Overwatch's PTR Brings Massive Changes to Heroes, New Italy Map

Liana 'LiLi' Ruppert

04/20/2018 12:06 pm EDT

A new update has arrived for Blizzard's hit FPS Overwatch and brings with it that Italian flavor and a ton of hero changes. Mostly notably, Hanzo's Scatter Arrow replacement is finally here, as well a few key changes to other characters such as Junkrat, Lucio, and more. But no Mercy! Mercy gets a break! Small favors, people, small favors.

In addition to the hero changes, the Italian map, Rialto, is now being tested in PTR, which is what this latest patch is heading to first. There's a lot of new coming our way, and though it may not be a new hero - the latest Retribution event essentially is an animated short. McCree vs Reaper ... the moment the cowboy wanted to beat the weirdo senseless.

Interested in what's new for PTR? Check out the full patch notes below:

Hanzo

Storm Bow

Sonic Arrow

New abilities:

Lunge

Storm Arrows

"The goal of these Hanzo changes is to allow him to have new options and maintain his high damage output, while removing the frustration of fighting against the old Scatter Arrow," read the developer comments. "Hanzo is now much more mobile with his new Lunge ability, and with the combination of the bow projectile speed increase and the new Storm Arrows ability he can now deal his high damage more consistently than ever before."

Junkrat

Frag Launcher

RIP-Tire

"These changes are aimed at lowering some of the most frustrating parts about playing against Junkrat," Blizzard said. "Decreasing the Frag Launcher's projectile size means he will have to aim a bit more carefully to land powerful direct hits and slowing the RIP-Tire's movement speed gives his opponents slightly more time to destroy it before it detonates."

Lucio

Wall Ride

Soundwave

"Wall Ride has been significantly overhauled to allow it to function more smoothly across more areas of every map," Blizzard said. "Lúcio players should instantly notice a huge improvement in where and how Wall Ride can be used. In addition, Sonic Amplifier's Soundwave ability was unnecessarily controlled by both a cooldown and an ammo cost, so we're removing the ammo cost."

Tracer (Here!)

Pulse Bomb

"Pulse Bomb was too good at killing tanks, who can be easy to stick due to their size," Blizzard said. "This damage reduction makes it less powerful as a tank-destroyer, while keeping it lethal against most other heroes."

Genji

Deflect

"The hitbox on Genji's Deflect was big enough that it would sometimes reflect projectiles that were pretty far away from him," Blizzard said. "We've tightened up the hitbox, which should solve this problem while still fully protecting him from projectiles that would hit him from the front."

New Escort Map: Rialto

Rialto was home to Talon agent Antonio Bartalotti's sprawling estate and the backdrop to the infamous "Venice Incident," a turning point for Overwatch and Talon. The Italian government has taken great steps to preserve Venice, and the results are striking. Tourists visiting this picturesque town can sample the regional cuisine, enjoy a relaxing gondola ride, visit Galleria D'arte Omnica, or simply take in the sights with a stroll along the canal.

General/Other Patch Notes

General

A.I.

Game Browser and Custom Game

Heroes

Maps

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