Overwatch

[Ender]

I played quite a bit of this game over the weekend during a beta stress test.

Overall, I rate it very highly and it was an enjoyable return to FPS games. I didn't play BF4 and BF3 was way too buggy to enjoy at all. Also, I don't like the constant map packs that come out for those games that become just a big EA money sink.

The good:
- There are a variety of different characters and roles that each character falls under (support, tanks, defenders, etc). Each character is totally unique in both weapons and abilities. This makes for interesting team dynamics and the need to work as a team to succeed.
- Each role is actually fun to play, including the support roles.
- Most character abilities show a lot of creativity in game design for a FPS game, which makes this game a lot different than other FPS games in that you don't simply depend on the weapon to decide how you play the game. Each character plays totally different and has a different play style. Some characters run up walls, teleport, or have other interesting movement abilities. Others have shields or missile deflection... etc. This also changes how you need to play AGAINST certain characters. Some you do not want to get close to, others you do... etc.
- There is a "play of the game" highlight at the end of each match that shows a short first person clip, usually of a bunch of kills together. Some of these can be pretty funny, and sometime you will see yourself in them and how stupid you were.
- Each character has an "ultimate" ability, much like characters on League of Legends or other such games if you are familiar with them. This is both good and bad. The good is when you use it correctly for your character, you can really mess a team up and change the flow of a match, which is rewarding.

The bad:
- There are some imbalances that make certain characters relatively more powerful than others, depending on skill. Some characters can basically 1 shot most others except for tanks, but aiming to do this is difficult given the speed of the game. Being on the other side of this and dying so easily can be pretty frustrating. Also, there is a character called Tracer that teleports... while she is very difficult to play (I suck at her), if you are up against someone that is very good with her it can be really infuriating.
- The bad part about ultimate abilities is being on the receiving end of them... sometimes you are just going to die no matter what you do because they used an ultimate ability or the opposing team used several at the same time. This is another part of the game where you sometimes just die no matter what.
- Right now in this beta test there was only 1 play mode, which involves 1 team attacking (either capturing several locations, or escorting a moving vehicle to an end point) and the other defending. I am guessing more play modes and map objectives will be added in the future though.
- Aiming with "sniper" type players is very difficult in this game for some reason. I think the speed of the game has some to do with this, because it is very fast paced and characters have movement or defensive abilities that can block or counter shots.

Anyways, I definitely recommend trying this game out when it is release... I think most of you will enjoy it.

[Jomama]

Nice, so annoyed I haven't gotten a beta invite..

[Klaus]

It's always the players that play a lot. Luke is on Diablo and HS more then either of us. I have never got into a Blizzard beta.

Nice review I am sure I will love the game.

[Jomama]

http://kotaku.com/blizzard-channels-pixar-in-the-first-overwatch-short-1766223534

[Klaus]

Played the stress test this weekend with Joe and Eric. I gotta say I was ready for a let down but it was super fun. I love that there are so many (12?) classes to choose from. It has a TF2 feel to it (alot of the stuff is stolen directly from TF2 - payload mode - route 66 map looks like dustbowl) which I miss. I would like to turn off the kill cam after you die - I much prefer the BF4 still photo of where the player that killed you is located.

I actually think the balance is pretty good BUT new players don't know the classes yet and what counters what. I tried Bastion (robot that can convert to a turret) and went 34-3 on three maps due to noobs not knowing how to kill it. Later I was on another team with higher level players and got wrecked attempting to play him.

[Klaus]

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[Jomama]

I like it a lot. I really like that the healers are not all squishy and can actually participate beyond just healing their team. Bastion is def a lot of fun, and I played the Solider 76 and Pharrah a few times and like them.. Some high learning curves with some of the classes.

[Klaus]

I sucked at the soldier but had fun with the sniper(widowmaker) and demo guy(junkyard). You only get one mine/remote det bomb and it won't one shot most classes but still fun to trigger when someone runs near it.

[Jomama]

I didn't get around to demo guy, and I figure I might like the dwarf/engineer guy, but didn't want to spend time figuring out the picking up scrap metal thing needed to build/upgrade(?) turrets?

I think you will dig solider once you play more. He gets to run, not exciting, but he can get around the maps way faster, sometimes very helpfull. The healing beacon is great, and he's essentially got 2 auto-kill abilities.. The helix missiles hit hard enough to 1-shot some classes.. and the tactical visor gives you auto-aim for a short time, which can be quite devastating when used right...

I played Mei (the freeze weapons and ice walls) and D'Va a little too, both interesting classes.. D'Va might be the easiest Heavy/tank I tried..

Good summary of classes with breakdown of abilities.. http://www.pcgamesn.com/overwatch/best-overwatch-characters

[Jomama]

Yeah I think the concussion mine is not meant to be a killing blow, but used to either displace enemies, or for you to use to get to hard to reach areas...

Given there are some cliffs and such to fall off of, it would be good to figure out choke points near areas where you could set that and knock your enemies off of a drop-off... I had rheinhart use his charge on me when my back was to a cliff and he carried me over the edge..

[Jomama]

So did you pre-order? If so we get early access starting tues.

[Klaus]

So did you pre-order? If so we get early access starting tues.


Looks like the "early Beta" start tonight. For me at 6pm All access beta Wednesday same times.

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[Klaus]

Played a bit more last night after you left Joe. I am liking it but do think it's almost to fast paced. I don't mean the game in general although the rounds are short - but the between games etc. I can't even get up for a minutes to get a drink or use the bathroom and it auto kicks to the login screen.

