The Overwatch 2 Season 4 update from Blizzard is almost upon us and with it comes something a lot of this FPS’ playerbase have been waiting for: a brand new Support hero. Yes, that’s right; the wait is finally over and Overwatch 2 is expanding it’s Support hero roster. We know Kiriko was introduced in October 2022, when Overwatch 2 itself launched, but this has been an under-represented hero class for quite some time now. If you’re sitting there wondering why you should care about Lifeweaver, the aforementioned Support hero, you just need to take a look at his kit. He’s going to be Roadhog for Support mains – but, this isn’t necessarily a good thing.
If you missed the latest announcements, though, let’s just recap and talk about who Lifeweaver is and what you can expect from them when the Overwatch 2 Season 4 release date rolls around.
Lifeweaver is a pansexual Support hero who’s going to be easy on the eyes and easy on the player, with lead hero designer Alex Dawson explaining that “the aim was to create another Support hero that didn’t rely on aim skill” when discussing the upcoming character with PCGamesN in a now-deleted post.
And, as you can see for yourself below, this initial goal has translated into a fantastically unique ability kit for Lifeweaver; however, we can’t help but think about the fact that this Support hero is going to rely on a Roadhog mechanic: hooking.
As detailed by Blizzard, and shared by Overwatch 2 leaker ‘Naeri’ online, this Overwatch 2 hero’s kit is built around a technology called Biolight. As an alumni of the Vishkar Architect Academy, like Symmetra, Lifeweaver will be able to create a number of hard-light constructs to Support his squad – and his enemies – while taking advantage of a pressure-sensitive ascending platform, and an AoE-affecting Tree of Life.
The one aspect of his kit that’s useful above all else, though, is Life Grip; this is an ability that will allow Lifeweaver to shield a targeted ally while pulling them back towards him – and out of danger. Do you know what that sounds like? You guessed it, a Roadhog Chain Hook. Lifeweaver will be able to effectively hook his teammates.
We know it might sound like a stretch to say Lifeweaver is a Support Roadhog based on one ability, but when you consider the fact that he also has a shotgun-like Thorn Volley alternative primary fire attack and the ability to heal himself while repositioning with Rejuvinating Dash, the similarities are there. We mean, just look at Roadhog, too. He’s not too hard on the eyes, either.
What makes this an interesting experiment for Overwatch 2, though, is that Lifeweaver could actually be used to grief teammates – whereas Roadhog can’t hook friendly targets. We’re not sure how Blizzard is planning to address this beyond a cooldown period for Life Grip’s activation, but we can only imagine that this ability is going to be quite controversial when the wider playerbase gets a hold of it.
If this didn’t convince you that Lifeweaver is going to be a very interesting addition to the Overwatch 2 heroes roster, did we mention that he’s a bit of a stunner? Oh, and when he dies he drops a Parting Gift that heals anyone who picks it up – friend or foe. So, you’re going to want to keep anyone playing Lifeweaver alive at all costs.
If you want to prepare for Lifeweaver’s introduction, you can check out the best Overwatch 2 crosshair settings here and the latest on all the Overwatch 2 game modes available; it’s never a bad idea to be prepared when it comes to dropping into a game on one of the best competitive FPS games out there.