Overwatch’s newest hero, Baptiste, is officially live and ready to play. He is the game’s first new support character since Brigitte was added a year ago. But Baptiste can also dish out a great deal of firepower while relying on gadgets to support the team.
Described as a “combat medic” from Haiti, Jean-Baptiste Augustin joined a military group called the Caribbean Coalition sometime after being orphaned during the Omnic Crisis. He then caught the attention of Talon, Overwatch’s evil mercenary group, but eventually elected to leave. That makes him a marked man, with Talon agents out to hunt him down.
Baptiste’s primary ability is Medic SMG, a weapon that fires a triple bullet burst that deals heavy damage. The gun’s alternate fire is the Biotic Launcher. It shoots healing bullets without draining from the weapon’s main ammo supply. However, the healing gun cannot be used on himself.
With the Exo Boots passive ability, Baptiste can go from a crouch to a charged boost, launching him into the air. It’s a useful move for finding tactically advantageous positions. Then there is the Regenerative Burst, which heals nearby teammates over time. The best part of about this ability is that it’s not radius dependent. Players can leave Baptiste’s side and still benefit from its effects.
Baptiste can go from healing to offering invincibility with his Immortality Field. This secondary ability summons a dome that keeps everyone under it from dying. None of the protected teammates can drop below 20 percent health. The Field lasts for about eight seconds, but opponents can destroy the generator to end it sooner.
Lastly, Baptiste sports an Amplification Matrix as his ultimate. The matrix, which is essentially large transparent energy wall, amplifies the damage and healing done by any projectile that passes through it.
So, it seems clear that Baptiste is a formidable force on his own, but even more powerful when teamed with high-damage ranged characters. Especially since he can protect players from being taken out by enemy ultimate moves.
