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Mei
"Come on, Snowball! They need our help!"

Real Name
Mei-Ling Zhou (周美灵)
Birth
September 5th
Age
33 (biological)[1]
approx. 42 (chronological)[2]
Nationality
China Chinese
Occupation
Climatologist, Adventurer,
Base
Xi’an, China (formerly)
Affiliation
Overwatch
Atlas News
Elise Zhang (English and Chinese Mandarin)

Adeline Chetail (French)
Rubina Nath (German)
Katia Sorrentino (Italian)
Lynn (Japanese)
Jeon Suk-kyeong (Korean)
Angel Lin (Taiwanese Mandarin)
Marta Dobecka (Polish)
Erika Menezes (Brazilian Portuguese)
Daria Frolova (Russian)
Laura Barriga (European Spanish)
Joana Ruvalcaba (Latin American Spanish)

Cosmetics
Cosmetic page
Quotes
Quotation page
Role
Damage
Health
300
Character Video

Mei is a Damage hero in Overwatch and Overwatch 2. She is one of the 21 heroes included in the game's release on 24 May 2016.

Overview

Mei’s weather-altering devices slow opponents and protect locations. Her Endothermic Blaster unleashes damaging icicles and frost streams, and she can Cryo-Freeze herself to guard against counterattacks, or obstruct the opposing team's movements with an Ice Wall.

Abilities

Role: Damage
Hero-ability-circle
OffenseIcon
Type
Passive Ability
Damaging an enemy temporarily reduces their healing received.
Duration:
2 seconds

Ability details:
  • Does not stack with itself or the passive from another damage role hero.
  • Stacks multiplicatively with other modifiers that affect healing received.
  • Objects that deal damage, such as turrets, may also apply the effect.
  • Self-damage does not apply the effect.


Endothermic Blaster
Key mouse 1
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-mei1
Type
Weapon (Primary Fire)
Effect Type
Beam Beam (projectile)
Blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
Blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
Affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Short-range spray weapon that slows enemies.
Damage:
5
Headshot:
Rate of fire:
20 shots/s
Ammo:
140
Reload time:
1.5 seconds animation
Duration:
0.6 seconds (slow)
Max. range:
10 meters
Movement slow:
-30%
Projectile speed:
20 m/s
Projectile radius:
0.555 meters
Mei’s blaster unleashes a concentrated, short-range stream of frost that damages and slows enemies.

Ability details:
  • Damage per second: 100 while firing (82.35 overall w/reload)


Endothermic Blaster Alt Fire
Key mouse 2
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-mei1
Type
Weapon (Secondary Fire)
Effect Type
Projectile Projectile
Blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
Blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
Affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Long-range icicle launcher.
Damage:
85
Headshot:
✓ (x2)
Rate of fire:
1 shot per 0.8 seconds
Ammo per shot:
10 per shot
Ammo:
120
Reload time:
1.5 seconds animation
Cast time:
0.4 seconds + 0.4 s. recovery for shoot
Spread angle:
None
Projectile speed:
115 meters per second
Projectile radius:
0.2 meters
Mei can also use her blaster to shoot icicle-like projectiles at medium range.

Ability details:
  • Damage per second: 93.75 while firing (83.33 overall w/reload)
  • Endothermic Blaster's alternate fire is also called "Icicle."
  • Recovery stops while using melee.


Cryo-Freeze
LSHIFT
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-mei2
12 seconds
Type
Ability
Become invulnerable and heal yourself.
Healing:
62.5 per second
Duration:
0.44 seconds min. duration
5 seconds max. duration
0.24 seconds recovery
Mei instantly surrounds herself with a block of thick ice. She heals and ignores damage while encased, but cannot move or use abilities.

Ability details:
  • Restores 15 ammo per second (max. 60).
  • The cooldown starts only after the effect wears off.
  • The ability can be cancelled prematurely.
  • Mei becomes completely invincible and is cleared of all status effects.
  • Mei can be lifted by Petal Platform Icon Petal Platform (allied or enemy) while in Cryo-Freeze.


Ice Wall
E
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-mei3
12 seconds
Type
Ability
Create a wall in front of you.
Health:
250 per pillar
5 pillars
Duration:
Up to 5 seconds
0.5 seconds recovery
Max. range:
25 meters
Area of effect:
3 meters height, 8 meters width
Mei generates an enormous ice wall that obstructs lines of sight, stops movement, and blocks attacks.

Ability details:
  • Can be manually destroyed by pressing the ability key again, including while dead.
  • Before casting, the Ice Wall's placement from the player's line of sight can be toggled from perpendicular to parallel by pressing the hotkey.
  • The cooldown starts immediately, not when the wall destroyed.
  • Ice Wall can be placed on Petal Platform Icon Petal Platform or payload.
    • Petal Platform Icon Petal Platform, however, cannot be placed on top of Ice Wall. It will bounce off and deploy on ground.
  • Ability is stationed wherever it's placed. So, if placed on top of a temporary or moving surface, like Payload, it will remain in midair, even after the surface expires or moves.
  • Tree of Life Icon Tree of Life destroys any pillar of Ice Wall if placed on it, and will also prevent pillars from rising if Ice Wall is placed intersecting an existing tree.


Blizzard
Q
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-mei4
1925 points
Type
Ultimate Ability
Effect Type
Arcing projectile Arcing projectile (initial cast)
Area of effect Area of effect (blizzard)
Blocked by barriers.
Ignores barriers.
!
Partially blocked by Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
Ignores Defense Matrix/Kinetic Grasp.
!
Partially blocked by Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Ignores Deflect/Javelin Spin.
Affected by damage boosts.
Ignores damage boosts.
!
Partially affected by Amplification Matrix.
Ignores Amplification Matrix.
Launch a weather control drone that freezes enemies in a wide area.
Damage:
20 per second
Headshot:
Cast time:
0.4 seconds (throw)
Duration:
4.25 seconds
Area of effect:
10 meters radius
Movement slow:
-40% (initial)
-20% per second (ramping)
-75% (max)
Projectile speed:
20 meters per second
Projectile radius:
None
Mei deploys a weather-modification drone that emits gusts of wind and snow in a wide area. Enemies caught in the blizzard are slowed and take damage; those who linger too long are frozen solid.

Ability details:
  • Damage per second: 20
    • Deals up to 85 damage over the duration
  • The first tick results in a 50% progress towards the freeze (also inflicts a 50% slow effect), then it continues at a rate of 20% per second (also slows at a rate of 20% per second). (The slow effect is capped at 75%.) At 100% or higher freeze progress, the very next tick freezes the target; therefore, it takes about 2 seconds in order to freeze.
  • Using Endothermic Blaster's primary fire greatly speeds up the freezing process.
  • Blizzard is line of sight blocked by terrain and terrain-like objects, such as Tree of Life Icon Tree of Life.
  • The drone can be placed on and lifted by Petal Platform Icon Petal Platform.
  • The projectile can be destroyed while in air by Ability-dva3 Defense Matrix, Abilities-sigma3 Kinetic Grasp and Ability JavelinSpin Javelin Spin and reflected by Ability-genji2 Deflect before turning into AoE.
  • Baptiste-ability4 Amplification Matrix affects all damage dealt, if the projectile passes through it. Area damage alone going through is not amplified.


