Overwatch patch notes: Sept. 7, 2023 – Zarya returns midseason

Looking for some Overwatch patch notes? Esports.gg has you covered with all the notes, observations, and more regarding the game's ever-changing landscape. Below you'll find a rolling list of the patch notes so far in 2023.

Be sure to bookmark this page so you can keep track of what's going on in everyone's favorite shooter.

JUNKER QUEEN

Jagged Blade

This makes perfect sense, as there's a real skill involved with chucking Queen's knife. And if we've learned anything from the Overwatch patch notes recently, it's that skill shots get results.

ORISA

Fortify

Considering just now unkillable Orisa has been recently we cannot be shocked at a balance nerf. That cooldown increase is real, but simply means that Orisa will need to choose between using her Golden Form to be aggressive or to defend--not both.

ZARYA

Projected Barrier

Haha, who okayed this change? Funny enough, this one balance update takes Zarya from a weird, situational pick to one of the best in the game. Dive Heroes now get a significant boost from Zarya's bubble, and it comes back quicker. And in a world where beam weapons are showing more and more value this just makes Zarya all the better.

DPS UPDATES

ASHE

The Viper

Good! Reloading as Ashe has always been one of the most awful feelings in the world. Hiding or standing back in the shadows, hoping nobody notices you shoving shells into your gun before you get killed. It's a small change, but a big quality of life boost.

BASTION

A-36 Tactical Grenade

Configuration: Artillery

Bzzzrt. Whooooopo, whooooooopo, mrzzzzrrrrrrrtt. Beep. Blorp. Grrrrrrrrzt. Wrmrmrmrmrmrmmmmmmm.

MEI

Endothermic Blaster

Deep Chill

Mei's damage feels paltry compared to other damage Heroes, but for good reason. She quickly snowballs (haha) into the territory of being broken with each positive adjustment. That said, this makes her less of a wall bot and more of an active threat to the Genjis of the world.

SUPPORT CHANGES

BAPTISTE

Regenerative Burst

An overall healing decrease for Bap isn't a shock given how effective he is when at work. Given his increase of playtime across the board as of late this seems to balance out his ability to save Burst as an "oh crap" button.

KIRIKO

Protection Suzu

We did it! The good Heroes is now even better!

ILLARI

Healing Pylon

Captive Sun

Well, here's your pre-Overwatch League nerf patch for Illari. Honestly, the changes are fine and, in this instance, making the Captive Sun projectile smaller is a buff. All of this seems fair.

Full notes found here.

We will have a more complete breakdown and guide a bit later in the week on the newest Overwatch Support, Illari. Her explosive kit and powerful off-healing turret allow the solar warrior the flexibility to deal damage while not leaving her team high and dry like so many Reddit Lucios.

Here’s the list of her abilities.

Solar Rifle (Primary Fire)

Long-range auto-charging rifle.

Solar Rifle (Secondary Fire)

Outburst (Ability 1)

Healing Pylon (Ability 2)

Captive Sun (Ultimate)

We’ve talked about Flashpoint on the site before, but now the massively map-bearing mode is here for one and all. This five-on-five mode of King of the Hill has a distinct Overwatch feel. Check back in later in the week for our guide on how to manage the daunting new mode.

DVA

Boosters 

Eject Mech

The change to Eject Mech is a long time coming. After all, there’s nothing more annoying as a DVA player than working hard to get your Evangelion back, only to have it stolen from you by happenstance. Or Hanzo. Same thing. A good change!

DOOMFIST

Seismic Slam

Power Block

The Seismic Slam cooldown change puts him back in line with the other dive tanks, in regards to movement. One second may not seem like a lot, but it’s usually the difference between Doom getting back out or Doom dying in the backline. 

ORISA

Fusion Driver

Fortify

Like we said last patch, Orisa is in this new cycle of getting nerfed, then buffed over and over. It looks as if we’re still in the ‘buff’ portion of the cycle. While the damage falloff is real, Fortify continues to be amazing and takes back its crown as the best defensive button in the game.

RAMATTRA

Nemesis – Block

Annihilation 

Annihilation is still one of, if not the best Ultimate in the game. A slight cost increase won’t change that.

