Overwatch 2 Makes More Changes to Freja in Stadium

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Summary

  • Overwatch 2’s new update adjusts Freja in Stadium, with changes to abilities for balancing.
  • Season 16 Stadium in Overwatch 2 introduces best-of-seven matches with character builds.
  • May 29 patch tweaks various heroes, D.Va, and Freja, with added buffs and nerfs for a better player experience.

In the latest update for Overwatch 2, there have been further modifications made to Freja within the Stadium mode. Additionally, this new patch has introduced several adjustments to various heroes accessible in Stadium, as well as addressing minor technical issues.

One of the newest additions in Overwatch 2 Season 16 is the Stadium mode where players engage in intense best-of-seven battles. During gameplay, characters’ builds can be customized dynamically as skills are unlocked throughout the match. Not every character from the original roster appears, but fans can enjoy playing with newcomers like Freja. Overwatch 2 has made updates to enhance player experience, particularly focusing on the DPS role in this fresh round of adjustments.

On May 29th, Overwatch 2 rolled out an update featuring modifications for Freja in the Stadium mode. Following her previous nerf, Freja is now subject to further adjustments such as reduced damage and duration for the So Cooked power’s destructive zone, a shorter zone duration, and less ammo restoration from Deep Pockets. The healing ability of Forager has been slightly enhanced, while Volley a Deux received a buff. Lille Faelde power, disabled last week, is operational again. Notably, the Portable Zipline Epic item’s weapon power was reduced significantly from 15% to 5%, and the Magnetic Maelstrom Epic item has been temporarily deactivated.

Beyond alterations to the Stadium, Freja has experienced tuning in Overwatch 2’s standard gameplay modes. This includes reducing the effectiveness of Quick Dash and Updraft abilities and tweaking Take Aim. Continuing our focus on characters available in Stadium mode, the May 29 update introduced further changes to D.Va, marking the second adjustment Overwatch 2 has made to this character this month. In this case, developers increased the damage output of Ignition Burst and Vesuvius Protocol rare item, while decreasing the potency of Focused Fusion. Other characters included in the update are Junker Queen, Orisa, Reinhardt, Ashe, Mei, Soldier:76, Ana, Juno, and Kiriko. Three bugs specific to Stadium have been rectified, two affecting Freja, and another impacting D.Va.

In Stadium, Freja was initially the only hero introduced, but the roadmap for Overwatch 2 hints at additional characters joining the game mode. Starting with Season 17, we can expect Junkrat, Sigma, and Zenyatta to enter the arena. Following that, Season 18 will introduce Sojourn, Winston, and Brigitte. The selection of Stadium maps is set to expand as well, with Hope and Samoa arriving in June, Route 66, London, and two Payload maps due in August, and the China map slated for October.

Overwatch 2 Retail Patch Notes – May 29, 2025

  • Hero Balance Updates
  • Damage
  • Freja
  • Take Aim – Secondary Fire
    • Slow momentum time reduced from 1.5 to 1.0 second.
    • Reload time increased from 1.35 to 1.5 seconds.
  • Quick Dash – Ability 1
    • Cooldown increased from 4.0 to 4.5 seconds.
  • Updraft – Ability 2
    • Cooldown increased from 10 to 12 seconds.
  • Stadium Updates
  • Tank
  • D.Va

Developer Comments: D.Va has been finding it tough to manage space efficiently, particularly when trying to secure crucial areas. Boosting Lava’s power should enable her to establish more intimidating zones and deter adversaries from casually entering her territory. Regarding Focused Fusion, the idea was sound, but in action, it faltered when enemies were constantly circling her. We’re making slight adjustments so that she doesn’t feel like she’s carrying a sniper rifle in a close-quarters fight, while still maintaining the capability to strike enemies from both near and far.

  • Focused Fusion – Power
    • Decreased Fusion Cannon spread to 50% (Down from 66%).
  • Ignition Burst – Power
    • Increased Lava damage to 80 (Up from 30).
  • Vesuvius Protocol – Rare Ability Hero Item
    • Increased Lava damage to 80 (Up from 30).
  • Junker Queen

Developer Note: Recently, Junker Queen’s axe has been dominating, while her shotgun and knife have been underutilized. This update aims to enhance these secondary weapons to promote diverse gameplay strategies, and it also boosts Thick Skull for improved resistance against sudden damage, making her more resilient in intense battles.

  • Royal Bullets – Power
    • Increased range to 15 meters (Up from 12 meters).
    • Increased damage to 50 (Up from 30).
  • Twist The Knife – Power
    • Increased Wounds extension to 1 second (Up from 0.5 seconds).
  • Blade Parade – Power
    • Increased Damage to 100% (Up from 35%).
  • Merciless Magnetism – Power
    • Increased range to 15 meters (Up from 12 meters).
  • Thick Skull – Epic Survival Hero Item
    • Increased Damage Reduction to 75% (Up from 50%).
  • Orisa

Developer Comment: Orisa’s Overheat build was not performing as well as expected, particularly in defending against strong enemy pushes. It lacked the power to discourage approaching enemies or compel them to change their positioning. This buff is designed to enhance her capacity to exert pressure and make her presence more intimidating when guarding territory.

  • Scorched Earth – Power
    • Increased damage to 20% (Up from 10%).
  • Electro Lights – Rare Hero Weapon Item
    • Increased recovery rate to 50% (Up from 25%).
  • Reinhardt

Developer Note: Due to an excessively powerful interaction between the ability ‘Feeling the Burn’ and the damage caused by ‘Rocket Hammer’, we’ve decided to eliminate this connection. Instead, we’ll make minor enhancements to some seldom-used abilities and items to encourage their use.

