Overwatch update reduces loot crate duplicates, adds improved Highlight features

 

The mighty Doomfist has arrived on the Overwatch PTR—read more about the big bad brawler here—and that means there's a new patch-in-testing to play with as well. This one brings about the changes to loot boxes announced in June that will drastically reduce the number of duplicate items that players encounter, and also the updated Highlight system promised by game director Jeff Kaplan. 

"We always want the experience of opening a loot box to feel exciting and rewarding, and in our latest patch, we’re working to improve that experience in two key ways," Blizzard wrote. "First, we’re drastically reducing the amount of duplicates you will receive when opening loot boxes. Second, to compensate for this reduction of duplicate items, we’re also increasing the overall amount of credits you will receive from loot boxes."  

To help test the new system, players on the PTR will be given five standard loot boxes to pop open. Alas, the windfall comes with strings attached: Any items that come out of them, or that are unlocked via credits, will not transfer over to live accounts.
Auto-generated highlights will be categorized as "Today's Top 5," and as Kaplan said last month, will persist for 24 hours or until the game client is updated, whichever comes first. Players are also now able to capture their own 12-second highlight clips, up to 36 of which can be stored at once in a new "Recently Captured" section. Both Top 5 and "Recently Captured" highlights can be exported, with selectable video quality of up to 

4K/60 fps on Windows 8 or higher, and up to 1080p on Win7.
No nerfs or buffs are on tap this time around, but the patch does make some minor fixes and changes to the game, maps, and characters: A D.Va bug that caused her to be visible in her MEKA's cockpit before the Call Mech entrance animation played has been cleared up, for instance, as has one that triggered Junkrat's ultimate callout, even when he couldn't actually use his ultimate. The full Overwatch PTR patch notes are available at playoverwatch.com.