I definitely need to figure out how to counter each class. That one game the ninja and scout kept ripping through us. I assume traps or turrets can counter that. And I hate that chain throwing guy. Seems like it's an insta-kill if he gets you with the chain. There must be a counter.

[Jomama]

Played more Torbjorn lately than Bastion. Its nice to be able to move but still have the turret level kills if you can keep it repaired.. And his little molten rivet shotgun (alt-fire) is pretty brutal at close range. Armor packs are a great team boost too, esp on defense (when I typically play him).

I was surprised to see I have most time on Pharah. Fun to play once you start to master the flying and learning to maximize how long you can stay afloat with the jump-jet. I try to be disruptive to good Defensive pushes by staying back and getting to a nice high spot to reign down the special power up, and use the concussive blow back when the defense is all clustered around a escort cart or capture point.

[Klaus]

I got a late start as I was out of town when the game was released. I think most players have figured out Bastion now and it's kinda worthless to play (I am not getting 32-2 games with him). I like Pharah too and the damn "rains from above" is annoying if you are in the open when that goes off. I have been sticking to Sniper and Demo most of the time so far. I played Torborn in the beta a bit and really liked it but don't think I 100% figured out how to play him.

They gotta work on some balance issues on certain maps. Seems like the attack or defend team always wins on certain maps.

[Jomama]

I've just noticed that teamwork is truly important, and you are never going to get that last push (Def or Attack) if everyone streams out of the spawn point one at a time against even a moderately organized opponent.. Prob the same as TF2 but it seems to really affect this game..... And people dropping and class distribution changes can really mess things up. If my team starts hitting a choke point or something and cant proceed, I always check to see what the current team makeup is and try to pick something thats most helpfull.. I helped win 2 different escort maps (attack side) this weekend with a last minute push.. One time coming in as Rheinhard to provide cover and smash my way in, and another coming in as the buddah-healer guy and throwing out a bunch of heals and then getting the special powerup AOE heal to make the final push with the payload.

Getting the hang of Rheinhard too, he's fun and pretty devastating if you can catch someone with his charge and pin them into a wall... And his ranged fire ability seems to hit pretty hard (as does him main attack)...

Torbjorn is straightforward, his main weapon (rivet gun) is a single shot main/shotgun alt fire. You need to arc the single shot to hit anything at range, but it does decent dmg.

The big thing is his powerup, you want his turret at lvl 2, powerup gives it lvl 3. And then his health and dmg are boosted, and repair rate increases.. If his turret is taking hvy dmg during this time it seems best to stay close and repair, but I will also range out and protect the turret from being flanked when powerup is active, as he can take hvy dmg and kill anyone close range with alt/fire. Its nice to find a ranged spot to cover your team with your turret, and then go collect all the scrap packs that get left behind after the opponents die and hand out ammo packs.. I love that there are numerous platforms and nooks and such that you can actually access and set up a turret in to provide cover for your team, and you are not stuck using the same few locations to try to stop an advancing escort..

[Klaus]

Been having some lag issues the last couple weeks. I don't have a ton of time to play but lately I have been trouble shooting my issues. Actually, got on for a bit last night and didn't have issues but usually it's random movement lag (key strokes/mouse movements are from several seconds before). I looked into it and changed display setting way down although my vcard plays at 100+ fps no help. There is also a theory that Asus routers are an issue..... It's frustrating.

[Klaus]

I turned on the stats that show fps ping etc and have noticed that when I get my "lag" it correlates with high ping (500 ms-700 ms) and usually lasts for 20-30 seconds. Then the ping returns to my usual 25 ms. I guess it's network related. I might swap out my router for a night and see if that fixes it (if so it's an Asus problem).

[Klaus]

I have played the last few nights with no lag! So maybe it's fixed. Driver updates and a game update might have fixed it.

I think I am going to focus on learning Torbjorn and perfecting D.va...

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I have only played her a bit but after I watched a video on how to play her I am hooked. Basically, rocket right on top of other players - Blast away and trade damage - rocket away. My first match I think I was 20 kills and like 2 deaths. It's great for killing those fast and sneaky classes.

[Klaus]

http://plays.tv/video/57a0045f7fd603e6a2/d-va

My streak. This play tv application that automatically runs in the background saved this.

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[Klaus]

Placement matches finished..... 2-8 with a rating of 39. Terrible matches. I mostly played Dva and Mercy. Had time for 1 competitive match and we absolutely crushed the other team. I played Dva and got play of the game and went 20-2. Moved up to almost 41 rating.

[Jomama]

Yeah i've hovered around the 38-40 since placing..

[Klaus]

Logged on last night to see Season 1 is over and S2 won't start until September with 10 more matches needed.... yuck. It does look like they changed the ranking system quite a bit for S2. Similar to Hearthstone you will be rewarded off the highest rank you achieve during the season.

So I decided to try another class - this time Soldier 76 for my first "Offensive" hero. Got pretty good with him especially when I had a healer. Love the sprint and healing aura deal.

[Klaus]

Getting kinda tired of free play. Played last night against a group of 3 junk rats while on attack. Was pretty much impossible. At first I didn't like the 1 class per team restriction in competitive play but I do now. They should limit to no more than 2 of a class in public free play.

