Summary
BlizzCon 2023 was packed with quite a bit of information, much of which had to do with the future ofOverwatch 2. Much to the excitement of fans of the hero-shooter, new game modes, maps, and heroes were revealed at the convention. In addition to the highly anticipatedtank character Mauga, the community got a sneak peek of an upcoming support character who has been codenamed “Space Ranger” for now.
At the moment, it appears that Space Ranger is being targeted for a Season 12 release. This aligns withOverwatch 2’s current character release model seeing as Mauga will launch in Season 8, followed by the new DPS hero Venture in Season 10. Though Season 12 likely won’t come out until around July 2024, some people are hoping that when the Martian hero debuts she will share more similarities to Mercy than Illari.
RELATED:Overwatch 2 Reveals Early Gameplay of Season 10 Damage Hero
Overwatch 2 Needs More Support Heroes Focused on Enabling Their Team
Season 7 ofOverwatch 2now has a total of ten support characters, three of which were released afterOverwatch 2came out. The most recent of these is Illari, a support hero who is able to deal impressive amounts of damage when in the right hands. As such, since Season 6, Illari has seen a fair share of contention due to her Healing Pylon and damage statistics which recently resulted in nerfs to her Solar Rifle. Of course, controversy over supports that are able to secure eliminations has existed since the firstOverwatchwas released in 2016. The following six support heroes are most often criticized for being able to carry out a great amount of damage:
Space Ranger Should Take a Page out of Mercy and Lifeweaver’s Book
Thedetails forOW2Space Rangerare sparse at the moment, but according to Blizzard she will come equipped with a weapon that’s been described as a “burst-fire smart SMG.” It’s too soon to say for certain what the “smart” element of this weaponry means, but it could mean that the SMG will have some sort of auto-tracking feature. Additionally, the rocket pods that extend from Space Ranger’s shoulders may act similarly to Pharah’s Hover Jets and allow for high mobility maneuvers. This may not mean she’ll be able to fly like Mercy, but it could be an avenue that leads to more aerial healing.
Furthermore, though SMGs are known for doing damage, it’s possible that they will actually be Space Ranger’s method for healing. InOverwatch 2’s case, this would be ideal considering that the game already has severalgood supportOWcharacterswith abilities that allow them to take fights with squishy characters. On account of this, Space Ranger’s focus should be fully concentrated on healing, with some variations like Mercy’s damage amplification and Lifeweaver’s Life Grip. Of course, she should still have a way to defend herself, akin to Lifeweaver’s Thorn Volley or Mercy’s Caduceus Blaster, but it shouldn’t be a primary part of her kit.
Space Ranger’s focus should be fully concentrated on healing.
If Space Ranger joinsOverwatch 2in Season 12 as a support who behaves similarly to Mercy, this could be healthy for thediversity of the support character roster. Unfortunately, it seems that theOverwatch 2community will have to wait quite some time to get their hands on Space Ranger. Hopefully, as 2024 draws closer, Blizzard will reveal more information on the mysterious Martian’s abilities.
