'Overwatch' Lúcio Buff: PTR update significantly changes Lúcio

While we all wait for that March 21 release date for Orisa, Blizzard is testing out some massive changes for everyone's favorite Brazilian-DJ-turned-freedom-fighter, Lúcio.

On the Overwatch public test realm, there's a brand-new update that gives Lúcio's kit some significant changes, helping to make him a bit more of an active, exciting hero to play — which should address concerns that he's always felt like a bit of a low-impact hero, despite being an incredibly useful asset.

Here's what you need to know.

Overwatch PTR update: Lúcio's aura heals quicker but doesn't reach as far

On the PTR, Lúcio's healing aura has been buffed by a whopping 50%, but the range of both his speed boost and healing aura have decreased from 30 meters to 10.

Therefore, in order to keep his team healed up, Lúcio will probably have to skate around the map a bit more to make sure his healing aura is reaching those who need it. To that end, there's also a new indicator on the ground that shows players exactly how far his auras reach.

The range of his ultimate has also been knocked down a tad, from 30 meters to 20.

Overwatch PTR patch notes: Lúcio's wall ride gives a nice speed boost

On PTR, Lúcio's wall-ride ability is 30% faster and also gives Lúcio an additional speed boost when he jumps off a wall. This will make him much more mobile and hard to pin down when he's wall-riding. Here's a clip uploaded to Reddit that shows just how significant these speed boosts are.

Of course, this clip shows the buffs used in concert with his speed-boost ability, but still — Lúcio is absurdly speedy now.

Overwatch PTR update: Lúcio's projectiles fire more quickly and his boop now rockets enemies vertically

Finally, Lúcio's sound-wave projectiles now travel a bit faster and his alternate fire, which knocks enemies backward, now accounts for vertical positioning. Here's what that difference looks like:

Full Overwatch PTR patch notes

The PTR update didn't just address Lúcio. There are also some important changes that should help reduce ties in competitive mode as well as a slight tweak to the attack routes on Eichenwalde.

Keep in mind that these patch notes add on to the already existing changes for characters like Ana and Sombra that you can read about here.

Here are the full patch notes for the new PTR update:

GENERAL UPDATES

Whenever these updates make their way to the live servers — or if they get modified on PTR any further — we'll let you know.

More Overwatch news and updates

For more on Overwatch, check out the rest of what Mic has to offer. Here is a list of our predictions for what seasonal events might appear in 2017, a look at a very funny but naughty meme on the Overwatch subreddit, an interview with the creator of an awesome new Overwatch zine, a full explanation of the different types of health in Overwatch, our definitive ranking of every Overwatch hero, a roundup of awesome gender-bent Overwatch cosplay and a giant Overwatch FAQ for beginners.