Torbjörn’s Daughter, Brigitte, Is Overwatch‘s First New Hero of 2018

Overwatch’s roster of heroes got a little larger on Wednesday with Blizzard Entertainment’s announcement that Brigitte will become the game’s 27th playable hero.

Fans may remember Brigitte from the Reinhardt-centered animated short “Honor and Glory” from last November, but there is much more to this engineer-turned-warrior. The youngest daughter of fellow Overwatch hero Torbjörn, Brigitte became adept in the field of armor crafting while working alongside her father and became close with fan favorite Reinhardt, ultimately becoming his squire. Now, after serving the cause with her crafting tools, Brigitte joins the fight after training with Reinhardt, complete with custom armor she secretly built for herself.

Brigitte becomes the seventh support class character in the game, but she incorporates some traits of a tank as well, making her an intriguing hybrid that is a bit more offensively capable than other supports. She comes equipped with a rocket flail that has extended range for a melee weapon and can reach even further with her Whip Shot ability, which allows her to damage opponents and knock them away by throwing her weapon. She also comes equipped with a smaller version of Reinhardt’s Barrier Shield that’s mainly used for personal cover, though it can be used to protect other players in certain situations. The shield can also be used offensively with her Shield Bash ability, which allows her to stun enemies once her shield is deployed.

Where her support characteristics shine through are with her Repair Packs, Inspire ability and Ultimate, Rally. Brigette will be able to throw teammates Repair Packs that restore health and add armor for any healing done over a hero’s max health. Inspire is a passive ability that allows her to heal nearby allies anytime she deals damage with her rocket flail. Her Ultimate, Rally, boosts her speed temporarily and provides nearby teammates with additional armor that is permanent until damaged by enemies.

The addition of Brigitte did draw some criticism from fellow hero shooter developer Hi Rez Studios, makers of Paladins. President Stewart Chisam saw more than a few similarities between Overwatch’s Brigitte and Paladins’ Ash, making the observation in a not so thinly veiled tweet.

Quick poll: If I happened to notice and point out any similarities between these two characters, would that make me the Pot calling the Kettle black, or the Kettle calling the Pot black? This will keep me up tonight unless I get a clear answer. pic.twitter.com/rt9j3NT0S0

— HiRezStew (@schisam) March 1, 2018

Despite the criticism, Brigitte is here to stay and is now available for players to try out on the Overwatch test server.