With the switch to 5v5, tanks became part of any build or destroy overwatch 2 Team. While support and damage players could rely on another player of their class to take up their slack while struggling, tanks no longer have that privilege. as more casual overwatch 2 Being a player who is not competitively viable has discouraged me from playing as a tank. Although I like the abilities of characters like Junker Queen, I’m hesitant to play her because I’m worried about being the player that causes my team to lose. Mauga, latest overwatch 2 Hero wanted to change this, but it took years of reworking the ideas and concept on Blizzard’s part.
Unveiled at BlizzCon 2023, Mauga is an aggressive Samoan tank allied with Talon who can tear apart enemies with his two chainguns and dash which makes him invincible. This makes them enjoyable for those who prefer more aggressive heroes, but support fans will find some things to like with abilities that can heal other players or give them unlimited ammo. I got the chance to play Mauga at BlizzCon 2023, and for the first time since overwatch 2 Released, I’m looking forward to going back and playing as a tank.
At BlizzCon, I spoke to the game developers behind the creation of Mauga to learn more about what made this extremely fun tank hero. It turns out that Mauga’s impending release is the culmination of years of development and ideas, with her ultimate ability having its roots in a pre-release version of one of Overwatch’s most iconic characters.
long road to mauga
Blizzard has wanted to keep Mauga in Overwatch for some time. The character’s roots go back to a short story about the Baptist from 2019, so it seemed like it was only a matter of time before he came to the game. Although it took four years for Mauga to finally arrive, it wasn’t for lack of trying on Blizzard’s part. The developers confirmed in our Q&A and reiterated in a panel at BlizzCon that they initially wanted to release Mouga around the time Sigma came out. It is August 2019 and the release of the Baptiste short story approaches. According to the developers, the gameplay ideas they had for Mauga at the time were not matching well with the character.
“It eventually turned into a situation where we wanted to keep the barriers but we had two guns. How will it actually work together and look visually consistent on the screen?” Lead hero designer Alec Dawson told during a group Q&A at BlizzCon 2023. “It doesn’t really fit into the whole mental theme to have this huge guy who looks so physical.”
The developers turned to Sigma, a compelling character who fits the theme far better than Mouga. Blizzard then did not abandon the idea of adding this Samoan Talon member to the game, however, the character resurfaced in what would eventually be Overwatch 2. It even saw some delays and time for improvement, as Mauga was originally going to be the new hero of Season 2 before being replaced by Remtra. “The team wanted to take some more time to get the kit right,” Dawson said. After playing as Mouga, I think Blizzard nailed this.
Mauga’s extraordinary kit
Dawson explained, “We really wanted to focus on Mouga as a damage-based tank, and how he maintains himself and his team despite taking damage.” “We think he’s quite approachable, especially as a tank, and we think new players will like him.”
The Mauga is a tank with easy-to-understand offensive and support applications that are also fun to execute. Each mapped to a trigger or left and right clicks on the mouse, using Mauga’s two chainguns: the Gunny and the Cha-Cha is extremely gratifying. It feels like shooting enemies as Bastion in Tank mode, but with more complexity. For every 10 incendiary shots I got with the Gunny, one shot from the Cha-Cha would cause a critical hit and give Mauga some temporary health.
When used correctly, it is easy to destroy most overwatch 2 Low-health heroes only with Mauga’s basic attacks, even though it drains ammo quite fast. This is one of the things that became more refined with the character late on, with Blizzard increasing the interplay between the two weapon types. The rest of Mauga’s abilities aren’t too shabby either.
Overrun propels Mauga forward before leaping into the air and stomping on the ground. The developers we spoke to confirmed that Mauga is completely invincible as it is being used and that accurately hitting an enemy with Overrun will knock them to the ground instead of launching them into the air. When I wanted to play Mauga in full-on attack mode, this was an ability I had to use a lot.
Then there’s Cardio Overdrive, which is the most helpful of Mauga’s abilities. This sets up an aura that causes nearby allies to take less damage and heal when they damage enemies. This is useful for players who like their tanks to play a more supporting role, boosting attack heroes in the process. Mauga’s most interesting ability is his Ultimate: Cage Fight.
a supreme thought returns
With Cage Fight, Mouga deploys a barrier that traps himself and any enemies inside. Inside this cage, Mouga has unlimited ammo and can release it with Gunny and Cha-Cha. Interestingly, this is another long-term Overwatch idea. Although it may seem like it’s messing with the characters’ abilities overwatch 2 friends like gives importance to thingsThis is an ultimate that the Overwatch team thought of even before the first game launched.
“The whole idea of creating a dome or barrier around people has gone through a lot of practice over the years,” senior testing analyst Foster Elmendorf told . “Basically, it’s D.Va. But it was. This was his last method, a long time ago, and it was like a dome of lasers. It’s something you wouldn’t throw away, even if it didn’t work the original time.”
Blizzard found a way to successfully bring this idea to life, and now it’s one of the overwatch 2 The most exclusive ultimates and another ability that makes playing Mauga enjoyable. Who doesn’t love unlimited ammo? Cage fights expose Mouga’s biggest weakness, as I constantly needed a healer supporting me so I could just focus on attacking and leveling up my allies. The developers stressed during our conversation that finding accuracy in Mauga’s abilities and not isolating him from teammates is key to success.
“One of the things I really like about their ability set is that it has such a wide range of applicability,” Elmendorf said. “You don’t have to be very good at tanking or first-person shooters in general to use her abilities with your team, so it’s easy for low-level players like me to have a fun time using her abilities.” and perform well for your team. As the skill level of players increases, you can make more specific use of [Mauga’s] Ability to do even better. I really like this thing about Mauga; He’s one of those wide-reaching heroes who is fun on almost every level.
I agree, because those intricacies are what make me want to go back to games and play more of them, which is something I didn’t expect to say about a new tank. overwatch 2, Mauga comes permanently overwatch 2 When Season 8 ends on December 5th. He is also available to play for a limited time in the game’s non-competitive mode until November 5.
Disclosure: Blizzard Entertainment and PR agency TriplePoint paid for accommodations so could attend BlizzCon 2023.
