Blizzard has unveiled Juno as the 41st hero for Overwatch 2, and players can expect to play as her soon.
The support character, known by her codename Space Ranger at BlizzCon 2023, will be released this weekend as part of a limited-time hero trial from Friday, July 19 to Sunday, July 22. Following this, she will be temporarily removed until Season 12, when Juno will be permanently available on August 20.
This upholds the established Overwatch tradition of allowing players to have a period of time with a new hero before their official release. This custom began with Mauga, was carried on by Venture, and will now be solidified with Juno.
The trial periods provide an excellent opportunity for players to experience the new hero, while also allowing Blizzard’s Team 4 to observe the character in a real-time setting and make necessary adjustments to their abilities if they are deemed too powerful or not impactful enough.
Undoubtedly, Juno’s kit stands out due to its quick and movement-centric design.
Juno Looks To Be A Healer All About Movement
The reveal of a gameplay trailer has provided us with a clear understanding of Juno’s abilities. It seems that she will be a highly agile support character, capable of floating, gliding, and boosting her team’s speed.
Juno’s main firearm is a Mediblaster, which has the ability to both heal allies and harm enemies with its hybrid burst pistol design. Additionally, she is equipped with a Glide Boost that allows her to perform a brief vertical jump and then glide through the air. This maneuverability allows Juno to navigate her surroundings with ease.
One of her other abilities is the Pulsar Torpedos, which can target both enemies and allies. These torpedoes have auto-aiming capabilities and can inflict damage on enemies while also healing allies.
Another one of her abilities is Hyper Ring, which enables both her and her allies to pass through it with a speed boost. Interestingly, she is also seen partnered with Lucio in the trailer. It is unclear if using the Hyper Ring and activating Speed Boost simultaneously will have a stacking effect, but if it does, it can be expected that teams will be racing around the maps.
Her ultimate ability, Orbital Ray, is reminiscent of Gears of War’s Hammer of Dawn as it creates a massive beam from space. However, unlike the destructive nature of the latter, this version does not appear to cause city-wide destruction.
Interestingly, it appears that this ability has the potential to harm enemies while also providing a benefit to her allies. In Overwatch 2, her teammates will receive blue auras, a new feature. This color is typically linked with Nano-boost, suggesting that it will enhance her teammates in some way.
In general, her kit appears to be quite enjoyable, and mobility is always an exciting aspect for heroes in Overwatch 2. It will be a delicate balancing act for Blizzard to manage Juno’s abilities, which involve both healing and damaging, as this entails a significant amount of health manipulation. Nevertheless, the purpose of test weekends is to identify any major issues, so we can hope that she will join Season 12 with a fair and balanced set of abilities.
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