Overwatch Beta Adds Three More Characters

Overwatch beta testers now have three more characters to try out. Mei, D.Va and Genji each wreak havoc on the battlefield in very different ways.

D.Va, the professional StarCraft 2 player announced earlier this month, pilots a MEKA (mechanized armored drone unit) into battle. Her mech is armed with two rotating cannons that can lay down heavy fire in a short range at the expense of her movement speed. It's also armed with a defense matrix to shoot down incoming projectiles. The mech can also use boosters to go airborne or slam into enemies.

Her ultimate ability allows her to set the MEKA to self-destruct. D.VA ejects just before the reactor blows up and hurts all nearby enemies. She can then fight off enemies with an automatic blaster until a new mech is dropped into the battlefield.

Genji is the brother of Hanzo the Archer. After being nearly killed by Hanzo in a duel, he was outfitted with a cybernetic suit. Unlike Hanzo, Genji prefers to be on the front lines. He can dice up enemies with his katana and cause them to bleed out over time. If they flee, he can finish them off with a flurry of shurikens. He can also use his sword to knock projectiles back at enemies. His ultimate, Dragonblade, lets him deliver heavy slashes to any nearby foes.

Mei, like D.VA, has an unlikely profession for a shooter character: climatologist. She has developed weather modification technology that helps her control the battlefield. Her Endothermic Blaster can fire icicles to hit enemies at medium range or a short-range stream that can slow or freeze. She can also create an Icewall that blocks enemies and their attacks. If she's in trouble, she can use Cryo-Freeze to prevent all damage for a short period of time and heal herself up. However, during this period she can't move or use other abilities. Her ulltimate ability brings down a blizzard that slows and hurts enemies. If they stay in the area of effect too long, they'll be frozen in place.

I think a swordsman or a mech pilot will end up being more popular choices than a climatologist. However, Mei sounds like she'll be a very useful addition to a team. A player that can use her crowd control abilities effectively could turn around many battles instantly.

Overwatch's closed beta test started on PC in October. Blizzard also plans to hold larger stress test weekends in the near future. The game will officially launch for PC, PS4 and Xbox One this Spring.