Blizzard Reveals the Newest Overwatch Hero

Taking a look at Baptiste, the newest support hero in Overwatch.

Breaking Down the Origin Story

Since the release of Ashe on November 5th of last year, players of Blizzard’s smash hit Overwatch were looking for something new. The addition of Ashe, albeit a unique one, left much to be desired for the player base as another damage character wasn’t something people were particularly looking for.

Thankfully, after hearing the pleas for another support character, Blizzard teased their fans with a special note written to a “Jean-Baptiste Augustin.” (The official post can be found here in case you missed it). The letter adds a bit of lore to the Overwatch universe, seemingly being a transmission of sorts between Talon agents, one of the antagonists to the Overwatch team. Baptiste broke one of the cardinal rules of the Talon organization by trying to leave. Failure to return would result in a strike team being dispatched to capture or kill him. A letter was sent to the commander of the strike team saying “COME FIND ME CUERVA,” accompanied with the emblems of three Talon members, presumed to have been killed by Baptiste.

The letter briefly discusses that Baptiste took out the team sent after him. Quoting the Talon agent “D. Cuerva,” “I’ve never known a medic to be such a good shot, and his adaptability to new situations is a rare talent… Baptiste was built to survive”. The letter continues with the fact that the rest of the strike team will be moving to complete their mission against Baptiste by Cuerva.

With the reveal of his origin story, Baptiste was a child orphaned by the Omnic War and wanted to make a difference for others in his situation. Forced to survive and against all odds, Baptiste joined a human resistance force and after making a name for himself, joined Talon. In the video Baptiste gives a monologue of his life, even indicating that he knew that Talon was a criminal organization, but they allowed him to have a more significant impact on the war at hand. As he matures, Baptiste becomes more aware of the difference he wants to make and turns on the Talon organization, having an image show him with three infantrymen tied up in what seems to be a weapons storage unit before ending.

Early Baptiste Ability Predictions

Taking a look at the character design of the hero himself, the most prominent detail is his weapon in the still. It resembles a hybrid weapon of sorts, potentially being half assault rifle and half grenade launcher as seen by the large drum magazine as well as the two triggers found on the gun. It can be assumed that this hero will offer some lethality as well as the obvious healing he will provide. The green canisters within the drum magazine may work somewhat like Ana’s Biotic Grenade ability, healing allied heroes in a small area of effect, potentially damaging enemies within the same area.

Another noticeable theme in the video were the small health kits he visibly carried known as “minis” in the Overwatch scene. Theoretically, he could place a temporary health pack such as the champion Bard does in League of Legends, allowing an ally to walk over it like the standard kits found around maps. Another idea would be that Baptiste deploys an instant health pack onto someone the same way Brigitte’s Repair Pack works, healing for 75 health points instantly without providing any buffs.

Running with the lore, it would seem that Baptiste will fulfill the role that Solder: 76 did in some Chinese strategies during the early phases of the Overwatch Contenders Series – being a damage dealing source while providing some healing for his team. Due to limited knowledge thus far, it’ll be interesting whether Blizzard focuses Baptiste on either side of the spectrum, either being a damage dealer with some healing capabilities or being a healer with some damage dealing capabilities.

Final Thoughts & GOATS

Hopefully, Baptiste can make a lasting impression on the game and shift away from the standard GOATS versus GOATS meta, maybe even being a counter to it. The green canisters could be corrosive grenades that shred armor similar to the new Torbjörn ultimate ability Molten Core which actually deals bonus damage to armor. Only the future knows where Blizzard wants to take this character, but the community is definitely hoping for something that shifts the game elsewhere from the methodical brawling of the GOATS meta. Odds are Baptiste will hit the PTR sometime this week, allowing players to test for themselves the full capability of the hero.

Images Via: Blizzard / Overwatch