Overwatch 2’s next hero is Lifeweaver, a ranged healer with tons of utility under his belt. Pansexual, also known as Niran Pruksamani, is the first Thai hero to enter the multiplayer game. Blizzard has been teasing a supporting hero for Overwatch Season 2 for some time now, and PCGamesN had the chance to learn more about Lifeweaver in an interview with the Overwatch team ahead of his dazzling debut.
Lifeweaver’s design is inspired by many characters, including the popular WoW druid. “The mandala shape is more inspiring for this character,” says Chonlawat Thammawan, Lead Technical Character Artist, who originally introduced the Thai hero to the character design team. From his clothing to his iconography, Lifeweaver’s design is an impressive celebration of Thai culture, and his debut in FPS games even coincides with Thai New Year.
“He’s a very supportive character by nature,” notes Lead Narrative Designer Gavin Jurgens-Fairey, noting Lifeweaver’s warm and personable nature, which naturally unites the team. The source of his healing abilities comes from his own invention: biolight, a miraculous regenerative technology he developed to help the sick and injured he encountered on his travels.
According to lead hero designer Alec Dawson, developing new heroes for Overwatch 2 boils down to one question: “Will this set bring something refreshing that will appeal to players in a way unlike any hero before it?” The Lifeweaver kit does exactly that, including abilities that manipulate the positions of enemies and allies in moments of engagement. Her Petal Platform ability creates a pressure-sensitive platform that rises when heroes from both teams step on it, while her Vital Grasp ability shields a target ally and places them in position.
Lifeweaver’s control abilities open up a whole host of new strategies when you’re in the thick of the action, but the heart of his abilities remains his regenerative healing bloom. “The goal was to create another support hero that didn’t rely on aiming,” says Alec Dawson. “Lifeweaver is for players who care a little more about their own positioning, their sense of play – these are skills that test more than necessarily aiming ability.”
While Lifeweaver serves as the primary Soul Healer, her Thorn Volley serves as the alternate primary fire that can deal a decent amount of damage to ward off attackers. His Rejuvenation Rush also provides a small passive healing boost to keep you alive when you retreat or switch stances. “We want our supports to be able to counter a bit,” says Alec Dawson, noting Overwatch 2’s changes to legacy supports to accommodate the sequel’s fast pace and 5v5 team structure. We’ve seen this sentiment reflected as well. into Overwatch 2’s first support hero, Kiriko, whose own outfit promotes survival and selfless healing.
As for Lifeweaver’s passive, Parting Gift activates on death and causes it to drop a healing item that both teams can pick up. “Lifeweaver is very supportive, very loving and encouraging to everyone,” Dawson says with a laugh, “sometimes even your enemy has a little advantage too.” Thankfully, that doesn’t extend to his Ultimate Tree of Life, which heals allies within its perimeter while it remains active, and can be placed anywhere on the map to break vision and block choke chokes.
The complexity of the Lifeweaver kit means there’s a learning curve when it comes to getting the most benefit from using it, such as keeping the healing flower charged when idle or jumping to the top of the petal platform to reach new heights. “During all our tests [Lifeweaver] He’s one of the hardest heroes to master,” says Alec Dawson. However, he is also quick to confirm that Lifeweaver’s skill level is still accessible to beginners: “I will say that Lifeweaver is really very accessible, but he will take time.” owner Life Weaver.
As a graduate of the Vishkar Academy of Architects, Lifeweaver’s connection to Symmetra in Overwatch 2’s story is reflected in both gameplay and dialogue. “They are both architects of light, so they can both create structures,” Thammawan quips. “His team tends to work well together.” Symmetra’s strength often lies in the synergy of his team, and we hope this blossoming friendship will help both heroes move up our Overwatch 2 roster.
In terms of team composition, Dawson highlights Lifeweaver’s ability to quickly move aggressive flankers like Genji or Reaper, while other healers like Ana or Baptiste can offset Healing Blossom’s debuff while charging or on cooldown. True to nature, we can expect Lifeweaver to work well in pocket tactics as well (no, not this one).
Lifeweaver will be unlockable through the Overwatch 2 Battle Pass in the upcoming season. Your gear has the potential to give even the most realistic heroes a shot at verticality, so be sure to update Overwatch 2’s maps before it debuts. While you’re here, we’ve got the latest news on the Overwatch 2 PvE release date if you have a thirst for knowledge.
Source : PC Gamesn
