Overwatch 2 Initiates Hero Balance Update Ahead Of Anticipated Timeline Of December.

Despite Overwatch 2 previously boasting that they would not need to undergo any balance changes until December because they were "happy to see that no hero’s overall power level is far out of line with our goals", it would seem that there are indeed some balance changes that needed to happen sooner rather than later.

Sombra is getting nerfed which will put her Hack ability lockout duration from 1.75 seconds to 1.5 seconds. Hacked multiplier will also be reduced from 40 to 25%, which is huge. Hacked enemies are also no longer valid targets for hacking for the duration of the effect.

Genji’s maximum ammo is now 24, reduced from 30, and his Shuriken damage has been reduced from 29 to 27. The devs commented, "Genji is a Hero that has greatly benefited from the move to 5v5. Changing to a single Tank and the reduction of crowd control has meant Genji has had less obstacles in his way, however he hasn’t received tuning updates since he wasn’t actively in the meta until launch."

Zarya’s barrier duration is reduced from 2.5 to 2 seconds and her Barrier cooldown has been increased from 10 to 11 seconds.

Next on the list is D.va. Her Fusion Cannon spread has increased from 3.5 to 3.75, and her booster impact damage has been greatly reduced from 25 to 15.

Lastly is our newest support hero, Kiriko. Kirko's Swift Step invulnerability duration has been reduced from 0.4 to 0.25 seconds.

These changes will be updated on November 15, with more balance changes sure to come in Season 2 as originally planned.