Meet Wuyang in Overwatch 2!
Hero 44 in Overwatch 2 is Wuyang! Previously known under the codename "Aqua," Wuyang is a support hero getting a limited-time hero trial in Season 17. Read on for everything we know about this Overwatch 2 Wuyang trial so far. We also go into his abilities, release date, and more!
Overwatch 2 Wuyang trial release date
The Wuyang trial kicks off on Aug. 14 at 11 a.m. PT during Overwatch 2 Season 17.
Overwatch 2 Wuyang playtest duration
Hazard and Freja's hero trials both lasted for a few days. It's the same for Wuyang. According to Blizzard Entertainment, his trial goes from Aug. 14 to Aug. 18. However, based on our experience with previous hero trials, like with Hazard and Freja, Wuyang's trial is likely to actually run until Aug. 19 at 11 a.m. PT since Overwatch 2 typically updates on Tuesdays at that time.
Overwatch 2 Wuyang
We know that Wuyang is a Chinese hero. This makes him the game's second one following Mei. Wuyang is also a support hero who has a unique weapon that no one else in the game has at the moment. This weapon is called the Xuanwu staff.
In an interview with esports.gg, senior narrative designer Joshi Zhang and lead character designer Daryl Tan talked about how the Xuanwu staff reflects Chinese culture. They also detailed how it works within the Overwatch 2 universe.
"We really love this idea of the Chinese fantasy of, 'Oh, this guy -- he trains so hard, he can control water.' We do want to lean into that fantasy because we think it's very poignant to players that grew up with that kind of media and that fantasy, but it's really important to us that we don't cross into the magic realm because magic doesn't exist in Overwatch, so we're trying to lean into that fun side while keeping it super technical," Zhang said.
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Overwatch 2 Wuyang abilities
Wuyang's abilities are Guardian Wave and Rushing Torrent while his ultimate is Tidal Blast. In terms of his weapon, it's the Xuanwu Staff that can place Restorative Stream on an ally. As for his perks, they are Overflow, Balance, Ebb and Flow, plus Falling Rain.
- Xuanwu Staff: (Weapon/Primary Fire) Fire a damaging water orb. Hold to control its trajectory and empower its explosion.
- Restorative Stream (Secondary Fire): Place a passive healing stream on an ally. Hold on the target to manually heal at an improved rate, consuming resource.
- Guardian Wave (E Ability): Send a water wave forward that increases the amount of healing received by allies and knocks back enemies.
- Rushing Torrent (LShift Ability): Ride water to move faster and jump higher.
- Tidal Blast (Ultimate): Protect an ally or yourself with water that detonates after a short duration. The explosion knocks down enemies and massively heals the host target.
- Overflow (Minor Perk): Gain 10 ammo and 33% healing resource when Rushing Torrent is activated.
- Balance(Minor Perk): When you deal damage with water orbs, increase Restorative Stream’s passive healing by 40% for 2 seconds.
- Ebb and Flow (Major Perk): Guardian Wave rewinds to its starting location. Deals 50% decreased damage while rewinding.
- Falling Rain (Major Perk): Simultaneously control 3 water orbs that deal 60% decreased damage and have 25% decreased empowered explosion radius.
Prior to his full kit reveal, we knew that he uses water in a fight. Our translation of the Chinese characters in Wuyang's concept art also revealed the phrase "flowing clouds, flowing water." Meanwhile, Overwatch 2's senior narrative designer, Jude Stacey, said that the water wielder has a very unique set of abilities.
"I think it's fitting to give you a sneak peek at Hero 44," Stacey said. "Codenamed 'Aqua,' this Chinese water wielder has one of the most unique ability sets that we have ever developed."
Overwatch 2 Wuyang release date
In terms of Wuyang's release date, it's slated for Season 18 on Aug. 26. Blizzard Entertainment revealed the Season 18 launch back in February during the Overwatch 2 Spotlight event. Then, on Aug. 13, they confirmed the Aug. 26 release date.
That's all for now. Are you excited about Wuyang's trial and launch? Stick around on esports.gg for more Overwatch 2 news and updates!
