Overwatch characters: full list - Junkrat and Roadhog announced
By
Ben Barrett
Overwatch's cast of heroes has grown extraordinarily fast since the game's announcement back at Blizzcon 2014. As we approach the one-year anniversary of "I'm really confused by this new Pixar thing Blizzard are doing, oh wait it's a game" we've decided to bring all that information together into an Overwatch character list. Below you'll find the trailers, ability breakdowns and impressions on each, which we'll update as we head into the beta (soon? please?) and beyond.
Junkrat
Primary: Frag Launcher - Fires explosive, bouncing grenades that detonate on impact with an enemy or after a short time.
Shift: Concussion Mine - Places a remote detonated mine that flings whoever's hit by the explosion high into the air. Useful for reaching out of the way places as well as killing enemies
Secondary: Detonate Concussion Mine
E Ability: Steel Trap - Throws out a bear trap that will briefly immobilise the first enemy to run over it.
Ultimate: RIP-Tire - After a short wind-up, gives control over to a 10-second fuse remote explosive that rolls along the ground. Can be detonated, or explode on contact with enemy.
Overwatch's answer to the Demoman, Junkrat has a suite of AoE abilities for reducing opponents to wreckage, rubble and ruin. Balancing his damage will be a challenge for the number-tinkerers over at Blizzard with so many different ways to kill multiple enemies at once. His ultimate is wonderful, clambering up and over walls to attack from odd directions. He's not even safe once you've killed him, chucking out a batch of grenades on death.
Roadhog
Primary: Scrap Gun - A short-range, wide-spread shotgun blast.
Secondary: Scrap Gun Ball - Fires a ball that travels a short distance before firing out a shotgun blast in the direction it was fired.
Shift: Chain Hook - Throws out a hook that latches onto opponents, dragging them towards Roadhog and dealing a bit of damage.
E Ability: Take A Breather - Roadhog sucks on some gas for a short time, self-healing for about half HP.
Ultimate: Whole Hog - A stream of shrapnel fires constantly for a few seconds, knocking enemies back and doing damage.
A tank in all but fleshy hide, Roadhog is about getting up close and personal with opponents whether they like it or not. A massive HP pool and the ability to regenerate help him get there, but slow movement and no tools for maneuverability mean careful positioning will be required. Planning routes between cover for a healing top-up or knowing back-routes to where poor snipers will find their flanks exposed to hot shrapnel action will be vital.
Lúcio
Primary: Sonic Amplifier - A low-power rapid-fire burst of energy shots.
Secondary: Soundwave - A conal blast that knocks all enemies in front of Lúcio back.
Shift: Crossfade - Toggles between two buff auras around Lúcio, one granting movement speed and the other for healing.
E Ability: Amp It Up - Increases the power of the currently active aura for a short time.
Ultimate: Sound Barrier - Gives Lúcio and everyone around him a powerful shield that dissipates quickly.
Playing the support role in every way possible, there's very little in Lúcio's kit that allows him to be offensive. However, with his team around him he gives them an extraordinarily large amount of effective HP and can help to reposition quickly or chase down enemies. He himself can move around the map a lot easier with a Titanfall-style wall run. This helps him catch up with team-mates, get in position for big plays or sneak behind enemy lines to knock stragglers off the map with Soundwave.
Soldier: 76
Primary: Heavy Pulse Rifle - A rapid-fire machine gun, accurate and damaging. Have you played an FPS? If so, you know what this is.
Secondary: Helix Rockets - An underslung rocket-launcher that fires three spiraling projectiles at once. Deals heavy damage.
Shift: Sprint - 76 can eschew his other abilities and shooting to move faster.
E Ability: Biotic Field - Drops a device on the ground that produces a healing field for a short period. Effects allies.
Ultimate: Tactical Visor - 76 gains perfect auto-aim for a short period for anything in his vision. Effects both the primary and secondary fire modes.
76 is clearly aimed at the more standard FPS player. His two fire modes operate similarly to popular CoD weapons, his sprint functions in the same way and he can self-heal whenever he likes, with the added bonus it has an effect on team-mates as well. The auto-aiming ultimate is a nice touch, but I'm not sure how interesting 76 will prove to play compared to wackier heroes.
Zarya
Primary: Particle Cannon - A constant beam of energy with medium range, does low-damage but will still cut people up if they stand in it.
