After months of references to a new, space-faring Overwatch hero, Blizzard has finally announced the next character headed to its popular first-person shooter: Juno.
The studio shared the news via a trailer showcasing some of the upcoming support hero’s various skills, which seem to focus on mobility and providing long-range healing. But while Juno won’t officially be joining Overwatch 2 until Season 12 kicks off on August 20, eager players can try out the out-of-this-world healer during her limited-time hero trial this weekend.
Though the exact time Juno will hit servers has not been announced, Blizzard has confirmed that she will be playable on all platforms from Friday, June 19 through Sunday, June 21. The support hero will be playable across all modes excluding Competitive Play, and also brings with her a special No Limits mode that allows every player to take her for a spin at the same time.
Based on her debut trailer, it seems as if healing and mobility will be Juno’s primary focuses. The support hero can use her assault rifle-esque Mediblaster to both heal allies and take down enemies, and can also summon forth Pulsar Torpedos to help clear an area while buffing up teammates. Thanks to her jetpack and rocket boots, Juno has a substantial amount of vertical mobility, is able to glide around a map quickly, and can even offer her teammates some meaningful speed boosts. Lastly, Juno’s Ultimate ability allows her to contact a satellite to issue an Orbital Strike on an area–though, admittedly, what this does exactly is still a bit unclear. Regardless, Juno already looks like a very viable hero with a design I personally am over-the-moon for–get it?
Juno’s big reveal and subsequent play test come after Blizzard dropped a not-so-small hint that a new character was coming earlier this week. Overwatch 2 players who have recently visited the Dorado map might have noticed a spacecraft escape pod planted firmly in the ground by the offensive team’s starting point. Though fans were quick to deduce Blizzard’s unnamed Space Ranger character was on the way, there’s been some debate as to just who the Space Ranger truly is. Many speculated that the Ranger was actually Jiaya, one of Mei’s old friends who worked at Lucheng Interstella, the Chinese company that built Horizon Lunar Colony. However, it seems more likely that Juno is Jiaya’s daughter, whom would have grown up in relative isolation on Mars. While this has yet to be confirmed, it would explain why Mei is showcased prominently in the trailer–after all, it would be quite an emotional union for the Antarctic scientist.
In the meantime, players can partake in Overwatch 2’s Transformers event, which runs until July 22 and features skins based on three Autobot heroes: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, and Arcee. Overwatch 2’s next season, Season 12, kicks off on August 20.
