Blizzard highlights Overwatch 2 Season 8 balance changes

Overwatch 2 Season 8 is just around the corner, and Blizzard outlined some of the broad changes coming to tanks in the multiplayer game

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Overwatch 2 Season 8 is just around the corner, and Blizzard outlined some of the broad changes coming to tanks in the multiplayer game. Most of these changes should help some of the game’s struggling heroes perform a little better than usual, though a few alterations seem like change just for the sake of change.

First up is Doomfist, who’s getting a buff of sorts for his ultimate. Blizzard wasn’t happy with players using Doomfist’s ultimate to escape harm and land on health packs, so once Season 8 rolls around, he’ll regain 75 health per second while he’s in the air. Doomfist’s ultimate will also cost more to offset that little boon.

Blizzard says Ramattra in his usual form was too small and “easy to ignore.” Season 8 will transform 100 of his health into armor and make his projectiles bigger, so aim should be less of an issue. The team also wants Winston to have a more competitive edge, so his cannon will ignore all enemy armor damage reductions.

Roadhog will stay the same, at least for the next season while Blizzard evaluates his rework.

These are the major changes, but Blizzard is tweaking a few DPS and support heroes as well. Tracer’s pistol damage is going back up to six HP per shot instead of 5.5, after Blizzard reduced it from its former power of 6.0 HP per shot. Brigitte won’t deal as much damage, as Blizzard said players picked her too often, and Soldier 76’s self-heal cooldown is going up to 18 seconds, as Blizzard said players are using him too effectively.

Season 8 sees more tweaks to Sombra’s kit as well. Her ultimate will deal less damage, but lock enemies out of their abilities for 1.5 seconds longer.

Overwatch 2 Season 8 goes live on Dec. 5, 2023, and new tank Mauga makes his debut then as well.

Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF