A genetically altered hamster (no relation to the Kia Soul Hamsters) got released into Blizzard’s Overwatch earlier today, Tuesday the 24th. The teaser and lead up to this point brought a few controversies and plot alterations to the already obscure storyline that is Overwatch. For those who did not follow the release trailers, here is a brief look at how Hammond plays into the greater story arc.
Hammond, AKA Wrecking Ball, was an experimental critter dwelling within Horizon Lunar Colony. While at Horizon, his genetic modifications gained him an increase in intelligence as well as size. During the revolt, he snuck aboard the same ship that transported Winston. While he did not land with Winston at Watchpoint Gibraltar but instead landed in the Australian Outback of Junkertown. The abundance of spare parts enabled him to modify his pod into its current form, Wrecking Ball.
He will be classified as a tank – think Diva/Roadhog/Reinhardt all in one – and the abilities are rather suiting:
- Quad Cannons
- Roll: Transform into a sphere with increased speed
- Grappling Claw: While in Roll, launch a grappling hook enabling you to swing and collide with objects to deal damage
- Adaptive Shield: Grants a temporary shield based on the number of enemies nearby
- Piledriver: While in Roll, slam downward dealing damage and launching enemies upward
- Minefield (Ultimate): Deploy a field of proximity mines
As with most heroes launched Hammond spent some time on the Public Test Region (PTR) for any glaring flaws and bugs. Only time will tell how he will impact the game and if Blizzard will be willing to step in with any buffs or nerfs to the cutest new addition to the game. Fire up those Blizzard launchers and try him out. Here is something to try: Roll into Grappling Claw dropping Minefield followed up by Piledriver. Could be quite the zoning tool or the biggest whiff.
