During the Opening Ceremony at BlizzCon this afternoon, Blizzard’s Overwatch 2 team was the first game out of the blocks to introduce the new hero Mauga. Readers might remember that the character was originally introduced in the What You Left Behind story years ago, so he’s been a long time coming. He’s a tank and brawler with a big focus on his guns – and he’s massive to boot – but he’s also a lot smarter than he looks.
“Mauga features a kit that is designed to bash through the front lines and brawl his opponents in close-quarter combat, by wielding two powerful Chainguns that can either be fired individually or in unison,” Blizzard says. “Ignite enemies with his Incendiary Chaingun ‘Gunny’ to burn them when they take enough damage, then finish them with a critical hit from his Volatile Chaingun ‘Cha-Cha.’ Paired with his Berserker Passive, which grants Mauga temporary health whenever he deals critical damage, he’s a mountain on the battlefield.”
The names for Mauga’s guns, of course, were intentionally silly, but the artists then ran with the idea. “These guns are the biggest guns in the game,” Blizzard’s Rakan Khamash says, “but also these guns are the biggest guns in the game.” They’re literally bigger than Tracer, or at least they were before they were edited not to block too much of the view. And the sound team had some fun with it too, as Mauga has two hearts – one cybernetic – and you’ll be able to hear him.
Both Mauga (his name means “mountain”) and the Samoan map also required the input from a trio of cultural experts, who ensured that the studio respected the culture and didn’t, for example, inadvertently mess up the sacred tattoos.
As we noted during the OC, Mauga is live right for a limited trial right now on all platforms as a tank toon in all modes excepting competitive for the next three days. His proper launch, however, will be December 5th.
“Mauga’s not just a leading star – he also brings a host of new abilities to support his team as well. Mauga can break his way through the front lines with Overrun, a charging ability that cannot be stopped by any crowd control abilities, and stomps into opponents dealing a powerful knockback. When the fight gets intense for his team, he has Cardiac Overdrive to engage both of his hearts and create an aura that reduces incoming damage, allowing allies to heal themselves while dealing damage. Finally, when he really wants to tango up close with his foes, Mauga can unleash Cage Fight, his ultimate ability. Cage Fight traps nearby opponents in a cylindrical fighting ring. This barrier blocks enemy incoming damage or healing from the outside, forcing those trapped inside to face Mauga with Gunny, Cha Cha, and the barrage of infinite ammunition. If you can’t take him down quickly, the last thing you might see is his charming smile.”
This particular panel didn’t discuss the new game mode, dubbed Clash, or the new Hanaoka map coming next year.
The names for Mauga’s guns, of course, were intentionally silly, but the artists then ran with the idea. “These guns are the biggest guns in the game,” Blizzard’s Rakan Khamash says, “but also these guns are the biggest guns in the game.” They’re literally bigger than Tracer, or at least they were before they were edited not to block too much of the view. And the sound team had some fun with it too, as Mauga has two hearts – one cybernetic – and you’ll be able to hear him.
