To those concerned with Mercy’s overwhelming Play of the Game count in Overwatch, Blizzard’s listening, and they’ve got you covered.
Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan recently revealed that while Quick Play had evenly distributed Play of the Games across all characters, Mercy had far and away the most Play of the Games in Competitive Play, primarily because of how her Ultimate Ability (which revives all teammates nearby) was awarded points.
Patch 1.3.0.3 sought to address this issue, though the exact means are not detailed; we are simply told, “Players should now see fewer Plays of the Game featuring Mercy’s Resurrection ability.” Besides several bug fixes and interface updates, the other big change is that there’s now “increased payload speed on Eichenwalde,” which will certainly change the balance on the bombed-out medieval town.
Full patch notes are available below, courtesy of Blizzard:
General
- Players should now see fewer Plays of the Game featuring Mercy’s Resurrection ability
- Increased payload speed on Eichenwalde
User Interface
- A new Competitive Tier legend has been added to the Competitive Play info screen
- A new Match Complete splash screen has replaced the former Round Complete splash screen in competitive matches
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug which prevented the Triple Kill announcement from being played after a kill streak of 3 or more
- Fixed several issues causing some players obtain a skill rating that’s higher than their actual rating
- Note: A very small number of people were affected by these issues, but those who were affected will have their skill rating adjusted appropriately
Heroes
- Fixed a bug causing the wrong arrow to be shown on Hanzo’s bow, or disappear entirely (the correct arrow would still be fired)
- Fixed a bug preventing Junkrat’s RIP-Tire from receiving credit for kills, achievements, and other stats
Maps
- Fixed a bug allowing Reaper to Shadow Step to unintended locations on Hollywood
Patch 1.3.0.3 is now live.