This patch is set to return Mei to the battlefield, after she was removed from service two weeks ago to fix a bug that allowed players to fall behind the scenery and get underneath level geometry when using her in tandem with Kiriko. Players will, however, have to wait a little bit longer to play as her again. The patch delay was announced via a post in Blizzard’s forums, in which community manager Craig stated that the delay was due to developers still working to “resolve a critical issue”. It is uncertain whether Mei is at the heart of that “critical issue” but hopefully it will be resolved by tomorrow (November 17), the patch’s new release date.
[#Overwatch2] Update about the mid-season cycle patch: https://t.co/8V2649xZ9w
— Blizzard CS – The Americas (@BlizzardCS) November 15, 2022
Unfortunately, the patch’s delay has also affected a number of other features, including League Viewership Incentives and Perks. As stated in the post, it impacts “the delivery of Overwatch League Viewership Incentives and Perks from the Post-season matches during the period between Oct 30 – Nov 4, along with the rotation of cosmetics in the Overwatch League shop”. However, Craig confirmed that daily and weekly challenges will reset as normal, as will the standard shop.
Mei, of course, wasn’t the first hero to be unceremoniously removed from service. Bastion and Torbjörn previously suffered similar fates and had to be temporarily removed to fix persistent game-breaking bugs. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long to see them return to action, and they haven’t had any problems since. Hopefully, Mei’s return will see an end to hero removal, as losing a main can be a real kick to some players. And a fair and balanced game with little to no bugs may finally get Overwatch 2 up to where players expected it to be at launch.
