Latest Overwatch 2 patch nerfs Widowmaker and Hazard

Today's Overwatch 2 patch notes feature changes to three heroes in total.

Blizzard just revealed the Overwatch 2 patch notes for Jan. 7. They include updates to Hazard, Sojourn, and Widowmaker.

Hazard screenshot (Image via esports.gg)

Overwatch 2 nerfs Widowmaker and Hazard

In terms of the Jan. 7 Overwatch 2 hero balance updates, one tank hero and two damage heroes received changes. These pertain to Hazard, Sojourn, and Widowmaker. While Hazard’s Spike Guard got nerfed, Sojourn received an update to her Railgun. As for the sniper, an update arrived to her scoped shots.

Spike Guard is one of Hazard's abilities in Overwatch 2 — Spike Guard is one of Hazard’s abilities in Overwatch 2 (Image via esports.gg)

Overwatch 2 patch notes today

Hazard (tank)

Change	Details
Spike Guard	Damage reduction reduced from 75% to 65%. Duration reduced from 3.5 to 3 seconds.

Railgun refers to Sojourn's primary fire — Railgun refers to Sojourn’s primary fire (Image via esports.gg)

Sojourn (damage)

Change	Details
Railgun	Time before energy degeneration begins decreased from 12 to 9 seconds.

Widow's Kiss is Widowmaker's weapon, which players can scope in with by right-clicking — Widow’s Kiss is Widowmaker’s weapon, which players can scope in with by right-clicking (Image via esports.gg)

Widowmaker (damage)

Change	Details
Widow’s Kiss	Scoped shots no longer benefit from global projectile size increases.

Note that these changes only apply to Overwatch 2’s standard game modes. This means they don’t apply to the extended six-versus-six (6v6) playtest.

Overwatch 2's 6v6 experiment was extended to the mid-season update — Overwatch 2’s 6v6 experiment was extended to the mid-season update (Image via esports.gg)

Additionally, according to Blizzard, this is a “hero balance hotfix,” which means replay codes from December 19, 2024 patch still work.

Overwatch

News

Overwatch 2 keeps 6v6 mode active until mid-season update

Season 14's Overwatch 2 6v6 playtest under the 2-2-2 format has been extended until the mid-season update!

Amy Chen

That’s all for now. Stick around on esports.gg for more news and updates.