TheOverwatchuniverse is full of unique heroes, so much so that the term “hero” is a bit of a stretch. Several villains from the Talon terrorist organization are playable, withReaper and Widowmakerbeing far from what many would consider heroic. Likewise, the criminals Junkrat and Roadhog are only out for themselves, with the fully self-centered goals of protecting Junkrat’s mysterious treasure and committing random crimes for more money. It seems likeOverwatch 2will be continuing this tradition of having a mix of heroes and villains, as a recent rumor suggests that the Junker Queen is finally becoming playable.
Overwatchplayers have been expecting the debut of the Junker Queen for over three years now, as the arrival of the Junkertown map in 2017 heavily hinted at the character. Ruling over the aptly named location with an iron fist, the character’s throne can be seen at the very end of a match. Earlier on, players can see a poster of the character, with the Queen looking like a formidable fighter in her own right. However, despite these heavy teases, rumors of the Queen becoming playable died down — until now, that is. With the character possibly becoming playable in the sequel, here is everything fans need to know about this “royal” Australian.
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The Junker Queen’s Backstory
The Junker Queenstarted as a fighter in the “Scrapyard,” a part of Junkertown where characters face off in arena-like battles to prove themselves worthy of respect. Dominating in these gladiator battles long enough to strike fear into everyone in Junkertown, she eventually took on the role of Queen and took her throne. Heavily described as cruel and having no fear of backstabbing her citizens, the Queen has several enforcers that she regularly sends to collect taxes from her people, and it was this action that put her on the wrong side of Junkrat and Roadhog.
Junkrat’s treasure is an intentionalOverwatchmysteryand will likely never be solved, though it is a crucial aspect of his relationship with the Queen. After bragging about finding the treasure, the Junker Queen sent her enforcers to take it from the explosives-loving Junkrat — a move that saw his bodyguard Roadhog gunning down the attackers. From there, a rivalry began between the Queen and the pair of outlaws, with Junkrat and Roadhog stealing their ruler’s gold and blowing up her property. The move has seen them exiled from the scrap-filled kingdom, and this is where her backstory ends.
Players do know a few other things about the character, however. When thepost-launch hero Wrecking Balllanded on Earth, he found himself in Junkertown. Building his iconic mech, he dominated in the Scrapyard — being handed an award by the Queen herself. The moment is shown in the story trailer for Hammond, and players can clearly see that the Queen’s mohawk is blue. She also has different voice lines that can be heard whenOverwatchcharacters come through the door to Junkertown, all of which showcase a rude attitude and a thick Australian accent.
How The Junker Queen May Play In Overwatch 2
While Junker Queen having a fair bit of lore is more than enough to explain why fans constantly ask to see her in-game, the fact that her weapons have been detailed only adds to the anticipation. In the poster that can be found on Junkertown, the queen can be seen wielding a mace. Much like thesword-usingOverwatchherothat was recently teased, this could indicate that the Junker Queen will be a melee-focused damage fighter. However, one detail from her backstory implies that she might be filling another role.
The Scrapyard fights that made the Junker Queen a legend amongst her people were mech-based, implying that the Queen has used a mech in the past. As such, she may end up in the tank role, with the Junker Queen adoptingD.Va’s mech mechanic. Once knocked out of her armored suit, she could then use her mace, making her out-of-mech gameplay a lot different from D.Va’s. With a deeper moveset when out of the mech, her mech could be given less health than D.Va’s to help with balancing. Alternatively, her mech could stay destroyed until respawn or be used as an ultimate. WithOverwatchneeding more tank and support heroes, the Queen being in the former category would be great to see.
Still, with the Junker Queen only rumored at the moment, and discussion of her in-game mechanics being purely speculation, fans should not get their hopes up for an in-game appearance untilBlizzard itselfconfirms her debut.
Overwatchis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
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