Why the Overwatch 2 Season 13 Balance Update Could Disrupt the Current Hero Meta

The highly anticipated Season 13 of Overwatch 2 has officially launched, introducing a series of gameplay modifications. In past seasons, Blizzard encountered numerous challenges stemming from significant balance issues within the server. To address these concerns, the newly released Season 13 patch for Overwatch 2 has implemented various changes to Heroes, which may alter your usual playstyle, particularly for characters like Ramattra and Sombra.

This article delves into these critical updates and highlights how they differ from those in previous seasons.

How the Overwatch 2 Season 13 balance adjustments may disrupt the current Hero meta

A thorough review of the Hero balance changes in Overwatch 2’s Season 13 reveals why these adjustments could disrupt the existing Hero meta. Although characters such as Mauga, Sojourn, Hanzo, and Baptiste received minor buffs with this patch, several prominent Heroes, including Ramattra, Sombra, and Juno, experienced significant nerfs. Consequently, these revisions are likely to influence the prevailing meta for the new season.

Changes to Ramattra

The nerf to Ramattra in the Season 13 update is set to have a major impact on his gameplay. Previously, the Null Sector commander served as one of the few effective counters to Reinhardt, thanks to his ability to bypass Rein’s shield in his Omnic form. However, the latest patch has taken away his capability to deal damage through barriers.

On the positive side, Ramattra now has the power to inflict 2.5 times more damage to any shield. This means he can more effectively break through barriers instead of targeting shielded characters like Reinhardt directly. Nevertheless, this comes with a downside.

Before, Ramattra could penetrate barriers of various Heroes, such as Brigitte, Reinhardt, and Sigma effortlessly. This alteration makes him more exposed and diminishes his overall damage output. Consequently, this nerf may lead to a considerable decline in his pick rate.

Furthermore, it encourages other shielded characters to deploy their barriers strategically against Ramattra’s attacks while their DPS teammates attempt to take advantage of his increased vulnerability.

Adjustments to Sombra

Sombra, once the top DPS Hero in Season 12, has experienced a significant nerf. The Mexican hacker has lost her passive stealth ability, limiting her to just 5 seconds of stealth after using her translocator to teleport to a location.

This means that players can no longer pull off sneaky tactics to ambush lone vulnerable Heroes like Ana, Baptiste, and Soldier 76, who typically deal damage or heal from afar. Players utilizing Sombra will need to adopt a more cautious approach and seek cover like other flank Heroes.

On the upside, Blizzard has boosted Sombra’s damage potential, granting her an extra 20% damage to hacked targets. Additionally, her “Opportunist” ability now allows her to spot critically wounded foes, enabling her to take down vulnerable enemies more efficiently.

If you main Sombra, you will need to modify your strategy, considering safer spots to avoid destruction from Tanks or opposing DPS Heroes. Therefore, it’s anticipated that Sombra will not dominate the meta as she did in the last two seasons.

DPS players may likely pivot towards Sojourn or Hanzo due to their recent buffs. Specifically, Sojourn’s damage per second has risen from 60 to 80, and Hanzo’s health has been boosted from 225 to 250.

Impact on Juno

Changes to Juno could be quite disheartening, as many believe that the Martian support character will become increasingly vulnerable following these updates.

The recent reduction in Juno’s damage falloff range and healing per projectile means players can no longer effectively heal or deal damage at mid to long distances. To remain impactful, players must engage in close-quarter combat, placing themselves at a considerable risk during battles.

Juno was already susceptible to hitscan characters due to their accuracy. This update only heightens her vulnerability, potentially resulting in a drop in her pick rate. As a result, we may observe notable shifts in the current Support meta, with players favoring other characters, particularly Baptiste, owing to his 30% recoil reduction buff.

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