Season 13 of Overwatch 2, named Spellbinder, is here, bringing lots of big changes to the game’s heroes.
According to the patch notes, Sombra has changed the most, with her Stealth mechanic getting a makeover. Now, she becomes invisible for five seconds after using Translocator, and while hacking or being hurt won’t end Stealth, it will make her visible for a bit. Her passive skill, Opportunist, is back, letting her spot wounded foes through walls and hit hacked enemies harder.
In a blog post, Aaron Keller, the game director, explained that these tweaks aim to stop Sombra from sneaking anywhere she likes, while also making her more deadly.
Tank heroes like Ramattra, Reinhardt, and Mauga have seen some changes too. Ramattra’s Pummel won’t go through shields anymore but will do way more damage to them, which should help players who want to protect themselves or their buddies. Meanwhile, Reinhardt’s shield is now a bit weaker, losing 100 health, which means players need to decide between blocking with the shield or taking the hits themselves. Mauga got a boost, as his incendiary chaingun now burns targets for longer, giving him an edge against tricky foes.
Juno, the new Support hero, has had her healing weakened, affecting both how much she heals and how far her Mediblaster can reach. This means players will have to use her movement skills wisely to stay in the right spots. Other heroes got small tweaks, like Brigitte’s Repair Pack having a longer cooldown and Hanzo getting a bit more health.
People sometimes just wish the game could stay the same for a while, don’t we?
Changes aren’t just for heroes; maps got updates too. Four maps—Circuit Royal, Havana, Dorado, and Numbani—have new features like extra cover, altered paths, and new spawn locations. If you want to see all the details, check out the patch notes.
Also, Clash mode, which started in Season 12, has been adjusted to make sure games aren’t one-sided. Blizzard made capture times easier for Attackers to at least secure one part of the final point.
Season 13 also brings a Halloween PvP mode and brings back old PvE modes like Junkenstein’s Revenge. Keep an eye out for skins inspired by My Hero Academia. For all the details, look at the patch notes below.
Overwatch 2 Retail Patch Notes – October 15, 2024
Season 13 – Season of Spellbinders
In Season 13, you can spook your enemies with the Mythic Spellbinder Widowmaker, whose magical animations and effects are sure to impress. Then, dive into Junkenstein’s Laboratory, the eerie new Halloween Terror PvP mode where heroes become monsters! Plus, there’s a My Hero Academia collab with special cosmetics based on the anime’s famous characters. Get set for a season filled with magic and eerie fun!
Overwatch 2 X My Hero Academia
This new collaboration lets you choose between being a hero or a villain with skins from My Hero Academia. Be a justice hero with Tracer as Deku, Reinhardt as All Might, or Juno as Uravity, or cause chaos with Reaper as Tomura Shigaraki and Kiriko as Himiko Toga. Don’t miss the Mega Bundle available for a short time, from October 17-30.
K. Horikoshi / Shueisha, My Hero Academia Project
Halloween Terror 2024
This Halloween, enjoy spooky events with both new and returning modes. Experience the fast-paced madness of Junkenstein’s Laboratory, and return to the co-op adventure of Junkenstein’s Revenge. Explore haunted castles and solve puzzles in Wrath of the Bride. Face the fears and conquer the challenges!
Hero Mastery Mode – Cassidy & Brigitte
Test your skills with Cassidy and Brigitte in Hero Mastery from October 31st to November 12th. Complete challenges to earn rewards and extra Battle Pass XP while honing your abilities in these new courses.
General Updates
Interactive Scoreboard
We’ve added an Interactive Scoreboard to help players access social features more easily, especially with controllers. It simplifies reporting and enhances your social experience, however you prefer to communicate or avoid it. The Interactive Scoreboard includes:
- Adjusting other players’ mic volume
- Changing your own mic volume
- Reporting players
- Joining/Leaving Team Voice Chat
- Joining/Leaving Group Voice Chat
- Muting Team Text Chat
- Muting Match Text Chat
- Muting Text Chat of others
Matchmaking Updates
- Changes to reduce queue times for Competitive Play.
- Lessening loss streak prevention to avoid long queue times.
Developer Comments: The tech to prevent loss streaks isn’t working as expected and might be extending queue times, so we’re dialing it back.
- Role Delta tuning adjusted to better match roles across teams.
Developer Comments: Matching players with similar roles improves game quality, and we believe we can tighten this without affecting queue times too much.
