The tides are changing in the conflict with Talon in Overwatch, as the new Reign of Talon story arc that is set to last the entire year is kicking off with the release of 5 brand-new heroes with the launch of Season 1. With Vendetta now leading Talon, she has recruited several characters from aligned factions to strike against Overwatch. But the heroes of Overwatch have their own new recruits to fight back with, including one character in particular I can't wait to spend time with.
TheBestWarGames recently had the chance to go hands-on with these 5 new Overwatch heroes during a media event at Blizzard's Irvine campus. During this event, we got to experience a detailed walkthrough of these heroes and their kits before diving into some PvP battles against fellow attendees. It's a huge task to release 5 new heroes all at once, and the most that Overwatch has released simultaneously since its launch in 2016. Throughout my time with these heroes, it's clear that a lot of effort went into representing a diverse group of characters from both a gameplay and lore perspective, and I think players will appreciate the surprises in store when they get their hands on these heroes at the start of Reign of Talon Season 1.
Mizuki Strikes a Solid Balance of Support with a Touch of Damage
The first hero I got to try during the hands-on media event was the new Support character, Mizuki. As a Support main, I was excited to see how Mizuki would differentiate himself from another yokai-based Support hero like Kiriko. I was pleasantly surprised by the mobility that Mizuki had as I was playing, allowing me to act almost like a dive DPS that also had the ability to heal my teammates.
Mizuki's Kit in Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1
- Spirit Glaive (Primary Fire): Throw a spinning blade that can bounce off walls, impacts enemies, and deals damage.
- Healing Kasa: Throw your hat to heal an ally, bouncing to nearby allies and healing you when it returns.
- Katashiro Return: Leap forward, leaving behind a paper doll. Reactivate to return and gain increased movement speed while active.
- Binding Chain: Launch a tethering chain that hinders the first enemy hit.
- Ultimate — Kekkai Sanctuary: Create a sanctuary that heals allies and absorbs enemy projectiles from outside the area.
- Passive – Remedy Aura: Heals nearby allies. Healing scales with resource generated by dealing damage and healing.
Mizuki's gameplay largely revolves around his Healing Kasa ability, which the Overwatch developers noted was the basis for the character's design. While throwing your hat to heal allies is important, Mizuki can also passively heal teammates with his Remedy Aura, which scales with the damage he does to enemies. One thing that stuck with me as I was playing Mizuki was the audio design associated with this mechanic, as an ambient, Japanese melody became more prominent the higher the gauge was.
Aside from keeping my teammates within range of Mizuki's Remedy Aura, I primarily spent my time trying to lock down enemy Support heroes with Mizuki's Binding Chain. Essentially, I would use Katashiro Return to dive into the enemy's back line, use Binding Chain to hold a Support character in place, finish them off with Spirit Glaive, and then retreat back to where I placed my paper doll with Katashiro Return's reactivation effect. Overall, I liked Mizuki's play style, but I couldn't help but miss the wall climbing ability that Genji, Hanzo, and Kiriko have.
Jetpack Cat is an Instant Favorite
I can confirm that Jetpack Cat is as bizarre to play as she looks, but in the best possible way. This adorable feline is incredibly unique within the Overwatch roster for a variety of reasons, and I feel like I needed more time than I had at the media event to fully grasp Jetpack Cat's potential. However, with her Lifeline ability, Jetpack Cat seems like a prime candidate for some wacky plays from teams that can master her.
Jetpack Cat's Kit in Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1
- Biotic Pawjectiles (Primary Fire): Mid‑range projectile spread that heals allies and damages enemies.
- Lifeline: Toggle into transport mode, allowing an ally to be towed. Increases movement speed and heals your ally.
- Frenetic Flight: Accelerate in your movement direction. Fuel recovery is slower while carrying another player.
- Purr: Pulsing area heal that increases in frequency over time. Knockback nearby enemies when activated.
- Ultimate — Catnapper: Dive towards a ground location, knocking down enemies and tethering the nearest one to you.
