At BlizzCon, 3 new heroes for Overwatch were announced – we take a look at the new fighters.
D.Va – a Gamer in the Military
To solve the Omnic problem, manually controlled combat robots have been deployed to effectively stop the destructive machines. Who better to do this than a true expert in the field of piloted mechs than D.Va, the former professional player of StarCraft? Together with her combat robot, she cleans up quite nicely.
D.Va spends most of her time in her mech and has access to the following abilities:
- Fusion Cannons fire in rapid succession with scatter ammunition – making them more effective in close combat than at range.
- Boosters give the mech a short burst, allowing it to overcome chasms or rush forward quickly.
- Defense Matrix projects a shield in front of D.Va that temporarily absorbs all projectiles. Unlike Reinhardt’s shield, it does not shatter but lasts for a certain duration.
- Self Destruct (the heroic ability) makes D.Va exit her mech. After five seconds, the mech’s shell explodes, dealing devastating damage to all enemies in a large area (essentially killing anything that doesn’t immediately run away).
If the mech is defeated or destroyed by Self Destruct, D.Va must run around as a human and can only rely on her light pistol, which works poorly at best. However, after a short time, she can use her ultimate again and hastily creates a new robot to continue the fun.
Mei – A Frosty Contemporary
Mei is a researcher who tried to prevent impending climatic disasters by exploring various effects of frost. This research allows her to create ice and even temporarily encase herself in an ice block – someone must have taken Jaina as a role model.
- Endothermic Blaster literally shoots frost. A continuous beam of cold damages the enemy and freezes them. After a few seconds, the target is briefly frozen, meaning that it is stunned.
- Ice Wall creates an artificial wall of ice. The wall can be destroyed by fire but blocks sight and fire for a few moments. The wall can be placed under allies (or enemies) to lift them. Characters like Bastion can therefore reach places that would otherwise be inaccessible.
- With Cryo-Freeze, Mei can momentarily encase herself in an ice block like a mage in World of Warcraft and become immune to all damage. She thus acts as a barrier and projectiles cannot penetrate her, so it could be worthwhile to throw herself in front of enemies to protect her team.
- The ultimate ability Blizzard creates a snowstorm in a large target area, slowing and damaging all affected enemies.
Genji – the Dramatic Ninja
Lastly, Genji was introduced, perhaps the epitome of a cyber ninja. In terms of story, Genji is the brother of Hanzo, but has focused more on sword fighting. He fled from the responsibility of his family and was subsequently killed by his brother – or so it was thought. Overwatch saved the ninja and hoped to have found a new ally in him.
- As a normal weapon, Genji uses Shuriken, which he throws at enemies. He either throws 3 shurikens in rapid succession or spreads them over a larger area.
- Deflect allows Genji to deflect the next projectile that would otherwise hit him. The reflected bullet flies directly back to its owner and damages him instead.
- Swift Strike allows Genji to dash forward, pulling out his sword at lightning speed. Enemies in his path take damage and bleed for a few seconds afterward. If an enemy dies due to this ability, the cooldown is completely reset.
- His ultimate ability Dragonblade grants Genji temporary access to his sword. He can execute multiple slashes that deal devastating damage in a large melee area, potentially leading to a massacre among enemies.
For more news from BlizzCon, check out our Overwatch theme page.