Secondary: Particle Grenade - A long-range, arcing ball of energy that explodes on impact.
Shift: Particle Barrier - Places a shield around Zarya that absorbs a decent amount of damage before dissipating.
E Ability: Projected Barrier - Puts the barrier on a targeted ally.
Ultimate: Graviton Surge - A powerful grenade that drags in all enemies around it for a few seconds upon detonation.
Part of me wishes Zarya was more of a tanky damage dealer than the support role she seems to take on, because she's such a tremendous badass I just want to kill people as her all day. Still, her suite seems effective in a number of scenarios, and her ultimate is outrageously powerful when combined with either her own AoE secondary or literally any ally who happens to wander by.
McCree
Primary: Peacekeeper - Standard six-shooter revolver that packs a decent punch.
Secondary: Peacekeeper Rapid-Fire - Less accurate but faster firing version, where McCree unloads an entire clip in quick succession.
Shift: Combat Roll - A quick dodge that also reloads ammunition on the Peacekeeper.
E Ability: Flashbang - A short-timed grenade that stuns everyone around its explosion for a small time.
Ultimate: Deadeye - McCree is immobilised and draws a bead on each enemy in sight. Once he has one or more lined up, he can shoot to kill all of them. Higher health targets take longer to focus on.
If there's an early front-runner for "this looks a little busted" it's probably McCree. His normal weapon does good damage and is going to scale well with your aim, as a single-shot weapon. He's not weak up close thanks to his secondary fire, you're unlikely to run out of ammo at an inopportune time due to the roll and Flashbang can get you out of tight spots. Plus his ultimate literally one-shots people. Expect some whining until we all learn how to play against him.
Tracer
Primary: Pulse Pistols - Two rapid-fire, short range pistols that do heavy damage.
Shift: Blink - Tracer teleports a short distance forward.
E Ability: Tracer reappears where she was a few seconds previous.
Ultimate: A high-power sticky bomb that detonates after a short moment. Will stick to enemies as well as floors or walls.
Overwatch's poster child and fan favourite, the only thing not to love about Tracer is her horrifying accent. Please, for the love of all that's holy, let it be changed before release. Or mods that replace her with the gruff tones of a late-60s Scotsman. She's super fast and can dash about the terrain very easily. Canny use of her rewind will mean easy escapes and she's got all the damage on single or multiple targets she needs when her abilities are up.
Reaper
Primary: Hellfire Shotguns - A pair of shotguns that do obscene damage at close range.
Shift: Wraith Form - Turns Reaper into a shadow for a short period, making him immune to damage and able to pass through enemies. He is not invisible and cannot use other abilities, however.
E Ability: Shadow Step - A long range teleport that allows Reaper to reappear at any location he can see after a short wind-up.
Ultimate: Death Blossom - Moves to a third-person camera as Reaper rapidly unloads his shotguns in every direction, dealing massive damage to anyone around him. Allows for movement but not use of other moves.
Reaper's got no interest in this concept of "long range" he's heard about and every part of his kit is about getting in close and getting out of scrapes after the damage is dealt. Hell to deal with in a tight corridor, playing Reaper well will be about maximising the time spent in these advantaged situations and using Shadow Step smartly to get around. Wraith Form will be good for setting up the ultimate, but its main use should be for a quick exit when outgunned.
Widowmaker
Primary: Widow's Kiss - A fast-firing machine gun that's deadly up to medium range.
Secondary: Widow's Sniper - Widowmaker aims down the site of her rifle, transforming it into a high-powered sniper weapon.
Shift: Grappling Hook - Latches onto ledges and pulls Widowmaker up to them, allowing quick vertical traversal.
E Ability: Venom Mine - Fires a mine that sticks to any surface and explodes on proximity to an enemy, poisoning them and anyone else nearby for a time.
Ultimate: Infra-Sight - Gives Widowmaker, and her allies, the ability to see enemy outlines through walls and other obstructions.
The quintessential sniper, Widowmaker's other abilities rather seem to let her do it all. She can protect her sniping spot - that she gets to more easily with Grappling Hook - via the Venom Mines, doesn't suffer up close thanks to the power of an easily accessible sub-machine gun and her headshots charge quickly and seem to kill off most characters easily. Just in case you were worried there wouldn't be a team element in there, she's got the global wall-hack.
