Overwatch 2’s Mid-Season 20 Update Doesn’t Hit One Target Hard Enough

Overwatch 2 Season 20 introduced Vendetta, the game’s first dedicated melee damage hero in almost ten years. Vendetta is a powerful fighter who can quickly eliminate vulnerable enemies using her Palatine Fang, a dangerous hardlight greatsword. She boasts high damage, good defenses, and strong mobility, offering a playstyle similar to the old Doomfist – a risky, aggressive hero who can wipe out the enemy team if played effectively.

Since being added to Overwatch 2 a month ago, Vendetta has been causing problems for players of all skill levels. Surprisingly, she received a power boost soon after her release. While she was slightly weakened shortly after that, and significantly so in the mid-Season 20 update, it’s still unclear if these changes will be enough to balance her power. Many still consider her a formidable opponent.

Vendetta is Absolutely Dominating Overwatch 2 Right Now

The First Melee Damage Hero in Overwatch 2 Might Need More Nerfs

Vendetta was a powerful hero during her initial testing period from November 26th to December 1st. However, she struggled in high-level competitive matches, so the developers of Overwatch 2 significantly improved her abilities when Season 20 launched on December 9th. Just two days later, on December 11th, they released another update with even more buffs, meaning she received substantial improvements across almost all of her abilities since players first had access to her.

• Weapon
  • Palatine Fang: Hard-light greatsword. Combo swings to end with a destructive overhead slash.
  • Warding Stance: Block with your sword, reducing frontal damage and deflecting melee attacks. Blocking damage depletes energy.
• Abilities
  • Soaring Slice: Hurl your sword in the direction you are facing and then fly to it.
  • Whirlwind Dash: Rush forward into a circular slash.
  • Projected Edge: Available while Warding Stance is active. Consume energy to fire a wide projectile.
• Passive
  • Onslaught: Strike enemies to increase movement and attack speed.
• Ultimate
  • Sundering Blade: Cleave through most defenses, dealing severe damage to enemies in front of you.
• Perks
  • Minor
    • Siphoning Strike: Overhead strike gains 40% Lifesteal.
    • Relentless: Onslaught can stack 3 more times, increasing attack speed by 5% and movement speed by 5% per stack.
  • Major
    • Swift Vengeance: Last player to land a killing blow on you becomes a target. Eliminate the target to gain 150 overhealth and reset cooldowns.
    • Raging Storm: Whirlwind Dash continues to spin, hitting 3 more times for 35 damage in a wide area.

The hero, Vendetta, was incredibly strong for about a week, until Blizzard reduced her damage slightly on December 18th. Even with that small change, she continued to be a dominant force through the holidays. Finally, on January 8th, a larger update significantly weakened most of her abilities in Overwatch 2.

All Vendetta Buffs and Nerfs Since Her Overwatch 2 Debut

• December 9 (Season 20 release)
  • General
    • Reduced recovery times of Palatine Fang overhead, Whirlwind Dash, and Projected Edge by about 15%
  • Projected Edge
    • Projectile speed increased from 33 to 37 meters per second
  • Soaring Slice
    • Max throw distance reduced from 16 to 14 meters
  • Siphoning Strike – Perk
    • Lifesteal increased from 30% to 40%
  • Swift Vengeance – Perk
    • Overhealth increased from 125 to 150
• December 11
  • Palatine Fang
    • Overhead swing recovery can now be interrupted by Warding Stance
    • Fixed a bug with launching enemies downward with the overhead not working consistently against flying targets
  • Whirlwind Dash
    • Raging Storm perk recovery time reduced from 0.4 to 0.25 seconds
  • Projected Edge
    • Recovery time for Whirlwind Dash and Soaring Slice reduced from 0.35 to 0.2 seconds
  • Soaring Slice
    • Recovery time reduced from 0.25 to 0.1 seconds
    • Weapon throw range increased from 14 to 15 meters
• December 18
  • Palatine Fang
    • Horizontal swing damage reduced from 50 to 45
• January 8 (Mid-Season 20 update)
  • Projected Edge
    • Damage reduced from 80 to 70
  • Soaring Slice
    • Soaring Slice now starts on cooldown when respawning (does not apply when Resurrected or in Death Match)
  • Whirlwind Dash
    • Damage reduced from 80 to 70
  • Raging Storm perk
    • Damage reduced from 40 to 35 per spin

Despite these changes, Vendetta remains a very strong opponent, particularly for fragile support characters right after a tank like Doomfist, Reinhardt, or Winston engages. It’s too soon to know if these adjustments will be enough to balance her, but she may need further nerfs soon.

Balancing Vendetta in Overwatch 2 Is a Nightmare

The Melee Damage Hero’s Win Rate Is Inconsistent Across Skill Levels, Regions, and Inputs

Vendetta’s unique way of playing in Overwatch 2 creates balancing challenges for players of different skill levels. Unlike characters like Freja, who require precise mechanical skill, Vendetta relies heavily on good positioning. This means skilled players can more easily counter her, while newer or less experienced players may struggle against her.

Looking at Vendetta’s performance in Overwatch 2, as tracked by the game’s Hero Statistics, reveals some interesting trends. For players using mouse and keyboard in Competitive Play, Vendetta wins significantly more often in the Bronze, Silver, and Gold ranks. This advantage levels off around Platinum. Controller players, however, experience a different pattern. They generally have lower win rates both at the beginning and higher levels of play, with their best performance occurring in the Gold and Platinum ranks – a point where player skill becomes more important than their opponents’ ability to counter Vendetta’s abilities.

Vendetta’s success rate in Overwatch 2 varies greatly depending on player location, skill level, and how they play the game. For example, Bronze-level players in Asia have a win rate 20% higher than those in Europe. Before recent adjustments, her overall win rate was 54.6% for mouse and keyboard players, 50.9% for controller players, and 52.8% overall. Players are now waiting to see if the changes will make her performance more consistent and bring her win rate closer to the game’s target of 50%.

Vendetta Win Rates by Mode, Region, Skill Level, and Input (as of January 10, 2026)

The Overwatch 2 team is still working on balancing the hero Vendetta. During a recent Q&A, Game Director Aaron Keller discussed adding a sound effect when Vendetta uses her Soaring Slice ability to make her movements more noticeable to enemies. While it might take some time to implement due to technical challenges, this change could be more effective than just tweaking her numbers.

It’s unlikely that Vendetta will receive any major changes in the near future. While some minor adjustments might come through quick updates over the next few weeks, bigger changes probably won’t happen until Overwatch 2 Season 21 launches on February 10th. This delay will allow the developers to assess how the nerfs implemented on January 8th are affecting her performance at all skill levels. Ultimately, Vendetta has clearly changed the game, and players now have to be mindful of their positioning and protect their backline to avoid being targeted.

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2026-01-11 21:09