Blizzard released an Overwatch hotfix on October 13, 2026 that nerfs new Support hero Doctrine and Sombra and buffs Roadhog, according to the official retail patch notes. Kiriko gains 25 base health, D.Mon loses 25 base armor, and Blizzard says replay codes from the October 6 patch still work.
Overwatch October 13 hotfix: every change
| Hero | Ability / stat | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Doctrine | Eternal Scepter damage and healing | 60 → 55 |
| Doctrine | Invigorating Drones duration | 6 → 5 seconds |
| Sombra | Machine Pistol damage | 7 → 6.5 |
| Sombra | Cyberspace explosion damage | 40 → 20 |
| Sombra | Cyberspace cooldown | 12 → 13 seconds |
| Roadhog | Scrap Gun center projectile damage | 34 → 40 |
| Roadhog | Take a Breather cooldown | 2 → 1.25 seconds |
| Roadhog | Take a Breather damage reduction | 35% → 40% |
| Roadhog | Take a Breather max duration | 2 → 2.5 seconds |
| Kiriko | Base health | 225 → 250 |
| D.Mon | Base armor | 275 → 250 |
The hotfix notes don't include developer comments, so Blizzard hasn't explained the reasoning for each change.
Why Doctrine, Sombra and Roadhog changed again
All three heroes were reworked or added a week earlier. Season 5: A Grim Doctrine started on October 6 with Doctrine, a new vampire-themed Support whose Eternal Scepter heals allies and damages enemies. The same season moved Sombra from Damage to Support, and gave Roadhog a two-burst Scrap Gun and a new Trash Compactor ability.
- Doctrine: the October 6 notes already trimmed him after a trial weekend. Blizzard wrote then that he "was overperforming relative to other supports." This hotfix cuts his scepter output and drone uptime further.
- Sombra: her new Cyberspace ability launched with a 40-damage initial explosion. The hotfix halves that to 20, and also lowers her Machine Pistol damage.
- Roadhog: on October 6, Take a Breather went from 3 to 2 seconds max duration, from 40% to 35% damage reduction, and from a 1.25 to a 2-second cooldown. The hotfix restores the cooldown and damage reduction to their pre-season values and partly restores the duration, to 2.5 seconds. The center projectile of the reworked Scrap Gun also goes from 34 to 40 damage.
Blizzard hasn't published any win-rate data with the hotfix, so we're not predicting how the meta will shift.
What's next for Overwatch Season 5
The Mystery Madness: Graveyard Games Halloween event runs until November 2, and Team Drives return October 29 to November 1, according to Blizzard's season announcement. Follow our gaming news for further Overwatch balance updates.
Sources
- Blizzard: "Overwatch Patch Notes" – October 13, 2026 hotfix and October 6, 2026 Season 5 notes – https://overwatch.blizzard.com/en-us/news/patch-notes/live/2026/10/
- Blizzard News: "Feed Your Hunger in Reign of Talon – Season 5: A Grim Doctrine" (Oct 5, 2026) – https://news.blizzard.com/en-us/article/24303008/feed-your-hunger-in-reign-of-talon-season-5-a-grim-doctrine