- Tank Role is prioritized more in Role Delta.
Developer Comments: We’re looking at every angle to enhance the Tank experience and make matches less one-sided.
- High rank MMR Decay, Winning/Losing Trends, and Calibration effects have been decreased.
Developer Comments: At top ranks, these factors sometimes let high-skill players on new accounts exceed their peak ranks without earning it, so we’re adjusting them.
- At high ranks, the matchmaker considers grouping benefits when forming matches.
Developer Comments: Groups have had a significant edge over solo players at top ranks, and we want to lessen this advantage without removing it entirely.
Public Custom Games
- Hosting Public Custom Games now needs Endorsement Level 3.
Developer Comments: We’re serious about removing disruptive players, and accounts actioned for social penalties drop to Endorsement Level 0. Those below Level 3 can still host games but not for everyone.
Streamer Protect
- “Hide My Name” in Streamer Protect requires completing the “Unrelenting Hero” Lifetime Challenge.
Developer Comments: We want newer accounts to earn access to this feature to prevent abuse by disruptive players. The “Hide My Name” feature doesn’t stop disruptive players from being punished since we know their actual battle tag.
Challenge Updates
- Some challenges are now in the Main Menu.
- Challenge Rewards can be viewed in detail in the Challenges Menu.
Developer Comments: Challenges are now in the main menu to highlight rewards, especially for new Event Challenges.
SHOP UPDATES
- Mythic Skin Aspects Add-on Cosmetic is in the Mythic Shop.
- Overwatch League Store tab was replaced by a button in the main Shop tab.
COMPETITIVE UPDATES
Top 500 Leaderboard requirements changed:
- Season win requirement dropped from 50 to 25.
- The Seasoned Competitor challenge (750 lifetime wins in Competitive Play) is now needed to appear on any Top 500 Leaderboard starting in Season 12.
Hero Updates
General
- Swapping your hero hides your choice on the enemy scoreboard for 15 seconds.
Developer Comments: This adds a bit more challenge to counter-swapping, especially when players on opposite teams are quickly changing heroes in response to each other.
Tank
Mauga
Developer Comment: Increasing Mauga’s burn effect duration helps reward targeting smaller, harder-to-hit enemies.
Incendiary Chaingun
- Ignite damage lasts 4 seconds, up from 3.
Ramattra
Developer Comments: Ramattra’s Pummel going through barriers frustrated players trying to protect themselves. Now, Ramattra can still deal critical damage to barriers without immediately harming players behind them.
Pummel
Pummel
- No longer pierces barriers.
- Now does 2.5x more damage to barriers.
Reinhardt
Developer Comments: We’re fine-tuning barrier health and regeneration rate as it became too hard to break through.
Barrier Field
- Barrier health reduced from 1600 to 1500.
Damage
Hanzo
Developer Comments: We’re reverting Hanzo’s health now that a well-aimed headshot can take him out, thanks to weapon damage changes.
- Base health increased from 225 to 250.
Sojourn
Developer Comments: Railgun changes swap 25 minimum energy decay for longer time before degeneration, easing pressure to quickly use secondary fire. Disruptor shot gets a damage boost and generates Railgun energy for broader utility.
Railgun
- Energy no longer stops degenerating at 25 energy.
- Time before energy degeneration starts increased from 7 to 12 seconds.
Disruptor Shot
- Damage per second increased from 60 to 80.
- Generates 25% of damage done to enemies as Railgun energy.
Sombra
Developer Comments: Sombra’s changes aim to make her playstyle more engaging for opponents, shifting power from Stealth and Hack utility to increased lethality.
Stealth’s limited duration less than Translocator cooldown creates vulnerability windows, allowing Sombra to cross dangerous areas unseen but requiring cover-to-cover movement in enemy backlines. Stealth’s usefulness as an escape tool is enhanced by no longer ending upon taking damage.
Hack
- No longer ends Stealth but reveals Sombra.
- Hacked ability lockout reduced from 1.5 to 1.0 seconds (EMP duration unchanged).
- BOB hacked stun reduced from 10 to 3 seconds.
Translocator
- Cooldown increased from 5 to 7 seconds.
EMP
- Ultimate cost increased by 12%.
Stealth
- No longer passive; activates with Translocator.
- Lasts 5 seconds.
- Added stealth timer around reticle; removed ability icon.
