During the BlizzCon 2018 opening ceremony, the company revealed the 29th character for Overwatch. Gunslinger McCree now has a rival in Ashe, and her abilities just might be enough to put everyone’s favorite cowboy in his place.
Unlike the revolver-wielding McCree, Ashe makes use of a lever-action repeating rifle called The Viper that is capable of taking out targets with a futuristic sight. If enemies get too close, a shorter-range, double-barrel shotgun called the Coach Gun is by her side to create some distance. The shotgun can also be used to fire directly at the ground and send her flying into the air, and a stick of dynamite can be shot from a distance to deal some serious damage to the other team.
Ashe’s Ultimate ability is one of the more interesting attacks we’ve seen thus far in Overwatch. In the teaser video, a robot called Bob, who appears to be an Omnic like Zenyatta, appears by her side and launches Winston into the air with an uppercut before unleashing hell via machine guns. He even has a cute little cowboy hat on his head, so you know he means business.
Alongside the teaser video, Blizzard also released a new animated short that delves into Ashe’s rivalry with McCree. Titled Reunion, the short sees the two facing off in an action-packed duel surrounded by goons waiting to be destroyed with gunfire.
Unlike McCree, Ashe was born into money and didn’t get caught up in the criminal lifestyle until she was older. She helped found the Deadlock Gang and eventually became one of the most feared criminals in the American southwest. With her move-set and the amount of fire she can send downrange compared to other Overwatch heroes, we’d think twice before running into her on the battlefield.
Like McCree, Ashe is a “damage” character, as offense and defense are no longer differentiated by role. This means there are now 16 different damage characters in the game, with only six support characters and seven tanks.
Ashe’s Viper has two firing modes. When not aiming, it has a quicker firing rate, and more powerful shots can be made by looking down her sight.
During the BlizzCon Live panel “Overwatch: What’s Next,” the development team revealed that voice actress Jennifer Hale brought Ashe to life. If that name sounds familiar, you’ve certainly heard her voice in games before. Perhaps her most famous role is the female Shephard in the Mass Effect trilogy.
Blizzard also hinted during the panel that the two other founders of the Deadlock gang will be kept a mystery for now. We’re willing to bet they eventually show up in the game or its related media as well.
Ashe is available now on all platforms after previously being released to PC users on the game’s Public Test Region. Blizzard warned players ahead of time that the next update would be substantial, requiring full reinstallation of the game client to reflect the many other changes being made.
Overwatch is available for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Keep reading Digital Trends for more BlizzCon 2018 coverage over the weekend.
Updated on November 14, 2018: Ashe is now available for all players.