WINSTON

Tesla Cannon

I’m sure these numbers matter to someone, but it isn’t me. Just the weird back and forth finetuning that comes with each patch.

BASTION

A-36 Tactical Grenade

Configuration Recon

Transforming into Configuration Assault now repairs 50 armor health.

Configuration Artillery

I assume the nonstop Bastion buffs are someone from Blizzard apologizing for him being unplayable for six years. Well, not anymore. Bastion just jumped up the ranks of the DPS tier list, gaining significant buffs. The grenade is better and snappier, he gets armor for turning into a turret, and his Ultimate tracks faster.

Beep, boop.

CASSIDY

General

Peacekeeper

Magnetic Grenade

Speaking of Heroes stuck in a balance cycle, Cassidy joins Orisa in a never-ending back-and-forth. Once more the cowboy’s health is raised and the falloff range changes. Nonstop. Much like war, Cassidy buffs never change and they’re constant, like gravity.

HANZO

Storm Bow

Hey, remember when they said they were going to nerf Hanzo? Haha. Good times.

SOMBRA

EMP 

Given she’s getting a full rework next season I’m surprised Sombra got any changes at all. However, the Ultimate cost change is… Something, I guess. Shrug. I still hate playing against her. Also, we love a Lifeweaver buff.

SOLDIER 76

Helix Rocket

Tactical Visor

Speaking of Heroes who got buffed a bit too much. Whoo boy, has it been a good year for Soldier players. These two small changes aren’t going to make a bit of difference in his effectiveness, but it’s the thought that counts.

TORB

General

Rivet Gun 

Forge Hammer 

More changes stemming from the damage reduction to his turret from the last patch. Small tweaks, but as a Torb player I can say that they’ll be noticeable. And, hey: Everyone loves a faster Forge Hammer.

ANA

Biotic Rifle

This only looks like a nerf if you don’t read the fine print. In essence, this will make hip-fire shots with Ana far easier. Considering this is the most effective way to main tank heal I’ll consider it a massive win.

BRIG

Barrier Shield

Rally 

Brig is good. Too good. And while these changes don’t look like a lot, they are at least an acknowledgment of said goodness. Good.

KIRIKO

Protection Suzu

Kunai

Strange changes for Kiriko on both the offensive and defensive side of things. The Suzu change to provide a heal upon cleansing is neat. Meanwhile, the Kunai changes will hopefully make her less of an annoying chase-down Hero in my Quick Play games. Overwatch patch notes giveth and taketh away.

WIFELEAVER

General

Thorn Volley

Rejuvenating Dash

Life Grip

Tree of Life

Truly, I do not know why they felt the need to buff Lifeweaver. The last patch saw massive changes, and despite that fact his play rates must still be down. But, hey: As someone who loves playing him and thinks he’s one of the best healers in the game, I guess we’ll take it. Especially nasty is Tree of Life’s Overhealth change. Just truly and potentially busted.

LUCIO

Crossfade 

I don’t play Lucio because I’m not a degenerate, but one of my teammates says this is huge. I guess I’ll believe him.

MERCY

After all the hand-wringing and crying on forums from the annoying fans of Overwatch comes the big change they waited for all season. Yes, that’s right: A whole five percent damage boost reduction. Amazing. Now be quiet and boost that Illari like a good boy or girl. 

Full notes found here.

ORISA

Fortify

Orisa has felt more and more fragile with every patch since Overwatch 2. A lot of this has to do with the fact that she was near-unstoppable for a long time. The advent of Sombra buffs plus a number of Heroes getting direct counters to her Ultimate didn't help. This increase in sturdiness feels appropriate.

RAMATTRA

Ravenous Vortex

The physics on the Vortex projectile always feel wonky. This set of Overwatch patch notes looks to rectify this issue and make it a bit easier to deploy. I don't think any Ram mains will take issue.

REINHARDT

Barrier Field

Up, down, up, down. The health of Rein's shield must be one of the most adjusted numbers in the game's history. This should help Rein hang in the fight a bit longer. Bigger DPS numbers have led to his shield feeling like the cardboard that comprises his most recent premium skin.

WRECKING BALL

Quad Cannons

A Wrecking Ball buff? Are we sure? Is it my birthday? This isn't so much of a buff as it is a quality of life change. Most Hammond players only ever reload from being in Ball form. Still, this is nice.

