Overwatch PTR Patches for May 2017

The Overwatch PTR is always buzzing with brand new updates and changes, and we have now gotten the chance to look at the major changes in the PTR for the first week of May. When I say major changes, I simply mean the most important of the very small changes. Nothing monumental has changed and there are only some very minor tweaks, but let's talk it over.

Starting things off, Soldier 76 has proved to be extremely strong these past few weeks. Due to his success on the battlefield, Blizzard has decided to drop his Pulse Rifle damage by 5%. Now, that damage decrease is roughly equivalent to one bullet from his clip, so that is not anything substantial.

Reaper, Hanzo, Reinhart, and Genji have also gotten some small tweaks as well. Reaper will now have fully reloaded shotguns after he uses his escape ability, Wraith Form. Hanzo and Genji no longer have an attack cooldown after scaling a wall. If you charge an arrow before climbing the wall as Hanzo and keep the button held down for the duration of the climb, you can fire the fully charged shot once you reach the top. This can create some pretty nifty headshot opportunities and give you a solid chance at an early pick. Reinhart has had a change to his ult that reduced the height effectiveness from 3 meters to 2 meters.

Lastly, we have Orisa. Orisa has been criticized by the community since launch and people tend to think she isn't really good for much. In an attempt to make her more front-line ready, Blizzard has decreased her barrier cooldown from 12 seconds to 8 and has reduced her Ultimate's damage boost by 15%. This gives her more presence on the front line, as well as a more balanced ultimate for the current meta.