Overwatch 2 devs lock in DPS passive nerfs, Mauga buffs & more in next S9 patch

Overwatch 2’s newest Director’s Take has revealed massive balance changes coming to half the roster in the mid-season update.

Season 9 of Blizzard’s hero shooter has shaken up the game more than anyone could imagine. With a new DPS passive aimed at solving the burst and healing problem, the meta has shifted drastically. We’ve seen a resurgence of dive heroes like Winston, D.VA, and Wrecking Ball, while supports have had heroes like Moira become top-tier picks.

The devs released a small balance patch a bit after the new season launched, aimed at giving a couple of heroes some quality-of-life adjustments and changing their hitboxes. However, aside from that, the roster hasn’t seen many changes.

Now we’re getting a first look at the balance changes planned for the mid-season patch, with the Overwatch 2 director claiming that “roughly half the heroes” will receive some form of balance tuning.

Blizzard

Overwatch 2 teases huge hero balance update with mid-season patch

While the devs haven’t released the full patch notes as of writing, we do know of a few heroes getting changes.

Easily the largest change to come from the mid-season patch is a nerf to the DPS passive. Blizzard has decided to take a small step back on the ability, lowering its healing reduction from 20% to 15%.

Conversely, supports Ana and Lifeweaver are both receiving buffs to their healing, with Ana’s Biotic Grenade going from 60 to 90 health. Meanwhile, Lifeweaver’s primary fire maximum heal is being increased from 70 to 85.

Doomfist and Mauga have also been mentioned in the preview of changes, with Mauga getting buffs to his Cardiac Overdrive ability, lowering its duration by 1 second (5 to 4 seconds), decreasing its cooldown by 2 (12 to 10 seconds), and finally filling his passive overhealth by 100. Doomfist is receiving a minor buff to Meteor Strike, increasing the minimum damage from 15 to 50.

You can expect to hear more about the full slew of balance changes when the mid-season update goes live on Tuesday, March 12, 2024.