With the new PVP beta dropping for Overwatch 2, many fans are nervous that the reworks will remove what made their favorite characters fun.
Junkrat's insane cackling and passion for the explosives is one such character that have fans worried. However, according to the new patch notes, only a few minor changes have been made to Junkrat as a whole. Whether Junkrat remains viable, we'll have to wait until the end of all the tweaks in the beta.
Overwatch 2 Junkrat Changes: Are There Any?
Junkrat has been given the new passive given to all DPS characters: 10% extra movement speed. This was implemented, apparently, to buff the movement speed a bit, and keep the match's pace up. For Junkrat that means more speed and more explosions.
In the actual patch notes themselves, Junkrat's main changes came down to his trap ability.
In lieu of stopping all movement to an enemy caught, it now reduces the movement speed by 65%, and has a chain mechanic . Once the stuck character moves a certain distance away from the trap, the chain will break and release the hero. Any movement abilities like Cassidy's roll, or Soldier 76's sprint are still unable to be used until the trap has been broken.
In addition to this nerf, there are some minor buffs to the traps. The damage inflicted from them has been buffed from 80 to 100, giving the trap more of a bite than before, as well as increasing the throwing speed to get the trap out a bit sooner.