[Jomama]

Yeah that doesn't sound like fun. Yeah that would probably be a good tweak, 2 seems fair. I was in a game the other day where the other team was all D'Va, Tor and Bastion. I think we pushed thru it but they set up a few cross-fire choke points that were devastating.. I'm a little amazed how many people will change classes mid-match to something thats already being played, not a coordinated stack, so it tends to further the losing of the team. You finish the game like... oh, well we had three tanks and 2 healers at the end, no wonder we lost, nobody is doing dmg... The only thing I didn't like about the competitive play was all the bossy pants taking it far to seriously.. Like, I'm not gonna play a class I have no familiarity with no matter how much you think I suck at Pharrah.. Sometimes you lose.

[Klaus]

I see that all the time too. Quick play is rarely coordinated and people switch to dumb classes all the time. I seem to be getting grouped with higher level players now and they do attempt to win by playing the correct class. Last night I came up against teams with 3 Genjis and that's pretty annoying. So I usually just pick a new class I haven't played and try to learn it. Last night was Reaper. I am pretty good with him 3:1 after 5 games. Kinda suits my run in style of play. The teleport is crazy good for killing turrets and Bastion and the shadow move deal is great for getting out of trouble. I also tried Zarya and got destroyed......

Current Favorite Classes:
Offense - Solider 76
Tank - Dva
Defense - Junkrat
Support - Mercy

[Jomama]

Yeah, i cant count the number of Reapers who have gotten away from me with that shadow move, which seems more powerful than Mei's ice block that people seem to think is OP. I still haven't gotten into Mercy or the guy on skates, but I've seen some strong Mercy/Pharah combo's just destroy a team flying around in the air.

[Klaus]

Mercy is fun but she's is 90% healer and once the other team decides to focus on you it's painful to play. If your team actively protects you and you can just sit back and heal you will get tons of "thanks" at the end of the game.

[Jomama]

Yeah how often do you actually use her dmg buff as opposed to her heal, seems almost a throw away ability. I suppose if you get in the right position it could really helps dominate tho.

[Klaus]

If everyone is at full health I always have the damage buff up on the highest DPS player. I guess one of the new changes is you will be able to turn on WOW style health gauge for the players on your team (on the side of the screen). That is my biggest frustration with Mercy is you can't tell how low out of LOS teammates are. It does show "critical" but I like to make sure everyone it topped off.

[Jomama]

Been playing Winston a little bit here and there (and trying out Mercy a bit). He's kinda fun imo, I love flanking or getting around behind an enemy and then doing what he does best, jump on top of their group and cause some distracting chaos so your team can advance. He's a little squishy, but so long as you get away when your shield drops, I tend to get a few good leap attacks in before they manage to kill me. His ultimate is pretty fun to just knock the shit out of everyone and cause a bunch of havoc for the enemy team.

[Jomama]

I think I went 4-6 in my placement matches, I ended up with about 200+ points which gave me a mid 2000 ranking (0/6000 I think). But I won all my matches since then I think, like 6-7, so I climbed up to around 2900/3000 zone I think (around 300 pts now).

Have had a really good run on Pharah. My accuracy was routinely 40-50% (35% avg overall) with 40-60 direct hits per round.

[Klaus]

Did two matches last night. First a draw and second a humiliating loss.... Mostly playing Solider 76 and Dva but I had to resort to spamming with Junkrat on one defense map to get positive K:D. I like Solider because you can get decent healing with him and I usually get a Silver or Bronze healing metal with him. I will be on tonight after Zach is in bed (8-9 cst) to hopefully finish my placement matches.

Michelle is out of town this weekend so maybe more Overwatch or I will start on leveling my Druid in the new WOW.

[Klaus]

I have 3 more matches to go. Currently 1 win 4 losses 2 draws. poop

I did get a 15 kill streak with Reaper. That was fun. Teleport in behind and kill the healer then everyone else.

[Jomama]

I like the new map, very Pharah friendly.. That choke point across the bridge at the end is so fun, I LOVE using the knock back to get environmental kills...

[Klaus]

Finished with a loss and win. 1800 score lol

[Jomama]

I cant believe you got 2 draws on placement matches... I think I've had all of 2 draws out of all the rounds I've ever played since launch.

[Klaus]

Yeah 0-0 games when neither team can capture the first point.

Played a a normal competitive game after getting ranked and yeah it's going to be tough climbing out of the 1800 level. Everyone is terrible and there is no teamwork. I got 2/3 golds as solider and everyone refused to play a tank. Hope I am wrong.

[Jomama]

That stretch with you was my longest losing streak since ranking. Avg about 3-1 win/loss. I wonder if getting over 2000 will help. I got as high as 2300 (not the high 2K's that I thought) but am now around 2250.

[Klaus]

Yeah I am on a huge losing streak 1/3 win/loss. I am 7/20 for the season. Not sure what is going on. I do see with Dva I am positive but all other heroes I have more losses then wins. My K:D is decent in competitive but nothing like in quick play. I think maybe I should master a healer or other support role.

http://masteroverwatch.com/profile/shared/5a53cec648f653bb

[Klaus]

Another bad night 0-3 with two almost wins.... I just get the worst teams ever. They just trickle into the point with no thought of waiting etc. I honestly think if you start with a low rating it's just hard to climb out. Everyone in the 1600 is basically just a quick play player that wanted to try competitive.

Edit - played one more game last night after I posted the above. We destroyed the other team - everyone worked together. I just think it's luck of the draw in the low games. I also went 5-0 in quick play yesterday.....

[Jomama]

You are probably right about that. I had a string of losses last night too. I seem to get much better teams late (my time) compared to earlier in the day.

Yeah, trickling in is the worst, especially with how little time there is to actually capture a point.