Hero-specific options

Setting name Options Description
Hide Cryo-Freeze timer Off (default) Cancel text UI element is displayed to the left of the crosshair.
On Cancel text UI element is hidden.
Hide Cryo-Freeze cancel text Off (default) Cancel text UI element is displayed to the left of the crosshair.
On Cancel text UI element is hidden.
Hold to use Cryo-Freeze Off (default) Cryo-Freeze deactivates when player presses the button again.
On Cryo-Freeze deactivates when player stops holding the button.
Ice Wall confirmation input Primary Fire (default) Ice Wall is activated by pressing Ability 2 then Primary Fire. Secondary Fire to cancel. Ability 2 to rotate.
Secondary Fire Ice Wall is activated by pressing Ability 2 then Secondary Fire. Primary Fire to cancel. Ability 2 to rotate.
Ability 2 press Ice Wall is activated by pressing Ability 2 twice. Secondary Fire to cancel. Primary Fire to rotate.
Ability 2 release Ice Wall is activated by pressing and releasing Ability 2. Secondary Fire to cancel. Primary Fire to rotate.
Default Ice Wall rotation Horizontal Ice Wall is deployed perpendicular to the direction the player is facing by default.
Vertical Ice Wall is deployed along the direction the player is facing by default.

Strategy

Mei is a fighter who is good in 1-on-1 fights. Her slowing effect from Endothermic Blaster will give her an advantage with most fights. Icicle deals heavy damage when used correctly, making her a threat at both short and long ranges. Ice Wall can be used to trap or distract the enemy, as it can completely block the enemy's vision, or split some of the enemies from the others. Mei's Cryo-Freeze creates thick ice around herself, restoring her health and rendering her invulnerable, allowing her to play like a semi-tank. Blizzard is a very strong Ultimate, able to turn the tide of battle when used correctly. Not being a true tank, Mei can still be outdamaged and killed easily. Her primary fire deals moderate damage. Due to lacking raw killing power and mobility tools, playing Mei well is challenging.

Weapons & Abilities

  • Endothermic Blaster: Mei's primary weapon. The primary fire, when held down, launches a beam that will deal continuous damage on the enemy. Affected targets will move slower. The secondary fire will launch an icicle-projectile on a linear trajectory, consuming more ammo than primary fire but dealing heavy damage. Icicle has a short cast time, making it a bit harder to hit moving targets.
    • The Endothermic Blaster's two firing modes make a simple combo. Slow the target with primary fire at close-range, then launch an Icicle at the enemy's head. This combo will kill most non-tank heroes.
    • The primary fire deals moderate damage per second compared to other stream-type weapons.
    • The primary fire of Mei's weapon has travel time, meaning that she has to lead the target when firing on a moving enemy.
    • The first hit will create an initial slowing effect on the enemy, which is useful to slow a mobile hero.
    • The slowing effect only influences standard movement speed, not movement abilities. Enemies like Tracer, Genji, Junkrat, or Pharah will be able to quickly escape Mei's attack unless their movement ability is on cooldown.
    • While Icicle no longer has a damage falloff restriction, keep in mind that fighting mid- to long-range hitscan heroes is unfavorable due to their high damage at maximum range.
  • Cryo-Freeze: Mei's personal defensive ability. She will create a thick ice coating around herself which makes her invulnerable, but immobile for 4 seconds. She will ignore most debuffs and recover health while the skill is active (150 total if the full duration is used), and the ice will disappear after the end of the duration. Mei can manually cancel this ability early.
    • Cooldown triggers after the Cryo-Freeze ends.
    • Mei acts as an obstacle during Cryo-Freeze, which can prevent some abilities from going through her to affect her allies, such as Reinhardt's Earth Shatter, Roadhog's Hook, or D.Va's Self-Destruct.
    • Instead of using the full duration, it can be useful to use Cryo-Freeze in a short burst to avoid damage (like from D.Va's self-destruct) and then cancel it. It's also useful to cancel Cryo-Freeze early if you want to only heal a small amount of damage and start your cooldown timer or rejoin a fight as soon as possible.
    • Combined with Ice Wall, good timing can allow Mei to survive in many situations, even when outnumbered.
  • Ice Wall: When activated, Mei will create a wall of five ice pillars at the targeted location. By re-pressing the ability button, she can switch the wall's orientation between side-to-side and front-to-back. The wall will be generated upon pressing normal attack, becoming an obstructing object which can block all line of sight for allies and enemies alike. Ice Wall can be ended several ways; it can be destroyed by enemies or a moving payload, its duration can expire, and Mei can melt it herself with the ability button.
    • Use Ice Wall with care, the downside is that it completely blocks Mei's allies as well as her enemies. Beware of cutting your own allies off from support or retreat.
    • Each pillar has its own health. While most heroes can fit between them when only 1 is destroyed, some (like Reinhardt or D.Va's mech) are too big to fit.
    • Mei cannot cancel her Ice Wall while stunned.
  • Blizzard (Ultimate): Mei's Ultimate ability. Mei deploys her drone at the targeted point. The drone will travel toward the point as a slow projectile with a small arc. After the drone is on the ground, it will unleash the frostbite and wind in a wide area. The storm will deal some damage and slow the enemy's movement speed. If the enemy lingers in the area for 2.5 seconds, they will become frozen solid for some time.
    • As a projectile, Blizzard can be countered by D.Va's Defense Matrix and Genji's Deflect.
    • The drone can go through an enemy's Barrier.
    • While the Blizzard has very large area, it doesn't go through environment objects (even though the visual effect does). It still goes through the enemy's obstructing abilities, like Mei's Ice Wall.
    • The storm has a surprisingly high vertical area, so even heroes like Pharah will have trouble escaping vertically.

General strategies

  • Mei is a great fighter in 1-on-1 match-ups. Her Endothermic Blaster can slow the enemy and finish it with an Icicle projectile. She can block the enemy's attempt to escape by placing Ice Wall to block the escape route. However, she has low killing power against groups of enemies, since her Icicle has a cast time.
  • If you are surrounded, a Cryo-Freeze and/or a well-placed Ice Wall can get you out of many sticky situations. Placing an ice wall beneath yourself allows you to quickly dodge an attack, or retreat to cover while the enemy navigates around the new obstacle.
  • Icicle's long cast time can make it difficult to hit moving opponents, though as a projectile, it can be used as suppressing fire against targets in cover.
  • Mei's Icicle projectile is a viable long-range weapon, and can be used in combination with Ice Wall to disable or distract snipers; however, fights against heroes with accurate long-ranged attacks still won't be in her favor.
  • Mei's Ice Wall is her key ability. It can be dangerous to the enemy team when used correctly. It's most effective when she communicates with her teammates before setting up her Ice Wall, as it can backfire on her team when used in the wrong time or place.
  • Mei can use the Ice Wall to block off enemies from leaving spawn at the beginning of the game, giving some extra time to hold them away from objectives. It can also be used to split the enemy team in half, ideally allowing your team to fight two consecutive 6 versus 3 fights, rather than engage in a 6 versus 6.
  • A well placed Ice Wall can be used to disable or block certain Ultimates, such as Reinhardt's Earthshatter, which will not contact the ground when Reinhardt is on top of the Ice Wall.
  • Since Ice Wall and Cryo-Freeze's cooldown timers start after the effect ends, Mei can shield herself with Cryo-Freeze to stay safe while Ice Wall's timer counts down.
  • Be ready to melt your Ice Wall if it becomes a disadvantage to your team. (Press the Ice Wall ability button again to destroy it. This can be done even if you are dead.)
  • Mei can afford to be more aggressive than other Damage heroes due to her higher hit points and defensive abilities. She excels at pushing payloads, since the payload can carry an ice wall with it.
  • If Mei is guaranteed to die soon and only has Cryo-Freeze to defend herself, don't use it. You'll only give the enemy more Ultimate charge with those extra hit points, and delay your own respawn by a few seconds.
  • Blizzard is a powerful Ultimate that can freeze enemies in very large area. However, it needs 2.5 seconds to successfully freeze the enemy, which won't be enough against enemies with good movement abilities or who are near the edge of the AoE. Try to combo with more immediately-effective movement-impairing Ultimates from teammates such as Zarya's Graviton Surge or Reinhardt's Earthshatter, so she can guarantee a successful freeze more easily. You can also use Ice Wall to block an enemy from escaping in one direction. You can also briefly use her primary fire at the start of her Ultimate, which will slow the enemy even faster, helping to prevent escape (though it won't cause them to freeze faster).
  • You should mainly use Mei’s Cryo-Freeze to bait enemy abilities, such as Cassidy’s flashbang, Ana’s sleep dart or biotic grenade or Roadhog’s hook. This gives Mei the upper advantage in 1v1 fights, as many heroes are reliant on their abilities to defend themselves from Mei, usually giving Mei an easy kill. You should only use Cryo-Freeze to heal yourself when absolutely necessary.

