Overwatch’s Feb 25 patch may have secretly nerfed Ana’s Sleep Dart

Ana appears to have been secretly nerfed in Overwatch’s February 25 update, as players have noticed some surprising changes to her Sleep Dart ability.

While avid Overwatch players noticed a few surprising buffs to Ana’s Sleep Dart ability following a sweeping set of changes on February 25, a hidden nerf seems to have slipped through the cracks as well.

Now able to temporarily shut down Tobrjorn’s Turret along with D.Va’s self-destructing ultimate, a sneaky nerf has also made its way to the surface that might have you thinking twice before using the ability in certain situations.

Sleeping enemy targets is often an extremely important tactic that can make or break any given team-fight in Overwatch. Whether you’re trying to drop Reinhardt and his shield before a devastating follow-up Ultimate from your allies, or you’re simply trying to escape from an enemy dive, Ana’s Sleep-Dart can be pivotal. 

In various scenarios, you might have slept an enemy target in a narrow corridor for instance. In years past, you’d simply be able to walk right through their downed body and back towards the safety of your team.

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Thanks to a stealth-nerf hidden among the latest balance updates, Ana can no longer walk through targets that have been floored by her Sleep Dart ability.

This new change could be the difference between life and death, as enemies will now be able to pounce if they spot the Support hero trapped behind a fallen companion.

Even jumping wasn’t enough to get Ana over the sleeping robot in the Practice Range so it seems the hero will simply have to wait through the duration of the effect if she’s ever caught between a rock and a hard place.

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There’s no indicating when the issue might be resolved, but given how much attention Ana’s Sleep Dart has been met with online since the update, it’s likely Blizzard will issue a comment sooner rather than later.

While Ana’s arsenal seems to have more versatility than ever before thanks to a few additional surprises under the hood of the latest patch, players may have re-think their positioning when getting into battle with the Support hero.

Here’s a rundown on a number of major Ana buffs that made their through the February 25 patch notes.