Overwatch fans might be startled to find a massive new update waiting for them on PS4, Xbox One and PC today.
That’s because Blizzard has released their latest character – Ashe – along with some big changes to all platforms.
Unlike other Overwatch updates, today’s massive patch weighs in at around 20GBs.
Most prior builds of the game have been much smaller and taken a lot less time to install.
However, today’s asked fans to download an update that’s the same size as the full game on release date.
This is actually seen by Blizzard as a remaster patch for the game, with the hopes it will reduce the overall size of the game and optimise memory to help it run on older systems.
For those who already have the PTR build installed on PC, this new update should be much smaller than on other platforms.
The main star of the new update is Ashe – the rootin tootin new hero that has been under testing for a while.
And as with all new heroes, it should be noted that Ashe’s release in Competitive Play will be delayed by two weeks.
You can find highlights of the official Overwatch patch notes below:
OVERWATCH PATCH NOTES
ASHE
- Ashe’s arsenal of weapons makes her a versatile offensive hero, capable of setting up the perfect situation to shoot down dangerous enemies from range or deal high area-of-effect burst damage to groups of heroes.
- Her primary weapon is the Viper, a lever-action rifle with two firing modes: semi-automatic and aim down sights. In semi-automatic mode, the Viper shoots rapidly with a high spread. Aiming down the sights lets Ashe line up precise shots, increasing damage at the expense of speed.
- She can turn any situation into her favor with her Coach Gun a short-range, high-impact sidearm that deals big damage and clears the way by knocking back nearby enemies. It can also be used to knock herself back for added mobility, either to reposition herself for a clear shot, or to escape pursuing enemies.
- Ashe’s Dynamite ability is a thrown explosive that detonates after a delay. It deals damage in a wide radius and sets enemies on fire for additional damage over time. She can also shoot the dynamite to detonate it early, allowing her to damage unsuspecting enemies.
MAP UPDATES
General
- Reduced the setup timer for Assault, Escort, and Assault/Escort maps from 1 minute to 45 seconds
- Assemble Your Team timer increased from 10 to 25 seconds in the second round on Assault, Assault/Escort, and Escort maps
USER INTERFACE UPDATES
General
- Removed the “Unlock All” option in the Hero Gallery
HERO UPDATES
GENERAL
- Made jump height consistent across hero roster
MERCY
Developer Comments Mercy’s ultimate was charging a bit too slowly after her base healing was reduced in a previous update. These changes should restore some of her ultimate’s strength and let it build up more quickly.
VALKYRIE
- Ultimate cost reduced 15%
- Healing per second increased from 50 to 60
REAPER
Developer Comments: Reaper’s specialty is fighting at a very close range. The more consistent spread pattern and increase in healing from his passive ability will make him more capable of standing toe-to-toe with his enemies.
HELLFIRE SHOTGUNS
- Spread randomization reduced by 50%
- Spread pattern adjusted
THE REAPING
- Life steal increased from 20% to 30% of damage dealt
ROADHOG
Developer Comments: Roadhog is receiving several large changes to make his abilities more consistent. His Chain Hook had issues with breaking when enemy targets jumped or fell behind environment collision. It will now slow them down in the air more when the hook lands, and wait less time before it starts reeling them in. Since Chain Hook’s cooldown now begins immediately upon use, so it no longer varies based on Roadhog’s distance to the hook target. We’ve also moved some of the projectiles closer to the center of the spread pattern on his Scrap Gun, which gives him a more consistent damage output for its primary and alternate fire. Previously, there was a long-standing bug that caused close-range targets to fly much further than expected. After this bug was fixed, we still wanted to keep some of the knockback burst it provided, so we’ve increased the overall velocity cap to maintain some of that functionality.
CHAIN HOOK
- Decreased the delay before pulling a hooked target from 0.5 seconds to 0.3 seconds
- Now greatly reduces the target’s momentum upon being hooked
- Cooldown now begins immediately, instead of after the target has been pulled
SCRAP GUN
- Spread pattern adjusted for both primary and secondary fire
- Spread randomization reduced by 50%
WHOLE HOG
- Knockback maximum velocity increased by 25% (from 8 to 10 meters per second)
- Horizontal recoil decreased slightly
SYMMETRA
- Developer Comments It’s still difficult to use Symmetra’s Photon Projector beam effectively, even after its range was increased. By speeding up the primary fire charge rate, it takes less time to ramp up to its full damage potential and will be a stronger option when she’s presented with targets to charge up on.
PHOTON PROJECTOR
- Primary fire beam charges up 20% faster