SOJOURN

Railgun

I'm not sure Sojourn needed to be made better. However, this will make her gun feel less like a guess when it comes to the spread.

SOLDIER 76

Heavy Pulse Rifle

Helix Rockets

Biotic Field

Soldier is a tough Hero to balance. He either feels dominant at certain levels or you don't see him chosen at all. These changes will allow him to stay in the box a bit longer and maintain a certain level of DPS over time. Pharah's beware.

SYMMETRA

Photon Projector

Sentry Turret

Well, speaking of buffs nobody asked for but will gladly take. This change makes Sym not only a much stronger shield counter, but also gives her some solid utility against Sombra while not being game-ruining. The enemy reveal from the turret gives some interesting and added utility.

TORB

Rivet Gun

Deploy Turret

Overload

Did Torb's Turret need a nerf? It's never felt like that big of a problem, but certainly feels like a stealth Tracer/Genji/Pharah buff. That increase on the cooldown is especially brutal. However, a tighter shotgun spread and an instant reload on Overload is a fair and interesting trade.

KIRIKO

Healing Ofuda

Eh, sure. That's fine.

ZENYATTA

Orb of Discord

We knew the Discord Orb nerf was coming, but I think most of us thought it would be to the damage. Instead, this will force Zen players to not only be more selective, but play heads-up in regards to how often they switch Orb targets. Honestly, it's a fine change.

Full notes found here.

CASSIDY

Magnetic Grenade

I think we all saw this change coming. The new MagNade ability for everyone's favorite cowboy is amazingly strong. While I'm not sure how much these changes will tone it down, it is something to keep in mind.

MEI

Endothermic Blaster

Deep Chill (Passive)

I think what we're learning here is that the Blizzard devs didn't realize just how much folks prefer damage over crowd control. While the slow amount changes will most likely be unnoticable, the primary fire damage increase is a smart swap.

WIFELEAVER

Thorn Volley

Sure, yeah. Great. Keep buffing him. We love to see it.

Get your D20s ready, because the Dungeons & Dragons-themed Season 5 is here! Along with a new battle pass comes some major updates to Mei, Lifeweaver, Widowmaker, Cassidy, and even... uh... Roadhog?

Are we sure? Huh. Well, I guess they couldn't nerf him any further.

Full patch notes here.

ON FIRE

Fire returns to highlight your incredible plays with these new features:

Get BLAZING, mon.

JUNKER QUEEN

Rampage

Commanding Shout

There was going to be an inevitable slight-debuffing for our resident Giant Woman. However, all of these feel like needed and important changes to keep JQ from feeling too overbearing. The increase in Ultimate cost is especially important, given that even just using Rampage gives her a ton of charge.

ROADHOG

Take a Breather

Well, if Hog can't kill anyone else in one hit then I guess nobody should be able to do the same to him. While not a rework, this makes an already stout boi perhaps one of the most unkillable tanks in the game.

Which, you know, is at least one reason to pick him now.

CASSIDY

Magnetic Grenade

This takes MagNade from being a kill-confirming ability to almost a zoning skill. The most interesting aspect of the change is its removal of the travel range, which essentially makes it a full-on homing missile--at least for one second. This also seems like a newfound way to keep Tracer and Genji off your butts.

HANZO

Sonic Arrow

Storm Bow

I won't lie: If you had asked me if enemies can see when they're hit with Sonic Arrow I would have said "yes." Maybe I'm playing too much VALORANT these days. Either way, smart changes abound here and helps players from being Hanzo'ed as often.

MEI

Endothermic Blaster

Huh. Well, that's certainly a change. Once the complete bain of dive Heroes and tanks alike, it looks like meat's back on the menu for Mei players. Her newfound "exploding" slow is going to be a supreme pain for the likes of Doomfist, Ball, and Dva.

REAPER

Wraith Form

TRACER

Pulse Pistols

The developers claim this is a bug fix, but I feel like we've already gone down this road before. Regardless, this is a DPS nerf for Tracer and probably one that she needed, no matter how minor.

WIDOWMAKER

Widow’s Kiss

It appears the Widowmaker Era is over. Both changes are a massive nerf to her ability to dominate a match single-handedly. It also means that good Widow players will be the ones who can stand in the fire and find targets while under pressure. A much needed--and welcome--change.