- Passive – Jetpack: Permanent flight.
Right off the bat, the strangest part of playing Jetpack Cat for me was permanently flying thanks to her passive. Although Jetpack Cat is relatively slow, using Frenetic Flight to boost her movement is incredibly useful for escaping danger (and it has a fuel cost like Pharah's Hover Jets). One strategy I liked to use was to stay away from a fight until my team needed healing, and then dive in with Frenetic Flight, activate Purr for some AoE healing, and then retreat with Frenetic Flight again.
Lifeline is obviously a core part of Jetpack Cat's kit, and I don't think I got to experience its full potential. It essentially allows you to pick up teammates and carry them around the map, while they are still in full control of their abilities. I can see some advanced strategies involving an ult-ing Soldier 76 or Cassidy being airlifted above the battlefield to get a better vantage point. Jetpack Cat's ult is similar to Lifeline, but allows her to pick up enemies instead of allies, making it perfect for a cheeky scoop-and-drop off the side of the map, or even pulling an enemy B.O.B. Or D.Va bomb away from allies.
Anran Heats Things Up for Damage Heroes
I had what was likely my coolest play of the event while I was playing Anran. After really enjoying playing as her brother Wuyang for the past couple of Overwatch seasons, I was excited to see what Anran had in store. Turns out, she is the perfect complement to her Support role brother, featuring a fast, aggressive playstyle that makes enemies feel the burn.
Anran's Kit in Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1
- Zhuque Fans (Primary Fire): Hand fans that shoot fiery projectiles.
- Fan the Flames (Secondary Fire): Hot wind blast that amplifies burning damage.
- Inferno Rush: Propel yourself forward and damage enemies you impact.
- Dancing Blaze: Strike nearby enemies while dodging all damage.
- Ultimate — Vermillion Ascent (Alive): Charge forward, exploding on impact and instantly igniting enemies.
- Ultimate — Vermillion Revival (Dead): When dead, revive yourself in a fiery explosion.
- Passive – Ignition: Hit enemies with fire attacks to burn them.
It's clear that Overwatch is taking some major swings with the new heroes coming in Reign of Talon Season 1, and Anran knocks it out of the park with her kit. Her skills revolve around the mechanic of building up fire damage with her Ignition passive, setting players ablaze with fire damage over time once the Ignition gauge is full. To this end, I really needed to get close to enemies to be effective, utilizing her Fan the Flames secondary fire to quickly ramp up the burning damage. The main engagement loop I followed for team fights was to use Inferno Rush to get into the enemy's back line before using Dancing Blaze to hit multiple enemies for fire damage. I would then use Fan the Flames to finish off any stragglers.
The most interesting part of Anran's kit is her Ult, which comes in two flavors: Vermillion Ascent for when she's alive and Vermillion Revival for when she is dead. This is the first instance of an Overwatch hero being able to use their ult from beyond the grave, and I think Anran is the perfect candidate for it. The best play I had during my hands-on time with Anran involved using her Vermillion Revival Ult at just the right moment to revive behind the enemy's back line, which allowed me to immediately use Dancing Blaze and the Fan the Flames, resulting in a quadruple kill and the Play of the Game.
Overwatch players can try out Anran for themselves from now until February 10 during her Hero Trial period.
Emre Feels like the Most Versatile Hitscan Character
When I play a Damage hero, I tend to prefer hitscan characters like Widowmaker, Cassidy, and Ashe. Picking up Emre for the first time felt like the best blend of these hitscan heroes with even more tacked on. I feel like Emre will be the most newcomer-friendly hero of the group, but by no means is he a boring pick for a Damage player.
Emre's Kit in Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1
- Synthetic Burst Rifle (Primary Fire): Three-round burst weapon.
- Take Aim (Secondary Fire): Hold to zoom in, tightening accuracy and increasing fall off range.
