Overwatch July 30 update patch notes: 2CP Experiment, Genji nerfs, more

A new Overwatch patch is now available for download on PC, Xbox, PS4, and Switch with some major changes to the Assault game mode, but only in the Experimental card.

The new mode is a “failed” test the development team tried out, but ultimately ended up scrapping. According to Community Manager Molly Fender, there are no plans whatsoever to move the test to the live game.

With the new mode, teams will now have six minutes to try to capture Point A. After the first team tries their luck at capturing the point, the next team will get to have their own go at it.

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If both teams successfully capture the point, then the process repeats, only this time, the objective is Point B. The process continues until eventually, the team who captures more points ends up winning the game.

This isn’t the first time that the Overwatch devs have added an Experimental mode that will never make it to the live game.

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The very first Experimental Mode changed up Overwatch’s role system by making teams consist of three damage heroes, two supports and one tank. Ultimately, it was never going to make it to the live game, but was still a nice look inside what ideas the dev team has.

Additionally, the patch also includes the Genji nerfs originally went live earlier in the week before the update was rolled back. It will be interesting to see how the changes to the cyborg ninja’s Shuriken damage affect his pickrate at all levels of the game.

Full patch notes below:

HERO UPDATES

Genji

Shuriken

• (General) Damage decreased from 30 to 28
• (Secondary Fire) Recovery increased from 0.65 to 0.75

EXPERIMENTAL MODE

The next experiment begins! This time we’re experimenting with the Assault (also known amongst the community as “2CP”) game mode! Internal tests like these are a common part of development and we want to give you a look at some of the changes we have been trying out. The current iteration of this experiment is not planned to reach the Retail version of Overwatch you’re used to playing in Quick Play, Competitive Play, and the Arcade.

GAME MODE CHANGES (ONLY IN EXPERIMENTAL)

Assault

• Game mode overview
  • Teams take turns attempting to capture points on the map. The game begins with Team 1 attempting to capture Point A. Once Team 1 either succeeds or fails to capture Point A, the teams switch sides and Team 2 attempts to capture the same point. If both teams succeed in claiming Point A, the next round will then move to Point B and the game continues. The team who succeeds in capturing more points wins the game
• Gameplay Flow
  • Each team starts with 6 minutes of time to score as many points as possible
  • Every time a capture point is successfully claimed, the attacking team scores 1 point
  • After each point is successfully claimed or defended, teams switch sides and respawn
  • Once both teams attack capture Point A and if the score is tied 1-1, both teams then attempt to attack and capture Point B
  • After each team attacks capture Point B, and if the score is still tied at 2-2, teams go back to attempting to capture the Point A and this cycle continues one team wins, or both teams’ remaining time reaches zero without a winner. A draw is then declared
  • Attacker respawn time has been reduced to 8 seconds, and defender respawn time has been extended to be 11.5 seconds
  • After each team initially attacks capture Point A, each successive round has a shortened setup time
    • After the initial attack by both teams on capture Point A, additional attempts to claim Point A in later rounds will have the defenders spawn in a new temporary spawn area
    • The new temporary defender spawn area is only active until the round begins
  • This new temporary defender spawn room was placed closer to capture Point A to allow for the shorter setup time. After the round starts, defenders will spawn in their normal spawn room
• Time Adjustments
  • This game mode uses similar “time bank” rules found in Competitive Play, even when played outside of Competitive
  • If the game is tied at the end of each team’s attacking rounds, if one or both teams have less than 60 but more than 0 seconds remaining, then an equal amount of seconds is added to both team’s available time until both have at least 60 seconds remaining
  • If one team has 60 seconds or more time remaining, and the other team has no time remaining at all, then only the team with at least 60 seconds of time will have an additional opportunity to attack and win
• Win Conditions
  • If Team 1 fails to fully claim a capture point, the Team 2 wins if they fully claim the capture point or can exceed the first team’s capture percentage with a minimum of 33% captured
  • If a team fully takes the point and the other team fails to completely take the point, then the team that captured the point wins
  • If both teams cannot fully claim a capture point, the team with the greater capture completion percentage (with a minimum of 33%) wins
  • If neither team can achieve at least a 33% capture completion %, the game ends in a draw