Wuyang, the 44th hero in Overwatch 2’s roster, isn’t officially in the game yet, but he’s already showing a lot of potential. The water-wielding Support character is playable for the next few days as part of a trial period, and after just one day with the hero, players are coming up with some diabolical combos. I played around with him a bit, and I don’t think he’s my style of Support hero because his low healing output makes him feel a bit too passive for my liking. Despite this, I can see how a skillful player could make the most of his kit by setting up devastating opportunities for teammates. Wuyang feels evocative of the approach to Support hero design from when the first game launched, which was less about healing as the be-all, end-all utility and more about, well, supporting other players to do their thing. As such, his ultimate, Tidal Blast, isn’t a big defensive ultimate that outheals incoming waves of damage. Instead, it’s one of the game’s new best set-up abilities.
Tidal Blast has two major functions. First, it creates a water-based barrier around either Wuyang himself or an ally. This gives the target a bulky chunk of overhealth that will keep them safe from most incoming attacks. The second thing it does is detonate after a few seconds, doing a little bit of damage to enemies within its radius. However, it also knocks enemies to the ground, similar to Reinhardt’s Earthshatter ultimate, in a circular radius. This will give you a precious few seconds to follow up and do some real damage to an enemy team while they’re on the ground. On its own, this is a really solid ability that can take down enemy defenses and give you a window to wreck shop. However, with coordination, it can also be absolutely devastating when paired with characters like Tracer, Junker Queen, and Sombra, who can quickly dive into an enemy backline.
Coordination will be key in making these combos work. Timing is everything with Tidal Blast, because if your target is seconds early or late into a play, the whole setup can fall apart. Overwatch 2 players like KarQ have demonstrated a few uses for the ability, like shielding Junker Queen as she heads in with her own ultimate which has her dash forward and inflict Wound damage on enemies, potentially cutting off a group of opponents at the knees and leaving them open for a quick finish. Some characters don’t even need to be dashing into the backline to get value out of Tidal Blast. Orisa’s ultimate, which sucks enemies into her position before bringing down a powerful charged strike onto the area around her, can be risky because it’s somewhat easy to move out of its range if you have a mobility skill. If she goes in covered in a water bubble, however, she can bring enemies into range, then Tidal Blast will knock them down for her to finish them off. It requires precise timing, but there’s potential, when two well-coordinated players are working together, to wipe out several enemies and clear a path to an objective.
Wuyang is playable until August 18, and officially joins the roster on August 26.
