New game by Blizzard, Overwatch

Blizzard has announced a new game they are working on and it’s called Overwatch.  It is a team-based shooter where you get to play as different heroes.  So far I am really interested in seeing where this project goes.  It reminds me of TF2 but with more abilities for each hero/character.

You can watch the trailer here

I will try to post as much information about what has been released so far below.

Here is a gameplay trailer released by Blizzard.

In Overwatch you have 4 different roles

  • Offense
  • Defense
  • Tank
  • Support

So far for Overwatch they have announced 12 hero classes, each class having 4-5 different abilities. One of those abilities is considered an “ultimate ability.” As for expanding the current line-up… I’m not sure if more will be announced later on.

  • Tracer
    • Role: Offense
    • Abilities
      • Pulse Pistols – Tracer rapid-fires both of her pistols
      • Blink – Tracer zips horizontally through space in the direction she’s moving, and reappears several yards away. She stores up to threes charges of the blink ability and generates more every few seconds.
      • Recall – Tracer bounds backward in time, returning her health, ammo and position on the map to precisely where they were a few seconds before.
      • Tracer bounds backward in time, returning her health, ammo and position on the map to precisely where they were a few seconds before.
      • Pulse Bomb (Ultimate Ability) – Tracer lobs a large bomb that adheres to any surface or unfortunate opponent it lands on. After a brief delay, the bomb explodes, dealing high damage to all enemies within its blast radius.
  • Reaper
    • Role: Offense
    • Abilities
      • Hellfire Shotguns – Reaper tears enemies apart with twin shotguns.
      • Wraith Form – Reaper becomes a shadow for a short period of time. While in this form, he takes no damage and is able to pass through enemies, but cannot fire his weapons or use other abilities.
      • Shadow Step – After marking a destination, Reaper disappears and reappears at that location.
      • Death Blossom (Ultimate Abilitiy) – In a blur of motion, Reaper empties both hellfire shotguns at breakneck speed, dealing massive damage to all nearby enemies.
  • Widowmaker
    • Role: Defense
    • Abilities
      • Widow’s Kiss – Widowmaker’s versatile sniper rifle is ideal for scope-aimed shots at distant targets. Should targets close to medium range, the rifle can also be fired in fully-automatic mode.
      • Grappling Hook – Widowmaker launches a grappling hook towards the location she’s aiming at – when the hook connects with a scalable surface, she’s quickly drawn towards it, allowing her to expand her view of the battlefield and evade or flank targets.
      • Venom Mine – Widowmaker adheres a swiftly-arming venom mine to nearly any surface. When a target wanders within range of the mine’s motion trigger, it explodes, delivering poison gas to any enemies in the vicinity.
      • Infra-sight (Ultimate Ability) – Widowmaker’s recon visor allows her to see the heat signatures of her targets through walls and objects for a moderate amount of time. This enhanced vision is shared with her allies.
  • Winston
    • Role: Tank
    • Abilities
      • Tesla Cannon – Winston’s weapon fires a short-range electric barrage for as long as he holds down the trigger.
      • Jump Pack – Assisted by his energy pack, Winston lunges through the air, dealing significant damage and staggering nearby enemies when he lands.
      • Shield Projector – Winston’s shield projector extends a bubble-shaped field that absorbs damage until it’s destroyed. Allies protected by the shield can return fire from within it.
      • Primal Rage (Ultimate Ability) – Winston embraces his animal nature, significantly boosting his health and making him very difficult to kill, strengthening his melee attack, and allowing him to use his Jump Pack ability more frequently. While raging, Winston can only make melee and Jump Pack attacks.
  • Pharah
    • Role: Offense
    • Abilities
      • Rocket Launcher – Pharah’s primary weapon launches rockets that deal significant damage in a wide blast radius.
      • Jump Jet – Propelled by her suit’s thrusters, Pharah soars high into the air.
      • Concussive Blast – Pharah looses a wrist rocket that knocks back any enemies it strikes and deals immense damage to shields and barriers.
      • Barrage (Ultimate Ability) – Pharah directs a continuous salvo of mini-rockets to destroy groups of enemies.
  • Reinhardt
    • Role: Tank
    • Abilities
      • Rocket Hammer – Reinhardt’s Rocket Hammer is an exemplary melee weapon, able to deal punishing damage in a wide arc with every swing.
      • Shield – Reinhardt projects a broad, forward-facing energy shield, which can absorb substantial damage before it is destroyed. Though Reinhardt can protect himself and his companions behind the shield, he cannot attack while sustaining it.
      • Charge – Reinhardt charges forth in a straight line, grabbing hold of enemies in his path. If he collides with a wall, foes he’s carrying suffer extreme damage.
      • Fire Strike – By whipping his Rocket Hammer forward, Reinhardt slings a flaming projectile which pierces and damages any enemies it touches.
      • Earthshatter (Ultimate Ability) – Reinhardt forcefully slams his rocket hammer into the ground, knocking down and damaging all enemies in front of him.
  • Symmetra
    • Role: Support
    • Abilities