Winston
Primary: Tesla Cannon - A short-range, conal attack in front of Winston.
Shift: Jump Pack - Leaping into the air, Winston can reposition to higher surfaces. Also damages and staggers all enemies near the impact point.
E Ability: Shield Projector - Throws out a device that extends a large protective bubble around an area. Those inside can shoot out, but it protects them until breakage.
Ultimate: Primal Rage - Increases Winston's melee attack speed and damage, as well as buffing his damage resistance and health. Even gives Jump Pack a shorter cooldown while active.
A very tanky hyper intelligent gorilla, Winston's very good at getting into the fight. He's very focused on close-range combat though, so making sure he's got support will be important. The ult does make him very hard to take down, but also paints a big, red, angry target on him. If someone isn't following up on your assault, you'll take a couple with you but likely be mostly ineffectual.
Pharah
Primary: Rocket Launcher - It's a rocket launcher, you do not need it explained. Reasonable rate of fire.
Shift: Jump Jet - Launches Pharah high into the air, letting her reposition or get a tactical advantage.
E Ability: Concussive Blast - A wrist-mounted rocket that does increased damage to barriers and pushes those hit a great distance.
Ultimate: Barrage - Immobilises Pharah wherever she is and fires a stream of rockets. Very good AoE damage and can be used in the air.
Pharah was my first and still favourite pick for character to play. She's rad as hell, has high-explosive weaponry and can actually fly. She's had a bad time of it in videos released so far, usually making the key mistake of flying upwards to a vulnerable point and then using her ultimate in clear view of everyone. She then gets shot, barely managing to squeak out a few words of her catchphrase before falling to the Earth. So, part 1 of Get Good At Pharah: don't do that.
Reinhardt
Primary: Rocket Hammer - A wide-swinging melee attack that does heavy damage and knocks enemies back.
Secondary: Shield - Projects a large barrier in front of Reinhardt that moves with him and takes a lot of damage to break. Allies can hide behind it for cover.
Shift: Charge - Reinhardt powers forward in a straight line, grabbing enemies he hits. If he hits a wall, they take extra damage.
E Ability: Fire Strike - His only ranged attack, Reinhardt swings his hammer letting out a jet of fire that can hit multiple enemies in a row.
Ultimate: Earthshatter - Hitting the ground with the hammer, a wave of force is let out that knocks down and damages all enemies in a cone.
The tankiest of all the tanks, Reinhardt's massive shield certainly looks powerful and his movement options are good. He, along with many of his high-health low-impact friends, don't grab me though - I'm just not sure what they do that others can't at longer range, and all that health is only useful for getting in, it doesn't help you survive once you're there. Looking forward to being proven wrong with repeated hammers to the skull.
Symmetra
Primary: Photon Projector - A beam of energy that will latch onto a target, damaging them until they leave its range or field of view.
Secondary: Photon Ball - A charged ball that deals big damage as it travels and passes through enemies.
Shift: Sentry Turret - Places an immobile turret that shoots any enemies that come within range. Can place multiples.
E Ability: Photon Shield - Gives an ally a shield that lasts as long as they live, absorbing damage.
Ultimate: Teleporter - Symmetra places a teleporter exit connected to an auto-built entrypoint at her team's spawnpoint.
There's a lot of ideas all wrapped up as one in Symmetra and I'm hoping they gel properly because it will make her a great support character. She's got good damage with the charge attack and fantastic area denial with her turrets. Her healing/damage prevention ability is below the par of others you'll see here, but all her tools keep her valuable. It's very possible that her teleporter alone will be enough to make her useful and everything else is icing.
Torbjörn
Primary: Rivet Gun - Long range bolts of fire that travel slowly and are effected by gravity.
Secondary: Rivet Blast - A shot-gun varient on the above, spraying molten death in front of Torbjörn.
Shift: Build Turret - Places an upgradable turret that puts out a high amount of damage and can be repaired.
E Ability: Armor Pack - Throws out a collectable armor shard that can be picked up by team-mates, giving them some additional protection.
Ultimate: Molten Core - A significant self-buff that gives Torbjörn faster attack and build speed, as well as more resources for making turrets.