Match-Ups and Team Synergy

Tank

Hero Match-Up Team Synergy
Icon-dva
D.Va
D.Va's Defense Matrix can't block your Endothermic Blaster's slowing. If a D.Va does try to approach you or your team, you should make her a slowing priority while also positioning yourself to shoot her cockpit, which serves as her critical hit area while in her Mech. Be ready for D.Va to use her Boosters to attempt to flee from you; if you can hit her with an Icicle or two while she's flying off, you might be able to destroy her Mech before she can regroup with her team. You can also use your Ice Wall to block off her retreat and force her to keep fighting you. If D.Va uses Self-Destruct, you can use Cryo-Freeze to protect yourself, or you can use Ice Wall to protect your team (and yourself if you're with them). Watch out for D.Va when getting ready to use Blizzard, as that's one of the few things her Defense Matrix can negate from you. D.va Can be considered a main damage dealer, so helping her to get on flanks without her boosters is crucial for team synergy. If necessary, Give D.va a high ground to dive in from, especially for self destruct.
Icon-doomfist
Doomfist
Doomfist is an easy target, with his cooldowns for his mobility high. If he dives into you, he is rendered useless, considering he already used Seismic Slam to get to your back lines. An ice wall or 2 can easily negate his Primary fire and his punch, he is usually a bad pick against Mei. If you hear Doomfist during his Ultimate, then wait for the Marker to show where he's landing. Don't use Cryo-Freeze immediately and wait until he's reached the ground to immediately Unfreeze. His block, on the other hand, negates your Secondary fire, so don't get too greedy. You can get him to an easier vantage point with your Ice wall, and making it so the more distance he is from the ground, the more damage he gets from Seismic Slam.
Icon-Junker Queen
Junker Queen
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-orisa
Orisa
Even though Orisa's fortify will nullify your slowing Debuff, Orisa can still be headshotted,and to actually slow her, try baiting out fortify with headshots, wall off her escape route, and try closing in with your team. If she uses Terrasurge, you need to use Cryofreeze, or Ice Wall yourself up to safety. Blizzard can be paired with Terra Surge. Orisa's pulls enemies to the center (which is her) and with Blizzard, will become frozen and unable to survive the impact damage.
Icon-Ramattra
Ramattra
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-reinhardt
Reinhardt
Reinhardt's high health will allow him to survive multiple Icicle headshots. Both of you will struggle to kill each other due to your respective survival abilities. Although you can't attack Reinhardt through his barrier, you can still throw Blizzard behind it; as his team will often be hiding behind him, this could result in you freezing a good bulk of his team at once. Splitting him from his team with Ice Wall is also an option if you're trying to kill him. Be ready to quickly use either Cryo-Freeze or Ice Wall to defend yourself and your team from his Charge or Earthshatter. If Reinhardt's shield breaks, then Using an Ice wall to give him time will be more than enough for him to get some regeneration in, along with a break for a second for everyone else to reload.
Icon-roadhog
Roadhog
Should you and Roadhog end up in a fight with no team assistance, it will often result in a stalemate. Your Cryo-Freeze will help you withstand his Chain Hook combo and your Ice Walls can keep you safe from his attacks; meanwhile, he can use Take a Breather to restore any damage he takes from your Icicle headshots. You should try to smartly use Cryo-Freeze and Ice Wall to gradually disengage from Roadhog and regroup with your team. If you can place an Ice Wall in front of him during Whole Hog, his Ultimate will be less effective. Roadhog's low mobility also makes him an easy target to get stuck in your Blizzard. If you get Roadhog onto high ground, he can disrupt the enemy team, and possibly hook someone onto your team's frontline so your DPS can finish them off
Icon-sigma
Sigma
Sigma is a hard matchup, considering the moving barrier, but his Kinetic grasp will do nothing against your primary fire. be warned if you throw Blizzard at him, though, as he can and will negate snowball from touching the ground. His Kinetic Grasp also negates headshots, but doesn't negate the slowing effect. Just like most other shield characters, letting an Ice wall up after his barrier was broken allows him to regenerate his shield and protect your team one more. If you both use your Ultimates, It is a deadly combo that can solo many heroes and turn the tide of the game.
Icon-wrecking ball
Wrecking Ball
If Wrecking Ball comes into flank, he has high mobility when he's grappled, but he's slow in every other way. He makes a prime slowing target, since he is a tank, and can easily be melted by the rest of your team. Proximity mines are easy to clear with Blizzard as well, so try making that apriority if you think we will use them. Wrecking ball can easily generate fire from ice wall, and definitely could use the high ground for him to smash the enemy to bits. Blizzard can be paired with Minefield as frozen targets can be blown up easily by his proximity mines.
Icon-winston
Winston
Winston's Tesla Cannon will barely chip away at your higher than average health. While it's hard to escape from him, he'll have difficulty killing you if you use your abilities wisely. As long as you make sure he isn't protected by his Barrier Projector, his large size makes him an easy target for your Endothermic Blaster. Be careful of his Primal Rage Ultimate, though; if you're knocked off a cliff, you'll have no way to save yourself. Winston can be a powerful ally, as his electricity, does sadly, not stack with your slowing, but he can stille deal high damage output with you in tow,considering that your slow will take effect instead of his, making it so any enemy you face together will probably melt.
Icon-zarya
Zarya
Zarya's Particle Barrier will completely blocks the slowing effect and damage of Endothermic blaster while increasing her own damage output. A fully charged Zarya can chase you down and kill you very quickly, especially if you are alone, as the cooldown for Particle Barrier is shorter than that of Cryo-Freeze. Use smart Ice Wall deployments to keep Zarya at a distance while retreating or waiting for backup to arrive. When Zarya's barrier is on cooldown, you can frustrate and weaken her by slowing her; you should still be using this opportunity to retreat, though, as it will be difficult to kill her before she thaws out. Giving her a moment of clarity with Ice wall can definitely las long enough so she can use another barrier on herself, making it so she can generate charge faster and faster. Her Graviton Surge makes a great partner with Blizzard, allowing for most, if not all players in her Ultimate be frozen, allowing your team to dogpile and eliminate all of them.

