At BlizzCon 2018, Blizzard released 2 new videos about Overwatch, telling a backstory about McCree and introducing the new hero Ashe. We took a closer look at the videos and reveal what Ashe can likely do.
Ashe is McCree’s rival: In the new cinematic “Old Friends”, you can see Ashe’s debut, who emerges as part of McCree’s past and likely his rival.
Ashe’s Skills and Story
Ashe is a hero who seems to be most effective at medium to short range with her skills. Her high damage up close makes her a threat to single opponents and poorly positioned groups. However, due to her lack of mobility, she must be cautious about her own positioning.
The Viper: Ashe’s main weapon is the lever-action rifle “Viper”. The Viper has two firing modes:
- The standard fire sprays opponents with a rapid succession of hip-fired shots.
- The alternative fire allows Ashe to aim, which slows her shots but deals more damage.
The unique feature of the Viper is the way it is reloaded. Instead of using a magazine like all other weapons in Overwatch, the Viper is loaded one cartridge at a time.
Ashe can either load all the cartridges sequentially into the weapon, or interrupt after any number to fire. This gives Ashe the choice of preparing for a longer fight or quickly taking a precise shot exactly when she needs it.
Double-Barrel Shotgun: The double-barrel shotgun is Ashe’s first ability. The double-barreled shotgun can be fired at an opponent or a surface.
If Ashe hits an opponent, they are pushed away from her, and Ashe propels herself in the opposite direction. If she shoots at a nearby surface, she is only pushed back.
Dynamite: Ashe’s second ability is a bundle of dynamite that she can throw. The dynamite flies similarly to Junkrat’s mines and explodes at the target location for massive damage, leaving a damage-over-time effect on hit heroes.
If Ashe aims well and times it right, she can ignite the bundle of dynamite instantly with a shot from the Viper, dealing damage immediately.
Ultimate Ability – B.O.B.: Ashe’s ultimate ability is to summon her butler Bob, an omnic bodyguard. Bob charges forward and collides with the first hero to launch them and all nearby targets into the air.
Shortly after the collision, or when he hits a wall, Bob turns around and shoots with guns from his arm. Bob counts as a full hero with all pros and cons for the duration of his existence:
- Bob can defend and attack target areas
- Bob can be healed, killed, and be the target of buffs and debuffs
- and Ana’s Nano Boost and her Sleep Dart affect Bob.
While Bob is active, Ashe is therefore counted by the developers “more or less as two heroes.”
Clips and further descriptions of Ashe’s abilities can be found on her official hero page.
When will Ashe be playable? There is currently no official announcement. After the last announcement of Moira at BlizzCon 2017, she was playable shortly thereafter on the PTR. So Ashe might also come to the PTR soon.
Who is Ashe?
Shortly after her announcement, Blizzard released a story video about Ashe. It shows that the character has a vibrant backstory.
Ashe is the daughter of wealthy parents who raised her in luxury. Her parents paid her little attention but hired the omnic butler Bob. However, Ashe was not satisfied with this life.
She met the troublemaker Jesse McCree in her youth, with whom she committed her first crimes and recognized that this was the path she wanted to take. She founded the Deadlock Gang, with which she wants to steal a cargo from a train on Route 66 and even later attempted to unite the criminal gangs of the entire USA.
After no more disputes arose between the gangs, she focused on her criminal career and became one of the most wanted criminals in the USA.
Possible New Hero: Echo?
In the cargo of Route 66, contrary to expectations, there is no direct weapon, but an AI called Echo, who has a shared history with McCree and Overwatch.
The way Echo was introduced, as well as Jeff Kaplan’s own hints, suggest that Echo could be a playable new hero in Overwatch in 2019.
What do you think of Ashe? Are you excited for a new DPS hero or would you have preferred Bob? Visit our Overwatch group and discuss with other fans, and check Facebook for more info and news.
The last hero added was Wrecking Ball. This is what the cute hamster from Winston’s past can do.
