Overwatch Mercy And Junkrat Nerf: PTR Changes Preview New Update

January’s first Overwatch update, nerfs Mercy and Junkrat in the latest release on the PTR. Most fans agree the nerf to Junkrat makes sense, but many may have issues with the changes coming for popular healer Mercy.

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These patch notes come directly from Blizzard’s forums, posted by Principal Designer Geoff Goodman.

Junkrat

• Concussion Mine

  • Will now deal less damage to targets farther away from the explosion’s center

Mercy

• Valkyrie

  • No longer makes Resurrect instant

  • No longer grants a bonus charge of Resurrect

  • The speed boost that Guardian Angel receives has been decreased by 50%

  • Duration reduced from 20 seconds to 15 seconds

The Overwatch team justified the Junkrat change by saying it was too easy for players to deal massive amounts of damage. The adjustments made to the Concussion Mine mean players can still deal the same amount of damage as before, but must be more accurate.

Blizzard changed Mercy because the team thinks the character is still too powerful, even after previous nerfs. For example, players used Mercy’s Resurrect through Valkyrie so much that the previous changes to Resurrect were mostly negated. Mercy’s mobility when using Valkyrie has been reduced in an attempt at a more level playing field across all characters.

If you don’t like these changes, that’s OK. Blizzard closed the post by reminding fans that the changes will be iterated on in the coming weeks, so expect to see some more patch notes with updates on these characters in the near future.

These changes are only going to be reflected on the PTR for now, so you won’t experience the Mercy or Junkrat nerfs unless you’re a PC gamer who chooses to play on the PTR. That said, the comments on the patch note post are largely negative, with many fans complaining Mercy is now too weak. It will be interesting to see if Blizzard pushes this update live for everyone, or if the developer will wait for another change that fans will be more receptive to.

So what do you think? Are you happy or sad to see the updates made to Mercy and Junkrat? What other characters would you like to see nerfed or buffed in future updates? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.