The new Overwatch 2.59 update patch notes are finally up and bring forth a few changes along with the new Paris map. It should be just under 1 GB in size (the PS4 version is 944 MB). Sadly, it doesn’t seem like there are any big balance changes in this new update.
Overwatch 2.59 Update patch notes | New map
This new update brings in the Paris map that Blizzard unexpectedly dropped on the PTR at the end of January. It is a 2CP map like Anubis and Volskaya Industries, meaning that the attacking team has to take two different capture points one at a time.
Overwatch 2.59 Update patch notes | Armor and shield changes
This Overwatch 2.59 update also changes how players lose armor, health, and shields. In the old patch, players would take damage and lose these in the following order: non-recoverable shields, recoverable shields, non-recoverable armor, recoverable armor, non-recoverable health, and recoverable health.
Now, players will lose them in this order: non-recoverable shields, non-recoverable armor, non-recoverable health, recoverable shields, recoverable armor, and recoverable health. This change is yet another blow how armor has been handled in the game.
Brigitte’s changes that have been steadily rolling out since her reveal have slowly been making her armor less and less effective. By putting her armor on a timer in the last patch and then making that armor go faster in this one, the armor from her ultimate ability has been normalized (or nerfed, depending on how you look at it).
Blizzard said the changes were to avoid the situations where heroes with recoverable shield to be “prioritized for damage and regeneration, allowing their non-recoverable armor to persist.” This change seems to put everyone on a more even playing field with shield and armor and not favor those who have natural shields and armor.
Overwatch 2.59 Update patch notes | Balance changes
There are none. Blizzard’s official patch notes do not contain any sort of tweaks to any of the heroes. The last patch had very few changes but this update has none. Perhaps Blizzard is still analyzing Reaper’s new role and debating whether or not he is still too powerful.
