When Blizzard introduced Lifeweaver to Overwatch 2 in April, there was hope that the suave Thai hero would be as useful in the game as he was conventionally beautiful. But as we all learned very quickly, that would not be the case.
After countless rounds of buffs, Lifeweaver has slowly become usable enough that selecting him doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve automatically lost a match on the competitive ladder. But in a blog post today, game director Aaron Keller told players the devs don’t want to let something like that happen again.
Opening up his Dev Take, Keller said there “was a lesson” the team learned during Lifeweaver’s release. And when the devs unveil their newest hero on Aug. 10 in season six, they don’t plan on making the same mistake twice—even if it means the new support hero is overpowered.
Related: Who could be the new Overwatch 2 support hero?
“Our aim is to have our newest hero be exciting and impactful on day 1,” Keller said. “It’s not our intent to release a hero that’s way overpowered, but we’d prefer that people play her because she brings value, not just because she’s new.”
Blizzard has been teasing this new support hero since June when it shared her silhouette in a trailer for the new season, which will include PvE Story Missions and a new permanent game mode.
Meanwhile, internet sleuths have found evidence to suggest that she is of Peruvian descent, and Keller himself shared with fans that much of the speculation they’ve come up with is either accurate or relatively close. Keller also shared a teaser image in a prior blog labeled “Solar Threading Ritual,” which suggests the new hero will gain whatever powers she might have from the sun.
We won’t know exactly how powerful this new character will be until people get a chance to play her in a competitive setting. But if Keller’s post today is any indication of how good she will be, OW2 players will be in for quite the meta shift once she’s in the game later this month.
