Overwatch 2’s Incoming Armor Changes Set to Knock Sojourn Tracer Meta off Top Spot

The midseason armor changes of Overwatch 2 are expected to bring about a major shift in the game’s meta. As a result, popular heroes such as Tracer and Sojourn will have reduced damage capabilities against tanks.

The upcoming mid-season changes for Season 10 of Overwatch 2 are expected to have a major impact on the game’s balance. One of the most significant changes is the conversion of armor from a percentage to a flat value, which will greatly reduce the damage dealt by characters such as Tracer and Sojourn to tankier opponents. This change is outlined in the Director’s message about empowering tanks on the official Overwatch website.

The upcoming armor alteration will result in a shift from the current 30% damage reduction to a fixed amount of 5 damage per hit, with a cap of half the total damage inflicted. This will greatly impact the effectiveness of heroes like Tracer and Sojourn, whose individual bullet damage is relatively low.

As a result, tanks will become significantly less efficient after the mid-season update due to the addition of a 25% reduction in headshot damage.

Spreadsheet with armor changes for the S10 midseason patch byu/RadDadOW inCompetitiveoverwatch

On the other hand, heroes such as Pharah and Junkrat, who have high damage projectiles, are greatly advantaged by a flat damage reduction from armor. As calculated by Overwatch players, these two heroes can deal up to 25% more damage to tanks, solidifying their position as the top choices for taking down tanks.

Both Sojourn and Tracer have continued to be strong choices since the addition of the DPS role passive in Season 9.

Nevertheless, Blizzard aims to alter and challenge the established order of heroes through these fresh modifications, specifically targeting tanks who have faced difficulties in past seasons.

The upcoming updates will bring a larger knockback resistance for tanks and a revamped healing passive that will allow them to return to battle more quickly. Additionally, DPS heroes such as Junkrat, Echo, and Hanzo will receive minor buffs, further reducing the dominance of meta picks.

At the moment, the mid-season update for Overwatch 2 is scheduled for May 14, 2024, indicating that the popular hero shooter from Blizzard will experience changes in the near future.