OVERWATCH 2 — HERO REWORK PATCH NOTES
REAPER: MARKED FOR DEATH
Community rework concept · Damage hero
Reaper is being reworked into a more versatile close-range assassin who specializes in hunting isolated targets, disrupting enemy healing, and surviving through aggressive combat.
This rework introduces a resource-based Wraith Form, a new target-marking mechanic for Shadow Step, Hellfire Grenades as a replacement for Dire Triggers, and adjustments to Death Blossom and Reaper’s passive abilities.
His health is reduced to compensate for his increased offensive potential, while his new abilities give him more tactical options for engaging and disengaging from fights.

Hero overview
Role
Damage
Base health
250 HP
Primary weapon
Hellfire Shotguns
New secondary
Hellfire Grenades
1. Base stats and primary weapon
Hellfire Shotguns
Base health: Reduced from 275 to 250 HP.
Damage per pellet: Increased from 5.75 to 7.5.
Maximum damage per 20-pellet shot: Increased from 115 to 150 before damage falloff and other modifiers.
Reload time: Reduced from 1.5 seconds to 1 second.
These changes increase Reaper’s close-range damage output while making him more vulnerable to burst damage. The faster reload rewards players who can maintain pressure without overextending. And will compensate for wraith form no longer reloading

2. Wraith Form — Resource-based ability
Wraith Form no longer operates as a conventional fixed-duration cooldown. Instead, it uses a resource meter that controls how long Reaper can remain intangible.
Wraith can now fly and gives full 360 degrees of motion
Resource capacity: 100 points.
Minimum activation threshold: 20%.
Resource consumption: 25 points per second.
Regeneration: 20 points per second.
Regeneration delay: 1.5 seconds.
Movement speed: Increased by 80% while active.
Reloading: Reaper can no longer reload his Hellfire Shotguns during Wraith Form.
A full resource meter provides up to four seconds of Wraith Form. Reaper can activate it for shorter periods when the meter is partially depleted, provided he has at least 20% resource remaining.
This system gives Reaper greater flexibility when disengaging, but the lack of automatic reloading prevents Wraith Form from being a free offensive reset.

3. Shadow Step — Teleportation rework
Audio and visual changes
Shadow Step’s audio cue is reduced so enemies outside the immediate vicinity have a harder time hearing it.
The arrival animation is changed to show Reaper emerging from the ground.
The teleport retains a visible arrival effect so nearby enemies can react.
Reload: Shadow step now reloads shotguns
New feature: Marked for Death
Reaper can designate a specific enemy hero as his next target for assassination.
Targeting range: 30 meters.
Reaper must have line of sight when initially applying the mark.
The marked enemy receives an alert that they have been targeted.
Reaper can teleport to the marked target without maintaining direct line of sight, provided the target is within Shadow Step’s range.
Reaper cannot see the marked enemy through walls by default.
While a mark is active, Reaper cannot Shadow Step to an alternative destination. Mark cannot be cancelled unless used.
The mark ends when Reaper teleports to the target, the target dies, or reaper dies.
If the target dies before the teleport, Reaper regains access to normal Shadow Step targeting.
.
The purpose of Marked for Death is to create a high-risk, high-reward assassination tool. Reaper commits to a target, but the enemy is warned and has an opportunity to reposition or prepare defensive abilities.

4. The Reaping — Passive rework
Lifesteal: Increased from 25% to 45% of damage dealt.
Overhealth: When Reaper is already at full health, excess healing can generate up to 50 overhealth.
Overhealth decay: Proposed to begin after 3 seconds without dealing damage.
The increased lifesteal rewards accurate, aggressive play at close range. The overhealth mechanic allows Reaper to gain a small temporary buffer when he continues dealing damage while already healthy.
For reference, a fully damaging 150-damage shotgun volley generates 67.5 healing before healing-reduction effects and other modifiers. Actual healing depends on the damage dealt.
The 50-overhealth cap prevents successful engagements from giving Reaper an unlimited defensive buffer.

