It has now been the second week of Overwatch Season 1 (check my previous coverage about the launch) and looks like the Overwatch team really nails it this time. The player base has increased quite significantly from what I’ve read and seen so far – meaning, we definitely have returning and new players in Overwatch. I’ve also heard many Marvel Rivals (one of Overwatch’s main competitors) players are moving back to playing Overwatch again. That’s awesome.
Inside the game itself, queueing times are really short and a friend of mine even had to queue a little bit before being able to log in and play Overwatch during the first few days of the launch (indicating a sheer amount of players wanted to play). And each time I’m queueing for all roles, I’m no longer being assigned into the Tank role – which normally happened 80% of the time. The new Tank hero, Domina, definitely contributes to this (as many players want and like playing her – including myself) but we should see what will happen after she gets a nerf (yes, she’s getting some, sadly).
So let’s talk about the new heroes.
Domina (Tank)
Domina is an awesome tank so far and can output a lot of damage, thanks to her Photon Magnum. The gun is consistent and easy to land hits, thanks to the range and for being both a beam and hitscan shot. The Extended Power perk makes the beam even longer (and it’s crazy long) which makes it a must-have, unless if you are focusing on being a tank and get the other minor perk instead to make her more sustainable in battle. It depends on your team and enemy’s composition as well but I’d always pick the Extended Power one.
She has less survivability compared to Sigma but definitely easier to eliminate foes. There’s also a Major perk called “Power Move” which can stun enemies and do a 100% damage increase if you push someone to her wall. If the enemy has a good Genji or tend to try to overwhelm you in close range, this is the perfect perk to punish them severely.
Her ultimate, Panopticon, can also be used to imprison an enemy (rather than damaging) – delaying or completely eliminating their damage. It’s best to be used on an ult-ing enemy but situation varies. I really like the versatility.
spee
Emre (DPS)
Emre is similar to Soldier 76 in a sense with different kits and playstyle. He’s definitely another easy-to-pick-up when someone new just plays Overwatch and wants to try out some DPS heroes. His Synthetic Burst Rifle fires three-round each time similar to Baptiste (but at a much forgiving, no-recoil with less damage), making him output a consistent damage if you can hit all three in rapid successions.
He also has a Siphon Blaster that he can use as a mobility tool as he lacks Soldier 76’s sprinting but also for a quick Lifesteal. I do find that the Lifesteal is not that big of a deal and landing all the shots is a bit hard (for me, at least). His Cyber Frag (grenade) also requires more skill to land correctly.
His ultimate, Override Protocol, is really good and devastating – but at the same time, make him very vulnerable. But it always feels satisfying whenever I can trigger his ultimate ability.
Mizuki (Support)
I like playing Mizuki because he needs to be active in battle with his teammates to get good value out of him. He’s an aggressive support with a healing aura, and one of his ability (Katashiro Return) gives him the tool to quickly secure a kill within a few seconds (no matter how dangerous it is) and returns back to where he casted the skill. This allows him to play safely and aggressively at the same time, switching between attacking and defending in a moment of time.
His damage is alright and can further be boosted in a perk for his Binding Chain ability. It’s an ability that requires extra skill as it has a short delay and doesn’t seem to have a big hitbox like Roadhog’s hook. But when it lands, it’s pretty satisfying.
Jetpack Cat (Support)
Jetpack Cat is.. wild. It’s definitely fun playing as the cat as it roams the battlefield with its fast-recharge jetpack. Hitting heals and damage require proper projectile aiming but it’s his other utilities that are menacing and annoying at the same time. Its Lifeline ability allows it to transport a teammate across the battlefield but this actually requires consent from the teammate, rather than being forced like Lifeweaver’s Life Grip.
At first, I thought this is a good, quick getaway to transport a badly injured teammate out of the battlefield but looks like it’s more useful for attacking. Carrying Cassidy high in the air when he triggers his ultimate is devastating, for example. To make matter worse, his ultimate ability, Catnapper, can grab an enemy and drop them somewhere…. less desirable – normally to the death. While there is a short time period where you and your teammates can kill Jetpack Cat while he’s pulling you out, it can be hard to kill with the mobility.
Jetpack Cat certainly gives a new dynamic to Overwatch – whether you like or hate it. But the cat is not completely unkillable despite of its mobility, check out the first few seconds of my Overwatch montage clips here:
Anran (DPS)
I honestly don’t play her much simply because I’m not really good with flanking. People seem to be having fun with her though and she can be a good alternative to Vendetta, who was recently released as well. She needs to ignite her enemies quick in order to fully utilise her high-damaging Fan the Flames. She also has a couple of abilities to run and sustain herself when things get awry.
Completely unchecked, she can devastate the backline pretty easily.
Her ultimate ability, Vermillion Ascent, is pretty cool too as it allows her to revive herself (Vermillion Revival) if she ever gets killed, should she want to.
