New Overwatch Patch Is Now Live

We've said it before, and we'll say it again: breaking Overwatch news currently happens on a twice-daily basis... not that we mind! Amidst the swirling speculations on who the game's upcoming 24th hero could be, Blizzard Entertainment took things back to the bones of Overwatch to release a patch update.

Update 1.8 is a pretty massive one, as it brings in the new Game Browser feature and makes permanent the Capture the Flag mode that was tested out during the game's Year of the Rooster event. It also rolls out tweaks and improvements to a large portion of its heroes. Standout hero changes made in the 1.8 patch update include the following:

• Ana receives a new "Nano Boost Sensitivity" hero option, which allows players to adjust its targeting sensitivity.
• Bastion's Sentry reconfigured to increase bullet and magazine size. He can now utilize Self-Repair while moving, and he receives the official "Ironclad" Passive ability.
• Mercy "becomes temporarily invulnerable along with the allies being revived" when she uses her Resurrect ability, and receives two new hero options in the Guardian Angel Sensitivity and the Beam Sensitivity upgrades.
• Roadhog's Scrap Gun and Chain Hook balanced to be more effective.
• Sombra gains Hack Sensitivity hero option.
• Widowmaker gets new Grappling Hook Sensitivity ability.
• Winston's critical hit volume is reduced by 15 percent.
• Zenyatta nabs two new hero options: Harmony Orb Sensitivity and Discord Orb Sensitivity.

Take a look at the overall patch highlights below, and find the full notes on Blizzard's official forum.

New Feature: Game Browser

Starting today, every player can create their own, unique Overwatch experience and share it with their friends, teammates, or the entire world. Introducing the Game Browser.

An extension of Overwatch's Custom Game mode, the Game Browser allows you to adjust the settings on various maps, modes, and heroes to create your own tailor-made match. For example, if you want to increase the speed of Pharah's rockets or remove the cooldown from McCree's Combat Roll, the power is yours. Once you're happy with your settings, and you're ready to launch your game, you'll need to set up permissions. You can limit the people who can join your game by toggling the "Friends Only" or "Invite Only" options, but if you want to put your strange creation to a real test, set your server to "Public" and click the launch button.

New Mode: Capture the Flag

Capture the Rooster has been, without a doubt, Overwatch's most popular brawl. We don't want the excitement to end, so we're bringing Capture the Flag to the Arcade as an ongoing game mode. Starting today, we're adding Capture the Flag versions of Nepal, Lijiang Tower, Ilios, and Oasis, which gives you 12 maps to try when creating a Custom Game.

MAP BALANCE CHANGES

General: Respawn Delay

When attackers outnumber defenders while taking a control point on Assault, Escort and Assault/Escort maps, the defenders' respawn time will slowly increase until it hits a maximum value or the defense manages to gain the upper hand.

Eichenwalde

A second gate no longer closes after the payload passes through the castle doors. Instead, rubble from the damaged doorway partially blocks the entrance.

Overwatch fans better run quickly to their PC, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One to take patch 1.8 out for a spin, and all the newbies better brush up on the rookie mistakes players make in the game before they dive in.