- Siphon Blaster: Temporarily wield a semi-automatic pistol with life-stealing explosive rounds. Move faster and jump higher while wielded.
- Cyber Frag: Throw a grenade that detonates shortly after bouncing.
- Ultimate — Override Protocol: An override initiates, transforming you into a living weapon. Fires rapid explosive blasts or charged mega‑shots capable of wiping teams.
- Passive – Altered Vitals: Passive health regeneration activates sooner and instantly restores 30 health when activated.
Unlike other hitscan heroes, Emre's Synthetic Burst Rifle fires a three-round burst instead of a single shot. I actually found this to be incredibly helpful for picking off enemies, since I could essentially drag my aim across enemy heads as I fired, and the three-round burst would typically still hit multiple times as long as I kept my aim in the direction the enemy was moving. Compared to someone like Ashe, this gives the player some room for error, as at least one shot will likely hit with this strategy.
The other thing I found interesting with Emre is the hidden potential in his maneuverability. While using Siphon Blaster, Emre moves faster and jumps higher. One thing the developers showed us during the gameplay walkthrough was how Emre's Cyber Frag could be used to boost his jump if you timed a jump at the same moment it exploded. I decided to test these two skills together, and with the right timing, activating Siphon Blaster and frag jumping with Cyber Frag allows Emre to reach some surprising vantage points.
Domina Was the Most Overpowered New Hero I Played
The final hero I got a chance to play during this event was the new Overwatch Tank, Domina. My immediate reaction was that she reminded me a lot of Sigma, especially with how powerful he was when he originally debuted in Overwatch. I have a feeling it will take some time for players to get used to facing an enemy Domina before coming up with a comfortable counter to her survivability.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Domina's Kit in Overwatch Reign of Talon Season 1
- Photon Magnum (Primary Fire): Medium-range beam that culminates in a high impact shot.
- Barrier Array: A segmented hard‑light barrier deployed in front of Domina. Each segment must be individually destroyed, creating dynamic defensive angles.
- Crystal Charge: Project an explosive crystal and reactivate to denotate it.
- Sonic Repulsors: Push enemies back, stunning them if they hit a wall.
- Ultimate — Panopticon: Fire a hard-light projectile that imprisons enemies and detonates on expiration.
- Passive – Reconstruction: Dealing damage with abilities restores shields.
Domina is definitely designed to play as a poke tanks, locking down a particular area with her Barrier Array, which is much larger than I expected it to be. One facet of her Barrier Array that is new to Overwatch is that segments of the shield can be broken by damaging them enough, opening holes for enemies to get through to Domina. However, Domina is very comfortable sitting back and picking off foes from afar, since her Photon Magnum has an incredibly long range that can be devastating if players can keep it locked onto a moving target.
Survivability is Domina's strong suit, especially with her Reconstruction passive that restores her shields as she deals damage. I had one instance where I was 1v1-ing the enemy Domina, and we were both low health, but neither could get the kill since we were both dealing an equal amount of damage while simultaneously restoring our own shields. I have a feeling close range heroes like Genji and Anran are going to be the key to taking down Domina, since she doesn't have many tools to deal with enemies that get in her face. One trick I found was that using Crystal Charge to set an explosive behind Domina's Barrier Array can be a great way to get around her impenetrable wall without needing to shoot out individual segments.
Which New Overwatch Hero Did I Like the Best?
Two heroes really stuck out to me as ones I want to play more once Reign of Talon Season 1 goes like on February 10: Emre and Jetpack Cat. As someone who likes hitscan characters, I think Emre is going to be my new go-to Damage hero over someone like Ashe or Soldier 76. And there's so much more I want to try with Jetpack Cat's Lifeline, such as picking up and carrying a Bastion around to rain bullets from above. I'll be interested to see what other players come up with when they get their hands on Jetpack Cat as well, and I have a feeling this entire group of new heroes will be special for the Overwatch community as a whole.
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TheBestWarGames was provided with travel and lodging for the purpose of this preview.
