Overwatch’s latest character, Brigitte, keeps it in the family

Posted on March 1, 2018

Even after 2 years Overwatch still has the pulling power to excite players and fans around the world. Every time we begin the countdown towards a new character announcement the internet begins to froth and as teaser images begin to surface we dissect them.

Over the last week Blizzard have released a handful of teasers about the new character including a mission briefing and letter from resident mechanic, Torbjörn Lindholm. However it was the last two images, blueprints of a flail and shield, that cemented the internets decision that this new character was Torbjörn’s own daughter and squire to Reinhardt, Brigitte Lindholm.

Fans of Overwatch will recognise Brigitte from her previous appearances in the comics but also most recently the Reinhardt short, Honor and Glory. Even before she was announced as a hero she had managed to build up a fan base. She now joins the cast as the 27th hero, one of 6 new heroes since the game began—4 of which have been female, which really balances out and diversifies the roster compared to a lot of modern games out there.

Brigitte specializes in armor. She can throw Repair Packs to heal teammates, or automatically heal nearby allies when she damages foes with her Flail. Her Flail is capable of a wide swing to strike multiple targets, or a Whip Shot that stuns an enemy at range. When entering the fray, Barrier Shield provides personal defense while she attacks enemies with Shield Bash. Brigitte’s ultimate ability, Rally, gives her a substantial short-term boost of speed and provides long-lasting armor to all her nearby allies.

Brigitte exists as a hybrid Support and Tank with more focus on her Support role. She is a Support who benefits from being in the thick of it to aid her team instead of keeping to the backline of the fray. Brigitte is now live on the Public Testing Realm for PC users to try out, normally heroes will remain there for 2 weeks before finding their way to the main game.

You can check out Brigitte’s Hero Page on the Overwatch website and have a listen to what Jeff Kaplan has to say about her. I for one welcome our new amor clad flail wielding leader.