Overwatch 2 devs spoke on a recent stream about incoming new hero Junker Queen. One of the most exciting takeaways from the interview was that players will be able to stack her speed boost with the likes of Lúcio for an even greater boost.
New hero Junker Queen has been getting a lot of attention ahead of Overwatch 2’s release later this year. Players are already excited about the new character, in large part due to her design and fresh abilities.
Some of the OW2 development team recently spoke on Twitch about her playstyle and what players can expect from the character when they finally get their hands on her.
“Aggressive is definitely the adjective I would use for her,” is what dev Jacob Rodriguez had to say about Junker Queen’s play style. They then also went on to add that “she has a lot of combo potential.”
However, one particular talking point that could be a complete game-changer for both the character and Overwatch as a whole is that players will be able to stack her speed boost with Lúcio.
What this Overwatch speed boost stack is and how it will work
One of the abilities that Junker Queen will be able to use is her Commanding shout. When used, her health will be increased by 200 and all nearby allies’ health will also be increased by 100. Commanding shout will also give Junker Queen a 30 percent increase in movement speed.
When asked if this ability can be combined with Lúcio’s own speed boost for added effect, the devs revealed that this will in fact be a possibility moving forward as opposed to them functioning as separate boosts.
“Oh yeah, they stack,” was Rodriguez’s initial response to the question. “If a Lúcio is running away and you use shout and Lúcio’s speed boost, you will chase down the other Lúcio.”
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Rodriguez and fellow Overwatch team member Kenny Hudson then went on to add that this feature has been working really well in play testing and is a great new dynamic for Overwatch players to get excited about.
“It’s a lot of fun to play with too. You know we’ve had a lot of internal playtests and that was something we tried right away. “It’s Sonic, gotta go fast.”
However, they did make a point of saying that when Junker Queen is finally playable, the team will be monitoring how the speed boost stack is playing out.
“I mean, there are always options to tune it. If things do end up super broken maybe we’ll go back and fix it but it’s playing pretty well right now in our internal playtests.”
What this means for Overwatch 2 gameplay in the future
Having the ability to stack speed boosts in Overwatch 2 will add a whole new layer to tactics and mechanics. Players will be able to chase down others from a greater distance and at a faster rate.
As well though, Junker Queen’s speed boost means players won’t have to rely on Lúcio for this added support. Dev further explained that players will now have “another option for a speed boost.”