Overwatch 2.86 Update Patch Notes | Echo and balance changes

The Overwatch 2.86 update patch notes bring something that we haven’t seen in the game since summer 2019: a new character, Echo. Echo, the game’s newest damage hero, is now live in the game for all platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. While she is the biggest deal, there are also some balance changes worth looking at and a helpful new feature for those aspiring Echo mains.

Overwatch 2.86 Update Patch Notes | Echo

Echo, the game’s announcer and oft-teased hero, is finally in the game for every platform. She is a damage hero (not a support!) and has a few unique abilities, starting with her tri shot primary fire that shoots three projectiles. She’s also got sticky bombs that fire a volley of the aforementioned grenades and the Focusing Beam that looks like Moira’s ultimate that does more damage to targets under half health. She can also float and fly around a bit like Mercy or Pharah. Her ultimate is interesting in that it lets her transform into someone from the enemy team and lets her build ultimate at a significantly higher clip.

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Echo also has two achievements or trophies that come with sprays:

Focused: Earn two killing blows with her focusing beam ability.
Adaptability: Use two different heroes ultimates without dying.

Overwatch 2.86 Update Patch Notes | New features and balance changes

This update also comes with a few features. Players can now have a training buddy in the practice range and can cycle through anyone in the cast. This is helpful for Echo’s ultimate as she needs someone to target before she can use it.

There were also a few changes to the heroes, too. Tracer’s Blink now more reliably gets her to her crosshair. Other than that, there aren’t many other changes.

Full Overwatch 2.86 update patch notes

NEW HERO: ECHO (DAMAGE)

Echo is an evolutionary robot created by Dr. Mina Liao and programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence, versatile enough to fill multiple battlefield combat roles. Having joined up with the Overwatch team to defend Paris against the Null Sector incursion, Echo is seeing action as a full-fledged member of Overwatch for the first time. Echo fires three shots (Tri-Shot) at once, in a triangle pattern. Echo fires a volley of Sticky Bombs that detonates after a delay. Echo uses Flight to surge forward quickly, then can fly freely to avoid danger or maneuver to a more strategic location. Using Focusing Beam, Echo channels a beam for a few seconds, dealing very high damage to targets with less than half health, including barriers. With Duplicate, Echo targets an enemy hero and clones them, gaining all of their abilities and potentially changing a team fight in an instant.

GENERAL UPDATES

New Feature: Training Partner

Within the Practice Range, use the Training Partner Spawner to create a bot of any hero on which you can test your abilities.

General

The Overwatch team has opened servers in a new datacenter to improve the gaming experience for players in the Middle East. Servers will be available beginning April 14, 2020
Added a “Patch Notes” button on the main menu and within the options menu. Selecting this button will open a web browser with the latest available game updates

COMPETITIVE UPDATES

The new Competitive Open Queue will be available in the Arcade for roughly 4 weeks. This mode will use standard Competitive Play rules, including hero pools, but will have no role restrictions or role queues.

HERO UPDATES

Tracer

Blink

Improved the accuracy of Tracer’s blink movement such that Tracer will more likely end up where the crosshair is pointing

Developer Comments

Tracer will now blink around and over obstacles more easily to move towards the crosshair location. For example, if you aim alongside the corner of a wall, Tracer will blink past the corner
Tracer cannot blink through a space where she otherwise cannot fit normally
Tracer cannot blink over an obstacle which she otherwise cannot jump over normally, with the jump originating from Tracer’s height at the start of the blink movement

We hope that these changes to Tracer’s blink will feel more responsive than before.

BUG FIXES

General

Fixed an issue preventing switching to the next hero when team spectating D.Va in Custom Games
Fixed an issue preventing Team FFA settings and some Hero settings from being pasted back into Custom Game Settings via copy-paste
Fixed a bug that could cause voice lines from opposing teams to be heard at Hero Select screens on certain maps
Fixed a bug where knockbacks were not working correctly if the target was moving down a ramp
Fixed an issue where support players were getting incorrect credit for some plays, when determining the play of the game

Maps

Blizzard World