Overwatch 2 (opens in new tab)‘s latest hero has been announced during the Overwatch League (opens in new tab) grand finals, and lore fiends will instantly recognise this omnic tank.
Ramattra made his debut back in Overwatch 1, during 2019’s Storm Rising PvE event. He appeared at the end of the closing cinematic, talking to now-fellow tank hero Doomfist. We’ve not heard much about the Null Sector leader since or even known his name—until now. He’ll be joining the tank pool, with his kit revolving around the fact that he sports two separate forms.
Omnic Form will have Ramattra sporting a slim frame around the size of a DPS hero. He adopts more of a poking strategy in this form, with lead hero designer Alec Dawson telling press during a group interview that Omnic Form will do a better job of protecting teammates at a distance. With a button press, Ramattra can transform into his larger, foreboding Nemesis Form, a threatening presence that lead narrative designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie doesn’t want players to diminish. “I don’t think we can overestimate how scary Ramattra gets when he goes into Nemesis Form,” he said.
Nemesis mode is all about charging forward, switching up from ranged to more of a close-range brawler style: “You’re rushing down the enemies, you’re charging in there, and you have these punches that you’re trying to get to the backline and get rid of some of their squishies,” Dawson said.
Nemesis Form will make Ramattra “one of the biggest targets on the battlefield,” which should be a field day for abilities like Ana’s sleep dart or Zenyatta’s discord orb when facing him on the enemy team. It’ll also make him mighty scary as he’s charging towards you with fists flying, but y’know. Dawson didn’t mention exactly what Ramattra’s ultimate ability is yet, but clarified that one ability will be shared across two forms and that “you’re gonna want to get away from him when he uses it.”
Lore nerds will be pleased to know that there’ll be plenty of stuff happening between Ramattra and Zenyatta, too. “They came to be as close as brothers,” Jurgens-Fyhrie told me. “So you will see interactions between them where you see that closeness and you get a hint at that history,” adding that those “hungry for Zenyatta lore” will have a great time with Ramattra’s addition.
Less exciting news is that there are currently no plans to move heroes access forward on the battle pass, and players on the free track will still need to reach tier 55 in order to unlock him. It’s a disappointing choice, but art director Dion Rogers said that shaping the battle pass and heroes’ places in it is “a constant conversation for our team.”
Ramattra sounds like a pretty formidable foe, one that’ll require a little bit of skill to know which form is best for which situation. As a support main I’m excited to see how he can lead a team on the battlefield, and as a Zenyatta main especially I’m looking forward to hearing all the nuggets of lore between the two characters. Ramattra will join the lineup at the beginning of Season 2, which is set to kick off on December 6.