Tracer leaps into ‘Heroes of the Storm’ and ‘Overwatch’ short film

We’ve all known for a while that Tracer, that spunky British adventurer from “Overwatch,” will be bringing the cavalry to “Heroes of the Storm” this April. Recently, however, IGN Latin America managed to get game director Dustin Browder to spill the beans about the highly anticipated character.

Now, fans get to have a better look at what the time-manipulating ex-pilot is capable of in Blizzard’s hero brawler.





In “Heroes of the Storm,” Tracer is classified as a Ranged Assassin. She is another unique addition to the roster; this extremely mobile hero can shoot while moving, and has access to her Heroic Ability at level 1.

Tracer’s Trait is Reload, which allows her to perform her basic attacks while on the move. The Trait can be activated to reload her guns in 0.75 seconds; otherwise, she will automatically reload them when her ammunition is spent. In case you haven’t guessed, Tracer’s basic attacks are dependent on ammunition.

Her Q Basic Ability is Blink, a quick, teleportation-style movement ability that holds 3 charges. Its cooldown lasts 6 seconds.

Her W Basic Ability is Melee. Tracer goes full gangsta and pistol-whips an enemy in the face, damaging them. If she hits a non-hero, her Heroic Ability, Pulse Bomb, is awarded 5 charges. Hitting a hero, on the other hand, gives Pulse Bomb 10 charges. The cooldown lasts 8 seconds.

Her E Basic Ability, Recall, sends Tracer back in time, returning her to wherever she was standing 3 second prior to the activation of the skill. The move grants her other benefits, such as invincibility that lasts for a second, instant ammunition reload, and the removal of debuffs. Recall, however, has a whopping 30-second cooldown.

It appears Tracer only has one Heroic Ability, called Pulse Bomb (R). Tracer chucks a bomb that adheres to a target. After a few seconds, the Pulse Bomb explodes for AoE damage, or two times the damage to a single target. Damaging enemies rewards the Pulse Bomb charges. 100 charges are required to cast Pulse Bomb.

As previously mentioned, Pulse Bomb is available to Tracer at level 1.

In addition, upon reaching level 10, Tracer can modify the Pulse Bomb in any of three different ways:

She can turn Pulse Bomb into an Sticky Bomb, which gives its AoE radius a 50% increase. For 3 seconds, enemies caught in the blast also have their speed reduced by 60%.

Tracer can opt to pick the Quantum Spike modification. This removes the skill’s AoE attribute, but causes damage to a lone target equivalent to 10% of their peak health.

Lastly, Tracer can go for Pulse Rounds, which doubles the range of Pulse Bomb. Executing basic attacks on enemy heroes also gives Pulse Bomb 50% additional charges.

For fans of alternative costumes, Tracer is getting a Spectre skin, as well as a dangerous-looking Spectre Phantom Mount.

To all those who pre-purchased “Overwatch: Origins Edition” digitally, Tracer will be available this April 19. Everyone else will have to wait for April 26 before they can take Tracer for a spin.


Lookin’ good, love!

Tracer also appears in Blizzard’s second “Overwatch” short film, entitled “Alive.” But Tracer isn’t the only star of this show; the ice-cold spider lady, Widowmaker, reminds us why she’s the embodiment of the catchphrase, “one shot, one kill.”





As promised way back at BlizzCon 2015, Blizzard will be doling out “Overwatch” animated shorts aimed at familiarizing us with its intriguing world and colorful cast of characters. We’ve already gotten a touching tale involving the genius gorilla, Winston. “Alive” serves to show us that the “Overwatch” universe isn’t all smiles and sunshine – that it is, in fact, also home to darkness and danger. Additionally, it adds a layer of depth to the rivalry between Tracer and Widowmaker.

“Overwatch” will be available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows this coming May. — TJD, GMA News