One of the heroes to get the biggest reworks in Overwatch 2 is Orisa. Before, Orisa’s biggest utility was her shield and the ability to pull people into a moving orb.
Now, Orisa is a very different tank. Gone are the days where players would stand behind her shield, but Orisa will likely still be an incredibly viable hero for the game, with new abilities that make her tough to play against.
Orisa is still a tank, and with all roles in Overwatch 2, she now has a passive effect that all tanks get. The passive ability reduces knockbacks received and also gives less ultimate for damage received. The role passive also gives less ultimate generation from healing received, which means healing tanks is now less impactful than it was before.
Orisa’s new abilities
Javelin Spin: E
Javelin Spin allows Orisa to spin a javelin in front of her in a circular motion, acting almost as if it is a propeller. If it comes in contact with an enemy, it pushes them backwards and makes Orisa move faster as she goes forward. If that weren’t enough, it also destroys projectiles, so it can be used in an emergency when she has low health to not take any damage from the front.
The best way to use this ability is when trying to crowd control away from a point. In an overtime situation, Orisa can push multiple heroes back from the point to deny them a touch onto the point and win the game.
Energy Javelin: Secondary fire
Another knockback for Orisa is her Energy Javelin. It is a new projectile that has a big impact when it hits an enemy. When it connects with an enemy, the javelin will stun the player and send them back a bit. If she pins an enemy to the wall, it does even more damage.
Playing this ability against the squishier heroes like Tracer, Hanzo, or Zenyatta will have the most impact since they have less health and are more susceptible to knockback than a tank would be.
Augmented Fusion Driver: Primary fire
While Orisa’s weapon isn’t exactly new, the projectiles that fire out of it are, and the way it behaves is new as well. The weapon is now heat-based, and if she shoots for too long without a break, the gun will overheat. The trade-off is that Orisa’s weapon now has unlimited bullets since it’s based on heat and not bullets.
The closer Orisa is to the player she’s shooting at, the more damage she does. This, coupled with her Javelin Spin, means players might find her in their faces more than she was in Overwatch.
Terra Surge: Q
Orisa’s ultimate received a complete redo as well. Before, she would slam down a bongo and it would increase the damage dealt from allies in its range. Now, Orisa’s ultimate ability is much more impactful on an individual level.
Terra Surge brings enemies in range closer to her while she charges up a surge of damage. Players can get away from it, but if she slams down the ult before enemies have escaped, they will suffer a large amount of damage.
While she is casting Terra Surge, players can use left click to unleash it early, or they can wait until it’s done charging to dole out the max amount of damage. Gauging how quickly enemies are able to escape the crowd control will be essential for those who play Orisa. It might be worth dealing the damage out early if players are able to quickly move out of the ult.
Orisa will also Fortify during the ult, making it impossible to interrupt unless she is killed during it.
The abilities that haven’t changed
Fortify: Shift
There isn’t much on the list that hasn’t changed for Orisa. The only thing that has stayed the same is her Fortify. There are some tweaks to it, but it functions largely the same. It disallows any crowd control effects for her and gives temporary health as well as damage reduction. Another new effect is that heat generated by her weapon while she’s Fortifying is reduced, meaning she can shoot for longer before her weapon overheats.
How viable will Orisa be in Overwatch 2?
The beta will prove too early to tell whether Orisa will be a viable pick for competitive. Because her rework was so drastic, it’s likely a lot of tank mains will want to get their hands on her, so expect to see her in the beta often.
Playing far away from Orisa will be preferable with her new kit. The closer players are to her, the deadlier she is.
