Overwatch 2 Retail Patch Notes - December 18, 2025 (Aim Assist, Challenger Points, Stadium Balance changes)

Hotfix Gameplay Update

This is a gameplay and bug fix update. Replay codes are still available. Winter Wonderland Updates

We've heard your feedback and for an extra special, holly jolly holiday, we're updating our Winter Wonderland Event and you can now get 3 COOKIES per challenge instead of the previous 2 cookies. Console Aim Assist Updates

        Aim Assist reduced to 4% down from 8% for the following heroes:
        Damage
            Ashe, Bastion, Soldier, Tracer
        Tank
            D.Va, Mauga
        Support
            Ana, Bap, Juno


  

Core Competitive Gameplay Update

New Challenger points are as follows:

        Diamond 5 - 20
    Diamond 4 - 22
    Diamond 3 - 24
    Diamond 2 - 26
    Diamond 1 - 28
    Master 5 - 32
    Master 4 - 36
    Master 3 - 40
    Master 2 - 44
    Master 1 - 48
    Grandmaster 5 - 60
    Grandmaster 4 - 78
    Grandmaster 3 - 102
    Grandmaster 2 - 132
    Grandmaster 1 - 168
    Champion 5 - 208
    Champion 4 - 268
    Champion 3 - 348
    Champion 2 - 448
    Champion 1 - 568


  

We've been listening to your feedback on Challenger Score and we've heard that our highest ranks aren't rewarding enough and the lower ranks are somewhat too rewarding, so we've tuned the scores to scale in a more extreme way. We're planning to change the rule that gives winning players the Challenger Score reward of the highest ranked player to ensure that scores for Champion players can be tuned appropriately for their queue times. We're also working hard on fixing a crossplay bug that's caused some lower rank players to appear higher than intended on the leaderboard. Damage Hero Updates Vendetta

Vendetta’s win rate has continued to rise as players grow more familiar with her kit, so we’re making a small adjustment prior to midseason. This change shifts key breakpoints while preserving the intended flow of her abilities.

Palatine Fang

        Horizontal swing damage reduced from 50 to 45.


  

Stadium Updates

        Martian Mender - Epic Survival General Item
        Reduced Cooldown Reduction to 5% (Down from 10%).


  

We're tuning back how much Cooldown Reduction is easily accessible in the general items, so there's more of a sacrifice to gaining high amounts of Cooldown Reduction. Stadium Tank Hero Updates Doomfist Doomfist

Doomfist has been underperforming in Stadium since his release. We're increasing the consistency and power of some of his powers, as well as his currency gain, to help him be a more reliable option without increasing his power ceiling or one shot capabilities too much.

        Currency gained from damage and healing increased by 25%.
    Aftershock - Power
        Increased secondary shockwave damage to 60% (Up from 50%).
    Asteroid Smash - Power
        Now grants ultimate charge.
        Cooldown reduced to 12s (Down from 15s).
    Block Party - Power
        Block Party has been disabled at this time due to an issue
    Jab Cross - Power
        Increased Melee Attack Speed after using an ability to 75% (Up from 50%).
    Jetforce Jab - Power
        Increased Burn Damage on Rocket Punch to 20% (Up from 15%).
    Slam Wham - Power
        Increased Seismic Slam Range per meter travelled to 6% (Up from 4%).


  

Sigma

With Sigma’s recent updates to his primary fire, he has been beyond the intended power ceiling. Zero Gravity offered too much uptime and safety, allowing Sigma to disengage or reposition with minimal risk. At the same time, some weapon items were providing strong value for their cost, accelerating his damage curve. These adjustments rein in his mobility and early scaling while rebalancing item costs to better reflect their impact. The Harness receives a small cost reduction to keep ability power builds competitive as other options are tuned down.

        Zero Gravity - Power
        Decreased duration to 1.5s (Down from 4s).
    Antimatter - Epic Weapon Hero Item
        Increased cost to 12000 (Up from 10000).
        Decreased weapon power to 10% (Down from 15%).
    Velocity Vector - Rare Weapon Hero Item
        Increased cost to 6000 (Up from 4500).
    The Harness - Epic Ability Hero Item
        Decreased cost to 10000 (Down from 11000).


  

Winston

Rampaging Winston has been tearing things up, and after a long look at the data, we’re dialing back how quickly his Jump Pack build come online. Several of these items were delivering a lot of value for their cost, letting Winston chain jumps with very little downtime and stay safer than intended during aggressive dives. We want Winston to feel powerful when he commits, but that commitment should come with real risk and clearer windows to punish. Primal Slam remains a fan favorite and something we’re keeping a close eye on. Rather than trimming away the fun or removing gameplay, this update focuses on adjusting surrounding costs and survivability levers first, giving us room to bring the overall build back into line without taking away what makes rampaging Winston exciting to play.

        Primal Punch - Power
        Decreased melee damage to 3% (Down from 5%).
    Premium Peanut Butter - Rare Survival Hero Item
        Increased cost to 6000 (Up from 4000).
    Zero-G Suit - Rare Ability Hero Item
        Increased cost to 6000 (Up from 4000).
        Removed cooldown reduction.
    Horizon Expander - Epic Ability Hero Item
        Increased cost to 12500 (Up from 11000).
    Fortified Jump Pack - Epic Survival Hero Item
        Increased cost to 12500 (Up from 10000).
        Decreased damage reduction to 20% (Down from 35%).


  

Stadium Support Hero Updates Ana

These changes are aimed at sharpening her playmaking potential and rewarding proactive, skillful shots. By significantly speeding up Artsy Dartsy, Ana can better contest mobile and airborne targets, while Falconer now provides stronger sustained pressure and more reliable access to Nano Boost. Now tell your Genji that your ultimate is ready!

        Artsy Dartsy - Power
        Increased projectile speed to 300% (Up from 150%).
    Falconer
        Increased attack speed to 30% (Up from 20%).
        Increased ultimate charge to 25% (Up from 15%).


  

Brigitte

Scavenged Steel has been an outlier in enabling her Rally oriented builds, so we're tuning it down to be more in line with her other build options.

        Scavenged Steel - Epic Ability Hero Item
        Reduced Ultimate Charge gain on Ability Damage to 2% (Down from 3%).


  

Bugfixes

        Fixed an issue where Aquajet amplifier wasn't granting weapon power to Wuyang.
    Fixed an issue where Thick skin was giving constant armor healing to Winston.
    Fixed an issue where players were earning too much currency from Damage and Healing in Quick Play.
    We've released a fix to resolve an issue where some players were unable to exchange Cookies in the Winter Wonderland event.