- Taking damage reveals Sombra for 1 second instead of ending stealth.
Opportunist
- Opportunist passive reinstated.
- Increases Sombra’s weapon damage versus hacked targets by 20%.
- See critically injured enemies through walls.
Support
Baptiste
Developer Comment: This change reduces fatigue from controlling recoil over long play periods rather than adding power to Baptiste’s primary fire.
Biotic Launcher
- Primary fire recoil reduced by 30%.
Brigitte
Developer Comment: Brigitte’s healing output is quite high, so this slight adjustment helps align it better.
Repair Pack
- Cooldown increased from 5 to 5.5 seconds.
Juno
Developer Comments: Juno’s healing is too high for her mobility, so we’re shortening her falloff range to emphasize good positioning with her mobility skills.
Mediblaster
- Falloff range reduced from 30-50 meters to 20-35 meters.
- Healing per projectile reduced from 6.5 to 6.
Map Updates
CLASH
- Capture time on final objectives A and E now increases for Attackers as segments are secured consecutively from 1x /1x / 1x to 0.7x /1.1x /1.4x, making the first segment easier for attackers but consecutive ones harder.
- Defenders now respawn instantly as the first and second segments are secured instead of when previous objectives B or D are captured.
- Unlock time for final objectives A and E increased from 25 to 27.5 seconds.
- Decay rate on final objectives A and E doubled for attackers to not lose progress quickly when stepping off the point.
- Capture time for defenders on objectives B and D increased by 10%, giving attackers more opportunities to attack the point.
Developer Comments: We aim to reduce one-sided stomps in Clash mode. We also want to make securing at least one segment on final objectives easier for attackers. Hence, capture time for defenders is tweaked to favor attackers a bit more.
Circuit Royal
1st Point
- New attacker spawn exit options to reduce spawn camping.
- Initial high ground right flank adjusted to reduce spawn camping.
- Cover options added.
- New flank option to contest defenders on high ground by the bridge.
2nd Point
- Improved spawn protection for attackers leaving second spawn area to reduce spawn camping.
- Additional cover added for attackers pushing high ground.
- New flank added for attackers to take rear high ground by chicane.
- Hill lowered slightly, and road angled forward for more comfortable attacker approach.
3rd Point
- Improved options for attackers leaving third spawn area to combat spawn camping.
- Flank route to high ground pool area widened; additional cover added for more play options.
- Sightlines improved for attackers to poke at entrenched defender positions in final area.
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Dorado
1st Point
- Starting high ground cover and access adjusted to reduce spawn camping.
- Flank routes streamlined for attackers.
- Various geometry adjustments for favorable attacker gameplay in market area.
2nd Point
- Staircase added for easier attacker high ground access.
- Added courthouse access for attackers.
3rd Point
- Cover added after chokepoint on main path.
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Havana
1st Point
- Sightlines into attackers’ spawn reduced.
- New options for attackers to exit spawn added.
- Reduced oppressive high ground vantage points for defenders.
2nd Point
- Doorways and certain routes widened for cleaner navigation and flow.
- Closed small holes through certain assets to block sightlines and projectiles.
3rd Point
- Redesigned attackers’ spawn interior; additional routes added for safer exit.
- Sightlines from fort wall to spawn and main route reduced.
- Pathing into fort consolidated on one side for cleaner flow and more options in final chokepoint combat.
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Numbani
1st Point
- Attackers’ initial spawn room moved closer to first point to reduce runback times.
- Lowered some high ground around first point.
- Easier access to flank routes around first point.
- Paths behind payload on first point combined into one room connecting everything.
2nd Point
- Forward defender spawn points added to reduce runback times for defenders.
- Staircase near attackers forward spawn added for easier high ground access.
- Connecting path past and above choke into third point added.
3nd Point
- Relocated a pesky sign.
- Removed a tree.
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Bug Fixes
General
- Fixed a bug preventing some players from buying golden weapons.
- Fixed a bug where Voice Chat Devices setting couldn’t be changed.
- Fixed a bug that sometimes prevented Adrenaline Junkie achievement from granting.
Heroes
Baptiste
- Fixed a bug with Baptiste’s Zombie Walk Emote.
Sigma
- Fixed a bug where Sigma wouldn’t gain Overhealth from Juno’s Mediblaster.
Reaper
- Previously fixed a bug causing exit sound for enemy Reaper’s shadow step not to play.
