Overwatch 2's Mauga is a big bully in the vein of Team Fortress 2's Heavy

When Blizzard first introduced the Samoa map into Overwatch 2, intrepid players began to suspect what the game's next hero would look like. Few could have imagined that Hero #39 would come out looking like Mauga, a literal mountain of a man who bought tickets to more than one gun show. The trailer unveiled during Friday's BlizzCon Opening Ceremony pointed to a total beast and after trying out this new tank character on the show floor, he certainly did not disappoint in that regard. In fact, I walked away with fond memories of another bulky bruiser from another class-based shooter of my youth.

Here are Mauga's abilities:

• Berserker (Passive): Mauga will gain temporary health when he deals critical damage.
• Overrun (L-Shift): Mauga charges forward and is Unstoppable, so he can barrel straight through any opponents. Players can stop his charge and deliver a powerful stomp to launch foes.
• Cardiac Overdrive (E): Nearby allies will take reduced damage, while Mauga can heal by dealing it. Yes, this Heavy is basically his own Medic.
• Cage Fight (Q)(Ultimate): Mauga will deploy a barrier that traps him and nearby enemies inside, at which point he will have unlimited ammo.

At first glance, some viewers of Friday's BlizzCon Opening Ceremony saw Mauga and compared him to a certain demigod from a Disney movie. For those who didn't, what can I say, except "You're welcome"? However, Mauga also resembles another famous character, one far more known in video game circles. His bulky frame and his big honkin' chainguns make him look more like Team Fortress 2's lovable Heavy. Given the firepower he can dish out, the resemblance goes beyond looks.

Mauga is an offensive-minded tank who wields a pair of chainguns. The left one fires incendiary rounds, where the idea is to eventually ignite foes through repeated hits. This leaves them open to the right chaingun, which deals critical damage to any burning enemies. If Mauga can't land shots with the left chaingun, depend on teammates like Ashe, who can find other ways to ignite targets.

In close quarters, Mauga is an absolute nightmare. He's almost unbeatable at close range with matchups made even more lopsided through his Cardiac Overdrive ability that can deal damage. The other reason that the TF2 comparison is raised is because you do not want Mauga around a healer like Mercy or Baptiste, because he'll be hard enough to take out on his own.

Of course, Mauga is not invincible. Widowmaker and Ana can fire off shots from a distance. Also, the Overwatch development team during a group press interview specifically cited Pharah as one of his best counters, since she can fire off shots from overhead. For those playing against him, though, make sure to keep your distance. Mauga's Overrun makes him quick as a hiccup and while it looks similar to Reinhardt's Charge, Mauga exercises a lot more control, which is exceptionally dangerous when that move ends with a massive stomp.

Those interested in taking a first look at Mauga can try him out before the end of the weekend. He's currently free to play until Sunday. Lead Hero Designer Alec Dawson noted during Friday's group press interview that his abilities are locked in, so don't expect to see any adjustments to this character before his official Season 8 release. Enjoy him while you can, because Mauga is delightfully terrifying, so much so that players can be forgiven for expecting him to break out into the TF2 Heavy's iconic smile and laugh from that classic video from 15 years ago.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?