[Klaus]

I had a great weekend with 4-1 mostly mornings. Then last night I had a chance to play 5 games in a row.... all losses expect 1. I got into a group with some guys that were really good and we rolled the first team in record time but after that all losses. They were complaining about the "gold" players the other team had. I am not sure how the matchmaking works but I thought it was only within like 500. I think I am actually under 1600 now (top 99%)! lol maybe next season

[Jomama]

It might be within 800.. I'm at like 2066.

[Klaus]

I guess this is the story with the icons:



Bronze: 1-1499
Silver: 1500-1999
Gold: 2000-2499
Platinum: 2500-2999
Diamond: 3000-3499
Master: 3500-3999
Grandmaster: 4000+


A Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Diamond player will never drop below that tier after they have achieved it, though their skill rating may fall below the threshold. Players in Master and Grandmaster may lose their tiers if they fall below their tier's minimum. Additionally, players in Diamond, Master, and Grandmaster tiers that have not played a competitive match in seven days will lose 50 skill rating every 24 hours, until they reach 3000 skill rating or play a competitive match.

[Klaus]

Broke my mouse (G700s) this weekend. Well it's still works but the scroll wheel is lose and it's not a reliable button anymore. I use the middle mouse for "sprint" in most games and in Overwatch it's the special that does sprint on solider and rocket on Dva. I was about to order another G700 when I saw the G900. Figured I would go check it out at Best Buy. Ended up buying it here is my quick review after a few games with it:

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I insist on wireless and the 700 has been the best wireless mouse IMO for a long time (I am on my 3rd). The 900 promises a better sensor I think the 700 is fine but can't hurt. Originally with the 700 I used all the buttons especially in WOW but as time went by I probably only use 1/2 of them. Hard to find a couple of the buttons on the side with my thumb reliably. That's the biggest drawback of the G900 I am losing 5 buttons. In Overwatch this is fine as I don't use more then 4 buttons but when I get back into WOW I can see it's going to change my play style (more screen clicking). The G900 has two buttons you can put on either side (held in by magnets) - I am using the left side but you can install the other side buttons (at the same time) and use them also. The G700 has the three little buttons on the left side of the top of the mouse that I LOVE in Battlefield for my three weapons. I don't like using the scroll-wheel for weapon switches. Not sure how I am going to handle weapons in BF1 when it comes out. Might put the right side buttons in and try to use them.

Overall the smoothness of the mouse is very very nice. The 900 is a bit lighter compared to the G700. The scroll wheel has spokes and kinda a rubber feel. I think it's a big upgrade from the 700 (especially my broken wheel 700). You get a nice satisfying click feel when you press the middle mouse. The overall feel of the 900 is decent but I think the 700 is a bit nicer because it's a right hand mouse. My favorite mouse is the MX Master I use at work that has a thumb rest but that's not needed for gaming.

The other complaint I have about the 700 is the battery life. With high DPI I am getting just a few hours from one battery. Not a huge deal with a charger plugged in with 4 batteries always charging but I am getting annoyed at swapping batteries during games all the time. The 900 has a built in battery that I am sure is going to be annoying to charge when it runs out (but like the 700 you can plug in the cable and use it as a corded while charging). The 900 is rated at 24 hours of game play at highest setting and it shows the estimated hours remaining which is nice. Time will tell if it's that good.

Pros:
Better wheel
Easy to find the 2 thumb buttons compared to the 700
Large battery
Better wireless sensor
Tilt scroll wheel (most gaming mice don't have)

Cons:
Non swap able battery
Less buttons
Expensive
450

[Jomama]

Non-swapable battery would be a deal breaker for me.

Doesn't help you now, but not all rechargeables are created equal. If you are burning thru them that fast, my guess is they are only 1800-2000mAh. If you look around Nuon, Eneloop and a few brands produce some high output AA's that are 2300-2500mAh. I can run all day on one of these and keep one charged in reserve.

[Klaus]

I have tried Eveready and recently purchased the higher capacity Eneloop. Battery life was about the same. I do think there was something wrong with my mouse it got much better battery life a year ago. Highly recommend the Eneloop charger as it will charge a single battery and doesn't require a pair.

I am sure I will be pissed the first time the 900 runs out of battery while I am in a game. It does have a few LEDs you can set to glow red when the battery reaches a preset level.

[Jomama]

I have this smartcharger https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JL3XL2G?psc=1

It can charge 1/2/3/4, and has some other features like discharge/refresh and will give me battery feedback like volts and mha so I can identify a bad battery among my stockpile. You can also pick a higher voltage to charge fewer batteries at a time for a quicker charge, it will charge 1 battery at up to 1000v, 2 @ 800v, or with 3/4 batteries in, the max setting is 500v.

There is a guy who reviews chargers and rechargeable batteries on Amazon "NLee the Engineer", has been very informative.

So you got Eneloop pro's (they are black instead of white) and still feel they dont last? Thats weird, I have the 700 also but my high capacity batteries definitely will last 5-6 hours of continuous play on a full charge.

Same experience with GPS units in the field the last two years, the lower capacity dont last a day in my GPS, the high capacity will go well over a day.

[Klaus]

We have that charger at the cabin but I haven't had a chance to try it. I just have the standard wall wart version.

[Jomama]

Won 2 in a row last night (but very close, competitive games, coming down to the final few feet of an escort, and then a tie breaker). But went up nearly 100 pts. Sitting around 2140 now. Amazing how many times the team I'm on is able to defend a capture point for the whole round but then lose it to a final push seconds before their time would be up.. Defeat from the hands of victory...lol At least we stopped them on the escort part.