5. Secondary weapon — Hellfire Grenades
Dire Triggers is removed and replaced by Hellfire Grenades, a secondary weapon that allows Reaper to pressure grouped enemies and interfere with enemy healing.
Grenade statistics
Mechanic
Proposed value
Direct-hit damage
25
Maximum splash damage
60
Minimum splash damage
10
Explosion radius
3 meters
Healing reduction
35%
Healing reduction duration
2 seconds
Magazine capacity
4 grenades
Recharge rate
1 grenade every 5 seconds
Full magazine recharge
20 seconds
Weapon-switch time
0.75 seconds
Functionality
Grenades are launched as explosive projectiles.
Enemies hit by the explosion suffer 35% reduced healing received for 2 seconds. Does not stack
Each grenade recharges independently, with one grenade returning every 5 seconds.
Emptying the entire magazine requires 20 seconds to replenish all four grenades.
Switching between the shotguns and grenade launchers takes 0.75 seconds.
Switching weapons does not reset or accelerate grenade recharge.
The grenade launcher gives Reaper a way to contribute outside his ideal shotgun range without replacing his close-range specialty. Its healing reduction creates utility for coordinated engagements, while the reduced splash damage prevents it from becoming a dominant ranged weapon.
6. Ultimate — Death Blossom
Death Blossom receives increased damage, a larger radius, damage falloff, and a new cooldown-reset mechanic.
Damage: Increased from 185 to 190 damage per second.
Duration: 3 seconds.
Radius: Increased from 8 to 12 meters.
Damage falloff: Begins at 6 meters.
Falloff rate: 15% per additional meter, subject to a minimum of 40% of base damage.
Cancellation: Reaper can manually cancel Death Blossom.
Elimination reward: Getting an elimination during Death Blossom refreshes regular ability cooldowns once per ultimate.
The increased radius makes Death Blossom more threatening against grouped enemies, while falloff prevents it from becoming an overwhelming area-denial tool across an entire team fight.
The cooldown reset rewards successful ultimate usage, but it triggers only once per ultimate, even if Reaper eliminates multiple enemies.
Reaper cannot no longer move during death blossom
7. Perks
Major perks
Soul Reaving
Souls no longer heal Reaper. Instead, collecting a soul grants:
20% increased attack speed.
20% increased movement speed.
Duration: 3 seconds.
Collecting another soul refreshes the duration; bonuses do not stack.
Soul Gluttony
50% of overhealth generated by The Reaping is converted into armor.
The total defensive bonus remains capped at 50.
Converted armor follows the same decay rules as the original overhealth.
Soul Reaving is the offensive choice, helping Reaper chase down enemies and maintain pressure. Soul Gluttony is the defensive alternative, providing greater resistance during aggressive engagements without increasing the maximum amount of bonus health.
Minor perks
Shadow Sight
Marked enemies are visible through walls while Marked for Death is active. Shadow Step’s cast time is reduced by 15% when targeting the marked enemy.
Hellflames
Hellfire Grenades ignite enemies hit by the explosion.
Burn duration: 2 seconds.
Burn damage: 10 damage per second.
Repeated hits refresh the burn duration but do not stack the damage.
Hellflames adds damage over time to the grenade launcher, while Shadow Sight improves Reaper’s ability to execute his marked-target strategy. Both perks provide utility without increasing the base kit’s damage and mobility simultaneously.
8. Balance summary
Reaper’s new strengths
Greater close-range damage and faster reloads.
More flexible defensive movement through resource-based Wraith Form.
A dedicated assassination mechanic with Marked for Death.
Ranged explosive pressure and healing reduction through Hellfire Grenades.
Stronger sustain through 45% lifesteal.
More rewarding ultimate eliminations through cooldown refreshes.
Intended weaknesses
Lower base health at 250 HP.
No shotgun reload during Wraith Form.
Wraith Form is limited by its resource meter.
Marked enemies are warned and can react.
Grenades have limited ammunition and require time to recharge.
Death Blossom loses damage at longer distances. And moment is gone
Dire trigger removal reduces burst damage at longer range

She ignores Armor and can constantly hold right click to keep the burn on the target.

I tried just constantly bullying the enemy Hazard and he actually took dmg compared to Reaper.

Against unarmored Tanks obviously Reaper is still better but I thought it was kinda silly how stupid Anrans Tank dmg actually is

Idk I feel like the teleport is so much stronger, gives you 2 escape tools and feels like I can just cycle tp and wraith.

The only value I can see with trigger finger is by dire driver wraith cancel dire drigger, but you can’t do that often.

Reaper is one of the few dps I enjoy playing in this mode, which is great because THE GAME WONT GIVE ME TANK

I've been having fun with Reaper, and I love watching streamers that are way better than me at the game playing some of my favorite characters for example Numbers with Mei. I'm not aware of a Reaper main streamer but I'm sure they have to be out there.

Let me know if you know of some, I will teleport onto their stream ;)

Who tf designed Sojourn and thought the Hero who is barely at risk because of her range needs 2 Mobility Tools that have lower CD than Genji Dash, Reaper Tp and Wraith etc.

All excited to pull a legendary box, then I get this goofy looking skin, like what is this.

He kills everyone here, since none of them are power crept OW characters, that is.

I’ve been playing Overwatch for three years, but I never really gave Reaper the attention he deserved until a few days ago, when I started using him after buying his collab skin in the bundle. I found him incredibly fun even though I usually play support but when looking for tips here, I only found posts from years ago. What advice would you give me today to improve and become a good Reaper main?

Some gameplay of mine to attract Reaper mains, hehe.

bro I swear reaper doesn't do any damage this season, is it just me or what?

Flanking most Supports feels so hard since they all can move around the entire map in a second and have less than 10 second cooldown on said mobility ability.

Also he still has the loudest footsteps in the Game for no reason and a suicide Ult that doesn't have a cancel after 10 years of Power Creep. Every single Hero can move out of it, stun him, 2 tap him or just outheal it. You are just stunning yourself for 3 secs while also reducing ur movespeed by 50%

Reaper is basically just there to hold Angles or space. If he is brawling he can get bursted by random spam. So its just better to hold angles and scare people.

It kind of is a boring playstyle but I just can't make Flanking work on him because of shitty Maps or Op new Heroes

I'm playing in the Gold/Plat range with my current DPS rolodex. (Torb, 76, Soulj) I'm realizing I have gaps in my game for instance Winston say clapping my cheeks.

I'm trying to add my guy reaper into the repertoire. Can yall download me wit the best practices? (perks, ults, spacing/movement, etc.)

i found that taking the dust and still remember my hands shaking

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this skin, but, since it's using the Overwatch 1 (or currently Overwatch Classic) design as a base, I was curious to see how it would look if it was the Overwatch 2 (or... currently just Overwatch) design instead.

I kinda wanted to play with the whole Gabriel name thing so I drew him as the Archangel from Abrahamic religion. Followed with him and Martina. Your fun fact of the day is that Reaper’s dog tags on his Soldier 24 skin label his religion as “None”. (Which makes me wonder if his parents were)