Could Overwatch 2’s Next Hero Be a Game-Changing Stealth Support?

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As the start of Overwatch 2 Season 15 approaches, gamers are eagerly anticipating predictions about the upcoming playable hero. The introduction of Hazard in Season 14 suggests that it might be Season 16 when a new hero will make its debut in the Overwatch 2 lineup. Given that the support role has the least number of characters, some fans believe that Blizzard’s next character could potentially fill this niche.

Unfortunately, since BlizzCon 2024 was called off, there hasn’t been much information from the developers about the hero-shooter’s future plans. However, Season 15 is expected to bring major alterations to the competitive environment. Yet, the overall game plan remains undefined. Nonetheless, whispers of potential new support characters have fans brainstorming how a stealth-based support might function in the game.

Overwatch 2’s Support Roster Still Has Untapped Potential

Overwatch 2’s Support Lineup Could Benefit from More Additions

New developments from Team 4 have fueled speculations that Overwatch 2 might be hinting at hero number 43. This speculation arises from Blizzard incorporating Maximilien’s Vault in the midseason update and a YouTube video narrating “The Pocket King” story, which revolves around how Maximilien crossed paths with Doomfist. Despite the unknown identity and role of the next hero, fans are excited about the possibilities of a stealth support character in Overwatch 2.

In Overwatch 2, there are eleven support characters at present, each with distinct utility and powers. The newest addition, Juno, synergizes effectively with Brigitte and has contributed to a rapid-tempo meta in Seasons 12 and beyond. Prior to Juno, Illari made her appearance in Season 6 as a versatile support character with exceptional damage output, but her healing capabilities were somewhat restricted due to the limited range of her pylon and beam.

In our roster of 42 characters, there’s still potential for growth in the support role, as it currently lags behind the DPS and tank roles with 18 and 13 heroes respectively. Notably, since Overwatch 2 was launched in October 2022, four new support characters have been added to the game. This group includes:

  • Kiriko
  • Lifeweaver
  • Illari
  • Juno

Overwatch 2 Could Learn from Marvel Rivals’ Strategists

Considering how a covertly helpful character could function within Blizzard’s hero-shooter, you might want to examine Loki’s abilities in the game Marvel Rivals. Although Loki is usually not considered an S-Tier strategist in Marvel Rivals, he still offers significant value to his team. As players reach diamond rank, this value becomes even more pronounced after hero bans, as his ban rate remains low compared to other heroes, despite consistently ranking among the top 5 for overall win rate, according to RivalsMeta statistics.

To excel as the character Loki in Marvel Rivals, players should aim to do more than just healing teammates. Instead, they should seek chances to inflict damage, much like Kiriko who maximizes her worth through flanking. With the potential to create doppelgangers that heal and deal damage at the same time, Loki’s killing power is impressive. Moreover, he possesses several means of escape, such as his clones and Deception ability that makes him invisible. To complicate matters further for opponents, Loki also has a Regeneration Domain, reminiscent of Baptiste’s Immortality Field, making him hard to corner when played effectively.

If Overwatch 2 were to introduce a character similar to Loki, it could be beneficial to examine his abilities. His ability to secure picks, particularly using his ultimate that allows him to mimic the hero he’s aiming at, much like Echo, is noteworthy. However, his healing capacity is also significantly high. A new support character in Blizzard’s hero-shooter with similar usefulness could potentially work incredibly well with Overwatch’s dive heroes such as Tracer and Genji.

As a passionate movie buff, I can see the value of a character like Sombra, even though she might not always take the spotlight. It’s all about finding the perfect equilibrium between inflicting damage and ensuring the safety of my teammates. The exciting world of Marvel Rivals has shown us that multiple invisible characters don’t necessarily break the game.

Sombra, after numerous updates, could find balance as a stealth support if Team 4 introduced a longer cooldown for her invisibility ability. Similar to Zenyatta and Illari, this character would possess impressive damage capabilities but fewer means of escape, preventing potential overtuning.

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2025-01-26 21:24