According to Blizzard, the Lunar New Year has started with the new Overwatch 2.58 update patch notes. This update brings both small and big changes and is only 177MB on PS4 (though most time will be spent “copying”). It marks the third annual return of the Lunar New Year event (the Year of the Pig) as well as some more balance changes for the heroes. Check out what’s in store for the Overwatch 2.58 update patch notes below.
Overwatch 2.58 update patch notes – Lunar New Year
As you may have guessed, this update brings the new Lunar New Year event. In it, eight characters have new skins, which you can see here. The Capture the Flag mode that originated during the event two years ago is back and has a competitive variant yet again. Busan, the map that was added in August 2018, now has now been added to the Capture the Flag rotation with Ayutthaya and Lijiang Tower; both of which were existing CTF maps.
The event will run until February 18.
Overwatch 2.58 update patch notes – Balance changes
As for general changes, armor has been nerfed a bit. Armor still protects against half the damage or three points, which is down from five. This means that this is a small buff to automatic weaponry like Soldier 76’s Heavy Pulse Rifle. Blizzard stated that this was because armor was a “bit too strong overall.”
A few of the heroes have gotten a few updates. Brigitte has been hit with the nerf hammer yet again. The armor given from her ultimate, Rally, now lasts for 30 seconds instead of it gets damaged. This, combined with the armor nerf, is quite a blow but Blizzard said it hopes this will curb the “snowballing effect.”
D.Va has also been slightly nerfed. Her Defense Matrix ability that gobbles projectiles has had its cooldown increased to two seconds, which is up from one. This will keep her from spamming her Defense Matrix, which made it harder to hit her since players could constantly pepper the ability.
Reaper has had the biggest buffs in this patch. His Reaping ability that lets him steal health as he does damage has been bumped up from 30 percent to 50 percent. This is quite a huge change as he can now stand to be on the frontlines a little bit more now. This is mainly made to kill tanks, which should still help stop the GOATS strategy that has been plaguing the meta.
Overwatch 2.58 update patch notes – Miscellaneous
There have also been some minor bug fixes which you can read about in the full patch notes here.