Damage

Hero Match-Up Team Synergy
Icon-ashe
Ashe
With Ashe being a scoped sniper, she will primarily stay in one place. If she is focusing on another person, headshot her and she will be easily eliminated. She does lots of damage up close though, and if you are lit on fire, then Cryo Freeze can cleanse you, even for just a second, to keep slowing her down. If she uses Coach Gun, try predicting where she will move next so a body shot, or a headshot can finish her before she can fall back, or Use an Ice wall to stop her movement if she id moving horizontally WIth Ashe, using an ice wall to get to higher ground for her is a top priority for a scoped sniper. If you coordinate with your ashe, She can place Bob where your Ice Wall is, making some awesome damage in the process
Icon-bastion
Bastion
While Ice Wall can be quickly destroyed by Bastion's massive fire rate, it provides time for you and your team to try to advance and flank Bastion around the wall. With the right distractions, a single Icicle into Bastion's weak spot is enough to put it at dangerously low health, nearly enough to melee it to death. Despite this, Bastion can still overpower you if you are its sole focus, or if you give it a chance to heal by entering Cryo-Freeze yourself, so never engage Bastion alone. If Bastion is set up in a hunkered-down position, a Blizzard can easily ensnare him and any nearby allies, rendering them easy pickings. Using him to get to higher ground, or covering him during his ultimate, he is definitely a top pick for getting him inot position. Other than that, he isn't all that for synergizing with Mei.
Icon-Cassidy
Cassidy
While you and Cassidy have similar, adaptable styles of play, your focus on close range anti-mobility makes you a liability against Cassidy's mid-range shots and higher overall damage output. At long ranges, you can deal much higher poke damage with your secondary fire as it does not have damage falloff, unlike Cassidy's Peacekeeper. While you dominate at short range, a grenade into a Fan the Hammer can bring you to the brink of death, if not kill you. If Cassidy gets you with his combo, be ready to quickly use Cryo-Freeze to heal the damage you've taken and to stop him from following up and quickly killing you. Once you're at higher health, if Cassidy is alone, you may be able to slow and headshot him before he can kill you or get his grenade back. You can harass Cassidy with ice walls, limiting his range and potentially wasting his Deadeye Ultimate if it's in use, but this is rarely effective in the long run. If you can make it so Cassidy is on a high place during Dead-eye, then he can easily pick off any squishy character. Slowing targets down makes it easier for him to headshot the enemy.
Icon-echo
Echo
With her sticky Bombs as her main for of damage, it's easy for her to be rendered useless, and can be picked off easily if the Enemy is greedy. If she transforms into you, (See Match-Up Mei). Until she is back to her original self. Her most useful ability, is her flight, but if she is slowed down enough, and is blocked by Ice wall, then she is useless and can be eliminated easily. With Echo, having a higher vantage point for her to start her ascent is crucial. Paired with blizzard, her sticky bombs can be a huge threat.
Icon-genji
Genji
Genji's greatest strengths are his mobility and close range damage, both of which fall apart due to Mei's slowing ability at close range. While both your Icicle and Blizzard Ultimate can be Deflected, your Endothermic Blaster's primary fire can only be blocked and your Ultimate's area of effect damage cannot be blocked nor deflected. Ice Wall can be used to trap Genji in small rooms where he can't dodge effectively. Genji's only advantage is his ability to use Swift Strike or Cyber-Agility to quickly escape from Blizzard or being blocked in larger passages. If Genji is heckling you or your teammates, make him a priority to slow and kill. For Genji, Mei can deploy and Ice wall for his Cyber Agility passive, allowing him to scale more ground and flank easier. Also, A good Blizzard and a Dragon blade work pretty well.
Icon-hanzo
Hanzo
Hanzo's range advantage and vertical mobility allows him to avoid you entirely by setting up on high roofs or overhangs and firing at you from a distance that your Icicles won't be able to accurately reach. On the other hand, Ice Wall can allow you and your team to approach Hanzo, and though it gives him a clear idea of where to place a Sonic Arrow, it can still give you enough time to close and execute him. Be ready for Hanzo to attempt a Lunge to escape your range; so long as you keep your Endothermic Blaster on him, you should be able to finish him off. Hanzo's vertical agility makes him a perfect candidate for an Ice wall for him to scale to get him to high ground, allowing him to snipe targets from above with ease.
Icon-junkrat
Junkrat
Junkrat's Frag Grenades are deadly as you have no evasive ability or ability to move to higher ground other than placing an Ice Wall under your feet. Ice Wall can block his grenades, but he can easily destroy it or choose to fire grenades in another direction (such as over the wall). While immobile in Cryo-Freeze, Junkrat is capable of placing his Concussion Mine and/or a Steel Trap right next to you, allowing for easy damage or immobilization. If you attempt to slow Junkrat in close-range combat, his Frag Grenades can make short work of you, or conversely he can use Concussion Mine to make a quick getaway. Try to deal with Junkrat in long-range combat if you can, since your long-range capabilities are far stronger than his. If you must fight him in close-quarters, stick to your team and let them take the lead against him. Junkrat's Rip-tire can scale Mei's Ice wall. for better vertical coverage.
Icon-mei
Mei
Cryo-Freeze plays a large role when engaging Mei in close-range. Which Cryo-Freeze can gradually nullify the slowing effect from the enemy Mei, the fight will be decided by who is using Cryo-Freeze. After Cryo-Freeze ends, Mei can be easily killed if her Ice Wall is on cooldown. In long range, a headshot from Icicle is deadly; act evasive while shooting Icicles at the enemy, bobbing and weaving out of cover to avoid the enemy Mei's shots. If the fight is turning in her favor, use Ice Wall to block her field of vision and flee. If you have another Mei on your team, consecutive Blizzards are the key for destroying the enemy's defenses.
Icon-pharah
Pharah
Pharah is a strong counter to Mei because of her long-range, high damage rockets and aerial mobility, with allow her to utilize hit-and-run tactics, peaking above buildings or other obstacles to fire and returning to cover to avoid your Icicles. Pharah is also usually too high or far away to touch with Endothermic Blaster; given the chance, if you can lead your shot well, you can snipe Pharah out of the air, but with your poor firing rate, this will often leave you vulnerable in the open for Pharah's rockets and Concussive Blasts. An Ice Wall is all but completely useless against your flying opponent, potentially even granting Pharah further cover if used poorly. Blizzard will only be useful if Pharah is somehow grounded while she's waiting for Jump Jet to cool down; while this is unlikely to happen, you should take advantage of the occasion should it arise. Having Phara get more Vertical Mobility with a well placed ice wall can have Pharah stay n the air longer, making her very useful to prioritize.
Icon-reaper
Reaper
Because of his brutally strong close-range damage, Reaper will often consider you easy prey. However, in practice, Reaper may not be able to finish you off, and his lack of mobility makes him easily trapped by Ice Walls. While he can use Wraith Form to escape your slowing effect, you can go right back to slowing him once he materializes, and you can take that time to heal yourself with Cryo-Freeze if you wish, or create an Ice Wall to block him off from you and your team. Furthermore, your Icicles grant you a much higher damage output at any other range, and good flanking tactics will often cause Reaper to waste Wraith Form prematurely. Ultimately, while Reaper can rush you for a quick kill, you can easily counter most of Reaper's combat and escape tactics. If you can be sneaky with Reaper, and place a stealthy ice wall while flanking, thank can work in wondrous ways, having a vertical advantage for Death Blossom can be very Vital for a sneak attack.
Icon-Sojourn
Sojourn
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-Soldier 76
Soldier: 76
By nullifying his mobility and overpowering him at most ranges, you will typically find Soldier: 76 to be an easy target. However, he can easily Sprint out of your Endothermic Blaster's range if he hasn't been hit by it yet, and while your Icicles are powerful at a distance, his Heavy Pulse Rifle is far more consistent at dealing damage to you. If at any point you use Cryo-Freeze, Soldier: 76 will be able to escape to his ideal range or heal up with Biotic Field to continue the chase. Always try to finish off Soldier: 76 if he enters your range, otherwise use Ice Walls and cover to avoid his attacks. (To be added)
Icon-sombra
Sombra
You'll be in trouble if Hacked by a Sombra, losing both your Cryo-Freeze and Ice Wall defensive tools. While you tend to have the advantage at close range due to your Endothermic Blaster's slowing, with proper timing, Sombra can usually escape being slowed with her Translocator. While your high fire-rate may make you ideal for canceling Sombra's Stealth, you'll never hit her unless she's invisible directly in front of you. Your best bet to stop Sombra from Hacking you is to either quickly enter Cryo-Freeze or deploy an Ice Wall to cut off her view of you. (To be added)
Icon-symmetra
Symmetra
Symmetra's Sentry Turrets can be deadly, as your only means of killing them are with Icicles one at a time, and if you're caught by a cluster of them, you could end up dead before you destroy them all, let alone if Symmetra shows up to check on her nest. If you catch Symmetra without her Sentry Turrets, though, you'll have the upper hand with your Endothermic Blaster so long as you weave in and out of her Photon Projector. If Symmetra drops a Teleporter behind you, you won't be able to destroy it before an entire enemy team comes out; instead, drop an Ice Wall so you can retreat and group up with your team or, if you're feeling extra devious, drop a Blizzard as soon as her whole team emerges. (To be added)
Icon-torbjörn
Torbjörn
Blocking Torbjörn's Turret with Ice Wall can allow your team to safely move forward without worrying about it. You can also pelt the Turret from a distance with Icicles while hiding behind cover to avoid the Turret's counterattack. If you run into Torbjörn himself, don't underestimate his Rivet Gun. His shotgun fire will tear you apart and force you to use Cryo-Freeze, especially when he has Overload active. Should you blizzard Torbjörn while he's using Overload, he will most likely survive the following Icicle headshot, so be ready to drop an Ice Wall and escape./small> (To be added)
Icon-tracer
Tracer
Between Tracer's low health, very close effective range, and mobility-dependent play, most of her tactics when fighting you will revolve around running away and hoping she doesn't get an Icicle through the brain. Though she has a small hitbox, flicking your view her way will often land an Icicle hit, instantly killing her if it's a headshot. You may have some trouble landing consistent Endothermic Blaster hits, but once you start effecting her with your slowing, you should have no trouble keeping Tracer under control unless she has a Blink ready. Even if she escapes you, though, Tracer will almost never be able to kill you without being killed first. If Tracer hits you with her Pulse Bomb, quickly go into Cryo-Freeze to survive its explosion. (To be added)
Icon-widowmaker
Widowmaker
As Widowmaker usually remains well out of the range of your Endothermic Blaster, Widowmaker can pick you off in relative safety. However, your Ice Wall can annoy Widowmaker by blocking off her sights, forcing her to either wait it out or move to another sniping location. When Ice Wall is on cooldown, always hide in corridors and behind cover to avoid Widowmaker's fire. If you catch Widowmaker at close-range when her Grappling Hook is on cooldown, you can easily kill her.

