Blizzard nerfs my favorite new hero. Overwatch 2 (opens in new tab) Season 2 begins December 6, and with it comes a new tank hero, Ramatra, a new payload map, and a number of balance tweaks. Today's developer update (opens in new tab) does not go into detail about most of the planned balance changes, but here is what we know for sure: Sojourn will receive a major nerf and Doomfist will receive a major buff.

"Both metrics and player feedback indicate that while Sojourn dominates the top of the Competitive ranks, it remains a challenge for players without the same mechanical skills. "Overwatch 2's If you take a peek at the ranking leaderboards, you will notice that there are a lot of Sojourn main players. Her ability to one-shot most heroes with a single unpredictable headshot has proven too deadly in the right hands.

"To address high-skill feedback, Season 2 will focus on the long-range killing power of her railgun, encouraging players to take advantage of Sojourn's high mobility to close the distance for more devastating right clicks.

Translated, "focus on her railgun's killing power at long range" means that she will almost certainly do less damage from a distance. Depending on how severe the new damage reduction will be, the days of one-shotting Cassidy from full health may be over. This change makes a lot of sense in the most competitive environment of Overwatch 2, but in the quick-play world with players of average skill, Sojourn's advantage is not so clear. She is a reasonably popular pick in my game, but most players don't always make instant-death headshots.

Still, Sojourn has a case of "good at everything" so far, and weakening her sniper shot a bit should make her playstyle more distinct from Overwatch's resident headshot queen: the Widowmaker

Another notable Hero is Doomfist, who is struggling to fit into his new tank role. At higher levels of play, Doomfist's potential to disrupt enemy fronts and inflict collective damage is great, but his mobile moveset is hard to grasp, and it is usually better to choose simpler picks. To address this, the December 6 update will include "significant changes that better support his role as the front line of the team while maintaining the core playstyle of the hero's identity."

Blizzard named a few other heroes that will be balanced next week:

We don't know who among these will receive nerfs/buffs, but we can only speculate. I think it makes a lot of sense that Mercy, Junker Queen, and Symmetra would get some kind of buff. Mercy in particular could use a boost in a meta that is increasingly favoring supports that can heal and score kills at the same time. Chirico and Ana will probably be nerfed for having the best abilities in the game (Protection Tin and Biotic Grenade) and high recovery potential. Bastion is a bit more subtle. I think he is fun and reasonably strong, but I also think he may be unpopular at higher ranks.

"Overwatch 2" Season 2 begins on December 6 with a new 80-layer battle path. This season's flashy new mythos skin is Zeus Junker Queen, and hopefully JQ will finally get the buffs that make him so much fun to play. Once again, a new hero, Ramatra, will be unlockable at Tier 55, but unlike Season 1, Overwatch 1 owners will not automatically get him. To do so, they will need to purchase a $10 Premium Battle Pass.