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Overwatch 2 Hotfix Nerfs Hazard, Sojourn, and Widowmaker

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overwatch 2 january 7 hotfix hazard sojourn widowmaker nerfs


Summary

  • Overwat​​ch 2’s recent hotfix nerfs Hazard’s Spike Guard, Sojourn’s Railgun, and Widowmaker’s projectile size in 5v5 only.
  • New Rapid Balance Update tech results in swift hero adjustments.
  • Replay codes are still available after hotfix, and the mid-Season 14 update is expected on January 14 or 21 for more balance changes.

Overwatch 2 just rolled out another hotfix that nerfed Hazard’s Spike Guard damage reduction and duration, how long Sojourn’s Railgun can hold a charge, and Widowmaker’s projectile size. This small balance update only affects heroes in 5v5, and is live in Overwatch 2 right now.

At the start of Overwatch 2 Season 14 on December 10, 2024, both Hazard and Sojourn received some pretty big buffs. An Overwatch 2 hotfix on December 16 dialed back some of the strength of these two heroes, with Hazard’s Downpour ultimate requiring more charge, and Sojourn receiving a nerf to her Railgun’s primary fire damage and the energy regeneration of her Disruptor Shot and Overclock ultimate.

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It seems like Overwatch 2 isn’t done nerfing these two heroes. Another hotfix just went live that reduces Spike Guard’s damage reduction by 10% and duration by a half second for Hazard, as well as the time it takes for Sojourn’s Railgun to start losing charge by three seconds. Additionally, Widowmaker received a nerf, as her Widow’s Kiss no longer benefits from the global projectile size increase from Overwatch 2 Season 14 while scoped, requiring players to be even more accurate with the sniper.

This hotfix is another instance of Overwatch 2’s Rapid Balance Update tech at work. While Overwatch 2 previously had balance updates once a month, swapping between seasonal and mid-season patches, this new technology implemented during Season 13 has allowed Blizzard to fine tune over- or under-powered heroes much faster. Blizzard has already done two extra micro-updates in the first half of Season 14 alone, suggesting fans may see up to three times as many balance updates than before.

As this is a smaller update, replay codes have not been wiped quite yet. That said, Overwatch 2 Season 14’s mid-season patch will likely arrive on January 14 or 21, so players who hope to save any game clips since December 19 should make sure to do so before they are erased during the next update.

It is important to note these balance changes only affect these three heroes in normal 5v5 games. While playing in 6v6, Hazard, Sojourn, and Widowmaker will continue to use the hero balance specific to that game mode. Due to the mode’s popularity, fans will have two extra weeks to play the 2-2-2 team composition 6v6 test in Overwatch 2 before it begins the Min 1, Max 3 experiment on January 21. Players shouldn’t be surprised to see more hero balance in the mid-Season 14 update – most likely for both 5v5 and 6v6.

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Overwatch 2 Season 14 Hotfix – January 7, 2025

Hotfix Balance Update

This is a hero balance hotfix. Replay codes from the December 19, 2024 patch are still available.

Hero Balance Updates

These hero balance updates only apply to our standard game modes and not the 6v6 Experiment.

Tank

  • Hazard
    • Spike Guard
      • Damage reduction is reduced from 75% to 65%.
      • Duration reduced from 3.5 to 3 seconds.

Damage

  • Sojourn
    • Railgun
      • Time before energy degeneration begins decreased from 12 to 9 seconds.
  • Widowmaker
    • Widow’s Kiss
      • Scoped shots no longer benefit from global projectile size increases.


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