Overwatch's Mercy Changed Dramatically In PTR Patch Notes; Update Out Now On PC

Not long after unveiling what we thought were some significant changes to D.Va, Blizzard has now detailed even more substantial adjustments to Overwatch's Mercy. These changes, along with those to D.Va and other areas of the game, go live today in a new PTR patch. [Update: Mercy is incredibly powerful at the moment and is in line to be toned down.]

Mercy's Ultimate has been replaced entirely, and Resurrect is now a standard ability. Rather than bringing all of her nearby teammates back to life, however, it targets a single teammate within five meters, has a 30-second cooldown, and does not provide her with invulnerability while casting.

Her new Ultimate is Valkyrie, which "unleashes the full power of Mercy's Valkyrie Suit." This buffs both weapons and abilities for 20 seconds. Here's how Blizzard describes its effects on each part of her kit:

• Caduceus Staff: Mercy's healing and damage boost beams now affect all allies near the targeted teammate, and the staff's effective range has been extended
• Caduceus Blaster: Granted infinite ammo, while simultaneously increasing damage and fire rate
• Guardian Angel: Increased range and movement speed
• Resurrect: Cooldown is instantly reset when Valkyrie is activated and reduced to 10s after the initial cast
• Hover: Mercy gains the ability to fly freely, at increased movement speed
• Regeneration (Passive): No longer interrupted when Mercy takes damage

"While resurrecting downed allies is a core part of Mercy's gameplay, the way her Ultimate functioned was causing a number of problems," Blizzard said of the changes. "It was frustrating to play against, and it incentivized Mercy players to hide away from important battles, instead of taking part in them. This version turns Resurrect into a single target ability. It's still an important part of Mercy's kit, but plays much better for both Mercy players and her enemies. Valkyrie, her new Ultimate, gives her the opportunity to make big game-making plays and opens a number of new options for her."

Also in this newly released PTR update are the proposed D.Va changes outlined recently. These nerf her Defense Matrix ability while trying to ensure she is still effective overall. This is accomplished by providing her with a new offensive ability and allowing her to attack and use abilities while flying.

The only other character-specific adjustment in this update concerns Reinhardt. With his barrier active, players can now click the left mouse button to move the camera around, which should provide the opportunity to better survey the surrounding area.

Additionally, several bugs have been fixed and other tweaks made. You can see all of this in the full patch notes. Game director Jeff Kaplan also discusses what's new, as well as the thought process behind the changes, in the video above.