Overwatch 2: Ramattra release date and abilities revealed

Season 2 for Overwatch 2 is right around the corner and with it will come the series’ first ever “Tempo Tank.” Ramattra is set to make his debut in the new season, which arrives on December 6.

Ahead of his highly anticipated release, Blizzard has finally offered a gameplay overview and full breakdown of his ability kit. You may recall that Ramattra has the ability to change between two distinct forms — Omnic and Nemesis. But what does this versatility in his kit mean for gameplay on the battlefield?

In Omnic Form, Ramattra will fight using a Void Accelerator staff. Its primary fire sends out a stream of nanites in a fixed pattern that deals steady damage. It’s got slow travel time but no damage falloff. This is primarily to be used as a poking tool, although it can do some decent damage if you land headshots.

Void Barrier is the second ability while in Omnic Form. This creates a Barrier at a targeted location. Although it has a lot of health, it only stays up briefly, so you’ll want to use it tactically to close the distance as you poke enemies and push objectives.

Of course, as a Tank, you’ll sometimes have to get into the thick of battle. When fighting up close, you’ll want to switch to Nemesis Form, which changes his abilities and grants bonus armor.

In Nemesis Form, Pummel becomes the primary fire. This is basically a forward melee punch using his massive tank arms. The punch actually sends out waves of energy that can pierce shields and hit multiple enemies in a row. In other words, Ramattra sounds like a strong counter to Reinhardt and other tanks with shields.

The second ability in Nemesis Form is Block. As the name suggests, this blocks attacks and significantly reduces damage taken from the front. The tradeoff is slower movement and an exposed back making him vulnerable to attacks from behind.

Regardless of his form, Ramattra will have access to the shared ability, Ravenous Vortex this projects a ball of nanites onto the ground that slows enemies caught in its vicinity and pulls them downwards.

Ramattra’s Ultimate Ability is Annihilation. This automatically puts him into Nemesis Form as he unleashes a wide energy swarm toward targets in range. This deals constant damage to enemies caught in the swarm. What makes this ability really interesting is that its timer will pause while enemies are in range of the energy swarm, allowing Ramattra to stay in Nemesis form and deal constant damage.

As Blizzard notes, success with Ramattra is all about knowing how to wield the cooldown of Nemesis Form. Omnic Form is used to soften up your opponents at a distance. Once they are weak, you switch to Nemesis Form and pummel them into oblivion.

Even without having played Ramattra, I love the potential of this versatile kit. It gives players more flexibility to react to how the battle is unfolding.

As is the case with all new Heroes, Ramattra will be unlocked immediately for anyone who purchases the Season 2 Premium Battle Pass. For everyone else, you’ll likely have to reach Tier 55 of the free track to unlock him.