[Klaus]

Been on a bit of a winning streak. I think 5-2 last night. I decided I would learn Lucio and just heal and dps when I can. 3 quick plays and I had Lucio down. Getting pretty good keeping everyone healed and going 2:1 k:d. Now I just gotta learn to walk ride and focus on bumping people off the maps. I think I got three on that one map with the "well" in the middle.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Klaus]

I think I should just stick to Lucio.

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[Klaus]

3:1 this week so far. It really is a luck of the draw at this level. I got in with a 5 person team (pre grouped) all with Mics and talked like they knew what they were doing.... game starts and it's a clusterfuck of epic proportion. Just running in with no waiting etc..... At least it was a quick loss.

[Jomama]

I really hate how easily one quitter fucks the game up for the most part, that is something that definitely needs to be addressed.

[Klaus]

Non-swapable battery would be a deal breaker for me.



Well so far it hasn't been a problem but I am watching the battery meter closely. I have been playing on the same charge since I took it out of the box and still have 18 hours left. Really liking the mouse.

[Klaus]

I just can't get over the 1800 pt barrier... I have been within 10 pts twice but lost both times. Have you noticed that you seem to lose more pts with a loss then you gain with a win.... Like you need to win 2 games to make up for one loss?

[Jomama]

Yes it does seem harder to reclaim points and move up. I'm sub 1900 now too.

[Klaus]

On Saturday night I got into a 6 man group and we did really well (4-1). They mentioned that when you are in a 6 man group you only get matched against other 6 man groups (which it looked like we did). Not sure why yesterday we got put up against a 6 man group as just a 2 person group and a bunch of randoms.

I have been Lucio 100% of the time in season 2 since I realized at my level (1700) healers are terrible... But yesterday I decided "screw that" I will wait until everyone else picks and if Lucio is picked I am going Dva (20-1 on that map we played on) or another DPS class. I like Lucio but I like to kill stuff and it is hard staying alive and getting into the middle of the action.

[Klaus]

HERO BALANCE CHANGES

General


Dealing damage to things other than players (like Torbjörn's turret or Symmetra's teleporter) no longer charges ultimate abilities
Ultimate costs have been increased by 25% for all heroes


Developer Comment: Game-changing ultimate abilities were coming up a bit too frequently. This change helps keep them in check while still allowing them to be powerful.

Ana (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/ana/)


Nano Boost

No longer increases move speed



Developer Comment: The increased speed from Ana’s Nano Boost made the ability feel unstoppable and forced Ana players to select targets that could really take advantage of the speed boost. Removing the speed boost means that Ana has a reason to apply Nano Boost to a larger variety of heroes, and enemies can fend off the attack more easily.

D. Va (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/dva/)


Call Mech

Ultimate cost has been decreased by 20%


Mech health increased to 200 (formerly 100). Armor remains at 400
Movement speed while firing has been increased by 25%


Developer Comment: We reduced the cost of the Call Mech ultimate ability to compensate for the increased ultimate cost across all heroes (detailed above). D.Va players shouldn’t experience a noticeable change. The rest of these changes help D.Va’s withstand attacks, which will allow her to keep pressuring enemies.

Lúcio (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/lucio/)


Amp It Up

Healing per second has been decreased by 10%



Developer Comment: Lúcio’s overall healing output has always been on par with (or even higher) than Overwatch’s other healers, and his other benefits made him an almost mandatory pick.

Mei (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/mei/)


Blizzard

Ultimate cost has been increased by 15%



Developer Comment: Mei’s ultimate was recently given a much larger radius. Now it’s coming up too frequently, considering the impact it can have.

Mercy (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/mercy/)


Passive health regeneration now activates when Mercy avoids taking damage for 1 second (formerly 3 seconds)


Developer Comment: This change allows Mercy to survive more easily by evading enemy fire.

Pharah (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/pharah/)


Rocket Launcher

Minimum explosion damage has been increased by 13%
Minimum explosion knockback has been decreased to 0%


Jump Jets

Lift increased by 35%



Developer Comment: These changes will make the explosions from Pharah’s Rocket Launcher more deadly, so hitting multiple targets should feel better. Her Jump Jets are also getting a boost to increase maneuverability while hovering.

Soldier: 76 (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/soldier-76/)


Pulse Rifle

Bullet damage increased from 17 to 20
Maximum bullet spread increased from 2.2 to 2.4



Developer Comment: Soldier: 76’s damage felt a little low when compared to similar heroes. This increase affects both his normal fire and his ultimate.

Torbjörn (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/torbjorn/)


Scrap is now automatically generated over time
The amount of scrap collected from a fallen enemy has been decreased by 40%
Forge Hammer

Swing speed increased by 25%
Damage decreased by 27%



Developer Comment: Armor Packs have always been a powerful tool in Torbjörn’s arsenal, but it was often difficult to gather enough scrap to give your team a legitimate boost when they needed it. Conversely, if a team held on long enough, the scrap collected from fallen enemies was often able to generate so many armor packs that enemy teams had a difficult time turning the tide. Automatically generating scrap over time helps smooth out these differences and makes Torbjörn more viable. His hammer swing speed was increased to help him construct level 2 turrets more quickly.

Widowmaker (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/widowmaker/)


Venom Mine

Explosion no longer damages the player who placed the mine


Widow’s Kiss

Charge rate increased by 20%



Developer Comment: These changes allow Widowmaker to be more flexible and reactive.

Zarya (https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/zarya/)


Particle Barrier

Power gained from barriers decreased by 20%


Projected Barrier

Power gained from barriers decreased by 20%



Developer Comment: Considering her potential damage output, Zarya was starting to feel like a mandatory pick in most situations. Rather than reduce her damage output, this change makes achieving her maximum power and damage output slightly more difficult.

