Tank Tech: Impressions Of Overwatch’s Orisa

While we still have a while to wait to see just how Orisa will be utilized in competitive play, I’ve been tinkering around with the new omnic character for a bit now in quickplay matches. Orisa is definitely a unique beast, quite different from the other heroes available in the tank lineup, and a true team player.

Orisa’s primary weapon is extremely satisfying. I play a lot of Bastion (I know, I’m the worst!) and I see some interesting parallels between the two gatling-barrage approaches. The fusion driver is a consistent, punishing source of damage and an excellent tool for a character that’s designed to lock down areas and take some enemy attention. Anything out in the open is an easy target for an almost limitless stream of ammo, but how the fusion driver combines with her other abilities is where you find the real value. With no damage fall-off, the fusion driver can keep the pressure on at long range with ease, something other tanks struggle with. If you’ve always wanted to play something a little meatier than most heroes and still want long range potential, Orisa brings that to the table.

Halt and the associated graviton charge function as Orisa’s skillshot, which needs to be fired and then activated using a press of the same key that launches it. This move is a ton of fun, and can set up crazy plays with your teammates, to a lesser extent in the same fashion as Zarya’s ultimate ability. Sucking everyone in to eat a Bastion bullet barrage, Reaper ultimate, or any number of abilities is extremely useful, and you can even use it to pull people off perches, suck people into pits, or off the edge of the map. As you master the rest of Orisa’s kit, this is the one you’ll start using creatively in different ways from game to game.

Fortify reduces damage that Orisa takes, making it a no brainer when you’re under fire, but the significant value comes from the window of immunity to action-impairing effects. Prevent being knocked down by a Reinhardt and any number of other annoying skills that would interfere with your movement and abilities, but be warned, there are some circumstances where the immunity might not work in your favor, such as Roadhog’s ultimate ability – without the associated knockback, you’ll be eating a ton of damage! This is a flavorful ability that lets you hunker down and be tanky, and especially useful to counter opposing skills or combos.

Orisa’s protective barrier may seem like Reinhardt’s on the surface, but there are a few big differences. First you can shoot it out, even at a great distance, meaning you can get the wall down where it needs to be even if you’re racing back to a chokepoint from death – or you can set up a wall on the fly for teammates that may be approaching from a flanking or side position even as you come up from the front. Another significant factor is that you’re still free to shoot and use other abilities as your wall stands, meaning it’s not taking your entire focus to keep the wall up. Even if you go down, your wall will stay up (until it breaks of course).

Orisa’s ultimate ability, Supercharger, reinforces her group-centric play. Orisa deploys a destructible totem or drum that gives a serious damage boost to allies that are in range and in line of sight. It’s fairly fragile, so good placement is critical, whether it’s hidden just around a corner or tucked under a low wall, the challenge is finding a safe place that can still tag your team.

The big point to hammer home is that Orisa’s kit plays well with a team. As Overwatch is a team game, this can be said about almost any character, but with her it’s far more critical, as her abilities are all about gaining an advantage in a team-on-team situation. As you supercharge your crew to take a point, wall up a choke points, or grab enemy attention and then trudge through several disabling abilities completely unphased, Orisa loves being at the center of both allied and enemy action. She’s a blast to play and I can’t wait to see what happens in competitive when really skilled players start mixing and matching her with current rosters.