LIFEWEAVER

General

Healing Blossom

Thorn Volley

Petal Platform

Life Grip

Tree of Life

Well, someone just became one of the best healers in the game. Leave it to Blizzard to overtune underperforming Heroes to the point of being in the meta. Don't get me wrong, all of these changes were needed to make Wifeleaver feel dynamic. Especially important is that Life Grip cooldown reduction.

Maybe now we'll see him in Overwatch League matches.

MOIRA

Fade

Your season 4 midseason update is here! And boy howdy, does it have a number of big changes. The biggest of which is that not only is Junker Queen good now, but she may be in the top tier of tanks. Let's look at all the notes and give you some commentary along the way.

Full patch notes here.

Hoo, boy. The biggest problem with Junker Queen to date was that her self-healing wasn't enough to keep her alive. At least not in the way that the likes of Wrecking Ball, Sigma, or even Doomfist could self-sustain. Well, that's not a problem anymore! Her self-healing got a major boost, along with a sizable DPS buff via an ammo increase and a bigger Jagged Blade.

Hope you're ready to see more Junker Queen in your games. But, hey: We do love a giant woman.

Augmented Fusion Driver

It's nice to see the ole' horse girl get something after multiple patches in a row of Orisa nerfs.

Jet Pack

Winston? Winston!

Adaptive Shield

Honestly, this is fine. Wrecking Ball still remains the most durable tank in Overwatch and this won't change that fact. However, it does mean that Ball players will need to be more aware of their shield and use it in better positions.

Duplicate

I'm not sure Echo needed any more help. But this does mean that she'll get to Dupe far more but that she'll have to be pickier and the when and where of it all. It can sometimes be hard to get your full Ultimate meter while Duplicated, so be smart out there and only dupe Roadhog!

Concussion Mine

Oh. Good. Junkrat buffs. Pardon me while I go projectile vomit.

Biotic Grenade

Given Ana's ability to burst heal big HP targets this feels like a way to bring her back down to earth. As an Ana main I'll miss the ability to take the likes of D.va from 10 HP to full in a matter of seconds. This doesn't hurt her overall effectiveness, but this does mean you'll need to focus a healing target while 'nade is up.

Immortality Field

A small change, but one that is welcome. Lamp is still one of the best non-Ultimate abilities in the game and getting it two seconds faster is just dandy.

Kunai

This seems like a non-change, but this will actually allow Kiriko to reload-cancel with her melee akin to Ana. Which is to say, this is a major buff to her damage and a welcome addition.

Life Grip

Well, that's not the change I thought we'd see for the new boy. However, Rein players everywhere should rejoice at their Earthshatters no longer being ruined.

Here is your "Hey, we're fixing Lifeweaver!" update.

Full patch notes here.

Lifeweaver’s Controls & Options have been changed, with a new default control scheme added:

General

Healing Blossom

Thorn Volley

Tree of Life

Parting Gift (Passive)

It will be interesting to see if this moves Lifeweaver from the "fine, but difficult" category and into being overpowered. We'll come back later this week with a piece on whether or not that has, in fact, occurred.

The start of Season 4 is here! With it comes a new Support Hero in Lifeweaver, a number of new challenges and events, and most of all: Some major, meta-upending patch notes. Oh boy. Time to tear into this thing.

For the full patch notes head over here.

Reinhardt

This may seem like a strange change and maybe a nerf. However, an increase in base health is never a bad thing in a world where Sombra continues to gather power. 600 HP is still a big number for a big man with a big hammer.

Sigma

Accretion

Blizzard doesn't like tanks getting one-shot kill combos, apparently. This change does remove a lot of Sigma's ability to deal with dive Heroes such as Genji. However, the ability to kill anyone with 200 HP with one cooldown and a single click as a Tank was maybe a bit much. The stun duration is a nice change, even if it feels like a bad omen of stun creeping back into the game.

Cassidy

Magnetic Grenade

The base health change for our resident cowboy is far more surprising than the Mag Nade change. Magnetic Grenade is very good and, with a single body shot, currently allowed Cassidy to OHK 200 HP Heroes. Tracer and Widow will still need to fear him, but everyone else will be on a more fair footing against Cassidy.

