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Photo Courtesy of Overwatch's Official Site
The new Overwatch hero Baptise, was announced this week.
Overwatch-out for the next new hero
February 27, 2019
On Monday the popular e sports game, Overwatch, unveiled its 30th hero, Baptise. According to the official Overwatch website, “Baptise wields an assortment of experimental devices and weaponry to keep allies alive and eliminate threats under fierce conditions. A battle-hardened combat medic he is just as capable of saving lives as he is at taking out the enemy.” Overwatch is a game where two teams of six fight for control of an objective or move a payload to an objective point. Players can choose from up to thirty heroes to play; Baptise will be the ninth hero added to Overwatch since its release.
In a developer update, Jeff Kaplan, the Vice President of Blizzard entertainment and Game Director of Overwatch, showcased Baptiste’s abilities and backstory. Kaplan Said:
Baptise was actually orphaned during the Omnic Crisis. There were 30 million orphans as a matter of fact, he was one of them. It was very devastating. He’s from Haiti. So as he grew older, he joined what was called the Caribbean Coalition. He became a masterful combat medic. He fought as part of a special forces group, and he was the medic of that group.
Kaplan continues to detail how Baptise joined the group Talon, but later left to join Overwatch as he realized Talon was a criminal organization and he wasn’t comfortable working with them.
Baptise has five abilities players can use. His main weapon, the Biotic launcher, which launches projectiles than can both heal allies and damage enemies on impact. Baptise also has an ability called regenerative burst, which provides healing to both himself and nearby teammates. Baptise has a mobile ability through his Exo Boots, which allow him to jump several times higher than average by crouching beforehand. Another one of his abilities is the Immortality Field, which prevents teammates from dying while in range of the field. Baptise’s ultimate ability, Amplification field, doubles the damage and healing of any allied projectile that passes through it.
According to Blizzard, the company that created and develops Overwatch, Baptise will serve as a counter to GOATS. GOATS is a team composition of the heroes Lucio, Reinhardt, Bridgette, Zarya, D.V.A, and Moira. GOATS has been dominating the Overwatch competitive scene for several months. Some players who are becoming bored of fighting the same composition are excited for the potential Baptise has to change the way Overwatch is played.
Baptise was released on the Overwatch Public Test Realm on Tuesday the 26th, and can be played before his release to the full game. More information on Baptise’s abilities and backstory can be found from the Overwatch website below.
