Catch up on the hero balance changes in Overwatch’s Winter Wonderland

You might be hyped for the new Mercy or Junkrat skin, but don’t forget that Overwatch’s Winter Wonderland patch today brought some interesting hero balance changes. Before you jump into ranked to show off that sweet new Genji emote to your allies, make sure you’ve brushed up on the hero changes.

Also, BOB is now gold if you buy Ashe’s golden weapon. This changes nothing about the game but is spectacular nonetheless.

Bastion

Our good omnic Bastion has gotten buffed across the board; it’s nothing game-breaking, but it’s a nice little change for our good son. He now has 35 ammo in Configuration: Recon mode, up from 25, and Configuration: Sentry’s weapon spread is decreased by 33 percent. That means he can fire a little longer on the move, and a little more effectively at long range. Pharahs and tanks have been warned.

Brigitte

Brigitte’s Shield Bash has been nerfed before, and here’s another one. First of all, Shield Bash no longer goes through shields or barriers.

In addition, Shield Bash damage is down to 5 all the way from 50. Inspire is now on a 1 second cooldown, and lasts for 6 seconds, for a total of 100 healing. In short, Brigitte can’t knock people around as effectively but she can keep her allies more topped off, even when her shield pack is on cooldown.

Doomfist

Doomfist is meant to be an all-in character who thrives when chaining offensive abilities together. These changes are meant to reinforce that identity. His Seismic Slam has been cut to 15 meters, down from 20, and the loss of control enemies experience after being hit by Rising Uppercut has been slashed down to .6 seconds from 3 seconds. He now has to get closer to engage enemies, and opponents have more ability to pin him down once he’s in the fray. Doomfist’s ult has also been nerfed; the inner ring is 15 meters, down from 20, and the outer ring damage is 200, down from 300.

Blizzard Entertainment

McCree

It’s been quite some time since Fan the Hammer got nerfed significantly, and now Blizzard is bringing it back up to par. Fan the Hammer now does 55 damage, not 45, and it’s back to being better at close range in high pressure engagements. Blizzard said his Fan the Hammer ability wasn’t a reliable option against high-health heroes. Increasing the damage it does will make it stronger at close-range, like it should be.

Torbjorn

The pint-sized engineer has received a little buff to his new ult, Molten Core. The lava on the floor now does 160 damage a second, up from 130. Now Molten Core is more of an active deterrent, forcing players to get out of the lava before they melt.