Overwatch 2: Kiriko Abilities, Backstory And Gameplay Trailer

Games Overwatch 2: Kiriko Abilities, Backstory And Gameplay Trailer Kris Holt Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I cover all things games, especially Overwatch. Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Sep 15, 2022, 06:00am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin New Overwatch 2 hero Kiriko can create a path where allies can receive some serious buffs with the . . .

[+] help of her fox spirit. Blizzard Entertainment You might already have an idea about what the new Overwatch 2 support hero, Kiriko, can do based on recent unfortunate leaks. Even so, I suspect she’s more exciting than you imagine.

Before we break down her abilities, here’s a little background on the character first: Kiriko grew up in Kanezaka. Her family has ancestral links to a shine there, which honors a fox spirit. Kiriko was raised by her grandmother, who taught her about taking care of the shrine, traditions and the importance of community, and her mother, a ninja who takes action and believes in standing up for yourself and fighting for what’s right.

Being raised by these maternal figures shaped her into a hybrid of a healer and a warrior. Kiriko, who is described as a trickster, actually grew up alongside Hanzo and Genji. Her mother trained all three.

Kiriko is especially close to Genji, since they’re both mischief makers who would hang out in the Hanamura arcade (I’m really going to miss that spot in Overwatch 2 ). Kiriko witnessed the fall of the Shimadas at a young age, including the assassination of the head of the clan, which left a power vacuum. A rival clan took over, terrorizing the community and taking Kiriko’s father as hostage.

To help fight back against this clan, she joined a small group of “ragtag women and men” called the Yokai. Her fox spirit is based on inari (a Japanese fox spirit, for those who haven’t played Ghost of Tsushima ). Along with being a protector, the fox represents cunning and intelligence, which fits in with Kiriko’s character.

The symbol on her headband is the kanji for “kitsune” or “fox,” which has been rotated. MORE FOR YOU ‘Demon Slayer’ Season 2 Finally Has An Actual 2021 Release Date Netflix’s ‘Squid Game’ Season 2 Not A Sure Thing, Says Director ‘Genshin Impact’ Still Refuses To Increase Anniversary Rewards, Despite Fan Outcry Kiriko and her fox spirit in Overwatch 2 Blizzard Entertainment Kiriko Abilities The new hero is described as a “high mobility, single-target hybrid healer. ” She has a large DPS focus.

Kiriko’s primary fire is called Healing Ofuda (ofudas are paper talismans believed to be infused with powers). This is a ranged, homing heal not totally unlike Brigitte’s Repair Pack. While the projectile is slow — it is paper after all — you can close the gap to allies with Kiriko’s teleport ability (more on that in a minute).

You can pre-fire ofudas if it seems an ally is about to take damage to help give them the upper hand. Her secondary fire is Kunai. These are fast-firing projectiles with low damage, but landing a critical hit deals extra damage beyond the normal 2x modifier (a bit like how a scoped Widowmaker headshot deals 2.

5x the damage of a body shot). This means Kiriko will have a high skill ceiling. She’ll be best employed in the hands of someone who can hit consistent headshots while managing her healing and support abilities.

Kiriko might even tempt DPS players to switch roles. Kiriko’s teleport ability is called Swift Step. It works through walls and has a “generous” distance.

It can quickly take her to allies. Her second ability is called Protection Suzu. Kiriko throws out a bell (the titular suzu) that makes nearby allies and herself briefly invulnerable and cleanses debuffs.

We’ve seen Team 4 try an ability similar to this with an experimental change to Moira’s Fade that didn’t work out . Protection Suzu will be helpful to counter abilities like Ana and Junker Queen’s anti-heals. MORE FROM FORBES Overwatch 2 Hero Junker Queen’s Abilities Revealed And Explained By Devs By Kris Holt In an interview earlier this week, Overwatch 2 developers said the Protection Suzu cooldown is 14 seconds right now, but of course, that could change.

That’s less than Baptiste’s Immortality Field, but since the duration of the ability is very short, you’ll need to time it just right. Kiriko in Overwatch 2 Blizzard Entertainment Since Kiriko grew up and trained with Hanzo and Genji, it makes sense that she shares some knowledge with them. As such, she has a Wall Climb passive.

Kiriko’s Ultimate is called Kitsune Rush. She creates a path lined with torii gates. It boosts movement, attack and reload speed for Kiriko and her teammates.

It reduces cooldown speed too. The Ult could be particularly effective when you’re trying to capture a point. She sounds like a blast to play and I’m looking forward to trying her out very soon.

It’s worth noting that Kiriko, as with other new Overwatch 2 heroes after Season 1, will be gated behind the Battle Pass for some players. Perhaps you want to see some of these abilities in action right now, though. Just for you (and I guess everyone else who’s curious), here’s the first official Kiriko gameplay video: Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn .

Check out some of my other work here . Kris Holt Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.