Sombra

lol.

What else is there to say? After massively nerfing Sombra at the start of Overwatch 2 she's now gained power in three straight patches. Additionally, she is now a hard and direct counter to more Ultimates than anyone else in the game. Guess they had to give her something, given that Brig now has her stun back.

Brigitte

Rally

Repair Pack

Hey, did you like Overwatch in 2018? No? Well, we have bad news. Removed at the advent of 5v5 along with most other stuns, Brig's Shield Bash stun removal was a major nerf. Since then she's struggled to find a place in the meta other than "that Hero you pick against Genji." However, this massive change to Rally may be a bit too far in the opposite direction. She now possesses an AOE stun while also giving her team mobile cover.

Be prepared to see a lot of Brigitte in your games starting next week.

Ana

Sleep Dart

Fair. I don't have to like it as an Ana main, but I get the point. Tanks need to not feel impotent, as to protect their fragile egos. The change makes perfect sense. Carry on.

Mercy

Caduceus Staff

Guardian Angel

Valkyrie

Hey, all you people that complained that you thought the Mercy changes last patch were bad? Congrats, you whined and moaned your way into making the Hero less fun once more. Not only is she now without the critical healing power that recently made her useful, but now Guardian Angel is just plain worse.

Great. Thanks.

Moira

Fade

Coalescence

Biotic Grasp

WHY DO WE KEEP BUFFING MOIRA? I hate to yell, but who at Blizzard thinks that Moira needs any more incentive to jump into the enemy backline in my Quick Play games? I assume at this point that the mid-season patch is just going to give her back the ability to Fade out of Rein charge at this point.

One Punch Man is here! Along with the first major collaboration event in the history of Overwatch comes a new set of patch notes to comb through. This time around is mostly smaller adjustments, so buffs for Sombra, Road Hog, and Hanzo are on the table. Let's take a look.

For the full patch notes head over here.

Orisa

Terra Surge

Well, I picked a great time to start playing Sombra, huh? Terra Surge has felt more than a bit overwhelming since its introduction in the fall. Added with the fact that Sombra has lost much of her former power, it makes sense to put the two together. Expect to see some Orisa hard-counter switching coming to a Quick Play match near you.

Ramattra

Annihilation

This is a workaround and quality of life change, doing for players what they were already doing themselves. Now Matt mains don't have to shift out of Chad Mode before hitting Q to get their armor bonus.

Roadhog

Chain Hook

Poor Roadhog. he gets jerked around almost as much as he jerks enemy players into that hole on Illios. However, these two changes are warranted given that a hit Hook is no longer a guaranteed death sentence.

Wrecking Ball

General

Grappling Claw

Minefield

Well, that Minefield buff didn't last long. As usual, I completely understand that Wrecking Ball can feel downright oppressive if tuned too far. That said, the timeout indicator for his Grappling Claw is a much-welcome addition.

Zarya

General

Rejoice, all 12 of you Zarya mains. Blizzard remembered that you exist.

Ashe

B.O.B.

Hey, someone got B.O.B. some ADD medication. In the past, Ashe's robot man-servant tended to aim wherever he pleased. With this change you can now direct traffic a bit better. Now if they'd only let me play as B.O.B. Sigh. Perchance, to dream.

Hanzo

Lunge

I mean... Did Hanzo need a buff? C'mon.

Mei

Blizzard

An animation change meant to help both the caster and those who may eat Blizzard. Not much to see here.

Pharah

Jump Jet

I mean, all the cool kids these days seem to play Pharah by just running around on the ground. But if that isn't your style then this change should make her feel a bit more responsive when securing the skies.

Sojourn

General

A nerf in the weirdest of ways. Too many men out here complaining about the width of their waifu's torsos.

Baptiste

Immortality Field

Honestly, a solid change. Immortality Field has a huge cooldown and it often feels real bad to watch it get blown up and see your team all die at once. While not a major change, this goes a long way to letting Baptiste players feel like they are doing something good and cool.

Blizzard has teased in developer blogs for months that the Overwatch 2 Season 3 patch would bring about a ton of Hero tuning. Well, they weren't lying, as this patch tweaks and modifiers nearly half the roster. In addition to making Ramattra and his Annihilation Ultimate feel a bit less oppressive, a surprise Mercy buff may turn her into one of the best clutch healers around.

