Overwatch 2 Junker Queen abilities match “brutal personality”

pcgamesn.com:

“The Junkertown map showcases her tough, almost brutal personality, and we wanted her abilities and playstyle to match that energy,” says Blizzard of its new Overwatch 2 hero Junker Queen’s abilities. The new tank character is set to join the FPS game’s roster in time for the second Overwatch 2 public beta, and a quick glimpse at her kit reveals that she’s adopting a few tricks usually associated with the support role.

Now, a developer blog from Blizzard digs into the design decisions that went into creating her brawling-oriented loadout. The developer says Junker Queen’s pre-existing role in Overwatch’s lore meant that “she had big community expectations resting on her stately shoulders.” As such, they leant into her style as a scrappy, dangerous fighter – “a berserker tank whose survivability is directly connected to how many enemies she’s wounding.”

This is reflected in her passive ability, Adrenaline Rush, which causes Junker Queen to heal from all damage over time dealt by wounds. Wounds can be caused by her Jagged Blade melee, which applies both on her quick melee attack or when using an active ability to throw the knife at an opponent, as well as with her Carnage ability and Rampage ultimate. Wounding causes enemy health to slowly drain, which feeds into Junker Queen’s lifesteal.

Her axe, known as Carnage, was “the starting point for her design,” says Blizzard – it’s one of the defining features of how the character has previously been depicted in the narrative of Overwatch. The team decided not to make her a melee-first hero, however, restricting Carnage’s use to abilities. “Historically, making a melee hero in Overwatch has come with its own set of challenges.” The team cites Genji’s Dragonblade, which was