Overwatch Introduces New Hero – Elizabeth Caledonia “Calamity” Ashe

Overwatch is going back to the Old West for their next hero, Elizabeth Caledonia “Calamity” Ashe. She’s every bit the outlaw she appears to be, and it looks like she and McCree share a bit of history. It’s not made explicitly clear what  they used to be to each other, but the trailer below confirms that they’ve had plenty of run-ins over the years. What’s more Ashe is at least indirectly responsible for the loss of McCree’s left arm, having ordered her underling, “Bob,” to rip it off at one point. One would think that McCree would hold some bitter feelings toward her for it, but whatever their past was seems to be good enough for him to just laugh it off.

Like McCree, Ashe is an old western-style gunslinger. However, whereas McCree’s kit is best suited for short-to-mid range engagements, Ashe excels at mid-to-long range. Her standard weapon is a lever-action rifle that packs a serious punch so long as one’s able to make their shots. It takes a few shots before she needs to reload, but her relatively slow fire rate means players won’t be able to just hammer away at the trigger and expect results. Accompanying her main weapon is a sawed-off shotgun meant to push enemies back and get them into optimal range for her rifle. Ashe also has a stack of dynamite she can throw as it were just a really powerful grenade.

Given how the rest of her equipment works, it’s likely that players will need to be careful about when they use this ability, because they probably won’t get another chance. Finally her ultimate move is somewhat unique among the existing roster as it summons another character, Bob, to fight alongside her as an ally. He appears to function as Ashe’s personal tank, soaking up damage and keeping opponents back with his gatling arm.

The final seconds of her introductory cinematic also reveal another character we haven’t seen before. McCree doesn’t say what her name is, but her voice seems to identify her as the character announcing Overwatch matches. It’s unclear why Winston needs an announcer so badly, but perhaps that will be made more clear in the next animated cinematic. Ashe herself isn’t in the game quite yet, but further details are likely to come during BlizzCon.