Overwatch surprised fans with a reveal of their newest hero – Lifeweaver. It hasn’t taken long for the new support to capture people’s hearts.
With recent news of two support heroes coming to Overwatch, fans have been waiting for the big reveal. Luckily, that came yesterday in the shape of the newest support hero, Lifeweaver.
Reported to be the first Thai and pansexual character for the game, it’s clear Blizzard has put some time into his design. So let’s take a look at what we know so far.
Lifeweaver’s Story
In a now-deleted article by PCGamesN, the Overwatch 2 senior character technical artist spoke to them about the inspiration behind Lifeweaver. Chonlawat Thammawan revealed that the newest support hero (who is also known as Niran Pruksamanee) was mainly inspired by the mandala shape.
Thammawan was the one who pitched the idea of a Thai hero and wanted Lifeweaver to be a celebration of Thai culture. Furthermore, lead narrative designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie discussed the hero’s “warm character.”
Lifeweaver’s Abilities
As mentioned, Lifeweaver will be joining Overwatch’s ever-growing roster of support characters. However, his kit and skillset is unlike others in the game.
He uses his own technology known as “biolight” to help heal others. Additionally, he can also use his skill known as ‘Life Grip’ to manipulate the positions of both enemies and allies. This will allow him to shield selected players and pull them to his position.
His next ability is ‘Petal Platform’ (his design is based heavily on cherry blossom imagery) and this allows him to create platforms. These will be able to lift heroes to different heights on the map. This could come in handy for easier traversal.
As well as aiding his teammates, Lifeweaver can also fight back. With his alternative primary fire known as Thorn Volley, he can “ward off aggressors.” Additionally, he has the Rejuvenating Dash which “provides a small burst of passive healing.”
Finally comes Lifeweaver’s ultimate ability. Known as Tree of Life, he can construct a giant tree that emits healing pulses to teammates. It will also have the ability to “disrupt sightlines” and “block chokepoints.”
“The aim was to create another support hero that didn’t rely on aim skill,” Overwatch 2’s lead hero designer Alec Dawson said. “Lifeweaver is designed for players that care a bit more about their own positioning, their game sense – those are the skills they check on more than necessarily aim skill.”
Dawson also added, “We want our supports to be able to fight back a little bit.”
Read: Overwatch 2 developers talk about future plans for the game
Lifeweaver will be joining Overwatch 2 in its upcoming season as part of the Battle Pass.
Will you be trying out this plant-based hero? Let us know across our social media platforms.