New Overwatch patch "drastically" reduces amount of duplicates

The latest Overwatch patch aims to drastically reduce the amount of duplicates players get. Finally!

In the patch notes for the new update, Blizzard said it wants "the experience of opening a loot box to feel exciting and rewarding".

To compensate for this reduction of duplicate items, Blizzard has increased the overall amount of credits you receive from loot boxes.

Previously, many players were frustrated by the high drop rate for duplicates in the game's loot boxes and the poor number of credits they receive for duplicate items. So, this update comes as a welcome change.

Also included in the patch is the new offence hero Doomfist and a new set of highlight options. The new options let players generate their own highlights from a game using a new capture feature. This gives players the ability to capture 12 seconds of their own gameplay, and can be bound to a single button of your choice in the Options menu under "Request Highlight". The player-generated highlights are saved in a new section called "Recently Captured", which can hold up to 36 highlights at one time. These can also be exported into a media library.

The game will continue to automatically generate highlights daily, which are now categorised as "Today's Top 5", and will last 24 hours.

Developer Update | Highlights Update | Overwatch

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Here is the full list of changes:

General

• Adjusted the respawn timing to limit defensive stalling strategies when the offensive team has a clear advantage and plays aggressively.
• Clarified the text on the "Flag Carrier" options under the Capture the Flag settings for Custom Games.
• Removed the "Projectile Speed" and "Projectile Gravity" options for heroes who do not have projectile weapons.
• Minimum movement speed has been changed to 50 per cent (formerly 10 per cent).
• Players can no longer select Roadhog during Limited 1v1 matches.
• Added ability to create customised reticles.
• Reticle options can be found under the "Controls" tab in the "Options" menu (click the "Advanced" expander under the "Reticle" heading).
• The name of Mercy's "Stethoscope" spray has been changed to "Heartbeat".
• Statistics gathered from 6v6 Elimination matches will now be added to statistics in the Career Profile.
• Tie games will no longer be included in the win percentage calculation that's listed under the Player Profile.

Hero Updates

• D.Va: New sound effects and voice lines have been added, indicating when Defence Matrix has absorbed an enemy's ultimate ability.
• Genji: New sound effects and voice lines have been added, indicating when an enemy's ultimate ability has been deflected.
• McCree: Stunned targets are now slowed heavily, meaning they're less likely to escape while stunned (especially while in the air).
• Reaper: Shadow step's sound effect and VO distance has been reduced by 50 per cent.
• Reinhardt: Rocket Hammer swing speed increased by 10 per cent.
• Zarya: Gravitation Surge now disables mobility abilities on all affected targets.

Bug Fixes

General

• Fixed an issue preventing "Best In Game" stats from being updated.
• Fixed a bug that could cause the user interface to incorrectly indicate that an enemy player has been hit when colliding with them.
• Fixed a bug that could allow projectiles that would normally pierce shields (i.e. Reinhardt's Fire Strike) to pass through other surfaces.
• Fixed a bug that caused some players to lose audio during the match.

Competitive Play

• Fixed a bug that caused players to get a leaver penalty during offseason matches, even after the in-game banner advised it was safe to leave the match.

Custom Games and Game Browser

• Fixed a bug that prevented players from being added to a Custom Game with 12 Spectator slots.
• Fixed a bug in Custom Game settings that prevented some heroes with Self Healing from having a Healing Dealt modifier.
• Removed the Projectile Gravity slider from heroes who do not have abilities affected by gravity.

Heroes

• Fixed a bug with D.Va's Call Mech ability that allowed you to see her inside the mech before entering it.
• Fixed a bug that could cause eliminations from Junkrat's Total Mayhem to be mislabelled in the kill feed.
• Fixed a bug that would cause Junkrat to use his Ultimate Callout when he is unable to use his Ultimate.
• Fixed a bug that allowed Roadhog's Chain Hook to latch on to Orisa's Supercharger.
• Fixed a bug that allowed Sombra to take damage after activating her Translocator.
• The sound effects on Reinhardt's Bloodhardt, Blackhardt, and Wujing skins have been updated to reflect the use of an axe instead of a hammer.
• Fixed a bug preventing Lucio from receiving the full speed boost when travelling backwards during a Wall Ride.
• Fixed a bug that occasionally prevented Torbjörn from building and upgrading his turret.
• Fixed multiple hit registration bugs in Reinhardt's Rocket Hammer.

Maps

• Fixed a bug on Eichenwalde that prevented Soldier 76 from placing his Biotic Field in certain locations of Point A.
• Fixed a bug that caused AI-controlled players to perpetually move toward the objective on the Gardens point in Oasis.
• Fixed a bug that prevented Training Bots from facing the right direction and returning to their original location after being moved by player interactions on the Practice Range.
• Fixed a bug with that was causing unusual camera angles for Highlight Intros on Route 66.
• Fixed a bug that could cause D.Va to fall through the floor while boosting into the ground in a specific area on Volskaya Industries.