I am not an Engineer man, I am not an Engineer fan, but Torbjörn's on his way to making me one. Only able to collect scrap for upgrading his turret from dead enemies and allies means he has to get into the fight and he has good weapons to do so. He's also got a more interesting support role than his TF2 brother, actively dropping armour for allies rather than the Dispenser's passive nature. He's lower in denial power but far more interesting for it.
Bastion
Primary: Configuration: Recon - Bastion's normal mode, where he is equipped with a burst-fire sub-machine gun.
Secondary: Configuration: Sentry - A stationary mode that increases Bastion's firepower dramatically and gives him a shield.
Shift: Reconfigure - Switches between the primary and secondary mode.
E Ability: Self-Repair - A full heal that takes a few seconds to finish. Bastion cannot move or fire during this time.
Ultimate: Configuration: Tank - A timed mode that turns you into a tank. Gives a long range explosive cannon.
The cutest robot this side of late 80s children's sci-fi, Bastion's all about positioning and has none of the tools his friends do to help him. A controllable, high-powered, well-defended sentry in a good spot is invaluable, but getting caught changing isn't any better for Bastion than it was for you that one time in the toilets. The self-repair is the strongest of its type in the game, but takes a long time to finish - he's all about knowing when you're safe.
Hanzo
Primary: Storm Bow - Fires fast-moving arrows that are effected by gravity. Can be charged for more power.
Shift: Sonic Arrow - An alternate fire mode that lodges the arrow in a wall and emits a pulse that marks nearby enemies, even those not in line of sight.
E Ability: Scatter Arrow - This arrow fractures when it hits, ricocheting off surfaces and creating a death zone inside any room.
Ultimate: Dragonstrike - a charged shot that comes out as two massive dragon heads, passing through walls and enemies on its way. Anything it hits suffers incredibly high damage.
My least favourite aesthetic and weapon combine to make Hanzo, samurai bow-master. That's all personal though, he looks pretty cool, although I'm not sure his ult is as interesting as his other abilities. He can also scale any vertical surface with a tap of the jump key, giving him movement options others lack and letting him make stealthier plays towards unsuspecting opponents.
Mercy
Primary: Caduceus Staff - A healing weapon that fires a constant beam of regeneration at an ally.
Secondary: Caduceus Damage - Utilising the same staff, this boosts the damage of an ally rather than healing them.
Shift: Guardian Angel - Flies towards a targeted ally at great speed.
Ultimate: Resurrect - Brings all nearby dead allies back to life at full health.
Medic was a ludicrously underplayed class in TF2, despite having power, fun and tactics behind it. Mercy has all that but with more options on what to do, more movement capabilities and an even more overpowered ultimate. I am not sure how a regular team will be able to power through that, when you consider also that Mercy will begin her healing ways again almost immediately. Not mentioned above is a pistol she can swap to for some solo-damage, but it isn't recommended over retreating and waiting for backup.
Zenyatta
Primary: Orb of Destruction - Rapid firing projectiles from Zenyatta's necklace.
Secondary: Charged Orbs - Gathering all his orbs around him, Zenyatta projects them out at once for big damage.
Shift: Orb of Harmony - An orb attachs to a nearby ally and continues to heal them for as long as Zenyatta is alive.
E Ability: Orb of Discord - Attaches to an enemy, increasing the amount of damage they take from all sources.
Ultimate: Transcendence - Transforms Zenyatta into a healing beacon, making him immune to damage but unable to use other abilities until it finishes. He also constantly heals himself and those around him.
Floating Death Monk wasn't something I'd considered as a possible playable character in a video game before, but here we are. Zenyatta has a good mix of support and offensive abilities, and his ultimate is up there with Mercy for pure staying power of a team. Given the speed with which players fall in battle in Overwatch, I'm not sure how useful Orb of Discord will be, but might be useful on higher-health or key targets that need to be downed quickly.
The Closed Beta will be composed of a small number of testers who will have regular access to our public beta test. Our goal for the Closed Beta is 100% gameplay feedback, and we’ll be encouraging participants to discuss and dissect every hero, map, ability, and other aspect of the game on our upcoming beta forums.
From time to time, we'll also need to open up the floodgates and call upon an army to overwhelm our hardware. The goal: get as many heroes playing as we can, all helping us "stress test" our servers to ensure they can withstand the assault./cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/2439152/torbjorn-concept-16x9.0.jpg)
