There are times that a developer listens to its fan-base, and there are times when a developer delivers exactly what players have been asking for. Blizzard has certainly been doing both in recent times, as shown by Overwatch's latest support hero, who has the potential shake up the incredibly popular game in a very big way.
The new hero is a Talon operative named Moira who is capable of both tremendous healing and significant damage-dealing. Moira's biotic abilities allow her to switch between the two options quickly in combat as she works to keep her team alive and assassinate weakened enemies. As she damages enemies, Overwatch's newest hero will also heal herself while using her Biotic Grasp to replenish her abilities.
Much like Zenyatta, Moira also has an orb attack that can either do damage or healing depending on the player's choice. For Moira, this is Biotic Orb, an ability that launches a rebounding sphere which will heal allies or decay enemies. In addition, the Talon associate's Fade ability will allow her to quickly teleport a short distance for quick escapes.
Moira's ultimate ability is called Coalesence and sees the 48-year-old geneticist channeling a long-range beam which will both heal allies and damage enemies in its field. The beam will pass through any barriers in its path, so it could be the perfect solution to passing through a dangerous choke point where movement is limited.
A new support hero joining the roster is exactly what Overwatch needs after the recent rework has made Mercy the only real viable healer in the game at present. The new buffs to Ana, nerfs to Mercy, and the addition of Moira might be the breath of fresh air that the hero shooter needs right now. This new character also marks the first "villain" hero to enter the support class, which is something that fans have been demanding since the game's launch.
The new hero, Moira, will be available to try at BlizzCon this weekend, and will be coming soon to the Overwatch PTR for all players on PC to try out. Judging by past experience, it's usually around two weeks before a hero moves from the PTR to the live servers, so Overwatch fans will have to wait a little while longer before they start to see Moira in-game.
Overwatch is out now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.