The next hero coming to Overwatch 2 isn’t exactly new. Players got a glimpse of him, an Omnic activist known as Ramattra, more than three years ago, at the conclusion of an Overwatch Archives event called Storm Rising. That event’s cliffhanger reveal of a menacing Omnic teaming up the villain Doomfist finally paid off on Friday at the Overwatch League Grand Finals, when Blizzard Entertainment revealed the new tank-class character coming to Overwatch 2 next month.
Ramattra will join the Overwatch 2 roster on Dec. 6, debuting alongside the game’s second season. He’ll be the game’s 11th tank character, and will bring a unique mechanic to the tank group: Ramattra has two forms, a standard Omnic form and a hulking second form, called Nemesis.
In his standard Omnic form, Ramattra battles using a staff that fires projectiles and can create a barrier to protect his team. But when Ramattra hulks out, using an ability on a cooldown, he becomes a gigantic brawler capable of powerful melee attacks that will strike fear into “squishies” on the opposing team. Overwatch developers described Ramattra’s transformation as “scary” and “menacing,” turning him from a fairly standard-sized hero into one of the game’s largest. That change into his more aggressive Nemesis form makes him deadlier, but it also makes him a much bigger target for attacks like Ana’s sleep dart or Zenyatta’s orb of discord.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24170003/OVR_Ramattra_Origin_1.jpeg)
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
But Ramattra will offer tank players new gameplay opportunities, letting them decide between protecting their team with longer range attacks and barriers, or aggressively leading the charge into battle. His punches, while in Nemesis form, can pierce through barriers, lead hero designer Alec Dawson said, providing counters to “bubbles” from heroes like Winston and Zarya.
Blizzard didn’t divulge too much about Ramattra’s ability kit or his stats during a press briefing on Thursday, and instead focused on the Omnic’s narrative place in Overwatch’s world.
According to Blizzard’s official origin story, Ramattra was built as a war machine for the Omnic Crisis, but he put down his weapons, seeking tranquility alongside Zenyatta. For a time, Ramattra followed that peaceful path before ultimately leading Null Sector, and fighting for the survival of his people by any means necessary.
“Omnics and humans have tried to coexist, but as you’ve seen in the lore, that has not been going well for them,” lead narrative designer Gavin Jurgens-Fyhrie said. “Ramattra is tired of waiting and has grown impatient. He has formed this organization with some allies to fight for the freedom of the Omnic people and win their safety at any cost.”
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24170017/OVR_Ramattra_Origin_2.jpeg)
Image: Blizzard Entertainment
Like Kiriko, it sounds like Ramattra will roll out to players via Overwatch 2’s battle pass. Players who pay for the premium version of that pass will get him immediately, while other players will need to level up the free version of the pass to unlock him. Asked whether Blizzard plans to change the required battle pass level — which was 55 for Kiriko — for Ramattra’s release, art director Dion Rogers deferred, saying that the Overwatch team is regularly evaluating its plans. “It’s a constant conversation for our team,” Rogers said.
Ramattra will arrive in season 2 alongside a new map, one that developers said has unspecified ties to the new hero. More heroes, including a new support-class character, are planned for Overwatch 2 in 2023.