      • Photon Projector – Symmetra’s weapon emits a short-range beam that homes in on a nearby enemy, dealing continuous damage that increases the longer it is connected. The projector can also release a charged energy ball that deals high damage.
      • Sentry Turret – Symmetra sets up a small turret that automatically fires speed-reducing blasts at the nearest enemy within range. Several turrets can be built on the battlefield at once.
      • Photon Shield – Symmetra surrounds an ally with a hard-light shield that absorbs damage and persists as long as that ally remains alive.
      • Teleport (Ultimate Ability) – Symmetra places a teleporter exit pad at her current location, and connects it to a teleporter entry pad at her team’s starting point. Allies can travel through the entry pad to the exit pad instantly, enabling them to return to the fight swiftly after being defeated.
  • Torbjörn
    • Role: Defense
    • Abilities
      • Rivet Gun – Torbjörn fires rivets at long range, or ejects molten metal from his gun in a short, close-range burst.
      • Forge Hammer – Torbjörn uses his multipurpose hammer to build, upgrade and repair turrets. In a pinch, it can also be swung as a weapon.
      • Build Turret – Torbjörn constructs an enemy-tracking autocannon. He can use the scrap he collects from dead enemies and allies to repair or upgrade it, increasing its health and adding a second cannon barrel and a rocket launcher.
      • Armor Pack – Torbjörn deploys an armor upgrade; either he or his allies can pick it up to absorb some damage.
      • Molten Core (Ultimate Ability) – After overheating his personal forge, Torbjörn gains a significant amount of armor and scrap. He also attacks (and builds and repairs turrets) far faster than normal.
  • Bastion
    • Role: Defense
    • Abilities
      • Configuration: Assault – In Assault mode, Bastion is fully mobile, outfitted with a submachine gun that fires steady bursts of bullets at medium range.
      • Configuration: Seige – In Siege mode, Bastion is a stationary powerhouse protected by a forward-facing shield and equipped with a gatling gun capable of unleashing a hail of bullets. The gun’s aim can be “walked” across multiple targets, dealing devastating damage at short to medium range.
      • Reconfigure – Bastion transforms between its two primary combat modes to adapt to battlefield conditions.
      • Self-Repair – Bastion restores its health; it cannot move or fire weapons while the repair process is in effect.
      • Remote Mine (Ultimate Ability) – Bastion remotely places a mine that triggers when an enemy arrives within range. The explosion deals substantial damage in its blast radius.
  • Hanzo
    • Role: Offense
    • Abilities
      • Storm Bow – Hanzo nocks and fires an arrow at his target.
      • Sonic Arrow – Hanzo launches an arrow that contains a sonar tracking device. Any enemy within its detection radius is visibly marked, making them easier for Hanzo and his allies to hunt down.
      • Scatter Arrow – Hanzo shoots a fragmenting arrow that ricochets off walls and objects and can strike multiple targets at once.
      • Dragonstrike (Ultimate Ability) – Hanzo summons a Spirit Dragon which travels through the air in a line. It passes through walls in its way, devouring any enemies it encounters.
  • Mercy
    • Role: Support
    • Abilities
      • Caduceus Staff – Mercy engages one of two beams that connect to an ally. By maintaining the beams, she can either restore that ally’s health or increase the amount of damage they deal.
      • Caduceus Blaster – Mercy shoots a round from her sidearm. It’s best reserved for emergency personal defense.
      • Guardian Angel – Mercy flies towards a targeted ally, allowing her to reach them quickly and provide assistance in crucial moments.
      • Angelic Descent – Propelled by her Valkyrie suit, Mercy slows the speed of her descent from great heights.
      • Resurrect (Ultimate Ability) – Mercy radiates restorative power, bringing nearby dead allies back into the fight with full health.
  • Zenyatta
    • Role: Support
    • Abilities
      • Orb of Destruction – Zenyatta projects his destructive energy orbs either individually, or in a rapid-fire volley after a few seconds spent gathering power.
      • Orb of Harmony – Zenyatta casts an orb over the shoulder of a targeted ally. So long as Zenyatta remains alive, the orb slowly restores health to his ally. Only one ally can receive the orb’s benefit at a time.
      • Orb of Discord – Attaching the orb of discord to an opponent amplifies the amount of damage they receive for as long as Zenyatta lives. Only one opponent can suffer the orb’s effects at a time.
      • Transcendence (Ultimate Ability) – Zenyatta enters a state of heightened existence for a short period of time. While transcendent, Zenyatta cannot use abilities or weapons, but is immune to damage and automatically restores his health and that of nearby allies.

So far it seems there will be 2 play modes in Overwatch.  Blizzard has opted for “Payload” and “Point Capture”

  • Payload – The attacking team’s objective is to move the payload to a delivery point, while the defenders must halt the attackers’ progress until time runs out.
  • Point Capture – Two teams battle over control of the map, one team on offense, the other on defense. The attackers’ goal is to capture critical objectives, while the defenders must maintain control over them until time runs out.

I think this about sums it up for now.  I will make new updates as more information becomes available!

If you are looking to sign-up for the beta you can do so at the Overwatch site.