The next hero coming to Overwatch 2 is Freja, a crossbow-wielding Danish bounty hunter, Blizzard announced Wednesday during its Overwatch 2 Spotlight showcase. Freja will join the roster of damage heroes in season 16 of Overwatch 2, but players will get hands-on time with her during a play test in season 15, which launches Feb. 18.
According to senior narrative designer Jude Stacey, Freja was once Overwatch’s “most renowned search-and-rescue operative, dedicated to saving lives — but after Overwatch was disbanded, Freja turned to bounty hunting.” Stacey described Freja as being meant for players who “love a challenge,” as she’s “recognized internally as being one of the highest-skill heroes in the game.” Freja’s ability kit “demands precision and a steady long-range aim,” Stacey said.
Freja’s kit includes her primary fire, a rapid-firing crossbow, and a secondary fire that’s an exploding bolt. She has three movement-related abilities: Quick Dash, which is similar to Hanzo’s Lunge and refills her exploding bolt ammo; Updraft, which launches her vertically into the air to overcome obstacles and reach higher floors; and Take Aim, which sees her slow down midair to get a precision shot on her foes.
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Her Ultimate is a bolas that ensnares an enemy and pulls in nearby allies, then explodes, causing area-of-effect blast damage.
According to senior game designer Kenny Hudson, Freja will also have a passive ability, which currently gives her reduced Ultimate charge after she accrues five successive kills. That’s probably going to change, noted Hudson, as Freja is still in active development.
Hudson said that Freja started from “a really old piece of concept art, pre-Overwatch 1” and paired with the right-click slowdown ability that was developed by the hero design team. According to Stacey, Freja’s “high-precision gameplay and bounty hunter fantasy” served as a “great way to explore where those old Overwatch agents that we don’t talk about are now.”
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard also teased the hero that will be released after Freja, a character currently code-named Aqua, with a few pieces of concept art. Aqua is described as a “Chinese water wielder” who boasts “one of the most unique ability sets that we’ve ever developed,” according to Stacey.
Aqua will be Overwatch 2’s 44th hero. Blizzard hasn’t said anything about his role, but the character’s silhouette certainly aligns with a damage or support character. We’ll know more later this summer, when Aqua’s final name and ability kit are revealed.
Overwatch 2 game director Aaron Keller told me that Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 Spotlight showcase may also feature a small Easter egg about a future hero coming in season 20, if you’re interested in digging through it frame by frame. If it’s anything like very early teasers that Blizzard has released before (e.g., for Hazard), it’s likely a small, cartoonish illustration. Keep an eye out.
Freja is planned to launch officially alongside season 16 in April. Aqua will likely arrive in late August or early September.
