The addictive video gameOverwatchhas unveiled yet another new hero. Fresh off a series of major changes to the game that seek to decrease player toxicity,Overwatchis now about to launch the new tank hero Wrecking Ball. The character is actually a hamster named Hammond who was genetically modified during his time on the Horizon Lunar colony, which granted him increased size and intelligence. But during Horizon’s rebellion, he attached his escape pod to the back of Winston’s ship and crash landed in the Australian Outback near Junkertown, where he modified his escape pod to be a fully fledged mech. Hammond doesn’t speak human languages, but his mech automatically translates his voice in order to communicate.
The design of this character is incredible and he presents a wholly new opportunity for players to expound upon their skills and build up entirely new team dynamics. His abilities are as follows:
The character is currently available in the PTR and will be playable to allOverwatchgamers soon. For now, check out his origin video, full bio, and some images below. And if you wanna see Wrecking Ball in action,check out Seagull’s Twitch stream, which will includeJeff Kaplanat 2pm PT.
Character Bio and Abilities
Hammond, also known as “Specimen 8,” was genetically modified during his time on Horizon Lunar Colony and, like Winston, was granted increased size and intelligence as a result. He is a witty and conniving creature that loves to cause mischief. During the rebellion on Horizon, he secretly attached his escape pod to the back of Winston’s ship, hitching a ride to planet Earth to save himself from imminent destruction. He crash-landed in the Australian Outback near Junkertown, and over time upgraded his escape pod into a formidable mech, soon becoming a force to be reckoned with known as Wrecking Ball. He doesn’t speak any human languages, but his mech automatically translates his voice in a fittingly menacing tone.
Wrecking Ball brings a plethora of unique traits to the roster of tanks available in Overwatch. He can switch between a bipedal Combat mode with high-capacity machine guns and a Roll mode allowing him to cruise through maps and enemies alike with great speed. Entering the fray, his large health pool and shield-generating capabilities give him resilience when initiating and finishing battles. If that wasn’t scary enough, he can climb and swing on surfaces using his Grappling Claw and perform Piledrive, a devastating ground smash, to enemies below. In addition to setting up Piledrive, Wrecking Ball’s Grappling Claw enables him to reach top speed. Top speed increases his basic movement speed, damaging and knocking back foes in his path. His ultimate ability Minefield is just as versatile, allowing him to set a trap and control routes, or simply trigger a large area-of-effect explosion for enemies in the immediate vicinity.