Tank Heroes

(To be added)

Support

Hero Match-Up Team Synergy
Icon-ana
Ana
Ana will usually stay behind the enemy lines and far out of your effective range. Her Biotic Grenade will nullify your Cryo-Freeze's healing; if you're hit by it, use Ice Walls to protect yourself instead until the effect wars off. When Ana Nano-Boosts an opponent try to use Ice Wall to block the Nano-Boosted hero from attacking your team, potentially wasting a good amount of Nano-Boost's duration. Ice Wall can also split the enemy team from Ana, making her or her team easy targets. If you can sneak up on Ana at close-range, if she fails to hit you with Sleep Dart, you can easily kill her. (To be added)
Icon-baptiste
Baptiste
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-brigitte
Brigitte
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-Kiriko
Kiriko
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-Lifeweaver
Lifeweaver
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-lúcio
Lúcio
Lúcio can keep you away from his team and himself with Soundwave. Other than that, Lúcio will have a lot of difficulty killing you outside of pushing you into an environmental kill. His speed will be negated by Endothermic Blaster's slowing effect, making him a prime target to slow down and kill. His Amp It Up can sometimes help his teammate survive from your headshots or help them escape you with a speed boost. Don't worry too much if Lúcio uses Sound Barrier in response to Blizzard; any frozen enemies will still be easy targets regardless of how much health they have. (To be added)
Icon-mercy
Mercy
If you catch Mercy out on her own, consider her a primary target, as she is practically defenseless against you. Mercy will try to use Guardian Angel to flee from you; while her flying speed with Guardian Angel won't be slowed by your primary fire, as long as you keep tabs on where she's flying, you should have little difficulty finishing her off. You have few means of pursuing or flanking Mercy, though, meaning unless Mercy is out of position, you'll need to ambush her from side routes or by getting above her/blocking her escape route with Ice Wall. Keep in mind that the healing from Mercy's Caduceus Staff will outheal her ally from Mei's Icicle headshot, so targeting Mercy should always be prioritized over her patient. (To be added)
Icon-moira
Moira
(To be added) (To be added)
Icon-zenyatta
Zenyatta
Even with his low mobility, don't underestimate Zenyatta. His Orb of Discord can help him or an ally kill you before you can finish him off. You should be able to slow him before shooting him in the head. Both of you have long range projectiles, but your Icicles suffer more from damage falloff. Fighting Zenyatta in long range will usually end in Zenyatta's favor due to his incredible fire power and Orb of Discord. Try to kill Zenyatta before using Blizzard, otherwise he can simply use Trancendence to protect his team while they are vulnerable. (To be added)


Story

Icon-mei
"Our World Is Worth Fighting For."

Cheerful, creative, and optimistic, even in the face of overwhelming odds,[3] Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou is a world-renowned climatologist[4] who has taken the fight to preserve the environment into her own hands.[5] She specializes in the study of abnormal climate phenomena and their effects on different ecosystems around the world. She strongly believes in preserving the world for future generations,[6] and is determined to fight for a better future.[4] While originally just a scientist, Winston's recall order has inspired her to heroism.[7]

Mei is a fan of Lúcio's music.[8]

Early Research

Studying climate phenomena, I've run into some pretty obstinate anti-intellectualists, but you might be the worst. You can argue with me, but you can't argue with data! And the data says...you're incredibly annoying!
~ Mei loses her 'cool'

Mei was friends with Jiayi in grad school. According to Mei, she and Jiayi "had a lot of fun in grad school. Maybe too much."[9]

During her years in climatology, Mei encountered a number of "obstinate anti-intellectualists." At some point, she attended a climatology conference.[8] She introduced cutting-edge innovations in the field of climate manipulation that protected at-risk areas in Asia and beyond.[5]

Ecopoint: Antarctica

A little bit about me: my name is Mei (yes, that Mei!), and I specialize in abnormal climate phenomena and their effects on different ecosystems around the world. I know that sounds really boring, but I'll do my best to make it entertaining!
~ Mei in her journal

Though many blamed the planet's escalating, unexplained climate phenomena on the advent of new technologies, the rapidly growing omnic population, and drastically increased consumption of resources, the true cause remained unknown. To find a solution, Overwatch established a series of eco-Watchpoints at remote, critical locations worldwide.

