All hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update

The latest wave of hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update will definitely alter the meta in-game. With this update, primarily, hero perks have been modified to help enhance the gameplay experience. Most core abilities have been untouched; however, some heroes, such as Reaper, Zenyatta, and Widowmaker, have had their ultimate abilities tweaked.

In this article, we will explore the hero buffs and nerfs in the Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update. Read below to know more.

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Different hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update

Before we progress into the hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season patch, let us look at the developer note attached to the official patch notes:

Developer Comments: The meta has been in a steady state for most of Season 17 so we are using this Midseason patch to take a look at less desirable perks, make adjustments based on hero ban trends, and tweak a few heroes in reaction to the Season 17 changes and the more powerful Damage Role Passive. With Season 18 including many Perk changes, we wanted to bring up a handful of our least picked/less powerful perks so that they are competitive options that cut through your standard gameplay loops. As players have gotten fairly settled in their perk choices on particular heroes, some of these changes are beyond where we would've started for perk balance in Season 15. Over time we've learned what's necessary for perks to stand out as an interesting choice and make a marked change in how you approach engagements. Below you'll also find some adjustments that are related to hero ban trends or the current meta. Orisa has seen her matchup spread shift since the introduction of Hero Bans, particularly when it comes to facing beam-based weapons. Being able to dodge heroes like Zarya has brought up her popularity and performance, so we are pulling back a bit on her survivability and cooldown cycle. For Freja and Tracer, we are pulling back slightly on their damage capabilities and attempting to find a good middle ground for their current standing in the damage roster. Zenyatta also sees his Harmony Orb healing increased as it has been lacking in an environment with a more powerful Damage Role Passive.

That aside, here's a detailed look into the changes incorporated with the Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update:

D.Va

Heavy Rockets (Perk):

• Number of rockets reduced from 8 to 7
• Impact damage reduced from 7 to 5
• Explosion damage increased from 14 to 22
• Explosion radius increased from 2.75 to 3 meters
• Projectile gravity increased

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Orisa

• Armor health reduced from 325 to 300

Energy Javelin:

• Cooldown increased from 6 to 7 seconds

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Read more: Overwatch 2 Stadium: Best Orisa build

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Reinhardt

Crushing Victory (Perk):

• Overhealth gain increased from 50% to 100% of Charge damage

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Sigma

Experimental Barrier:

• Deployment cooldown reduced from 2 to 1 second

Massive Impact (Perk):

• Knockdown stun now reaches maximum duration at 30 meters (down from 40 meters)

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Winston

Short Circuit (Perk):

• Bonus damage to buildable objects increased from 50% to 100%

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Ashe

Rapid Fire (Perk):

• Primary fire damage penalty reduced from 15% to 10%

Sidewinder (Perk):

• Knockback increase for both Ashe and enemies reduced from 20% to 12%

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Bastion

Configuration: Artillery:

• Ultimate cost reduced 7%

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You might be interested in: Overwatch 2 Stadium: Best Juno build

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Freja

Revdraw Crossbow:

• Primary fire damage reduced from 30 to 25
• Maximum ammo increased from 12 to 15

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Hanzo

Storm Bow:

• Base projectile size increased from 0.1 to 0.125 meters

Dragonstrike:

• Ultimate cost reduced 8%
• Damage per second increased from 300 to 400

Dragon Fury (Perk):

• Attack speed duration increased from 1 to 2 seconds

Yamagami Technique (Perk):

• Cooldown speed increased from 250% to 300%

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Junkrat

Aluminum Frame (Perk):

• Now prevents trapped enemies from being healed instead of revealing them through walls

Tick Tock (Perk):

• Concussion Mine arming time reduced from 0.5 to 0.25 seconds

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Reaper

Death Blossom:

• Ultimate cost increased 9%

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Tracer

Pulse Pistols:

• Spread increased from 3.0 to 3.5 degrees

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Widowmaker

Infra-Sight:

• Ultimate cost decreased 10%

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Juno

Mediblaster:

• Minimum falloff range increased from 20 to 25 meters

Glide Boost:

• Movement acceleration in air reduced when changing directions after the initial movement burst

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Lúcio

Sound Barrier:

• Ultimate cost increased 9%

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Zenyatta

Harmony Orb:

• Healing increased from 30 to 35 health per second

Transcendence:

• Healing per second increased from 300 to 400

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Also read: Overwatch 2 Stadium patch notes (July 22, 2025): D.Va buff, Kiriko changes, and more

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That's everything you need to know about the hero buffs and nerfs in Overwatch 2 Season 17 mid-season update. For more related news and guides, stay tuned to Sportskeeda's esports section.

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Edited by Jay Sarma