Overwatch Halloween 2017 update to include terrifying PTR Mercy nerf?

Today saw a new Overwatch PTR patch release, putting a new version of the game into testing.

PC players who have signed up to the test servers now have access to the build and it doesn’t look so good for Mercy players.

Having made major changes to the healer earlier this year, further changes are being looked at that would further change the character’s effectiveness.

Valkyrie no longer resets or lowers Resurrection’s cooldown, instead it now doubles Resurrection’s range.

While the specifcs haven’t been shared by Blizzard, players on Reddit are reporting that cooldown stays at 30 seconds when Valkyrie is active.

Other changes noticed by players but not confirmed by Blizzard:

  • Junkrat – Tire is slower
  • Genji – You seem to starts slashing faster. If Genji is stunned while winding up Dragonblade it still continues on rather than being completely wasted. It still immediately goes down to 0% ult charge upon pressing Q, just like every other ult in the game after the last patch. Apparently same thing with Lucio’s and Soldier’s ult.
  • D.va – Your mech no longer just drops when using the new “hold to boost” option
  • Sombra: EMP now affects training bots

While these changes are sparking debate among fans, there’s still the chance they won’t be incorporated into the full game.

Blizzard will be testing the new changes to see if they work on PTR, with no timeline given for their inclusion.

What we do know is that the new Overwatch Halloween event will be launched on October 10.

This raises the possibility that the new PTR changes could be added to the overall update, or around the sametime.

It has now been confirmed that all the spooky goings-on will end on November 2, neatly before the start of Blizzcon 2017.

More details are expected closer to the event, with Blizzard currently only providing a short teaser on Twitter.

“The nights grow cold And monsters appear, A great evil gathers and Halloween draws near…,” the teaser reads.

Blizzard also shared the first of the new Overwatch Halloween skins which will be added to the game this year.

McCree and Reaper are both featured wearing new Halloween costumes, although more will likely be added alongside last year’s selection of outfits.

With the return of the Summer Games, the old skins introduced last year were made available at a slightly cheaper price.

Classic Summer Games skins cost 1,000 credits, instead of the 3,000 credits it usually takes to unlock limited Legendary skins. The new skins were sold at 3,000 credits.

New Summer Games 2017 cosmetic items were also priced at 3,000 for Legendary Skins, 750 credits for Epic skins, 225 credits for Rare tier items and 75 credits for common tier items.