Mei-RiseShine

Mei makes a recording before entering cryo

Mei was a member of this multi-year initiative. A peerless climatologist, she was assigned to the program's monitoring station at Watchpoint: Antarctica.[5] An atmospheric anomaly above Antarctica was the basis of the base's research,[10] but then, disaster struck: a sudden, catastrophic polar storm battered the installation and cut it off from the outside world, leaving the facility damaged and the scientists stranded. As their supplies dwindled, they entered cryostasis in a last-ditch effort to survive until a rescue attempt could be made.[5] Before entering cryo, Mei made a recording, anticipating waking up and finding a wealth of data to examine (as she left the sensors on).[10]

Rise and Shine

Mei-RiseShine2

Mei wakes up

Nine years passed before Mei woke up,[10] not a physical day older due to being in cryo.[11] Her cryo pod was reactivated once the base received an external message, albeit too weak to properly display on the base's terminals. Alongside Snowball (the base's droid), she got dressed, made tea, and looked at the data she'd collected, discovering that the anomaly was much worse than predicted. Snowball revealed that she'd been in stasis for nine years, much to her horror; surely Overwatch would have come for them in that time. She tried to communicate with the outside world, but the comms were down. The base however, had accumulated news reports over the years the comms were active, which revealed that in the interim, the Ecopoint had been considered lost in the ice storm, and Overwatch had been shut down. No one knew they were here. It was at this point that she began to wonder where her fellow researchers were, and rushed back to the cryo-chamber. She discovered that all of the pods bar her own had malfunctioned, and as a result, they had perished. She broke down crying, alone in the base, with only Snowball for company. She promised to get the data they'd collected to the world. Or at least try.

Mei-RiseShine3

Mei looks up at the dish

Mei headed outside. However, the dish was broken (which prevented any outgoing transmissions), the base's vehicles were incapacitated, and looking out across the vast Antarctic landscape quickly discouraged any thoughts of hiking out. She went back inside, faced with isolation (bar Snowball), and the knowledge that the base's power wouldn't last indefinitely. She noticed the transmission that had been sent earlier, one that was being sent over Overwatch's emergency frequency. Perhaps someone knew they were here, but to find out, they'd need to reinforce the radio tower so she could climb it and access the dish. Over the next several days, Mei scavenged material to build an endothermic blaster and a makeshift antenna. She nearly completed it, but it was at this point that the base's last battery gave out. Snowball sacrificed his own power to recharge Mei's workstation, and as such, she was able to finish the blaster. Through it, she was able to use its ice properties to climb the tower and get to the dish. Using her antenna, she discovered that the message had been sent from Winston, urging Overwatch's former agents to get back together to face the troubles facing their world. Mei decided to answer the call. Before leaving, she paid her final respects to her friends before taking a sled of supplies, and hiked across the Antarctic landscape with confidence. To her joy, she found that Snowball (whom she'd taken with her) had regained his power, thanks to a portable solar panel she had taken with her.[10]

A New World

People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I miss Antarctica. Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was lonely. But the scenery... I've never seen anything like it! There's a mountain range called Wolf's Jaw, in Queen Maud Land...Stone spikes, thousands of feet high, jutting from that featureless white expanse...That was Captain Opara's favorite place. Some day, when this is all over, I want to go back.
~ Mei reflecting on her time in Antarctica
Mei-RiseShine4

Mei and Snowball leave the base

Mei found herself awakened to a world that had undergone considerable changes. Not only was Overwatch no more, but the serious climate issues had worsened, and none of the eco-watchpoints were in operation. Any clues that they had uncovered were lost.[5]

Having received Winston's recall order, Mei travelled to Watchpoint: Gibraltar, where she met Winston and Tracer (who had rejoined Overwatch). She decided to continue her climatology work.[12] Winston suggested she start writing a journal, telling her that people would find her "unique" perspective interesting.[6] Equipped with a portable version of her climate-manipulation technology, she traveled around the world, hoping to re-establish the eco-network and track down the causes of the threats to the planet's ecosystem.[5]

Despite her ordeal in Antarctica, she still missed the continent, and hoped to return to it someday.[8]

New Journeys

Someday, I'm going to finally travel the world. Got any tips?
Travel light, but you never know when you're going to need more socks. And underwear. And shirts. And pants.
~ D.Va and Mei

Note: The following events aren't necessarily in chronological order.

The Arctic

At some point Mei rescued a nest of endangered Arctic wildlife from a collapsing glacier using her technology. Her deeds were reported on by Olympia Shaw.[13]

Mei's Adventures

So I'm starting this journal. Honestly, I'm not sure who's going to want to read this. It was the idea of my colleague, Winston. He thinks that people will find my "unique" perspective interesting. (We'll see if he's right!) At the very least, it'll help me pass the time, and believe me, when you're huddled in a shelter and it's -20° C outside (brrrr!), you have a lot of time to kill. (And 雪球 (Snowball) isn't the greatest conversationalist.)
~ Mei's first journal entry

Mei made her first journal entry and made it available to the public while in the Yukon near Mount Logan, while testing her new gear. She concluded that it was in working order (a step up from a few days ago, when she'd accidentally frozen her arm), and began studying the local wildlife. Six days later, she decided to head to Asia, to investigate the abandoned Overwatch stations there. Before doing so, she took a break by flying into Los Angeles to see Six-Gun Killer. Two days after that, she was in Asia, investigating a mountain ecosystem[6] (possibly the Himalayas).[14]

One of her avid readers was D.Va, who was fascinated with all the different places Mei has seen as the young mech pilot was not able to freely travel herself.[15]

Holiday Season

White Christmas! Massive winter storm hits England!
~ Mei, in a television interview with Atlas News
Mei-reflections

Mei reports for Atlas News

During the winter holiday season, Mei reported on a massive snowstorm that was hitting London on Atlas News.[16]

Null Sector Invasion

Zero Hour

Winston?
What's on your mind, Mei?
Do...do we have enough people for this mission?
As long as we stick together, we'll be fine.
~ Mei and Winston before landing
Mei-ZH

Mei and Snowball aboard the Orca

When Null Sector attacked Paris, Mei put her journey on hold.[12] She teamed up with Winston and Tracer as they flew in the Orca to engage the attacking omnics. Mei expressed doubt that the three of them would be enough to defend the city. Winston told her that as long as they stuck together, they'd be fine. Landing, they engaged the omnics. Winston told Mei to get the civilians to the Orca, but before she could do that, a Titan made its presence known. It fired missiles followed by a laser, the latter of which destroyed the Orca and ruptured the utilities beneath the street, causing a chain reaction of explosions. Mei used her blaster to create an ice wall, protecting the civilians, but was left exposed and injured in the resulting blast. Out of options, Winston told Oxton to get Mei out of there, while he held the omnics off, despite Mei's weak protest that Winston had earlier said that they'd stick together.

