All Stadium changes in Overwatch 2 Season 17 update
TheOverwatch 2 Season 17 updatebrings plenty of huge changes to Stadium mode, from the new Forge system to a ton of major hero Power adjustments.
Stadium modehas been a smash hit ever since it arrived in Season 16, giving players a space tocreate wildly powerful buildswithout having to worry as much about balance. It’s already earned a dedicated player base, as it’s popular among those who want a more lighthearted experience than core OW2.
From the start, the devs promised that it would receive long-term support with regular major updates. The first of these comes with Season 17, so here’s every Stadium change in the June 24 update.
Every Stadium change in OW2 June 24 update
General Updates
Developer Comments: After our improvements to matchmaking in Season 16, we want to give more time for players to have a fair chance to climb to the All-Star rank and earn the All-Star Juno skin. Both the All-Star Juno skin and the All-Star Mercy skin will no longer be available to earn after the end of Season 17.
New Stadium Heroes
New Stadium Maps
Introducing the Stadium Forge
Example Builds
Stadium Custom Games
Stadium Drives
Third Person Camera Improvements
Stadium Ranked Updates
Stadium Hero Updates
MEKA Punch – Power
Dae-hyun’s Detonator – Rare Ability Hero Item
Nano Cola™ Nitrous – Epic Survival Hero Item
Developer Comments: After a full season of play, it’s clear that D.Va isn’t standing out as a top-tier tank pick in the current meta. While this update focuses on improving clarity and consistency, we’re keeping a close eye on her performance and have additional changes planned to help her hold her own against the fierce competition in Stadium.
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Junker Queen
Let’s Go Win – Power
Cut ‘Em, Gracie! – Power
Developer Comments: Shout and Chop has proven to be a highly effective combo for Junker Queen, often giving her a bit too much reliability in close-range engagements. This change is a first step toward dialing back that effectiveness, while still preserving the aggressive playstyle that makes her so satisfying to play.
Siphonic Spear – Rare Survival Hero Item.
Arcfinder – Rare Ability Hero Item.
Developer Comments: These 2 items have been underperforming, lacking the stat needed to be more impactful. This update addresses that by adding item stat to them.
Zero Gravity – Power
Hyperloop – Power
Trinisphere – Power
Event Horizon – Power
Symphonic Syzygy – Power
Orbital Barrier – Power
Philharmonic Fortitude – Power
Mass Driver – Power
Singularity – Power
Maestro – Power
Apogee Alignment – Power
Astrophysical – Power
Velocity Vector – Rare Weapon Hero Item
Maglev Multiplier – Rare Weapon Hero Item
Synced Shielding – Rare Ability Hero Item
Beam Splitter – Rare Survival Hero Item
Antimatter – Epic Weapon Hero Item
The Harness – Epic Ability Hero Item
De Kuiper’s Thesis – Epic Survival Hero Item
Impact Burst – Power
Magma Strike – Power
Chimera’s Maw – Epic Hero Ability Item
Rocket Strike – Epic Hero Ability Item
Wilhelmwagen – Epic Hero Survival Item
Infusion Generator – Power
To Me, My Friends – Power
Developer Comments: We’re shifting some power in the Fire Strike build to focus more on higher uptime of Fire Strike and Magma Strike’s Trail of Lava, while pulling back from the high single target burst that Impact Burst enabled. We’re also making some adjustments to Reinhardt’s Barrier build to make it a more compelling option and have a smoother progression curve.
Barrier Benefits – Power
Containment Shield – Power
Fission Field – Power
Lifelift – Power
No Limits – Power
Volskaya Vortex – Power
Bigger Beam – Epic Weapon Hero Item
Superconductor – Epic Hero Ability Item
Lynx’s Datadrive – Epic Hero Ability Item
Developer Comments: Zarya was consistently generating too much energy in Stadium, due to the increased damage and increased Barrier Health she can obtain. We’re capping the energy gain here to lower the ceiling of her energy gain to make her more manageable. We’re also pulling back on effects that increased her Barrier uptime and replacing them with effects that reward her for smarter Barrier usage.
B.O.B. Jr. – Power
Silver Spurs – Rare Survival Hero Item
Developer Comments: Silver Spurs has been underperforming and often lacked synergy with common builds. This update improves its utility and cohesion, making it a more rewarding option that better complements a variety of playstyles. B.O.B. Jr. has proven to be a strong utility option and great for locking down control points while catching enemies off-guard with early ultimate. However, its effectiveness at holding territory became a bit too reliable. We’re adjusting its strength to bring it more in line with other options, while still retaining its strategic value.
Fan the Hammer – Secondary Fire
Dead Man Walking – Power
Just Roll With It – Power
Developer Comments: Cassidy’s roll-into-Fan-the-Hammer playstyle was always intended as a close-range burst option, but in practice, it was punishing enemies from ranges where they had little chance to respond. This adjustment refocuses that combo toward close-quarters encounters, where its high-risk, high-reward nature can shine without creating frustration at a distance.
Lille Fælde – Power
Hunter’s Mark
Developer Comments: Freja has been struggling in Stadium since her nerfs in the core game combined with the Stadium hotfix nerfs. We’re increasing her cash gain to help her be more on par with other DPS in Stadium, and buffing Hunter’s Mark to make it a more reliable option when behind. We’re dialing back the visual noise of Lille Fælde to further reduce the frustration surrounding the power, while increasing the damage to make it a more viable option.
