Experimental Overwatch Patch Affects 4 Heroes

A new set of Overwatch changes are being tested now following the release of the game’s latest [...]

By Tanner Dedmon

A new set of Overwatch changes are being tested now following the release of the game's latest experimental update. Live now in the Experimental Mode are adjustments for four different heroes: Echo, Genji, Hanzo, and Moira. These changes currently being tested are relatively light compared to what's been done in the past to some heroes with Genji benefitting the most from them, though buffs and nerfs are found mostly evenly throughout. Just as is the case with every Experimental Mode patch, however, there's no guarantee that the changes seen here will ship outside of the mode or that they'll stay exactly as they are now.

The patch released this week is now playable in the Experimental Mode by all players to see how they feel about the changes. Should the hero adjustments prove to suit the characters well, there's a chance the changes will one day be released in a larger patch.

You can see all the changes below from the June 2nd update as well as an overview of the Experimental Mode feature if you're unfamiliar.

What Is the Experimental Mode?

The Experimental Mode is Blizzard's way of testing new Overwatch changes with the help of more players without shipping them directly to core modes first or having only PC players do the testing. It was added not long ago and was first announced alongside the plans to add rotating hero pools.

"The Experimental Mode allows players to try out potential new balance updates, game modes, and rule changes," Blizzard said about the mode. "The content within this mode is not guaranteed to be released and the mode may not always be available."

You can find the Experimental Mode in the game's playable options regardless of what platform you're on, so console players are welcome to participate.

Echo

  • Focusing Beam
    • Range reduced from 20m to 16m

Genji

  • Shuriken
    • General
      • Damage increased from 28 to 30
    • Secondary Fire
      • Spread reduced from 12 to 9
    • Deflect
      • Duration increased from 1.5 to 2 seconds
      • Deflect can now be cancelled manually

Hanzo

  • Storm Arrows
    • Damage increased from 60 to 70

Moira

  • Biotic Grasp
    • Primary Fire
      • Healing per second increased from 65 to 70
    • Secondary Fire
      • Damage per second reduced from 50 to 40

Overwatch's Experimental Mode update with the above changes is now live across all platforms with players able to offer their feedback on the update after trying it.

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