Let's look at the patch notes, released earlier today.

Junkerqueen

Considering one of the Queen's biggest drawbacks is survivability it's hard to turn down a bit more health.

Orisa

Augmented Fusion Driver

Orisa struggles to look up and deal with floaters and fliers. This change should help her contend with the occasional annoying Pharah and Echo while also being able to pressure snipers.

Ramattra

Annihilation

Ole' Matt needed a bit of tuning, especially when it came to his Ultimate and overtime. Annihilation, much like Wrecking Ball's old spin-to-win, felt a little bit too insurmountable. The time cap will keep the feel of the ability while not making it a surefire way to finish a drawn-out encounter.

Reinhardt

Charge

Fire Strike

Earthshatter

Rocket Hammer

All good news for Rein fans, considering the Hero has struggled against a faster, more in-your-face meta. The big stealth buff here is the knockback impulse reduction, which will make it less likely to knock targets away while swinging.

Wrecking Ball

Pile Driver

Minefield

THE LONG AWAITED DAY IS FINALLY HERE. Folks, this editor is supremely excited for Wrecking Ball to finally get any positive changes, as it feels like it's been a lifetime. While Hammond is still one of the top-tier tanks in Overwatch 2 Season 3 already, these tweaks will allow him to let out even more pent-up aggression than before. After all, it's always time for flapjacks.

Winston

Barrier Projector

Who hates Winston at Blizzard?

Sigma

Gravitic Flux

Shrug. Sure. Okay.

Roadhog

Whole Hog

Well, he may not be able to kill anyone anymore, but at least he'll have his Ultimate for longer. That's nice.

Zarya

Graviton Surge

The Zarya nerfs will continue until morale improves.

Cassidy

Combat Roll

Peacekeeper

Not getting stuck against a wall by a tank when rolling is a bonus. Likewise, the damage range falloff will allow Cassidy to contend pressure on sniping targets in ways he couldn't before.

Junkrat

Concussion Mine

This will require Junkrat to be more accurate than usual--a completely foreign concept to Junkrat mains.

Mei

Blizzard

Pharah

Barrage

Reaper

Death Blossom

Symmetra

Photon Barrier

MORE ULTS. AND LESS ULTS.

Soldier:76

Heavy Pulse Rifle

If you don't play VALORANT than Soldier's gun recoil must feel absolutely oppressive. This should help players pew-pew a bit better.

Sombra

Machine Pistol

Hack

Honestly, the last few Sombra nerfs probably brought her down a few too many pegs. The damage increase, while small, at least means more consistent damage.

Torbjorn

Deploy Turret

A good Turret location can absolutely feel like a 6-on-5 encounter, so the health change should make it feel a little less lop-sided to take on Torb.

Widowmaker

Probably the most important change of the patch for DPS, Widowmaker play has gotten widespread as of late. The reversion of the health change is a good idea and will help keep the one-shot sniper in check when taking chip damage.

Mercy

Guardian Angel

Caduceus Staff

Regeneration Passive

New Passive: “Sympathetic Recovery”

One of the biggest issues with playing Mercy is that you've always had to work harder than other support players to get the same results. Not only do these changes make Mercy a clutch critical damage healer, but the change to her recovery during the Valkyrie Ultimate makes her almost unkillable if she's healing. Expect to see more Mercy play this season.

Zenyatta

Orb of Destruction

I'm guessing the same person at Blizzard who hates Winston is also a Zenyatta stan, giving him this absolutely unnecessary but very acceptable buff.

Moira

Coalescence

Lucio

Sound Barrier

Wax on, wax off.

Ana

Biotic Grenade

This is probably fair, given Bio Nade is one of the best abilities in Overwatch 2 and will continue to be in Season 3.

Brigitte

Repair Pack

Rally

A Brig rework is rumored to be coming, so perhaps these small changes will tide hungry fans over. The instant-heal on Repair Pack is a nice change, especially given how it can be easy to feel like you're always out of Packs.

For the full notes check out the Blizzard patch notes page.

And keep watch on Esports.gg for more news when the Overwatch 2 Season 3 patch goes live tomorrow.