Mei-ZH2

Mei readies the cryo-bomb

As it turned out, Winston didn't need to sacrifice himself, as other Overwatch members joined the fight. One of them was Angela Ziegler, who healed Mei's injuries, getting her on her feet again. That said, there was still the matter of the Titan. At Winston's suggestion, Mei's backpack (the one which powered her blaster) after some adjustments by Mei was combined with one of Oxton's pulse bombs acting as a time delayed detonator. Oxton was able to get inside the Titan to deliver the improvised explosive, freezing the Titan, which subsequently shattered under its own brittle weight. The battle won, Oxton introduced Mei to the newly arrived Overwatch members. Winston declared that Overwatch had indeed returned.[17]

Rio

You're with me. We're getting aboard that ship.
~ Reinhardt to Tracer and Mei
ReinhardtTracerMei

The Overwatch operatives before moving out

As it turned out, Paris was the first of numerous locations attacked by Null Sector. One of them was Rio de Janeiro. Alongside Oxton, Reinhardt Wilhelm, and Lúcio, Mei fought her way through the city streets to the omnics' command ship.[18]

Toronto

Mei and the rest of Overwatch arrived in Toronto in response to Null Sector's invasion of the city.D.Va and other Overwatch members arrived in Toronto when the city was invaded by Null Sector.[19]

Achievements

Name Icon Description Reward
Ice Blocked
Ability-mei3 Block 1000 damage with a single use of Mei's Ice Wall in Quick or Competitive play.
Spray Mei Pixel
Pixel
Cold Snap
Ability-mei4 Freeze 4 enemies at once with Mei in Quick or Competitive play.
Spray Mei Cute
Cute

Trivia

  • The name Mei-Ling translates to "beautiful" and "spirit" in Chinese, and thus together "beautiful spirit".
  • "Mei-Ling" is Mei's actual given name, not "Mei"; there is no middle name convention in traditional Chinese names. (The layout of 周美灵 in English is 'Zhou, Mei-Ling'.) One can imagine her saying, "Hi, I'm Mei-Ling, but you can just call me Mei!"
  • Mei's biological age, 31, does not include her time spent in cryostasis.[1] Her chronological age is roughly 40.[2]
  • Mei's favourite drink is tea (also with boba [the tapioca pearls in bubble tea]).[20]
  • Mei is the ninth playable Overwatch character in Heroes of the Storm. She is also a purchasable announcer. Additionally, an image of Mei appears on the shoulder pad of Rexxar when using his Fire Raider skin.
  • From a development standpoint, Mei is more of a "normal" hero, designed to show that anyone can rise to be a hero. Michael Chu has joked that her 'superpower' is being optimistic in the face of overwhelming odds.[3]
  • Mei became a symbol of the 2019 Hong Kong protests. She was chosen ironically, being a Blizzard character, following the suspension and penalization of a Hearthstone e-Sports player blitzchung (Wai Chung Ng), after he publicly advocated for the Free Hong Kong movement. Fans of Blizzard and Overwatch have produced numerous images of Mei depicting her protesting the Hong Kong government or advocating for human rights, in the hopes that the Chinese version of Overwatch would be banned from the market.[21]

Development

Mei-cncpt

Concept art

  • Mei's placeholder name during development was Frostbite. Early versions of the character were an explorer outfitted with climbing gear and bounty hunter who used an ice gun to freeze captured bounties in cryostasis.[22]
  • Earlier ideas for ice-based characters were included in an early pitch for the game: Frost, a man with a white fur-lined jacket and a visored helmet, envisioned as using an Ice Axe and abilities named Ice Patch and Ice Wall; another yeti-themed character named Yetzi was envisioned as having an Ice Storm ability.[23]
  • Early concepts for Mei were revised as they were too close to Zarya.[24]
  • Mei was temporarily disabled from 31st October to 15th of November 2022 due to an issue. Using her wall, players could push themselves into tight spaces. The bug allowed Mei to use her wall to get her to locations outside the gameplay boundaries, which frequently resulted in players being able to hide out of sight from opponents and earn easy damage and kills.[25] The delay was extended to November 17th.[26]

Removed abilities

Deep Chill
Hero-ability-circle
Ability-passive
Type
Passive Ability
Deal continuous damage with primary fire to significantly slow an enemy. Secondary fire deals additional damage to affected enemies.
Damage:
40
Headshot:
Duration:
1.5 seconds
Movement speed:
-75% slow

Ability details:
  • Introduced in Season 5 and removed at the start of Season 7 of Overwatch 2.
  • Deep Chill builds up after 26 continuous hits from Endothermic Blaster.
    • Further hits do not extend the duration of the effect. Deep Chill starts building up again from nothing once it ends.
  • Deep Chill can also be triggered by hitting the target with Quick Melee.
  • The damage is dealt in a separate instance after the damage from secondary fire's projectile/melee, and it cannot critical hit.


Media

Concept Art

Videos

Balance Change Log

For more information, see Patch Notes.

Overwatch 2 PvP
Patch
Description
Developer Comments: Mei's damage output over time is intended to be on the low end for a Damage hero, as she offers strong utility and survivability through her ability kit, but we would like to make the secondary fire icicle more rewarding by increasing the damage and slightly more difficult to land consistently.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Secondary fire base projectile size reduced from 0.15 to 0.12 meters.
  • Secondary fire damage increased from 75 to 85.
General updates
  • Global projectile size modifier for travel time projectiles with a speed greater than 50 meters per second reduced from 0.1 to 0.075 meters.
Hero updates

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Ammo increased from 120 to 140.

Ability-mei2 Cryo-Freeze

  • Heal per second increased from 50 to 62.5.
General updates

Most damage-dealing projectile sizes have been increased by a new global modifier added to their base size.

  • +0.05 meters for hitscan projectiles with a high rate of fire or spread (e.g., Tracer's Pulse Pistols or Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns).
  • +0.08 meters for hitscan projectiles that are more precise (e.g., Cassidy's Peacekeeper or Soldier:76's Heavy Pulse Rifle).
  • +0.05 meters for travel time projectiles that are shotguns or have a very high rate of fire (e.g., Roadhog's Scrap Gun or Ramattra's Void Accelerator).
  • +0.10 meters for travel time projectile with a speed greater than 50 meters per second (e.g., Zenyatta's Destruction Orb).
  • +0.15 meters for travel time projectile with a speed less than or equal to 50 meters per second (e.g., Pharah's Rocket Launcher).
  • Very large projectiles with a base size greater than 0.5 meters have been excluded from these increases (e.g., Orisa's Energy Javelin or Reinhardt's Fire Strike).

Hero combined HP (base health/armor/shields) increased by 15-25%.

  • 150-175 HP heroes increased by 25 HP.
  • 200-300 HP heroes increased by 50 HP.
  • 300+ HP (Tanks) increased by 75-100 HP.
  • Each hero's precise health increases are listed in their patch notes below.

Ultimate Charge

  • All Ultimate ability costs increased by 10%.

Regenerative Passive for All Heroes

  • All heroes now regenerate 20 health per second after 5 seconds of not taking damage.

Damage Role Passive

  • Reload speed bonus on elimination has been removed.
  • New role passive: Dealing damage reduces enemy healing received by 20% for 2 seconds.

Quick Melee

  • Damage increased from 30 to 40.
Hero updates
  • Health increased from 250 to 300.
Developer Comments: We're reducing the maximum ammo to limit how long Mei is able to continuously slow an enemy target now that the primary fire deals more damage.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Maximum ammo reduced from 150 to 120.
Developer comments: With some of the recent changes, Mei is now slightly overperforming. Her improved primary fire damage output is good for her role, so rather than adjust that further, we're instead targeting the more commonly frustrating crowd control aspect of its slowing effect.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Slow effect decreased from 40 to 30%.
Developer Comment: We liked the one-two combo that Deep Chill provided, as it added an interesting layer for hero mastery. However, in practice, it increased the amount of crowd control suffered by enemy players while also reducing Mei's effectiveness. Rather than further increasing the slow or increasing cumulative combo damage, both of which would lead to a more frustrating experience for the opposing player, we are reverting Mei back to her balance prior to adding the Deep Chill passive.