[Jomama]

Love it..!

Fear my jump jets!!!!

[Klaus]

Yeah that was noted as a huge buff in a review I watched. No knock back anymore on the rockets but more splash damage.

[Jomama]

I'm getting like 40-50% accuracy with the rockets so I like that splash damage bump, can be really frustrating hitting a roadhog over and over and not have him die... lol

[Klaus]

Getting better at 3v3. Solider76 is crazy good now. Stick together and heal when you can. If you over extend in 3v3 you are dead.

[Jomama]

Yeah I played one 3v3 and (went the distance and pulled off the win) and then one 1v1 (got smoked lol..) Love the Pharah changes (Environmental kills FTW!!!) and played 76 for one round. Definitely need to stick together and some voice comms to focus down targets..

[Klaus]

Overwatch is free this weekend and only $35 to purchase next week. I have been trying to get Mike and Chad to buy it but no luck so far.

[Jomama]

Boy that Pharrah buff really helped me. I can almost stay aloft indefinitely.. I probably got 50 environmental kills over the course of the weekend, biggest streak was 13 in a match.. Thats gotta be one of the most satisfying attacks.. lol Still vulnerable to anyone with a good headshot, 76/McCree/Widow/Ana/Zen all seemed solid counters, so hope they dont turn around and nerf her, cause overall she does seem a little OP in the right hands. We'll see..

[Klaus]

I have been playing competitive matches and just picking who I want to play (usually I pick Lucio to help the team as no one ever want to play healer) and Pharrah has been my favorite most nights. Tons of random kills by just firing toward the enemies and booping ppl off with the conc shot is awesome (love to do that with Lucio too). I do hate snipers when flying around tho.

[Jomama]

Yeah I need to really learn Lucio, I just never feel that great about classes that require switching between abilities to really master the class, more coordination than I have, and without clear health bars I have trouble following who needs heals, just so much going on.. Have you seen the guys that can just keep the wall walk going on some of the maps and just circle the room from above?

[Klaus]

Yeah riding the pillars over the control point.... tried and with my set up I can't do it very well.

Lucio is pretty easy - I use the healing buff 100% of the time unless it's the beginning of the round (to run to point faster). I try to stay next to as many teammates as I can (it's shows in center of screen the amount). When I see any teammate with low health (turn bars on in menu) or the "critical" flag above them I hit the healing boost button. That's it. When Ultimate is charged I use it when about to capture a point (it give a big hp boost for several seconds) or to hold a point. It charges pretty fast (or did) and I use it as soon as I can.

Extra fun is of course the right click boop to push players off stuff. It's also great for if a reaper or other close in class sneaks up on you - hit them with the push back.

[Klaus]

<iframe width="480" height="378" src="http://plays.tv/embeds/58449b4f2a1ffab7cf?_t=eyJ0eXBlIjoiZnJvbSIsImxvZ2lu X2lkIjoiMjI4ODQ3YzQyMjVkZjYwNjY1ZGVmZGRiNmQ1M2ZmYz kiLCJjb2hvcnRfaWQiOiIyMjgwNTYxM2QwN2Q5N2RiZDU4Njk1 ZTYyYjUyMjE5ZCIsImxvY2F0aW9uIjoiU2hhcmVWaWRlb01vZC 5TaGFyZVZpZGVvTW9kLmVtYmVkLmlmcmFtZSIsImxpbmtfaWQi OiJzaGFyZV9tZW51IiwiZXZlbnRfaWQiOiIiLCJnYW1lX2lkIj oiMTAxNjUyYzJkOTdmOWE4ZDg4NzJlNzQ1MGY3ZGFhZTYiLCJm ZWVkX3R5cGUiOiJyZXBsYXkiLCJmZWVkX2lkIjoiNTg0NDliNG YyYTFmZmFiN2NmIiwiY2xpY2tlZF90eXBlIjoic2hhcmVfZW1i ZWQiLCJjbGlja2VkX2lkIjoiZW1iZWRfdmlkZW8ifQ%3D%3D" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

Raid wipe! 15 kill streak. Play of the game.

[Jomama]

Nice! I'm just wrecking people as pharah, I had a 27 player kill streak yesterday.

[Klaus]

Yeah no one ever looks up and it's hard to hit a flying target.... I use her on any attack map that is decent for flying. Love to hammer tanks at a distance.

[Klaus]

Just read about the MMR (hidden skill rating) and SR. I think I understand it pretty well now. Unfortunately, my idea to wait until S3 to get a higher rating in the placement matches doesn't seem to have worked. The problem all comes from my original 25 levels of play as I was fucking around trying to learn a bunch of classes. That I am assuming low MMR from quickplay was used to place me in a group for my placement matches and now my S2 SR was used to place me in S3... So I gotta do it the old fashion way and win a ton of games. I could just be a terrible player but I still feel I should be somewhere in silver or gold ranks.

One nugget I learned is that after placement matches individual effort during matches (golds earned/K:D) has no effect on your MMR/SR it's only win or loss. Also, DPS will place higher then support. You do however gain more points if you are under the average SR of the team if you win etc. I haven't played any matches yet in S3 after placement. I am hoping for decent teams.

[Klaus]

Played a few matches last night. Had a couple wins and a couple terrible losses after players left my team but I will say at 1390 I was getting into matches where the other teams SR average was 1550 or so. So wins were like +50 but losses were only -25. So that was nice.