  • Barrier Reconstruction – Power
    • Increased Barrier Health Restoration from Damage to 15% (up from 10%).
  • Feeling the Burn – Power
    • No longer applies to Smashing and Dampener Grip.
  • Dampener Grip – Epic Weapon Hero Item
    • Increased Ability Power to 15% (up from 10%).
  • Damage
  • Ashe

Developer Remarks: Ashe is consistently improving in overall competitiveness, but she lacks that additional power when the situation demands it. These enhancements focus on boosting some of her underachieving abilities and equipment, thereby providing her with versatility across various builds and ensuring she remains significant in a broader variety of situations.

  • Out with a Bang – Power
    • Decreased Explosives damage reduction to 30% (Down from 66%).
  • Molten Munitions – Power
    • Increased damage to 80 (Up from 50).
    • This change will not be represented correctly on the tooltip but it will be functionally set to 80. This information in the tooltip will be fixed next season.
  • Reload Therapy – Power
    • Increased heal to 10% (Up from 3%).
  • Sidewinder – Epic Weapon Hero Item
    • Increased attack speed to 15% (Up from 10%).
    • Increased damage to 25% (Up from 15%).
  • Freja
  • Lille Fælde – Power Re-enabled.
    • Bola from Lille Fælde slow is decreased by 60%.
    • Bola from Lille Fælde no longer pulls enemies upon direct hit.
    • These will be reflected in the tooltip in a future update.
  • So Cooked – Power
    • Decreased increased damaging zone damage to 30% (down from 50%).
    • Decreased increased damaging zone duration to 2 second (down from 3 second).
  • Deep Pockets – Power
    • Max Ammo restored from using an ability reduced to 25% (down from 50%).
  • Forager – Power
    • Max Life heal per hit increased to 4% (up from 3%).
  • Portable Zipline – Epic Weapon Hero Item
    • Decreased Weapon Power to 5% (down from 15%).
  • Volley a Deux – Power
    • Increased damage to 33% reduced damage on additional bolts (up from 50% reduced).
  • Magnetic Maelstrom – Epic Ability Hero Item
    • Disabled.
  • Mei

In other words, we’re aiming to boost Mei’s resilience when Cryo-Freeze isn’t an option by strengthening her coordination with Blizzard abilities. This modification will empower Mei with additional defensive capabilities during her ultimate or mini-Blizzard, enabling her to hold her own in fights and continue applying pressure effectively.

  • Blizznado – Power
    • Increased Heal per second to 15% (up from 5%).
  • Soldier: 76

As an avid gamer, I’ve noticed that Biotic Field structures haven’t been well-received and haven’t lived up to their potential. To enhance their performance, we’re planning to beef them up a bit. On the other hand, the Chaingun has been a go-to weapon for Soldiers in almost every build. To encourage more diversity, we’re adjusting it slightly to provide room for other strategies.

  • Hunker Down – Power
    • Increased Biotic Field duration to 50% reduced duration (up from 30% reduced).
  • Chaingun – Power
    • Decreased Weapon Power per shot to 0.4% (down from 0.5%).
  • Battery Pack – Rare Ability Hero Item
    • Increased Biotic Field Duration to 40% (up from 30%).
  • Rapid Response Radius – Epic Ability Hero Item
    • Increased Biotic Field radius to 40% (up from 30%).
  • Compression Fatigues – Rare Survival Hero Item
    • Removed 5% Attack Speed.
    • Added 5% Ability Power.
  • Support
  • Ana

Team Comments: Our goal is to make character Ana more nimble and robust during moderate battles, where she tends to be most exposed. Enhancing her survivability should assist her in readjusting quickly under stress and maintaining activity in fights while preserving her critical role as a high-impact support. The Tactical Rifle is a popular ability, but we’ve received recurring feedback that its targeting sometimes causes more problems than it solves. In high-stress situations, the auto-aim often locks onto allies rather than enemies, reducing damage output. We are adjusting its behavior to prioritize threats better and make it a more dependable weapon in combat.

  • Tactical Rifle – Power
    • Reduced aim tracking angle by 50%.
  • Dash Boots – Rare Ability Hero Item
    • Increased Movement Speed bonus to 10% (Up from 5%).
    • Decreased cooldown to 3 seconds (Down from 4 seconds).
  • Cluster Core – Epic Ability Hero Item
    • Biotic Grenade cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds for each target it hits (up from 1 second).
  • Juno

Developer Note: Hyper Ring is frequently utilized in Juno’s collection, but it hasn’t matched the influence of her other abilities. We’re enhancing its power to align it with her other choices, making it a more appealing selection that rewards strategic placement and timing.

  • Hyper Healer – Power
    • Increased Overhealth to 100 (Up from 50).
  • Black Hole – Power
    • Increased Slow duration to 2 seconds. (Up from 1 second).
  • Kiriko

Developer’s Note: The effectiveness of Self-Care was found to be insufficient for long durations during extended gameplay sessions. This update enhances its importance, enabling players to recuperate better and engage in combat for a longer period without overly depending on external healing sources.

  • Self-Care – Power
    • Increased heal to 15% (Up from 5%).
  • Bug Fixes
  • Stadium
  • D.Va
    • Fixed a bug where Fusion Cannon was shooting less pellets when equipped with the Focused Fusion power.
  • Freja
    • Fixed an issue where the direct hit of the Bola from Lille Fælde was doing more damage than intended.
    • Fixed an issue where the lingering damaging zone from So Cooked didn’t apply effects that triggered from Ability Damage.

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2025-05-30 05:19