All Hero buffs & nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 7: Balancing changes explained

❘ Published: 2023-10-10T09:04:21

Blizzard

Overwatch 2 Season 7 is finally upon us, bringing a new Diablo crossover and plenty of balancing changes to the game’s many heroes. Here’s every Hero buff and nerf in Overwatch 2 Season 7.

Overwatch 2 Season 7 is yet another major overhaul to Blizzard’s popular Hero shooter. The update brings a fresh Battle Pass to grind through, a long-awaited Diablo crossover, and the annual Halloween event.

As always, the patch also brings a host of balancing changes to Overwatch 2’s ever-growing lineup of heroes. So, who were the winners and losers this time around?

Here is every Hero buff and nerf in Overwatch 2 Season 7.

Overwatch 2 Illari, new Support character

Illari was handed a nerf in Overwatch 2 Season 7.

Every Hero buff & nerf in Overwatch 2 Season 7

Here is a complete breakdown of every Hero balancing change in Overwatch 2 Season 7, as shared by Blizzard:

TANK

Orisa

Fortify

Damage reduction decreased from 50% to 45%.

Developer Comments: We are further readjusting Orisa’s survivability, which was originally increased due to the armor-damage reduction stacking change we made several patches ago. This particular change is relatively light as we still want her to be an effective pick against teams that lean on crowd control.

Ramattra

Nemesis Form

Cooldown decreased from 8 to 7 seconds.

Developer Comments: This change lets Ramattra project his influence more frequently with Nemesis Form, which translates into increased survivability and damage. The flexibility also makes it less punishing if he swaps back to Omnic Form early to use the Void Barrier.

Wrecking Ball

Quad Cannons

Number of shots to reach max spread increased from 20 to 30.

Developer Comments: This change lets Wrecking Ball finish off enemies a bit more reliably when he’s outside of point-blank range and makes him less reliant on his Piledriver combos.

Zarya

Projected Barrier

Size decreased 15% now matching back to the size of Particle Barrier.
Health decreased from 225 to 200 matching back to the health of Particle Barrier.

Developer Comments: Zarya is using the barrier on her allies more often to peel or initiate combination plays, which makes the ability more team-oriented and less self-serving. This change preserves that interesting choice by keeping the cooldown reduced when used on an ally while targeting her energy sustain instead, which has increased significantly with the bonuses to the barrier health and size.

DAMAGE

Cassidy

Combat Roll

Damage reduction increased from 50% to 75%.

Developer Comments: Most damage mitigation from Combat Roll feels incidental, as the ability is used more for mobility or reloading. This adjustment allows Cassidy to be more intentional with his rolls to avoid large amounts of damage with correct timing.

Mei

Deep Chill

Removed.

Endothermic Blaster

Damage per second increased from 70 to 100.
Now immediately slows enemies by 40% instead of building up over time.

Developer Comment: We liked the one-two combo that Deep Chill provided, as it added an interesting layer for hero mastery. However, in practice, it increased the amount of crowd control suffered by enemy players while also reducing Mei’s effectiveness. Rather than further increasing the slow or increasing cumulative combo damage, both of which would lead to a more frustrating experience for the opposing player, we are reverting Mei back to her balance prior to adding the Deep Chill passive.

Torbjörn

Rivet Gun

Primary fire recovery increased from .48 to .51 seconds.

Overload

Overhealth bonus decreased from 100 to 75.

Developer Comments: Torbjorn’s Rivet Gun can feel overwhelming with how quickly it shoots. This change reduces the firing cadence and makes it more manageable on the receiving end. Overload provides too much defensive value, so we are lowering the overhealth bonus.

SUPPORT

Brigitte

Whip Shot

Damage increased from 70 to 80.

Developer Comment: This change increases her proficiency at protecting her allies by rewarding accuracy with her most aim-focused ability.

Illari

Solar Rifle

Secondary fire healing per second decreased from 120 to 105.

Developer Comments: Illari’s burst healing output is still a little too high, so we are lowering the effectiveness of the Solar Rifle secondary fire to bring her more in line with other support heroes.

Those were all of the balancing changes in Overwatch 2 Season 7. For more on OW2, check out our other guides: