Blizzard had recently just released a cinematic starring their new character, Junker Queen, during their Overwatch 2 reveal event. A character that’s been only known as a voice for the Junkertown map has officially been given a face. The mystery surrounding her character and background has been stewing on for years ever since the release of the Junkertown map, so for fans everywhere it had been a long time coming for the arrival of the new queen of the block, Junker Queen.
Who is Junker Queen?
Junker Queen is an upcoming tank hero that the Overwatch team has added to their lineup for Overwatch 2. A rambunctious junker with a strong accent voiced by Australian/Sri Lankan actress Leah de Niese. Junker Queen’s real name is Odessa “Dez” Stone, a former resident of Junkertown when she was a child. The tyrant of Junkertown exiled Dez and her family to the harsh deserts of the nuclear wasteland. Here she had quickly learned the harsh realities of living in the apocalypse.
Through the sacrifices of her family, her grit, and her resourcefulness, she was able to survive. She made herself into a competent and resourceful combatant making use of her skills to get back to Junkertown. Once there she fought her way to the top of the Scrapyard, becoming its new ruler.
She has a strong and confident personality, alongside a carefree mindset that allows her to remain calm and charismatic during battle. Despite being the Queen of Junkertown, she is willing to be on the frontline and be scrappy for the things she wants and believes in.
This trait is one of the many reasons why the residents of Junkertown favor her a lot. While scrappy, she can balance a degree of mercy and compassion, holding herself back from needless bloodshed. For the residents of Junkertown, she is not only the ruler that they had wanted but one that was sorely needed.
“The Wastelander” Cinematic
The cinematic takes place before Odessa “Dez” Stone acquires her title as the Junker Queen. Here it introduces Dez on her way to the Scrapyard to join “the Reckoning”, a big four-way fight for the crown. Specifically, the crown of the current ruler of Junkertown, the mech-riding brawler and tyrant known as the Junker King. He had remained unbeaten for 13 years.
Despite being labeled as a “Wastelander”, Dez continues to fight to take down the ones who had exiled her and her family in the past. You can watch the cinematic here on the official YouTube channel.
Junker Queen’s Abilities
While exact details of her abilities weren’t clear, the lead designer talked about each of her abilities. Here is what we know:
- Junker Queen uses a shotgun for her primary fire.
- For her secondary fire, she throws her knife called the Jagged Blade toward an enemy. If she hit them, she can pull them closer to her, similar to Roadhog’s hook ability.
- Her knife, Jagged Blade, is also used for her melee attack. It has increased damage and applies a wound debuff to any enemy that was struck.
- Carnage – This is an ability where Junker Queen swings her massive battle-axe at her opponent. It is speculated that it will apply the wound debuff as well.
- Commanding Shout – This ability is a supporting move that will boost the armor and movement speed of allies nearby.
- Rampage – This is Junker Queen’s ultimate ability in which she spins her battle-axe in a whirlwind of magnetized scrap metal and junk and dashes forward. Any enemy she collides with will have the wound debuff applied.
- Wound Debuff – This powerful anti-heal debuff reduces the amount of healing the enemy team can receive for a limited time.
The playstyle of Junker Queen
During the Overwatch 2 Reveal Event, the lead designer Geoff Goodman was able to talk about both the design and abilities of the newly shown Junker Queen. According to Geoff, her playstyle is that of an “aggressive tank”, unlike Reinhardt who stays back and guards the team. They designed her to get in close and cause mayhem within enemy lines, while also rallying her teammates and making each of them deadlier. Her design had the aim of making her more than a conventional average tank.
Junker Queen acts as both the frontline and as a lightning rod for the focus fire of the enemy. Furthermore, her special abilities that wound the opposition help melt down tanks and limit what supporting heroes can do. She essentially becomes a tank-buster, shredding tanks and the enemies dependent on those tanks along the way. Her role is shaping up to be a hybrid role of a support, a tank, and a deadly attacker.
RELATED: Overwatch 2 Goes Free-to-Play + New Heroes Per Year
Blizzard is betting on their new characters to shake up the metagame of the already existing cast of colorful characters in Overwatch. With their new 5v5 team setup, they hope to make a more exciting and fast-paced gaming experience. However, this will depend on what new ideas they can bring to the table, such as with Junker Queen.
A playable beta version is to start on June 28, with registration for it being on the official website right here. Overwatch 2 will be released on October 4th, 2022 for the Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, and the Nintendo Switch.
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