The Overwatch 2 Junker Queen abilities set her apart from other tank heroes. She was designed specifically for the new 5v5 format of Overwatch 2, which favours much more active tank heroes. She also has abilities that heal and buff teammates, providing a little more support for the team while still being able to dish out a lot of damage.
Junker Queen notably differs from shield-based tanks like Reinhardt, making her one of the most aggressive Overwatch 2 tank heroes in the game. After years of fans speculating about her release and role in the game, Junker Queen was officially announced as part of the Overwatch 2 release date event. Join us as we give you a run-down of the Overwatch 2 Junker Queen abilities as they currently stand, plus some tips on how to play her.
Junker Queen abilities
Here’s a full list of the Overwatch 2 Junker Queen abilities:
- Scattergun
- Adrenaline Rush
- Jagged Blade
- Commanding Shout
- Carnage
- Rampage
Scattergun
Junker Queen’s primary weapon is a pump-action shotgun. It can hold six shells and has a fairly quick reload time. Each shot does 80 damage if you land most pellets, and unlike a lot of other shotguns in Overwatch, the Scattergun is effective at medium range. Furthermore, if you’re hitting headshots you can kill most enemy Overwatch 2 characters in half as many shots.
Adrenaline Rush
Junker Queen’s passive ability allows her to heal from damage done over time by inflicting wounds on enemy heroes. These wounds are similar to a bleed effect, causing damage over time for enemies that also replenishes Junker Queen’s HP. This gives her a lot of survivability, which is essential given how important the solo tank role is in a 5v5 comp.
Jagged Blade
Junker Queen’s secondary weapon is a throwable blade called Gracie, which she can recall with the use of her magnetic gauntlet. If you manage to land the shot, Jagged Blade does 80 damage and inflicts a wound that deals a further 15 points of damage over time. If you recall the blade while it is stuck in an enemy, they will be pulled towards you in a similar way to Roadhog’s hook.
As we’ve seen from Zenyatta’s new kick, the Overwatch team seem to be experimenting with new melee animations. Junker Queen has been treated similarly, as her quick melee attack uses her blade instead of her fist. Her melee attacks also inflict wounds on the enemy, doing damage over time and granting her passive healing.
Commanding Shout
Commanding Shout riffs on Junker Queen’s role as a natural leader. It’s an AoE ability that grants her 200 overhealth (the new name for all forms of temporary HP) and her nearby allies an extra 50, as well as buffing everyone’s movement speed by 30%. This is the first speed buff we have seen in the game since Lúcio’s speed boost, and the first one to be given to a tank. The AoE is roughly 20 metres and the ability expires after three seconds.
Lúcio and Junker Queen’s speed boosts do stack, so they can be combined if you’re looking to rush the enemy and gain the upper hand. The extra survivability that comes with Commanding Shout would make this more likely to succeed than Lúcio’s speed boost alone and you can employ this either to break past a stalemate or to catch up to the objective for one final push. This ability was considerably stronger in the beta, but Blizzard has toned it down for the full release to ensure Junker Queen doesn’t become too powerful.
Carnage
Junker Queen’s other ability is a melee attack in which she equips the huge axe that was shown off in her cinematic trailer. The developers revealed that they wanted Junker Queen to have some melee elements to match her ferocious attitude and berserker playstyle, but they didn’t want to make her a melee-first hero. They learnt with Genji’s original design, which featured his katana as his primary weapon, that melee-first heroes don’t really work for the type of play they want to see in Overwatch 2.
Activating Carnage swings Junker Queen’s axe directly in front of her, dealing 90 damage to enemy heroes and wounding them for an additional 40 points of damage. If activated in a large crowd of enemies, the potential for damage and passive healing is huge. The developers also revealed that Junker Queen’s Carnage ability and Jagged Blade came from the initial idea to have Reinhardt throw his hammer. These abilities work much better for her as she can recall her weapons using her magnetic gauntlet.
Rampage
Speaking of which, Junker Queen’s magnetic gauntlet is key to her ultimate ability, Rampage. She activates the gauntlet to create a magnetic field around her, swirling her knife and her shotgun in front of her in a whirlwind display of death. She then dashes forward for roughly 25 metres, inflicting wounds on every enemy she hits.
Rampage can generate a whopping 100 points of healing per enemy hit, plus it adds a debuff to prevent them from being healed for a period of time, similar to Ana’s anti-nade. However, using Rampage can be risky. Similar to Reinhardt’s charge ability in Overwatch, you aren’t able to steer the dash once it has been activated. What’s the point of all that healing if you just end up careening off the map or missing every enemy in sight? The high-risk, high-reward style of this ultimate definitely fits with the type of character Blizzard is trying to create with Junker Queen.
That’s all you need to know about Junker Queen’s abilities in Overwatch 2. While you’re here, why not read about Overwatch 2’s Sojourn, the other new hero joining the roster? Here are all of the Overwatch 2 roles explained, our Overwatch 2 tier list, and our guides to the best support heroes and best DPS heroes you need to get practising with.