you were looking downwards

Maps

  • Black Forest
    • Fixed a bug where flying heroes could get stuck on trees and wall climbing heroes could get stuck on birds’ nests
  • Busan
    • Fixed a bug where flying heroes could get stuck on trees
    • Fixed a bug on the Sanctuary map where heroes would bounce when standing on the edge of the first capture point
    • Castillo
      • Fixed a bug where Reaper could Shadow Step to unintended places
      • Dorado
        • Fixed a bug where the spectator camera started at the incorrect position
        • Horizon Lunar Colony
          • Fixed a bug where players could get stuck on top of a worktable
          • King’s Row
            • Fixed a bug where Junkrat’s RIP-Tire could get stuck in the grates on the ground in King’s Row
            • Oasis
              • Fixed a bug on the University map where a hero that touches the enemy team’s spawn room doors will take significant damage
              • Numbani
                • Fixed a bug where D.Va would get stuck behind a desk when using Call Mech
                • Fixed a bug where ivy on walls was preventing certain abilities from impacting enemies, like Winston’s Tesla Cannon and Doomfist’s Meteor Strike
                • Rialto
                  • Fixed a bug where players killed on a specific bridge would fall through the bridge
                  • Fixed an issue where players could become stuck between a dolly, the wall, and a counter
                  • Watchpoint: Gibraltar
                    • Fixed a bug where Wrecking Ball would get stuck on ventilation ducts

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