[Klaus]

Played after the winter patch last night and all I can say is the "stay as team" option at the end of the match is the best thing to happen to Overwatch!

[Jomama]

Yeah thats going to be a lot better, just hope people use it. I played the snowball match too, pretty tense and fun only getting one shot and then having to reload... My team came back from an 0-2 deficit to win..

[Klaus]

Played a bunch of comp again last night. Did decent and gained some SR but I still feel it's a coin flip in the silver/bronze level. Too many players that don't seem to care about teamwork or winning just picking a toon they like and running off alone. I did get one stay as team that won a few but of course one loss and everyone leaves the group.

Played Symmetra in quickplay after all the reviews of her changes (I never played her previous). Different play style with the turrets and the beam thing but fun to play. If there is a big battle on the Payload you can run in and just beam people to death. The shield is fun to send at Dva ults and helps with capturing points with a junk or turret guarding.


https://www.overbuff.com/blobs/1lSZbUKwPna.png

[Klaus]

I watched a interesting video that discussed how to single que for competitive matches. Basically there are two theories: instantly pick the class you are best at OR wait until everyone else has picked and fill in with what is needed (even if you aren't good at that class). I have tried both and think the instant que is best. I pick whatever I am doing really good with but might switch if a bunch of idiots refuse to heal or tank. I think the pick your class before grouping is a great idea and hope they test it.

After my bad night with a fun group going from 1700 down to 1200.... I was considering just doing quick matches until the season is over and learning new classes but think I will just keep poking away and trying to climb back up. There really is no way out of a ranking this low - no one talks and everyone plays terrible classes (torb on attack.....)

[Klaus]

Also

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oaZ0SNSvchQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/HNOKn"><a href="//imgur.com/HNOKn">Overwatch but with Cats - KatsuWatch Animated</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Jomama]

I played last night but didn't notice the new game mode "CTF" or the Roadhog 2.0.. but this could be fun.

http://kotaku.com/overwatchs-new-ctf-mode-has-too-many-draws-1791586483

[Klaus]

Didn't see it either. I will try it tonight if I can. Weird that they didn't require your flag to be "home" to cap... Maybe it was even worse when that was a requirement.

[Jomama]

Yeah his review isn't stellar, but I actually dont mind that that they allowed the cap like that, I would think it has to open up the gameplay a little more, as its not as easy for a good group to do the protective shell across the map while not worrying about their flag.... Its not like old Team Fortress CTF didn't have its fair share of standoff/stalemates... I recall guys getting the flag and turning the whole event into a giant game of keep-away lol..

I kinda miss the Push-capture game play dynamic too.. Definitely think OW could do that.. Remember RTCW at your first LAN parties, where you had to push thru the maps 3-4 cap points.. I know its not unlike the escort, but everyone having to be on the point moving forward can be kinda restrictive on flanking strats and such..

[Klaus]

Played one last night. Not too bad. I defended the flag once I figured out where it was located. We lost 2-1 but it was close when time ran out.

OMG have you seen the new controversy with Mei's waist...... This PC shit has gotta end at some point.

[Jomama]

I've won like 4 of 12, or there abouts.. Its a tough dynamic.. With one or two people guarding your flag, those other 4 need to be quality players that can actually push the other team.. Seems so many people play dps class yet dont get kills...

I also think the one map (in the big office building) is way easier to win than the other two. Thats where I've gotten multiple caps as Dva, the flags are so close via the side hallway.

Fun playing the new Symmetra on this one to, I've used her and Torj to just sit back and defend and its pretty fun too if you dont mind a draw...

They should make you get partial points for a Draw or something, that shit take skill..

[Klaus]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U1-Tj4fPKRE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Jomama]

I like that, does he say how he set it up?

[Klaus]

Yes and it looks somewhat complicated..... I bet a program will come out to control lights soon.

[Klaus]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="ko" dir="ltr">너무 웃겨서 행복해����<br>돌이 내가 된다 <a href="https://t.co/fFZzWt8zuz">pic.twitter.com/fFZzWt8zuz</a></p>&mdash; ��권유진씨빠새끼 (@doqldoql) <a href="https://twitter.com/doqldoql/status/829651205047586816">February 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Jomama]

Have you gotten to play since those changes went live?

[Klaus]

Not yet. I loaded it up yesterday but then the kid woke up before I could even get into a match..... Hopefully, tonight.

[Klaus]

Played last night but I got on a horrible team (quick match) and wasn't able to try Bastion.

[Jomama]

2-1 in my first 3 ranking games..

And got to try (what I assume is the buffed version) Bastion on a 6v6 random player match. Its seems way more playable with the bump to transform speed and the way the repair ability was changed. I did well, but it didn't come off as OP to me. Did the type of damage one should expect from a fixed-def based character.. But one good flanker(s) around to his side and its over... I'd rather see them working on balance this way than leaving weak characters weak...

[Klaus]

I plan to start my matches this weekend. Wanted to wait until all the Gold+ players are done. I know it will pretty much keep me at 1500 plus/minus 300 pts. Almost considered starting a new account like so many other people but it's not worth it. I will give Bastion a try.

[Jomama]

Thats a good idea, I hadn't even thought of that. I probably wont get to play again till the weekend so let me know when u are playing.

