After months of anticipation from fans and players, Blizzard has revealed that Overwatch 2 will release in early access on Oct. 4. The trailer and tweet that accompanied the announcement also showed off the game’s next new hero, Junker Queen, an existing figure in Overwatch lore and a long-rumored addition to the game’s playable roster.
Fans were able to get an extended look at Junker Queen’s lore and abilities in the June 16 Overwatch 2 reveal event. Junkertown’s leader received her own origin story video, a new cinematic, and plenty of details about her playstyle. She’s an aggressive tank who excels at cornering and flanking enemies to clear the way for her teammates.
Here’s everything you need to know about Junker Queen in Overwatch 2.
Who is Junker Queen?
Junker Queen isn’t a new figure in the world of Overwatch. She’s prominently featured in the Junkertown map, where her voice can be heard while pushing the payload and illustrations of her face can be seen on posters throughout the town. This inclusion led many to believe that she was a playable hero in development when the map was released, but she never made it into the original Overwatch as anything more than an NPC.
The Wastelander, the cinematic that features Junker Queen, revealed snippets of her backstory. As a child, she was thrown out of Junkertown by the Junker King. Her family suffered in the hot Australian desert known as the Wasteland, where every day was a battle to survive. In the cinematic, she comes back to the Scrapyard, Junkertown’s gladiatorial arena, to exact her revenge on the Junker King. After a dramatic fight that sees the King playing dirty, the Queen ends up on top.
When the Junker Queen became the champion of the Scrapyard, she was also made the leader of the town. She has a bad relationship with Junkrat and Roadhog, two other residents of Junkertown who stole from her and blew up her property before she threw them out of the town and threatened to have them shot on sight if they returned. The Overwatch animated video “Junkertown: The Plan” details Junkrat and Roadhog’s attempts to get back into Junkertown with the spoils of their world-spanning heist spree.
It’s not yet clear what relationships Junker Queen has with the rest of the Overwatch 2 cast, but it’s likely that she’ll be connected to other heroes, specifically Junkrat and Roadhog.
When does Junker Queen release?
Junker Queen will be available to play during Overwatch 2‘s next PvP beta, which begins on June 28. She will also be available alongside Sojourn and an as-yet-unrevealed support hero when the game launches in early access on Oct. 4. Interested fans can watch her origin story and her cinematic trailer, both of which are available on the official Overwatch YouTube channel, to learn more about her before she launches.
What are Junker Queen’s abilities?
As an aggressive close-quarters tank, Junker Queen’s abilities focus on crowd control, flanking, and swinging a really, really big ax. Her primary fire is the Scattergun shotgun, which is great for cornering enemies and taking them out quickly. Her secondary fire, Jagged Blade, functions as her melee attack. Jagged Blade does slightly more damage than other heroes’ melee punches and wounds enemies, dealing damage over time. It can also be thrown in a skill shot attack. If it hits an enemy, it attaches to them, at which point Junker Queen can summon the knife back and yank the enemy into close range.
Another ability is Commanding Shout, which grants a short-term speed boost and damage boost to nearby allies. It’s a support-like utility that grants 200 health to Junker Queen and 100 health to allies who are close by. It also increases movement speed by 30 percent.
Junker Queen can swing that massive ax as part of an ability known as Carnage. The ax strikes all enemies in an arc in front of her, dealing damage over time. Thanks to her Adrenaline Rush passive, the Queen heals from all damage over time dealt from the wounds caused by Jagged Blade and Carnage.
Junker Queen’s ultimate ability is known as Rampage, and it’s an effective crowd control tool. After it’s activated, the Queen starts swinging her ax and rushes forward in a straight line, wounding and giving an anti-heal debuff to all enemies she hits in the process. Adrenaline Rush also heals her for the damage caused by Rampage’s damage over time.
Blizzard will almost certainly reveal more information about Junker Queen as Overwatch 2’s Oct. 4 early access release date draws closer. In the meantime, interested fans can play her during the upcoming June 28 PvP beta.