Hidden Blade – Power
Ambusher Optics – Item
Laceration – Power
Clean Sweep – Item
Developer Comments: Melee Genji builds have become very prominent, which is awesome! However, the bursty backstab build is a bit too consistent and can feel hard to interact with. We’re reducing the damage ceiling for this build but upping it’s sustain to compensate. We’re also adding a little bit more power to the Ability Power Swift strike build to make its key pieces feel a bit more impactful early on in a match. We’ll be looking at making a larger set of changes to Genji in a future update.
2 Frag 2 Frurious – Power
Big Bang – Power
Soot Shaker – Power
Bango! – Power
Bingo! – Power
It’s A(nother) Trap – Power
Trap II, Esquire – Power
Slapnel – Power
Hop Boom – Power
Rainin’ Lead – Power
Gachabomb – Power
Rip Roll – Power
Springier Spring – Rare Weapon Hero Item
Spiked Gloves – Rare Weapon Hero Item
Improvised Explosives – Rare Ability Hero Item
Rat Pack – Rare Ability Hero Item
Thermal Traps – Rare Survival Hero Item
Zip Grease – Epic Weapon Hero Item
Charged Chompas – Epic Ability Hero Item
Fawkes’ Funny Fuel™ – Epic Ability Hero Item
Lithium Alloy – Epic Ability Hero Item
Jamison’s Jumpers – Epic Survival Hero Item
Refreshing Radiation – Epic Survival Hero Item
Avalanche – Power
Cold Blaster – Power
Permafrost – Power
Himalayan Hat – Epic Weapon Hero Item
Developer Comments: While Avalanche was doing its job, it often created confusion for enemies where many couldn’t clearly understand why they were being slowed or where the effect was coming from. We’re shifting the focus of the power to enhance Mei’s primary fire, giving her more burst potential and rewarding players who can cage the enemy within a mini-blizzard or a blizzard. This should make the power feel more intuitive and impactful for both Mei and her opponents.
Strangle Step – Power
Wraith Renewal – Power
Nightcreeper – Rare Weapon Hero Item
Crowd Control – Rare Ability Hero Item
Wreath of Ruin – Epic Ability Hero Item
Crimson Cloak – Epic Ability Hero Item
Devastation – Rare Survival Hero Item
Developer Comments: This update to Reaper is primarily looking at making Ability Power Reaper a bit more reliable in the early and mid rounds. We’re reorganizing where some of the power of the build lies, as well as fixing a few interactions that were not quite working correctly. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this build as it has high snowball potential when it works. We’re also reducing the power of Wraith Renewal as it has been a consistent high performer in terms of survivability and cash gain.
Soldier: 76
Frontline – Power
Developer Comments: Frontliners continues to be one of Soldier 76’s least popular options. We’re allowing the Overhealth to stack to enable more synergies with Powers that create additional Biotic Fields to allow for more build paths.
Double Dosage – Rare Ability Hero Item
Developer Comments: Double Dosage was originally designed to support aggressive plays. We’ve redesigned it to better serve as a forward-facing tool, rewarding players who take initiative and engage directly with the enemy.
Evasive Glide – Hero Item
Lock-On Shield – Rare Survival Hero Item.
Boosted Rockets – Epic Survival Hero Item.
Medicinal Missiles – Power
Developer Comments: Juno had a standout performance last season, with Pulsars delivering consistently high impact. For this season, we’re making targeted adjustments to slightly lower its peak output while opening up more room for build variety. The goal is to preserve her strength while encouraging a broader range of viable playstyles.
Soothing Step – Power
Triple Threat – Power
Developer Comments: Soothing Step was designed to be a core part of Kiriko’s ability power-focused build, enabling her to serve as a highly mobile healer. This update brings it more in line with other build options while reinforcing her role as a capable burst healer in fast-paced fights. Additionally, Self-Care has been redesigned—both to address a bug and to make its healing more accurately reflect Kiriko’s healing output.
Crowd Pleaser – Power
Vivace – Power
Sonic Boom – Power
Developer Comments: Due to the buffs to Lucio’s Crossfade Healing in the core game, we’re decoupling Crowd Pleaser’s healing from Crossfade. This will make Crowd Pleaser feel more impactful when outside of Amp It Up, while ensuring the healing during Amp It Up is within bounds. We’re also reworking Vivace to have a more specialized niche, as well as buffing Sonic Boom to enable more build options.
Flying Kick – Power
It’s Orbin’ Time – Power
Seeking Salvation – Power
Enlightenment – Power
Dual Harmony – Power
Gotta Have Faith – Power
Inner Peace – Power
Discord Inferno – Power
Discord Fever – Power
Instant Karma – Power
Circle of Strife – Power
Soul Control – Power
Breezeborne Blessing – Rare Ability Hero Item
Satya’s Solution – Rare Ability Hero Item
Hiking Hoverboots – Rare Hero Survival Hero Item
Transference Protocol – Rare Survival Hero Item
Keepsake of Chaos – Rare Survival Hero Item
Haste Subroutine – Epic Weapon Hero Item
Genji’s Galvanic Gloves – Epic Weapon Hero Item
Orb of Perception – Epic Weapon Hero Item
Friendship Bracelet – Epic Ability Hero Item
Mind Shaper – Epic Ability Hero Item
Mondatta’s Mantra – Epic Ability Hero Item
Ramattra’s Reasoning – Epic Survival Hero Item
Meditation Mat – Epic Survival Hero Item
Teacher’s Totem – Epic Survival Hero Item
For more on Overwatch 2, be sure to check out everything in theSeason 17 Battle Passandhow the new map voting feature works.