[Klaus]

Finished placement last night. 1100 after going 2-8 (2 matches with leavers). I tried a mixture of picking my best class and filling in the class that was needed. Didn't matter for the most part. I am really rusty with my aim after taking off a few weeks. I am kinda happy I placed so low and I will see how high I can climb. Hopefully silver. Current classes:

Lucio - main
D.va - tank
Soldier/Pharrah - dps
Junkrat - retired main (really bored with him)

Want to learn better -
Reinhardt
Ana
Zarya

I watched a video yesterday with a theory for how to approach each 3 month season. Basically, fuck around learning new heroes at the start and settle on just a couple to make a push for higher ranking. My first thought was "no - only learn new heroes in quick play!" But then he went over why quick play is the worst place to learn because there is no competition and no one cares. Good point. But is it fair to play widowmaker in competitive to learn and maybe lose?

[Jomama]

I think its fair to play a class you're still working on. I know I've been forced into a roll I dont know well regardless with some teams comps. I definitely agree its better "training" as the competition and coordination is better/focused.

I play Rhein quite a bit. He is all bout tactically keeping a charge on your shield (dropping it enough to keep a good charge).. A bit moreso than Dva as you dont get the luxury of the ranged attack. I'm always trying to find a position where I can duck in and out of cover. On Defense I like to cover the main choke point off to one side, and try to do a charge across the front of the choke when attackers try to push through. Instead of pushing straight at them where you will ultimately range your healer.. If anyone gets close its swing away while trying to juke around and not take too much damage yourself.

I climbed 100 or so points over the weekend. its not impossible.

[Klaus]

Played a few on Saturday. I must have a higher hidden rating because it keeps putting me in matches with higher level players. I am 1100 and I play with 1200-1300. The nice thing is when I lose a match I only lose like 30 pts but a win is like 80 pts. Or there just aren't any players at 1100 :)

[Jomama]

Another good Rhein tip. Is have a fireball ready when you use your ultimate smash/knockdown ability as a follow up... If you can knock a group down in a nice line-ish fashion, and then follow with a fireball across the tops of all the downed opponents, you can easily get a multi-kill, and if anyone isn't dead at that point, I try to charge right down the same line an take out whoever is left.

[Klaus]

Another good Rhein tip. Is have a fireball ready when you use your ultimate smash/knockdown ability as a follow up... If you can knock a group down in a nice line-ish fashion, and then follow with a fireball across the tops of all the downed opponents, you can easily get a multi-kill, and if anyone isn't dead at that point, I try to charge right down the same line an take out whoever is left.

I am terrible at Rhein. Tried a bit last night after no one would play tank (gotta love comp matches with all dps....) I will try your tips.

[Jomama]

Rhein w/out support is tough and mostly useless.. Doesn't matter how many hp you have if the other team just focuses you down... If I'm getting smeared as Rhein I will usually switch to Dva for her range and mobility... As Rhein, if you are the sole tank about the only chance you have is with a Mercy stuck to you. Otherwise DVa or Zarya are nice 2nd tanks that compliment Rhein well when on Def.. Roadhog & Dva on attack imo.

[Jomama]

I think the new tank update dropped too.

[Klaus]

I think the new tank update dropped too.

It did yesterday but only in quickplay. I just played 3 games but wasn't able to grab the new tank yet. Definitely changes things as the stationary wall is really nice for defending. I was able to kill her when she was in the open pretty easy (with DPS).

[Jomama]

I got on the new tank 2x, gonna take some learning. The shield seemed awesome tho, and I know I'll love to use her second ability to pull people from behind cover.. But could definitly tell she's on the squishy side for a tank... (but really, every tank out in the open gets smoked).

I got in another match where someone else was playing her well. They had another tank, Dva I think to help block incoming, but the new tank was kinda hanging back and deploying her shield about 20m out front of the group and most the dps was actually in front of her.

[Klaus]

Great tips.

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ynWkcgdbD-8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Jomama]

I like Orisa on the Attack side of escort/ctf. Some of Rheins capabilities with the shield, but the ability to do ranged attack to help push back the Def. can be a useful addition. Need good support and some heals tho or you will get smoked by any organized attack. Had a few good rounds with her, used her well to cap a few flags by getting in a corner with the shield out, little mini bubble for everyone to gather under. I will use her power-up just as the shield drops and by the time it ends another shield should be up.

If the def is smart and is swarming I will always go back to Rhein for his hammer to clear out close-range Def tactics.

[Klaus]

Pecking away at placement matches for the new season. 1-2 so far. Trying to play DPS as support supposedly doesn't place as high. I still think solo que is a coin flip in placement and competitive.

[Jomama]

Yeah it certainly is. I was on a winning team last night that almost blew it because people started switching up classes for no reason, then suddenly we had 3 dps and I'm getting smoked as the tank due to no heals. Went from 2-0 to 2-2.... I shamed everyone into going back to the classes we started with (lol) and then we finished up with the win... Frustrating... Its amazing how many insist on playing dps that suck at it. Especially the squishy classes, they literally do nothing if they cant get kills. I cant count the times I'm leading with a gold in damage while playing Rhein...

[Klaus]

Yeah one of my losses we had a guy that refused to not play sniper on offense.

[Klaus]

Started playing again last night. Did 4 placement games with Lucio. 2-2 not too bad. Have no idea about the new maps or classes.

[Klaus]

Finished my placement matches....... 7-3 and I was on the leader board at the end of every game (as Lucio). Bronze :( I just can't get out of bronze and the lower players that won't communicate. Sucks because I would play more if it was with good players.

[Jomama]

Played for the first time since PUBG came out really. Did pretty well for how out of practice I was, stuck with Dva and Rhein. Man the hampster mech-wreckingball tank is brutal in the right hands though..

[Klaus]

Yeah I don't even know how to defend against that ball thing. I just wait for it to stop and shoot it.