Overwatch 2 Season 20 Balance Changes | Patch Notes
© GamerBlurb.com | Published 12/10/2025 at 4:11 PM CST (USA)
Overwatch 2’s Season 20 patch dropped on December 9, 2025, bringing major balance shifts across tanks, DPS, and supports. This update redefines how fights play out with reworked cooldowns, projectile speeds, sustain tuning, and several hero reworks that shake up the meta.
Tank Balance Changes
Junker Queen
Carnage’s uptime was too high from cooldown refunds. The base cooldown got extended to balance her momentum.
Carnage cooldown increased from 8 to 9 seconds.
Hazard
Jagged Wall returns as a strong defensive and offensive tool.
Knockback damage increased from 40 to 50.
Health increased from 350 to 400.
Reinhardt
Earthshatter was charging too quickly for its fight-swinging power.
Ultimate cost increased by 9 percent.
Sigma
Sigma now rewards precision with more direct impact damage.
Hypersphere direct hit damage increased from 15 to 25.
Orisa
Restortify got a light buff to make her sustain more reliable again.
Healing increased to 8 percent from 5 percent.
Winston
He was overperforming at high levels. This brings him down slightly without gutting his kit.
Circuit Breaker damage decreased to 2 percent from 5 percent.
Electro Cluster damage decreased to 2 percent from 3 percent.
Damage Balance Changes
Bastion
Recon mode was too weak compared to Sentry form, so the devs increased its consistency.
Fire rate raised from 5 to 6 shots per second.
Freja
Her burst potential got trimmed while giving her base kit more flow and mobility.
Revdraw Crossbow damage increased from 25 to 30.
Take Aim direct hit damage reduced from 40 to 30.
Explosion damage reduced from 90 to 80.
Quick Dash travel distance increased by 15 percent.
Bola Shot hinder duration raised from 1.2 to 1.4 seconds, slow area increased from 25 to 45 percent.
Junkrat
Grenade speed buffs make him more consistent while keeping his perk balanced.
Projectile speed increased from 25 to 30.
Frag Cannon perk bonus reduced from 40 to 25 percent and no longer lowers ammo.
Reaper
A small sustain nerf keeps his healing balanced in close fights.
Lifesteal reduced from 30 to 25 percent.
Vendetta
Her kit now flows faster between attacks with tighter recovery windows and better sustain.
Recovery times for Palatine Fang, Whirlwind Dash, and Projected Edge reduced by 15 percent.
Projected Edge projectile speed increased from 33 to 37 m/s.
Soaring Slice max throw distance reduced from 16 to 14 meters.
Siphoning Strike lifesteal increased from 30 to 40 percent.
Swift Vengeance overhealth increased from 125 to 150.
Venture
She still feels tanky but now gives less shield per ability use.
Shield health gained per ability reduced from 30 to 25.
Cassidy
Cassidy’s powers got a major overhaul to expand his viable builds.
Flashbang chains now combo with Fan the Hammer via Full House and Bang Bang.
Buck Wild adds stacking movement speed and damage reduction.
Dead Man Walkin’ grants lifesteal on critical hits for enemies under 30 percent HP.
It’s 12 O’Clock Somewhere now refunds one-third of High Noon charge if no kills occur.
Several old powers condensed or merged for cleaner loadouts.
Genji
Genji’s builds were underperforming, so his items and powers got a wide buff pass.
Forged Under Fire healing up to 125 percent from 60 percent.
Hanamura Healing damage up to 35 percent from 25 percent.
Swift-Loader reworked to restore ammo and grant attack speed on Swift Strike use.
Various item costs adjusted for smoother progression.
Support Balance Changes
Baptiste
His reactive utility improves with a shorter cooldown.
Immortality Field cooldown reduced from 25 to 22 seconds.
Illari
Captive Sun’s hitbox was too big, so it got trimmed down.
Projectile size reduced from 0.75 to 0.45.
Juno
She finally gains critical hit potential for self-defense.
Mediblaster can now deal critical hits.
Kiriko
A smaller Kunai makes her precision more demanding but still rewarding.
Kunai projectile size reduced from 0.15 to 0.12.
Wuyang
His movement burst got toned down to make him easier to track.
Rushing Torrent movement speed bonus reduced from 50 to 40 percent.
Read More: OW2 Season 20 Tier List
Final Blurb
Season 20 leans into faster pacing, tighter combos, and more aggressive hero play. Vendetta, Hazard, and Sigma feel smoother than ever, while small nerfs to Winston and Reaper bring their impact in line. Freja and Junkrat round out the patch as newly versatile picks that can now compete in more comps. Dive and rush styles dominate early on, and balance looks sharper heading into mid-season.
FAQ
Which heroes got buffed the most
Vendetta, Hazard, Sigma, Baptiste, and Genji stand out as clear winners this patch.
Who got nerfed hardest
Winston, Reaper, and Freja saw the biggest cuts in consistency or burst.
Did any tanks rise in meta
Yes, Hazard and Sigma both look much stronger after this update.
Is Vendetta meta now
She’s climbing fast. Her smoother timing and better sustain put her in A Tier with strong dueling potential.
Are supports stronger overall
Yes, Baptiste and Juno benefit from key buffs that make them more reliable under pressure.
