Here’s our take on Overwatch voice lines and what makes them special.
If you have been around in the gaming world over the last five years, then you surely know about Overwatch. It is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter developed and published by Activision Blizzard on the off chance you don’t. Described as a "hero shooter,” Overwatch assigns players into two teams of six, with each player selecting from a large roster of characters, known as "heroes,” with unique abilities and even more distinctive character voice lines. Teams work to complete map-specific objectives within a limited period.
What are Overwatch Voice Lines?
Voice lines are common cosmetic items that allow the character you're controller to say special quotes. The concept of these various voice lines is simple: Every individual character has their own set of unique and personal lines. As the player, you get to unlock various character lines by receiving or purchasing loot boxes. You gain a free loot box with every level you gain. If you wish to test your luck and purchase loot boxes, they are available via the Loot Box menu. There are a total of 506 non-default voice lines in the game itself.
Most of the lines themselves come from various events in the Overwatch timeline. It could be a specific holiday event, or it could even be from the game’s lore.
Why are they Important?
There are several reasons why voice lines could be important. Not only to the developers but to the gamers themselves. There are two important aspects to it:
1. You, the player, can pick out the lines yourself from your collection that best suit you.
2. It gives the chance to learn more about the game’s story, like the war on the Omnics.
You get to customize your character’s voice lines as your own! It can help you get attached to your Overwatch heroes and figure out who your main Hero will be. You feel connected to the character and their story. It turns into something more than just a game.
This second point is huge. Overwatch itself does not have a single-player mode, let alone a story mode, so you get to know the characters. We get to know the characters through their custom voice lines. While many of the lines are witty one-liners, many give the heroes more depth.
Take the hero D.Va for example. Most of her lines are cute and very entertaining, like her Korean voice line, “Naneun seuta ya! Naneun dae seuta! o, i norae jae-il jo-a! Daebak! Which translates to, “I’m a star! I’m a superstar! I love this song! Awesome!” From there, it gets a little darker. You get hints about what the war has done to her home. “The destruction caused by the omnics here... It reminds me of home.” This is activated automatically on certain maps.
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How to access and customize your voice lines
Depending on what gaming platform you are using, there are a couple of different ways to access the voice lines you have equipment. If you are playing on PC, it is quite simple. You just have to access the quick chat function (press C) then you can use your mouse to pick out your line of choice.
If you are on the console, whether it is XBOX, Playstation, or the Switch, all you have to do is hold the d-pad and then use the analog stick to pick your line. It’s a bit more tricky on the console because you HAVE TO hold down the d-pad to use it.
Now how to customize the ones you want to use. It’s fairly simple. The first thing that you’ll want to do is head over to the game’s options menu and make your way to the Controls Tab. From there, as you scroll down the tab, you will see a section that has the Communication Wheel options. From here, you can select a particular communication-specific voice line that you wish to have on your wheel.
All the voice lines can also be bound to certain keys on PC or d-pad buttons for quick access. Developers have also reduced the cooldown of using voice lines where players will now be able to say up to three in rapid succession, which can be problematic and quite annoying at times.
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