Overwatch 2.72 Update Guide — Patch Changes and More

If you’ve been keeping an eye on Overwatch’s competitive scene, then the Overwatch 2.72 update is probably something that you’re pretty invested in. It’s a big patch, bringing not only the much-discussed Sigma but also introducing Role Queue. Because of that, it’s unsurprising that there’s a whole lot to actually digest in terms of what has changed in the game. Check out our Overwatch 2.72 update guide for the lowdown on the patch changes, the new hero, and balance tweaks that have come through. 

Overwatch 2.72 Update Guide — Sigma

Sigma’s been in the press a lot recently, arguably for plenty of reasons that aren’t to do with his actual upcoming playability as a champion, but there’s definitely an element of notoriety there that has whet fans’ appetite for the character. You’ll be pleased to know that Sigma is accessible in game, even in competitive. He’s a tanky character, so you can expect to see him on the frontlines taking care of business while his teammates clean up in the wake of his disruptive destruction. 

Overwatch 2.72 Update Guide — Role Queue in Beta

One big change that’s coming as part of the Overwatch 2.72 update is that role queue is going to be tested out in beta. It’ll be used in competitive play going forward, and it’ll be available to all players from 1 September 2019. If you’re playing Overwatch on a console though, you’ll have something to write home about here as you can test this new mode for yourself ahead of the PC crowd. 

Overwatch 2.72 Update Guide — Upvotes for Everyone

You can get upvote, and you get an upvote, and you get an upvote. That’s right, players can now be nicer to each other more often! You can upvote others in a whole bunch of other game modes now, not just Quick Play and Competitive. If you’re someone who loves the Mystery Heroes game mode, things have also gotten a little less predictable in true mystery spirit; you’ll be able to change heroes between rounds. 

Overwatch 2.72 Update Guide — Champion Changes

The latest update wouldn’t be an Overwatch update if it didn’t make some good ol’ champion changes. Ultimates have had their costs increased by 12%, which is the one that’s going to affect pretty much everyone across the board. There have been some buffs to Zarya and Symmetra (her teleporters last forever now), and changes to how crowd control effects like slows work across the board. Ashe has had her reload timer cut down, Doomfist can now reload uninterrupted by melee attacks, and Tracer’s also had a bit of a buff — Pulse Bomb has had its damage increased.

Additionally, Hammond’s mines take less time to deploy and cover more ground, which should make this pesky little rodent a little more difficult to deal with. Unfortunately, Hanzo, Orisa and Sombra haven’t been as lucky. The marksman has had his arrows reduced, Orisa’s barrier’s cooldown has increased, and Sombra hacks enemies for shorter periods of time on top of the cast time for her ult increasing. 

Overwatch 2.72 Update Guide — Brigitte Changes

We felt like we had to give Brigitte her own section because it’s not just one or two of her aspects that have been tweaked. We’re talking some major changes here, ladies and gentlemen. First of all, Brigitte’s self-healing has been cut in half, while her healing passive now does more for others. If you spend your Repair Packs on the same ally consistently (we’re looking at you, Genjis of the world), then the healing they get from those packs will be reduced in efficiency as they will take longer to heal. 

Brigitte’s Whip Shot has been buffed so she can use it more often, but her ultimate has had its  cost increased by an additional 10% on top of the game’s overall 12% increase for all champions. Her barrier has also had its health cut down to 200, which is over a 50% decrease. Essentially, this reads like one big attempt to make sure that she’s less able to focus on holding her own and that her role as a team healer is going to ensure that her team has to chip in more to protect this new, less self-sufficient model of her. Sure, she can pump out the healing, but she’s going to have to be wise about it, especially with the changes to self-healing and the Repair Packs’ interaction with repeated targets. 

We’ve given you a bit of a rundown here of the important changes that the Overwatch 2.72 update has brought to the state of the game, and we’ll keep you updated if anything changes in-between now and the launch of Role Queue for everyone across the game’s various platforms. The Brigitte changes have us a bit shook, but if nothing else, competitive might be a handy place to see how all of those end up playing out.