What are we waiting for? Let’s take a look at what to expect from these newcomers!
D.Va
D.Va is the first of three heroes joining the list of Overwatch heroes. Hailing from Busan, South Korea, D.Va is armed with little more than a light laser blaster. However, this ex-pro gamer turned MEKA pilot can pack a real punch once she calls in her personalized armored robot into the fray!
While in her mech, D.Va is able to use a number of abilities. Her primary ability is a pair of Fusion Cannons. These shotgun like cannons deal massive amounts of damage without needing to reload, but her MEKA slows down - leaving her vulnerable to swifter heroes that can close the distance.
D.Va’s second ability is a movement ability known as Boosters. This ability causes D.Va to launch into the air, allowing her to travel quickly while simultaneously knocking away her enemies. This is primarily used for utility travel, but it can make for a useful escape or attack if used carefully.
Defense Matrix is D.Va’s third ability. Similar to Reinhardt’s Shield ability, D.Va is able to summon a defensive barrier that shoots enemy projectiles. However, the Defense Matrix has a much smaller area of effect, and so far it has only been demonstrated to block missile-like attacks.
D.Va’s ultimate ability - Self-Destruct - causes D.Va to eject from her MEKA. After about 5 seconds the mech will explode, effectively killing anyone who is remotely close to the blast site. This is useful for killing off clumped enemies, but afterwards D.Va will be forced to fight on foot with her pistol-like Light Gun (seen above) until she builds up her Ultimate Ability guage again to call in a new mech.
Overall, D.Va looks like a fun character. Her personality is a mix of cute and dangerous as she makes many pro gaming references to APM, and her signature “Nerf this!” when she sets her MEKA to explode. I for one am certainly excited to try her out for myself.
Mei
Mei is a much more humble character when contrasted against the highly competitive D.Va. A former Overwatch hero, Mei-Ling Zhou hails from Xi’an, China, and was a climatologist and adventurer before joining the Overwatch cast. Armed with an array of ice-based weaponry, Mei is looking to ice the competition.
Get it? Because she uses ice? Okay… sorry.
Mei’s primary weapon is the Endothermic Blaster. This weapon allows Mei to fire a constant short-ranged beam of frost that slows enemies as it deals damage, and if an enemy stays in its range long enough they will be frozen in place. The secondary fire allows Mei to shoot icicles at her opponents at medium range, dealing much more damage at the cost of more ammo and no slow or freeze effects.
Cryo-Freeze is Mei’s secondary ability and is used for self-preservation. While Cryo-Freeze is active, Mei is protected by a block of thick ice. Inside, Mei ignores all damage and heals, but cannot move or use abilities. This is a great skill to stall for time until your teammates can back you up, but otherwise I’m not sure how useful this skill can be.
Ice Wall is Mei’s third ability. Just as the name suggests, Mei summons an ice wall from beneath the enemy - or allies. This forces them upward and acts like a platform that doubles as a barricade. Used offensively or defensively, this ability looks and feels like something out of a MOBA. It will be interesting to see how players will make use of this when the game launches - or when she is added to the beta.
Blizzard is Mei’s ultimate ability. Working similar to a grenade, Blizzard is thrown into an area and causes a large area to be encased in ice. Enemies caught in the blizzard will be slowed and take damage. Those who stay in the area for too long will be frozen - just like the Endothermic Blaster.
Mei is an interesting character, especially in an FPS game. She looks like she will have a much higher skill ceiling than the previously released heroes, and should be a fun character to try out. However, I personally feel like this character might be a double-edged sword unless Overwatch teams communicate properly.
Genji
Out of the mountains of Nepal comes Genji, the cyborg younger brother of Hanzo - an earlier released Overwatch hero. This cyber-ninja comes armed with all the ninja essentials: a katana, chokuto, and even a ridiculous amount of shuriken!
Genji’s primary weapon is - sadly - his shuriken. The left mouse button causes Genji to fire three throwing stars in less than a second, dealing a fair amount of damage to enemies. The right mouse button on the other hand can be used to throw the stars horizontally to hit a wider range of enemies if required.
The second ability Genji has at his disposal is Deflect. With timed precision, players can use deflect to return incoming missile attacks at their opponent. However, this ability does not function like Shield or Defense Matrix, so your timing better be good if you don’t want to get a face full of missile! It seems to function similar to the Pyro’s airblast from Team Fortress 2.
Swift Strike is Genji’s third ability. As expected of any ninja, Genji’s Swift Strike allows this cyber-trooper to dash forward and strike with his short blade, dealing a great deal of damage and causing a bleed effect for a fair amount of damage over time. If the ability kills an opponent, Genji can then use it to strike again.
Dragonblade is Genji’s ultimate ability. Brandishing his katana for about 5-8 seconds (based on the footage) Genji is able to instantly kill most targets that come within range. While it is unclear based on the footage alone how much damage this ability actually does, it is safe to say that any players with lower health are as good as gone once Dragonblade is active.
One last ability that Genji has is the passive ability to climb walls and double jump, making this cyber-ninja one agile hero. I can’t wait to see this hero to leap into action as he seems to have really high potential for skilled players. Whether or not this is true will be ultimately decided once the game gets into the professional scene.
Final Thoughts…
With the addition of three new heroes, I’m really excited to see what Overwatch has in store. I’m loving the fact that Blizzard has decided to go with a paid purchase over the free-to-play model for this game, and if the company plans on releasing more heroes after the game goes public, then I will be pleasantly surprised.
Be sure to keep your eyes on the GameSkinny front page for further announcements of Blizzard’s first FPS as it comes in! This game is shaping up to be one of the biggest upcoming FPS hits.
What do you guys think of the new Overwatch heroes? Do you see one that you like so far? Still think that older heroes are more akin to your style? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
