Ridiculous Overwatch April Fool’s patch brings back Hanzo’s scatter arrow, Tank Mei, more

Joining in on the April Fool’s Day fun, Blizzard has deployed a hilarious Experimental patch that buffs every hero in the most ridiculous ways imaginable. 

April Fool’s Day in the gaming industry is always a special time of year. Some developers prank their player base while others offer a unique update instead. After years of googly eyes being the main attraction in Overwatch, Blizzard has stepped things up in 2021.

A new experimental patch has completely tipped the game on its head. Heroes have been gifted the most absurd buffs in Overwatch history and the best part is, it’s all playable for a limited time.

Anyone can jump into the experimental playlist and test these ridiculous changes in-game. 

No hero untouched in Overwatch April Fool’s patch

What would an April Fool’s Day patch be if not for some emphatic Torbjorn buffs? The lovable engineer now does a whopping 200% more damage with his Forge Hammer while in Overload. Expect to see plenty of melee kills in the feed as a result.

When it comes to Tank heroes, Wrecking Ball might have been hit with the most outlandish change. All of his ability cooldowns are now lightning quick, but it comes with a unique caveat. Hammond is now in ball form at all times, meaning the hero literally can’t shoot.

Meanwhile, Reinhardt gained a special look at his future. When Overwatch 2 finally launches, the popular hero will have far more control of his Charge ability. Before we get there though, players can test this extreme power in the experimental update. 

•  Read More: Overwatch devs: ‘Game will never be perfectly balanced’

Speaking of Tanks, Mei has also been adjusted to fit the Tank role. With a drastic increase in health and size, perhaps Mei will finally move on from the DPS category.

Last but not least, a number of Support heroes were hilariously buffed by the April Fool’s Day patch.

Zen might not be able to walk but he can levitate for 3 seconds just from hitting the jump button. Additionally, Ana’s Nano Boost is now a two-for-one effect, buffing herself along with her target.

• Read More: Lucio nearly became Marvel’s Quicksilver in original Overwatch plans

You can jump into Overwatch today and test these joke changes for yourself. Before you do, brush up on every single adjustment with the full patch notes below.

Overwatch April 1 experimental patch notes

Heroes

Ana

Nano Boost

• Boosting an ally will now also boost Ana

Ashe

Coach Gun

• Projectile damage increased from 6 to 9
• Can now deal critical damage
• Spread reduced by 50%
• No longer knocks back enemies

Baptiste

Biotic Launcher (Secondary Fire)

• Direct grenade hits heal for 33% more health

Immortality Field

• Now reduces damage by incoming by 50% instead of setting a minimum health value
• Cooldown reduced from 25 to 15 seconds

Bastion

General

• Character scale reduced by 15%

Configuration: Recon

• Weapon spread removed

Brigitte

Whipshot

• Hitting an enemy now resets the cooldown of Shield Bash

D.Va

Call Mech

• Now deals 600 damage to enemies on impact
• Ultimate charge cost reduced by 30%

Doomfist

Rocket Punch

• Can now travel upward

Echo

Duplicate

• Duration increased from 15 to 30 seconds

Genji

Deflect

• Cooldown is now reset after eliminating a target

Hanzo

Storm Arrows

• Storm Arrows now ricochet off the environment

Junkrat

Steel Trap

• Can now have up to 3 traps active at the same time
• Cooldown reduced from 10 to 7 seconds

Lucio

Amp It Up

• Now also increases the strength of Soundwave’s knockback

McCree

Peacekeeper (Primary Fire)

• Headshots now refund 1 ammo

Deadeye

• No longer limited to 1 tumbleweed

Mei

General

• Reassigned to the Tank role
• Character scale increased 15%
• Health increased from 250 to 400

Mercy

Guardian Angel

• Can now target enemies

Moira

Biotic Grasp (Secondary Fire)

• Range decreased from 20 to 15 meters
• Damage increased from 50 to 75 damage per second

Biotic Orb

• Cooldown reduced by 1 second for every 100 health restored to an ally with Biotic Grasp (Primary Fire)

Orisa

General

• Forward run speed increased by 40%

Pharah

Concussive Blast

• Cooldown reduced from 9 to 6 seconds

Barrage

• Can now move while casting

Reaper

Shadow Step

• Cast time reduced from 1.5 to 1 seconds

Wraith Form

• Now grants flight for its duration

Reinhardt

Charge

• Now has 200% more power steering

Roadhog

Chain Hook

• Cooldown reduced by 50% after hitting an enemy

Sigma

General

• No longer bound by gravity

Experimental Barrier

• Disabled

Kinetic Grasp

• Cooldown reduced from 12 to 8 seconds

Soldier: 76

Sprint

• Now generates 6 ammo-per-second while active

Tactical Visor

• Now aims for headshots

Sombra

General

• Stealth changes

Symmetra

Photon Projector (Primary Fire)

• Beam range increased from 12 to 16 meters

Torbjorn

Forge Hammer

• Damage increased by 200% while Overload is active
• Killing blows increase the Overload duration by 2 seconds

Tracer

Recall

• Now restores all Blink charges

Widowmaker

Widow’s Kiss (Primary Fire)

• Damage increased from 13 to 15
• Spread reduced 30%

Widow’s Kiss (Secondary Fire)

• Charged shots now pierce enemies

Winston

Barrier Projector

• Enemy damage now grants Winston ultimate charge

Primal Rage

• Melee damage increased from 40 to 90
• Melee knockback increased by 40%

Wrecking Ball

General

• All ability cooldowns reduced by 3 seconds

Roll

• Is now always active
• Damage increased from 50 to 60

Grappling Claw

• Cooldown increased from 5 to 7 seconds

Adaptive Shield

• No longer prevents enemies from generating ultimate charge

Zarya

General

• Particle Barrier and Projected Barrier are now on a shared cooldown with 2 charges

Zenyatta

General

• Can now levitate for up to 3 seconds by holding Jump