Ability-passive Deep Chill

  • Removed.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Damage per second increased from 70 to 100.
  • Now immediately slows enemies by 40% instead of building up over time.
Developer Comment: Mei is still underperforming after her last set of changes, so we are increasing the effectiveness of primary fire and improving the quality of life to Deep Chill.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Damage increased from 65 to 70 per second.
  • Duration before slow falls off between primary fire hits increased from 0.5 to 0.6 seconds.

Ability-passive Deep Chill

  • Bonus damage can now also be triggered with Mei's quick melee.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

Despite the primary fire gameplay feeling more interesting now, Mei's effectiveness overall was negatively impacted by the trade in damage for more slowing utility. We're shifting some of that power back into her damage.
  • Maximum slow applied by primary fire reduced from 50% to 40%.
  • Primary fire damage per second increased from 55 to 70.

Ability-passive Deep Chill (Passive)

  • Maximum slow applied when this effect activates reduced from 75% to 65%.
Developer Comment: This set of changes is intended to bring back some of the gameplay and feeling Mei's primary fire used to have previously, though without the hard crowd control of a full freeze stun.

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Damage per second reduced from 100 to 55.
  • Primary fire slow is no longer always 40% and now scales from 30-50%.
  • Primary fire impacts now build up to a slowing effect that sticks to the enemy target for 1.5 seconds and slows them for 75%.
  • Secondary fire impacts can detonate this new slow effect, dealing an additional 40 damage.
Developer Comment: Mei's Blizzard ultimate cast time sometimes led to situations where the animation appeared to have been completed, but there was still additional time that it could get interrupted. This change will help mitigate that feeling without significantly reducing counterplay.

Ability-mei4 Blizzard

  • Blizzard ultimate cast time reduced from 0.5 to 0.4 seconds

Ability-mei4 Blizzard

  • Ultimate cost reduced 5%

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Freeze stun removed
  • Immediately slows targets by a constant 50% instead of building up over time
  • Slow duration reduced from 1.0 to 0.5 seconds
  • Damage-per-second increased from 55 to 100
  • Ammo increased from 120 to 150

Ability-mei2 Cryo-Freeze

  • No longer removes Sigma Gravitic Flux effect

Ability-mei3 Ice Wall

  • Pillar health reduced from 400 to 250
  • Range reduced from 35 to 20 meters

Ability-mei4 Blizzard

  • Ultimate cost increased by 15%

Overwatch 2 Co-op
Patch
Description

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster

  • Primary fire damage per second increased from 55 to 100.

Overwatch 1
Patch
Description
Ability-mei2 Cryo-Freeze
  • Healing-per-second increased from 37.5 to 50

Developer Comment: A while ago there was a change to make Mei's Cryo-Freeze collision consistent with her Ice Wall, meaning she could no longer be targeted by allies while inside the block of ice. We're increasing her Cryo-Freeze healing rate since she isn't able to be easily healed up by her allies during that time.

Ability-mei3 Ice Wall
  • Can now be manually destroyed while dead
Ability-mei2 Cryo-Freeze
  • Now restores 15 ammo per second

Ability-mei3 Ice Wall

  • Cooldown lowered from 13 to 12 seconds

Developer Comment: Since we previously made Mei's primary fire relatively more expensive, she spends more time out of ammo and this was particularly noticeable when unable to reload while in Cryo-Freeze. To help smooth out this gameplay she now regains some ammo during Cryo-Freeze.

Ability-mei2 Cryo-Freeze
  • Now behaves like Mei’s Ice Wall when it comes to interactions. Cryo-Freeze will block line of sight and collision in much the same way
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster (Primary Fire)
  • Freeze stun duration lowered from 1.5 to 1.3 seconds

Ability-mei4 Blizzard

  • Duration lowered from 5 to 4.25 seconds
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster
  • Maximum ammo reduced from 200 to 120

Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster (Secondary Fire)

  • Ammo cost reduced from 20 to 10
Ability-mei3 Ice Wall
  • Cooldown increased from 10 to 13 seconds
  • Player collision now allows large heroes to fit through 1 pillar gaps
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster
  • Slowing effect now reduces enemy movement speed from 20-70%, down from 30-90%
  • Slowing effect duration reduced from 1.5 to 1.0 second
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster
  • Primary fire damage increased from 2.25 to 2.75 (45 to 55 damage per second)

Ability-mei3 Ice Wall

  • Health reduced from 500 to 400
*Updated visual effects for all abilities
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster (Secondary Fire)
  • Removed all damage falloff from her secondary fire projectile
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster
  • Now pierces through enemies
Ability-mei1 Endothermic Blaster
  • Freeze (slow) duration increased from 1 second to 1.5 seconds
  • Weapon alternate fire ammo cost reduced from 25 to 20
Ability-mei2 Cryo-Freeze
  • Can now be targeted by allies while in Cryo-Freeze
Ability-mei4 Blizzard
  • Ultimate cost has been increased by 15%
Ability-mei4 Blizzard
  • Projectile now pierces barriers
  • Radius has been increased from 8 meters to 10 meters

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 2016-11-11, "Mei's age on the website (31) is her apparent/biological age, not chronological. It does not include the amount of time she spent in cryostasis." Michael Chu, Overwatch Forums.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2016-11-07, "Running out of options and low on supplies, the team decided to cryogenically freeze themselves until the storm passed. They believed that it would only be for a few months, but Mei awoke nearly a decade later." Play Overwatch.
  3. 3.0 3.1 2017-09-05, The Making of "Rise and Shine" | Overwatch. YouTube, accessed on 2017-09-13
  4. 4.0 4.1 2020-06-15, Mei Spotlight. YouTube, accessed on 2020-06-21
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Mei (Overwatch), Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2015-11-07
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 2015-11-02, Mei's Adventures. Blizzard Entertainment, accessed on 2016-06-09
  7. 2019-11-07, BlizzCon 2019 Overwatch 2 Panel Transcript. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2020-07-19
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Heroes of the Storm
  9. Overwatch 2, Mei Quotes
  10. 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Rise and Shine
  11. Overwatch, Mei Quotes
  12. 12.0 12.1 Mei, PlayOverwatch. Accessed on 2022-12-12
  13. 2015-05-27, Overwatch is Back: Uncertainty and Hope After UN Confirms Vigilante Activity. Blizzard Entertainment., accessed on 2016-5-27
  14. 2016-10-25, Lijiang Tower. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2016-10-26
  15. Overwatch, D.Va Quotes
  16. Tracer: Reflections
  17. Zero Hour
  18. 2019-11-01, Overwatch 2 Gameplay Trailer. YouTube, accessed on 2019-11-08
  19. 2023-06-12, Overwatch 2: Invasion. YouTube, accessed on 2023-06-20
  20. 2018-08-31, Michael Chu's Twitter, Accessed on 2018-09-02.
  21. 2019-10-09, Protestors are trying to get Overwatch banned in China, using memes of popular hero Mei. Polygon, accessed on 2020-06-21
  22. Overwatch: How A Hero is Mei'd
  23. Blizzcon 2017, Overwatch: Archives
  24. 2015-11-07, Overwatch: What’s New | Summary. Blizzplanet, accessed on 2015-11-10
  25. 2022-11-02, Overwatch 2: Blizzard Removes Another Hero Due to Bugs. IGN, accessed on 2022-11-18
  26. 2022-11-16, Overwatch 2's Mid-Season Patch Delayed, Leaving Mei Unplayable. IGN, accessed on 2022-11-18

External Links

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