Overwatch’s New Hero Now Playable In PTR, Overview of Abilities

It’s official! The latest Overwatch hero is here and he is loud, proud, and adorable as all hell. Blizzard shocked everyone earlier today when they revealed that the newest tank was a death-dealing pipsqueak and now we know even more about the mecha-controlling ball of fluff thanks to a brand new origins story animated short as well as the gameplay footage you’re watching now courtesy of yours truly.

Be kind, it’s my first time playing this hero and though there were a few moments of awesomeness, there was also more than a few moments of confusion and horrible, horrible deaths.

Before we go into the latest hero’s abilities, here are the new skills players must master:

• Quad Cannons
• Roll
• Grappling Claw
• Minefield
• Adaptive Shield
• Piledrive

Blizzard describes the newest character, and his abilities, as “Wrecking Ball’s tinkering capabilities and iron-clad mech make him a formidable tank hero, capable of bowling through the front line of the opposition and causing mayhem in the back line. His primary weapon, Quad Cannons, are two sets of twin machine guns that shred enemies caught in their crosshairs. No team is too much for Wrecking Ball to engage against with his Adaptive Shield, which generates more health based on the number of enemies nearby. This shield makes him incredibly difficult to kill when he bulldozes into the fray and, once he starts to get low on health, also provides him the endurance to escape.”

“The Roll ability allows Wrecking Ball to withdraw the mech’s robotic limbs, transforming it into a ball with increased movement speed. No obstacle can stand in Wrecking Ball’s way when he uses Grappling Claw, a short-range ability that grips the environment, letting him swing across terrain gaps or around corners to smash enemies. Grappling Claw also allows Wrecking Ball to reach top speed and ram into foes, dealing destructive damage and knocking them back. While airborne, the mech’s Piledriver ability causes Wrecking Ball to slam down from the air and knock his enemies off their feet.”

This character is a definitely game changer, one that can defend, attack, and bait the enemy team into making a mistake. What’s incredible though is his ultimate, his Minefield.

The Minefield is perfect, especially for those escort missions, to tip the favor of the match onto your team side. Pairing this ability with the grappling claw is also extremely powerful, allowing players to take the higher ground in order to drop those minefields below. Triggering the adaptive shield immediately after protects you as you watch the pure chaos unfold.

Blizzard also described the sixth tank hero as a disruptive hero “that provides disruption while also being an aggressive bruiser that bullies the enemy’s backline, eliminating vulnerable heroes that are left unguarded. He excels at disrupting enemies’ positioning with his Roll and Piledriver abilities while also posing a serious threat if he’s left alone to train his Quad Cannons on key targets.”

Interested in trying him out yourself? You can check out the adorably ferocious new tank in Overwatch’s Public Test Realm now. No official word as of yet for when he’ll be released into the full game, but he is available to try out on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

You can follow the author of this story over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy for more Hamster Fan Freakouts.