On April 11, 2023, Overwatch 2 will release a new patch across PC, Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms. Among various updates, this patch focuses on significant changes to Mercy’s Guardian Angel and Valkyrie abilities.
With this update, Mercy’s Caduceus Staff healing-per-second increases from 45 to 55, while the healing multiplier for allies under half health is removed. The Guardian Angel cooldown is reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 seconds, and the duration of the Jump and Crouch cancel active ability state increases from 1.0 to 1.5 seconds. However, players can no longer manually interrupt the Jump and Crouch cancel active ability state to begin the cooldown early.
As for Valkyrie, the support role passive healing is now active throughout the ability’s duration. These changes are designed to provide Mercy with more flexibility and maintain balance in gameplay.
Developer comments reveal that the previous increase to Guardian Angel’s jump-cancel mobility needed further adjustments to prevent unintended effects. The revised changes allow Mercy to opt into an additional 1.5-second cooldown when using the increased mobility from the jump/crouch cancel options or waiting for the base cooldown time.
Additionally, the patch addresses the healing values of Caduceus Staff, which received negative feedback from both Mercy players and opponents. The developers decided to revert the healing multiplier condition due to the difficulty in finding a satisfying middle ground.
The update also introduces a new Support hero, Lifeweaver, from Thailand, who uses biolight in combat. Players can also look forward to a new Battle Pass featuring Mythic Space Conqueror Sigma and free rewards obtainable throughout the season.
General improvements include custom color settings for health, armor, shields, and overhealth bars, as well as enhancements to the Stranded Spawn System, which now allows players to teleport to the new active spawn room using the Interact key. Lastly, matchmaking improvements in Unranked modes prioritize backfilling players with skill levels closer to those in the match, while optimizations for large groups enhance matchmaking quality.
Overall, the upcoming Overwatch 2 patch promises to improve gameplay with substantial changes to Mercy’s Guardian Angel and Valkyrie abilities, along with new content and general updates to enhance the player experience.
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