Overwatch 2 devs confirm D.Va, Sombra & more tank nerfs coming in S12 mid-season patch

Overwatch 2’s Lead Hero Designer has confirmed multiple balance changes are on the way for the mid-Season 12 patch in September.

Overwatch 2 Season 12 is reaching its half-way point which means a major balance update is fast approaching and will go live with the World of Warcraft crossover on September 17.

In a new developer blog post, Hero Designer Alec Dawson announced several big changes in the works to adjust the meta including nerfs to D.Va as she dominates the current leaderboards.

D.Va has been an absolute menace in Season 12, with players making use of armor buffs and her strong mobility to crush the opposition.

According to Dawson, tanks have become much harder to punish thanks to recent buffs and so they want to adjust some of that strength accordingly.

“Since our bigger Tank patch in 2.11.1, Tank survivability shot up and it’s felt very difficult to punish Tanks effectively (D.Va especially). We want to pull back slightly, looking specifically at the power in Armor and some of the defensive passives given to the Tank role,” he said. “Expect those changes and more to drop next week.”

Furthermore, the dev revealed that more updates could be coming to Sombra. The balance team is looking into nerfs to her Stealth duration along with other parts of her kit, though he didn’t specify.

Dawson also touched on the game’s latest hero, Juno, and how she’s fairing. He noted that, ever since she was buffed at launch, she’s been in the “safe side of strong” zone.

“It’s still early, but there’s some indication that her speed may be more useful in tighter corridors and less open spaces,” he explained, but pointed that the team has been watching the OWCS Korea playoffs and expects to see more of Juno being paired with Brigitte or Ana.

The dev says the team won’t be adjusting Juno just yet, but there might be some changes to her ultimate as they continue to monitor her performance.

Be sure to be on the lookout for more information as the patch approaches, but, for D.Va mains, you may want to take advantage of the nerf warning and utilize the tank in her powerful state while you still can.