Get ready for an explosive update.
Junkrat is receiving a big buff in the upcoming Overwatch PTR patch, although it’s currently unclear when we’ll be able to test out these changes for ourselves.
Principal designer Geoff Goodman confirmed the news in an official forum post, responding to a thread in which community members were proposing possible tweaks to Junkrat’s kit.
”This is pretty close to what we’re trying with him, and what will likely be on the PTR when it comes back up,” he began.
“Currently on our internal builds Junkrat has 2 charges of his Concussion Mine. This allows you to do all kinds of cool stuff like launch yourself into a fight and still have a charge to escape with, or launch yourself up into a Pharah and still have a charge to try and kill her with.
“Previously this was possible before but you had to plant one on the ground and then wait for the cooldown to come back before doing this. That is still possible, which allows for a triple jump now if you want/need that, but now it is a lot more reliable to do with 2. It has been a ton of fun to play with so far.”
- 1. Tier List – Overwatch Tier List
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Junkrat’s not only getting another Concussion Mine to play with, but it seems as though his Riptire will get a little stronger too.
“We’re also looking at making his ult a bit better. We’re experimenting with a movement speed increase or a health increase on the tire. We wouldn’t do both things but in either case it should be more reliable to use in more situations.”
We couldn’t be happier that Junkrat is seeing some love from Blizzard, as we reckon he’s long overdue an update. While he’s always been strong in the right hands, for the majority of players his kit isn’t versatile enough to warrant picking him over other damage-dealers. With two Concussion Mines, he’ll have the mobility to have a serious impact on the battlefield.
As for Junkrat’s Riptire, it certainly has the potential to wipe an entire team, but it’s a very predictable assault that’s often neutralised, and it doesn’t have the immediacy that most other Ultimate abilities have
These aren’t the only changes planned for the next PTR patch, as Roadhog is also seeing some huge buffs to his abilities. We’ll be sure to cover all of the tweaks in detail when they’re released.
