Overwatch 2 has announced loads of new additions and changes that'll be coming to the game over the next few months and seasons. There's a new Stadium mode that sees teams go best of seven in a third-person brawl, over 160 new hero perks, and loot boxes are making a comeback. But let's not forget that Season 16 is also the time for a new hero to join the roster, and this time, it's not a tank or a support but another DPS.
"Welcome Freja, the newest addition to the Overwatch 2 roster," a Blizzard blog post says. "A former search and rescue operative turned bounty hunter, Freja brings a new dynamic to the game with her explosive crossbow and unique abilities. You can expect a challenging and rewarding experience, as she requires precision and a steady aim to master."
Freja's Revdraw Crossbow lets you unload a flurry of rapid-fire bolts in quick succession and also aims one high-speed explosive bold that deals immediate and secondary damage to hit targets. Both are useful in their own right during a match. The first attack will likely be helpful when trying to deal as much damage as possible into a crowd of enemy players, sniff out invisible Sombra players, or just try to whittle down a tank's health. The second attack is more precise and will likely be helpful when it comes to dealing the final blow or attacking supports sheltered in the backline.
This DPS hero is also fairly mobile. Freja has a Quick Dash ability, which allows her to move in any direction while also simultaneously reloading an explosive bolt attack. You can also use the Updraft ability, which seems to make use of a powerful gust of wind to launch yourself high into the sky. Tricks like this are always helpful when it comes to map traversal, avoiding incoming attacks, or just trying to find a good vantage point where you can pick off heroes on the enemy team.
The final powerful ability that Freja holds is her ultimate, Bola Shot. This shoots out an explosive Bola Shot, wrapping enemies up and pulling in the rest of their teammates. It may not be very lethal on its own, but this is the kind of ultimate that'll prove very useful in combos. It's always dangerous anytime you can pull a bunch of enemy players into one spot—we've seen it with Zarya's ultimate or Orisa's old gravitational energy orb. These tend to be followed by ultimates with a small area of effect but which also deal a high amount of damage, like Hanzo's ultimate.
You'll be able to try her kit out for yourself later on in Season 15 during a free trial weekend, but the specifics of when that'll happen will be announced at a later date.
There's also another hero, codenamed Aqua, who is being teased right now. "Aqua is a Chinese hero, wielding water-based abilities that can manipulate the battlefield with an innovative playstyle," the blog post says. We won't see more of this character until Season 18. But for now, learning about Freja and how to best use her kit is more than enough to get on with.
