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Overwatch Kanezaka Challenge update drastically nerfs Sigma: patch notes

Michael Gwilliam
Hanzo on Overwatch death match eventBlizzard Entertainment

A new Overwatch patch has gone live on PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch consoles bringing in a new Hanzo-themed mini event, the new Kanezaka death match map and some nerfs to Sigma.

The big addition this patch is the Kanezaka Challenge, which has players tasked with winning matches in order to unlock an exclusive player icon, spray and eventually a special Kyōgisha Hanzo skin.

That’s not all, however. Overwatch finally has a new map in the form of Kanezaka, which is amusingly positioned just below Hanamura, making it the game’s second Japanese map.

Kanezaka is filled with all sorts of secrets, cat cafes, night clubs and even possible hero teasers for characters coming to Overwatch 2, so it’s definitely worth exploring.

Sigma from OverwatchBlizzard Entertainment
Sigma has been hit with a huge nerf.

Finally, the update also features a variety of nerfs, the biggest of which goes to Sigma who sees his barrier cooldown increased from one second to two and a half.

With Sigma being nerfed like this, it will be interesting to see if his meta dominance continues, given the fact that being able to rapidly redeploy the barrier was such a big part of his kit.

Elsewhere, Wrecking Ball is seeing his personal shields gained decreased from 100 HP to 75 HP per person, which should decrease his effectiveness and make him slightly more vulnerable.

Ashe is also seeing a nerf with her damage when aiming down sights decreased from 80 to 75, however, her ADS recovery time is reduced, so the devs are trying to compensate for lowing her damage.

The Kanezaka Challenge runs until January 25 to be sure to check it out and unlock those rewards.

Full patch notes:

NEW MAP: KANEZAKA

  • Kanezaka , nestled beside Hanamura, is our newest Free-For-All Map!
  • Fight for your life in a thrilling battlefield of alleyways, ancient stone, towering steel, and cat cafes. Shatter your enemy’s dreams in the pottery shop, deliver beatdowns in the Tora no Sumika nightclub, or rise above the competition in the tower at the center of the city.

KANEZAKA CHALLENGE

Celebrate the release of Overwatch’s newest map with the Kanezaka Challenge! Through January 25, earn limited-time rewards, including the new Kyōgisha Hanzo skin, by winning games and watching Overwatch on Twitch.

Learn more about the Kanezaka Challenge on the Overwatch website.

GENERAL UPDATES

Feature Update: Replay Viewer Custom Spectator Options

  • Added Detached Timecode UI option to Replay Viewer

HERO UPDATES

Ashe

The Viper

  • Aim-down-sights damage reduced from 80 to 75
  • Aim-down-sights recovery time reduced from 0.7 to 0.65 seconds

Developer Comments: Ashe being able to eliminate 200 health enemy heroes with one headshot while assisted by 30% damage boost became too dominant, especially when combined with the other improvements to her weapon. We are lowering the maximum damage but also the shot recovery time to keep her overall damage output relatively the same.

Hanzo

Storm Arrows

  • Shot recovery time reduced from 0.3 to 0.25 seconds

Developer Comments: This rate of fire change improves the feel and effectiveness of the Storm Arrows ability and though small, adds up over the course of firing 5 arrows.

Sigma

Experimental Barrier

  • Redeploy cooldown increased from 1 to 2.5 seconds

Developer Comments: We’re increasing the cooldown of Sigma’s barrier to require a higher commitment to its placement and open up additional opportunities for counterplay.

Wrecking Ball

Adaptive Shield

  • Shield per target reduced from 100 to 75

Developer Comments: Wrecking Ball’s high mobility and potential for massive shield health have left him a bit too survivable after the overall damage and crowd control in the game have been tuned down. We are reducing the amount of additional shields he generates per target though the base 100 shields from the ability remains unchanged.

BUG FIXES

General

  • Fixed a bug that caused the flex role rewards banner to not display immediately
  • Fixed a bug with the end of round screen for Deathmatch that would exclude players who left when the match ends
  • Fixed a bug that caused achievement categories in the career profile to become misaligned when setting the filter to “locked”
  • Fixed a bug that caused jump landing sounds to not playback properly
  • Fixed a bug with long spray names overlapping with UI elements
  • [XBOX-Only] Fixed a bug that caused an indefinite loading icon on the Social menu if your friends list is empty
  • [PC-Only] Fixed a bug that caused the mouse cursor to remain focused on the game client while in windowed or windowed fullscreen mode

Heroes

Doomfist

  • Fixed a bug with the “One Punch” highlight intro that would cause it to clip into the ground on certain maps

Genji

  • Fixed a bug with the Genji Contenders skin portrait not appearing properly

Junkrat

  • Fixed a bug with the Unwrap emote animation not displaying properly when rotating the camera around during its duration

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