The next patch coming to “Overwatch” is now shaping up in the Public Test Realm. Patch 1.15 contains many changes that will significantly affect the in-game meta. This includes the massive rework for the winged hero Mercy. D.Va is also being revamped in the PTR.
In addition to the heroes changes, the upcoming patch will also introduce a new Escort Map—Junkertown. The map features the Australian junkers Roadhog and Junkrat and is set in the post-apocalyptic Australian Outback. The map also mentions the Junkertown Queen, which has been unbelievably popular in the community.
The map is not yet in the game’s Public Test Realm.
Hero changes
The massive rework for D.Va and Mercy has been a hot topic in the “Overwatch” community. Several weeks ago, when changes to Mercy were introduced in the PTR, many fans complained that the hero became too powerful to beat. Her Resurrect now has the ability to target a single player. Its radius is reduced to only five meters with the cooldown of 30 seconds. Interestingly, the winged-hero is no longer defenseless while its Resurrect is active.
Mercy’s Ultimate is changed from Resurrect to Valkyrie. When activated, her Valkyrie Suit enhances her abilities and weapons for 20 seconds. Her new Ultimate enables her to fly with increased movement speed.
Her flight speed is decreased from 11 to nine after the update on August 29. Moreover, the cooldown of her Resurrect instantly resets when the Valkyrie is activated.
Aside from Mercy, Reinhardt also receives a minor but useful tweak. His Barrier Field now enables the player to rotate the camera while the player is holding the primary fire and the shield is active.
In addition to Mercy and Reinhardt, D.Va also gets a massive tweak. On September 1st, Blizzard made another tweak to her Defense Matrix, and its recharge rate is now increased by 25 percent. The two-second cap on every single use of this ability is still in place. Moreover, D.Va can now use her Fusion Cannons while flying.
Junk Queen
Junkertown will also be released together with Patch 1.15. In the walkthrough to the Escort Map, the voice-over that can be heard in the background belongs to the Junk Queen. Her voice has an air of dominance and royalty. Several fans are already speculating that there is a great possibility that the Junk Queen could be the next hero that will be introduced in the game.
Release date
“Overwatch” Patch 1.15 is scheduled to be released on September 19. Meanwhile, you can check out the Junkertown walkthrough below. There is also a video on the Developer Update where game director Jeff Kaplan explains the hero changes.
