Overwatch 2 Season 5 early patch notes – Bad news for Junker Queen mains

Blizzard has started to reveal more about the new season of Overwatch 2, giving fans a small preview about what to expect from the next major update. Expected to launch on June 13, Overwatch 2 Season 5 will introduce a new Battle Pass, events, rewards and game modes. According to Blizzard, Season 5 will also coincide with the release of a big new update. The new Overwatch 2 update will make changes to heroes such as Junker Queen and Lifeweaver, making the former a little less powerful, and the latter a bit more appealing. The early patch notes below explain how Junker Queen’s healing ability will be reduced, while her Ultimate will take longer to charge.

Blizzard explains more: “There were a few standouts from a tuning perspective in Season Four. In the midseason patch, Junker Queen was given a series of buffs, and she really started to dominate.

“Her win rate popped up by about 5%, and she went from being one of the lowest-picked tanks to one of the highest.

“For most skill tiers, Queen and Reinhardt were the two most picked tanks for the latter half of the season. However, at Masters and above, Queen is far and away the most picked tank.”

In a bid to even things out in Season 5, Junker Queen’s Commanding Shout will heal for 150 instead of 200. 

“We’ll also be increasing the cost of her ult by a small amount since she is getting it at a faster rate than before the midseason changes,” Blizzard adds.

Lifeweaver, on the other hand, will receive a number of buffs in order to enourage players to choose him.

This includes increases to his healing and damage output, a heal on Life Grip, a slightly reduced hitbox, and some quality-of-life changes to Petal Platform.

Once Lifeweaver’s popularity increases, Blizzard will use player data to create a more balanced character in the long run.

Elsewhere, Blizzard has confirmed plans to tweak Widowmaker and Hanzo, as well as update the crowd control abilities of Mei and Cassidy.