In an article published just now on the official site, Blizzard presents in more detail Vital, the new support hero ofOverwatch 2 which will arrive next week. Find all the info without further delay below.
Combining kindness and quick-wittedness, he always tries to help those who need it (even when all they need is an elevator).
Originally from Thailand, Vital is known for his love and respect for nature, but also for being the inventor of biolight. This advanced technology is central to all of his abilities and plays a central role in the care and support he provides to his team.
Vital employs a unique style of play, with some mechanics never before seen in the game, and it’s time to take a look at his arsenal and development. Its final look is the result of a collaboration between different teams who came up with all kinds of preparatory illustrations, design ideas and stories for Vital. One of our early drafts featured an older medic, able to focus regenerative energy in his hands and project it at allied characters, similar to Moira’s Coalescence.
After researching these leads, we ended up choosing a character with a new playstyle that will strengthen the support ranks.
care flower
Flower of care is the premier Vital’s main fire (promised, we’ll explain everything a little later). With this weapon, he charges a luminescent flower and sends it towards a friendly target. The more the flower is charged, the greater the care it provides.
Healing Blossom was the starting point for Vital’s arsenal, and we’ve developed his other abilities from there. We aimed to create a support hero that was accessible and viable in many situations, regardless of game level. players of all levels to appropriate Vital’s arsenal and style of play.
Pile of Thorns
Its alternate primary fire is titled Volley of Thorns. This weapon allows him to project biolight thorns in a scattered pattern. It is primarily a defensive tool, but Vital can deal a good amount of damage with this tool.
Healing your team is where you’ll be most useful, but this weapon has pretty high damage for a support character. Keep in mind that you cannot heal while using Volley of Thorns; take a good look at what is happening around you and use your two main shots wisely!
And if you’re up once morest Vital, don’t underestimate Volley of Thorns! In his words: “Thorns on the face, it’s annoying. ” He’s not wrong !
Platform of Petals and Regenerating Momentum
Petal Platform is an ability associated with Vital’s Secondary Fire. It allows her to launch a pod that deploys a flower-shaped platform when it lands. If a friendly or enemy character steps on it, it rises and hangs in the air for a few moments.
By performing a jump when the platform reaches its maximum altitude, it is possible to propel yourself into the air. You won’t go as high as with Baptiste’s Exo-Boots, but characters from both teams can use the platform to leap and gain height!
Petal Platform was the ability that gave us the most trouble, and we tested many versions. We chose this mechanic because it brings an element to the support role that was previously exclusive to Mei’s Wall of Ice: a new element of verticality, beyond the relief of the map and the characters. capable of propelling themselves through the air.
Use Platform of Petals to flee opponents or to help allied characters. If your Stronghold wants to get up high, Petal Platform can help get it there in a snap! You can also help Cassidy gain height for his ult, so he can get more kills with Relentless!
Vital plays collectively and loves cooperation. There are myriad ways to support your team with this ability, and we can’t wait to see what strategies you’ll invent with Petal Platform!
When using Regenerating Dash, Vital dashes in the targeted direction while healing slightly. This ability resembles Hanzo’s Pulse; we have integrated it into its arsenal to give it mobility and autonomy.
Petal Platform propels you into the air if you jump at the right time. Add to it a Regenerating Momentum and you can cover significant distances, in height as well as in length!
saving grip
Saving Grasp envelops a friendly character in protective biolight and pulls them to Vital’s position. While a friendly target is shielded by Saving Grasp, they are immune to all damage.
This mechanic has many inspirations: we are sure that some of you have already had the displeasure of coming across Chopper’s Hound, and we wanted to create something similar between members of the same team. The challenge was to imagine what such a capability might look like in Overwatch. We tested different possibilities internally and the team had a lot of fun.
And before you ask us: no, you can’t interrupt an allied character in the middle of an ult with Saving Grasp!
This ability reflects Vital’s desire to heal and protect his comrades, but it also evokes his personality and outlook on life. Vital is laid-back, confident, and well-meaning towards everyone who crosses his path. Be careful though, moving an allied character can have consequences! Use Saving Grasp (wisely!) to save a friendly target in the event of a glitch so they can continue the fight.
Tree of Life
With his ultimate ability, Vital plants a gigantic bioluminous tree that generates waves of regenerative energy. The tree creates an area that protects your team by blocking shots and movement. The dev team that came up with this ability describes it like this: “A healing BOB, crossed with Mei’s Wall of Ice. »
The character development process varies; sometimes their design inspires us with abilities, and other times it’s the other way around. In Vital’s case, we started by designing his arsenal before looking into his personality, backstory, and appearance. Tree of Life is the ability that shaped this hero into the fervent defender of nature that you will soon discover in the game.
Vital’s ultimate ability has gone through several versions, including a kind of healing Seismic Shock: very classy, but not really useful. We also tested a healing totem, but it didn’t really fit the character.
It was around National Tree Day that his ultimate really started to take shape. The team was already thinking regarding the theme of the tree. In its original version, the Tree of Life gave its life energy to allied characters and withered over time. It was very poetic, but unintuitive and not clear enough on the battlefield. It was this ability that eventually became the Tree of Life that you can find in-game.
“Look at us, incredible that we are. »
Whether you decide to play it or face it, Vital brings a breath of fresh air to the game with its mechanics, playstyle, and worldview. Whether he’s lifting allied characters with his Petal Platform, luring them to safety with Salvation’s Grasp, or keeping them healthy with Healing Blossom, Vital is an accomplished support that provides great durability to his team with his handy abilities.
We can’t wait to see how you will combine his abilities with those of other characters, and we can’t wait to see him pull his team out of all kinds of sticky situations!
Vital will join the elite supporting characters on April 11, at the start of Season 4! Grab the Premium Battle Pass to immediately unlock this new hero, or try it out on the Firing Range, in Custom Games, or in BOB and Vital LTMs.
