Overwatch Update Rebalances Ana and Mercy

Raising people from the dead just got a little harder.

By Brian Barnett

Blizzard is rebalancing Ana and Mercy in the upcoming Overwatch update.

On PlayOverwatch.com, the Overwatch team has outlined updates coming to fan-favorite characters Ana and Mercy in the next patch, which is currently available on the Public Test region (PTR) on PC.

Ana will receive a buff, with Blizzard increasing her Biotic Rifle damage from 60 to 70. The team explained the reason for the change; "Ana has been outshined by other support heroes lately." the post said. "Boosting her damage will help her defend herself and make her more threatening to the enemy team."

Mercy, who was altered earlier this year as well, will also receive changes in the upcoming patch, revolving around her Resurrection mechanic. Resurrect, which originally was an instant cast ability, will now have a 1.75 second cast time. Mercy's movement speed will be reduced by 75 percent while she is casting, and the cast can be interrupted if Mercy is stunned, hacked, or knocked back during the cast.

When Valkyrie is activated, Resurrection will no longer have a cast time.

"We feel that Mercy's recent rework has been successful, but the Resurrect ability still feels too strong and frustrating to play against. Now that it has a cast time, there is more room for enemies to counter the ability," the team explained.

While this may be a frustrating update for some Mercy players, Blizzard is confident the cast time changes will bring greater balance, and a greater feeling of empowerment for Mercy players during her Valkyrie transformation.

Some bugs also being addressed in the patch include issues preventing announcer voice lines from playing correctly in certain game modes, as well as Roadhog's Chain Hook latching on to enemy players for longer than intended.

These updates will eventually come to PS4 and Xbox One versions in future patches, but the PTR is available only on PC.

Overwatch recently ranked 8th on our list of The Top 25 Modern PC Games. There is also still time to jump into the Overwatch: Halloween Terror event, which runs until November 2.

Brian Barnett is an IGN Freelance Writer. He primarily plays as Roadhog and Lucio. You can follow him on Twitter @Ribnax.

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