It looks like Pharah is getting reworked in Overwatch 2, at least, according to some leaked patch notes for Season 9.
Pharah Rework?
An Overwatch 2 pro player who goes by the name "Rupal" recently went on stream and revealed the supposed patch notes for Season 9. The patch notes showed sweeping changes to the game, including what appears to be a rework of the game's rocket-launching vixen, Pharah.
Pharah is a ranged character who is able to utilize her rocket launcher to eliminate her foes. While pro players do not have a problem utilizing her kit, some people still feel that she needs some upgrades. And well, that may seem to be the case if the leaked patch notes are to be believed.
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What Changed?
The most notable addition to Pharah's kit is Jet Dash. When used, she performs a horizontal dash that allows her to either chase down dying heroes or get herself to safety. This has a 10-second cooldown and is bound to secondary fire by default.
Her Rocket Launched also received a few changes. For one, Rocket Launcher's self-damage has been reduced by half, from 50% down to just 25%. Recovery is reduced slightly from 0.85 to 0.8 seconds to help her fire the next rocket without waiting too long. Lastly, the rocket's projectile speed has seen a notable increase from 35 to 40.
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Her Hover Jets got a pretty hefty speed boost at the cost of 20% reduced fuel. While she can now move freely in the air, her Hover Jets only recover fuel when she is not flying, which forces Pharah players to adopt a new style of play. To rectify this, the amount of fuel Pharah players can work with is increased to 200% if it is filled using Jump Jet and Jet Dash.
Concussive Blast, an ability that enables Pharah to knock herself and her enemies back, now has a slightly weaker horizontal knockback. As if that's not bad enough, the range of this ability has been reduced from eight meters down to five meters. The latter adjustment is worth noting because this would require Pharah to be closer to the enemy if she wants to use Concussive Blast to knock them back.
To be clear, these are just leaked patch notes, meaning, everything is subject to change. The tweaks mentioned above may or may not be implemented once Season 9 arrives on February 20.
But, if these changes are indeed true, what can you say about them? Do they make Pharah more formidable in Overwatch 2 or do you consider them as nerfs, especially in the way that she is going to be utilized?
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