New ‘Overwatch’ Support Hero Brigitte Dated For Release Next Week

Brigitte, the daughter of Torbjörn and ally of Reinhardt, is coming to Overwatch next week. As part of the continued post-release updates for the first-person shooter, Brigitte joins 26 other playable heroes. Since its release in 2016, five additional heroes joined the roster for free. Brigitte is the sixth hero to be added to the game.

After a few weeks on the public test realm, Brigitte will join the fight on March 20, according to the game’s official Twitter account. Equipped with flail and shield, Brigitte is listed as a support hero in Overwatch. She can grant allies armor and stun foes with her shield. Her ultimate ability, Rally, also gives teammates armor inspiring them to fight.

Like other support characters in Overwatch, Brigitte is not just a healer. Players standing directly behind her while her shield is up are somewhat protected. It is smaller than Reinhardt’s shield and can absorb less damage, though. Allies can readily exploit foes that are stunned by her Shield Bash ability. Her Repair Pack ability can heal allies, of course, but it will grant armor if they are max health. Unlike the Armor Pack provided by Torbjörn, the Repair Pack is instantly given to the targeted player rather than the pack landing on the ground.

When Brigitte releases next week, players can try out her abilities in Quick Play, the Arcade, and Custom Games. She will not be immediately available for use in Overwatch competitive play. Generally, players will have to wait about a week before new heroes are usable in competitive play.

Overwatch updates about every other month with new heroes and maps. Moira released in November, the Blizzard World map launched in January, and Brigitte is scheduled for March. A regular schedule of events are also planned for the game. The Lunar New Year event wrapped up this month. As the Inquisitr reported, the Uprising event will likely return in April.

Last year’s Uprising event included a PvE mode where four players fought a number of omnic enemies on the King’s Row map with different objectives. In May, the anniversary event will return giving players a chance to unlock dances for their Overwatch characters alongside unique skins and other cosmetic items.