Overwatch 2 Patch Notes January 9: Huge Mauga Nerfs & Hero Changes

The first Overwatch 2 patch of 2023 is finally here, and it brings a ton of changes to heroes of every role. Some of the highlights of the patch are undoubtedly the huge nerfs and buffs to Mauga and Illari, respectively. Since his release a few weeks ago, Mauga has cemented himself in the Overwatch 2 meta by being one of the most oppressive tanks in the history of the game. This patch aims to bring down his effectiveness while offering some small changes and tweaks to underperforming heroes. Here is everything you need to know about the Midseason 8 Patch for Overwatch 2.

• Overview
• Full Patch Notes

Overwatch 2 January 9 Midseason 8 Patch Overview

Overwatch 2's Midseason 8 update has made changes to a big chunk of the hero roster. The highlight of the patch is undoubtedly the big nerfs to Mauga, decreasing his health, armor, and the effectiveness of his abilities. Mauga was clearly a step ahead of any other tank option during the season, and these nerfs aim to bring him up to par with the rest of the roster. Small changes to Orisa and Roadhog are also present, but they are not significant enough to change their positions in the overall tier list.

As for the Damage heroes, not much has changed other than some small buffs to Sojourn and Sombra, who is still underperforming after her recent rework. Biotic Grenade from Ana continues to get nerfed, and Lifeweaver received a bit of love for his weapon and Petal Platform.

Illari is the biggest winner of the patch, receiving significant buffs to both her Solar Rifle weapon and the Captive Sun ability. Illari was heavily underperforming after her recent nerfs, and these changes aim to give some of her power back.

Overwatch 2 January 9 Full Patch Notes

Tank Hero Updates:

Mauga

• Base Health increased from 250 to 300.
• Base Armor decreased from 250 to 200.

Incendiary and Volatile Chainguns

• Ammo decreased from 350 to 300.

Cardiac Overdrive

• Lifesteal decreased from 70% to 60%.
• Cooldown increased from 10 seconds to 12 seconds.

Cage Fight

• No longer grants infinite ammo. Still reloads Mauga’s Chainguns at the start of the ultimate.

Berserker

• Overhealth conversion rate decreased from 60% to 50%.

Orisa

Augmented Fusion Driver

• Removed falloff damage penalty.

Fortify

• Now immune to taking forced critical hit damage. Fortify already prevents direct critical damage from headshots.

Roadhog

Take a Breather

• Total amount healed reduced from 500 to 450.
• Cooldown between usages increased from 1 to 1.5 seconds.

DPS Hero Updates:

Sojourn

Railgun

• Gradual energy no longer decays below 25%.

Sombra

Stealth

• Grace period where Stealth can be canceled immediately after entering it increased from 0.5 to 0.75 seconds.
• Cooldown now pauses at 1 second while capturing or contesting objectives from 1.5 seconds.
• Cooldown on respawning decreased from 1.5 to 1 second.

Support Hero Updates:

Ana

Biotic Grenade

• Effect duration reduced from 3.5 to 3 seconds.

Illari

Solar Rifle

• Primary fire charge gain is no longer paused by secondary fire, nor channeling Captive Sun.
• Ammo increased from 14 to 16.

Captive Sun

• Now fully refills secondary fire resource and resets overheated status.
• Removed the damage falloff penalty on the Sunstruck explosion.

Lifeweaver

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Thorn Volley

• Projectile speed increased from 70 to 80 meters per second.

Petal Platform

• No longer pierced by piercing projectiles.

Bug Fixes

That covers the full list of patch notes for Overwatch 2's Midseason 8 update. Hopefully these buffs and nerfs to the hero roster create a new a fresh meta for players to enjoy until the end of the season. Mauga definitely got hit hard and that will create opportunities for a lot of new strategies going forward. For more Overwatch 2 news and guides, check out the rest of our website!