[1/16 Update: Overwatch’s Latest Patch Hits Live Servers Earlier Than Usual Alongside Lunar Event]
Patch Notes 1.44 went live on Overwatch’s PTR a few days ago on January 9. These patch notes look to be somewhat impactful, bringing nerfs to several of the key meta heroes right now, including Baptiste and Mei. These changes, from what has been rumored thus far from those playing on the PTR, look to have only, however, made a slight dent in the current meta.
Typically, the PTR Patch Notes go live on the PTR on Tuesday or Thursday and then hit live servers two weeks later. This has been the case for nearly every set of notes in recent memory, barring a few more recent delays. If that trend held true for Patch 1.44, fans should be ready to download Patch 1.44 as early as Thursday, January 23.
[Related: Overwatch Lunar New Year: What Skins Fans Could See]
Delays are Always Possible
This would somewhat line up with the approximate starting date of Overwatch’s Lunar New Year event, however, this fact could also lead to a delay (this was the case with PTR patch 1.41, which took 2-3 additional weeks to hit live servers). In 2018, this event didn’t start until February 8, which also happens to be the exact date of the start of the 2020 OWL season.
The dev team could delay a patch to coincide more with the start of the league, however, it would seem more likely to give players time to practice on the new live meta. Because of this, it is currently uncertain when fans can expect these changes to go live and for the current meta to potentially breathe its last breathe.
Once these patch notes go live, be sure to check out how they affect the meta by clicking on The Game Haus’s January 2019 Hero Tier List. It’s current status does not reflect the PTR patch, but it will either be updated once Patch 1.44 hits live servers or a new list will be released in December if changes are delayed.
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