With Overwatch 2 Season 15 on the horizon, fans are already speculating about the next playable hero. Hazard’s addition in Season 14 points to Season 16 as the next likely time for a new hero to join Overwatch 2's roster. With the support role at the least number of heroes overall, some speculate that Blizzard's next character could expand this category.
Unfortunately, after BlizzCon 2024 was canceled, the developers have been relatively quiet regarding the hero-shooter's future. Season 15 is anticipated to introduce significant changes to the competitive scene, but the overall roadmap remains unclear. Still, the idea of the support category gaining new heroes has had fans theorizing what stealth-based support could play like.
Overwatch 2: Maximilien’s Vault Controversy Explained
With the release of Overwatch 2 Season 14's midseason patch, fans have noticed that the new shop, Maximilien’s Vault, has a very significant flaw.
Overwatch 2's Support Roster Still Has Untapped Potential
Overwatch 2's Support Lineup Could Benefit from More Additions
Recent updates from Team 4 have sparked theories about Overwatch 2 potentially teasing hero 43. These theories stem from Blizzard adding Maximilien's Vault in the midseason update and a YouTube video narrating the short story "The Pocket King," which focuses on how Maximilien met Doomfist. Regardless of the next hero's identity or role, fans speculate about what a stealth support hero could bring to Overwatch 2.
Overwatch 2's support roster is currently home to eleven heroes, each with varying utility and abilities. Juno, the most recent support hero, pairs well with Brigitte and introduced a fast-paced meta in Season 12 and beyond. Before her, Illari debuted in Season 6 as a flex support with impressive damage output, though her healing was more limited due to the range of her pylon and beam.
With 42 heroes, the support role still has room to grow, lagging behind the 18 DPS characters and 13 tank heroes. Notably, since Overwatch 2's release in October 2022, the game has implemented four new support characters. This list encompasses:
- Kiriko
- Lifeweaver
- Illari
- Juno
Overwatch 2 Could Learn from Marvel Rivals' Strategists
To get an idea of what a stealthy support could be like in Blizzard's hero-shooter, it might be worth looking at Loki's kit in Marvel Rivals. Though Loki isn't commonly regarded as an S-Tier strategist in Marvel Rivals, he does bring immense value to his team. Upon reaching diamond rank, his value increases even further after hero bans, as his ban rate remains relatively low despite consistently ranking in the top 5 for overall win rate, according to RivalsMeta stats.
To play as Loki in Marvel Rivals, players should focus on more than just healing their teammates by looking for opportunities to deal damage. Similar to Kiriko, Loki can maximize his value by going for flanks. With the ability to place doppelgangers that heal and deal damage simultaneously with Loki, his kill capacity is quite high. He also has several escape mechanisms, including his clones and Deception ability, which allows him to turn invisible. In addition to his Regeneration Domain, which acts a bit like Baptiste's Immortality Field, Loki can be incredibly difficult to pin down when played correctly.
If Overwatch 2 were to implement a similar character, it might be worth studying Loki's abilities. Despite his ability to secure picks, especially with his ultimate that lets him copy the hero he's targeting, similar to Echo, his healing output is also notably high. A new support in Blizzard's hero-shooter with comparable utility could synergize exceptionally well with Overwatch's dive-based heroes like Tracer and Genji.
Some may even consider a character like Sombra, albeit in the support role. Though there would need to be a delicate balance between dealing damage and keeping their teammates alive, Marvel Rivals has already proven that having more than one character that can go invisible isn't game-breaking. Though Sombra has received several reworks over the years, Team 4 could balance a stealth support by adding a prolonged cool-down on their invisibility mechanic. Like Zenyatta and Illari, this hero would have excellent damage potential but fewer escape mechanisms that could cause them to be overtuned.
Overwatch 2
- Released
- August 10, 2023
