Try out new Overwatch 2 damage hero Venture for free this weekend

Overwatch 2 is about to add another new hero to its lineup, bringing Venture to the game world following their introduction at BlizzCon 2023. Although they will make their official debut at the start of Season 10 on April 16, now is the chance for the community to get a sneak peak at how Venture might shake up the meta.

Venture will be available to play from now through Sunday, March 31. They’ll be enabled in the live game everywhere except the Competitive modes. Here’s a quick rundown of Venture’s abilities, and the literally groundbreaking way they’ll be impacting matches.

As with so many Overwatch 2 heroes, Blizzard has tied Venture’s gameplay to their lore. The character is an archeologist, so there’s an emphasis on digging and drilling in their kit:

• Burrow: Their standout ability is Burrow. When activated, Venture goes beneath the ground’s surface, where they can move freely without being attacked.
• Drill Dash: With this tool, Venture zips forward and will knock back enemies in their path. If players use Drill Dash while underground with Burrow, the ability will have a lower cooldown timer.
• Smart Excavator (weapon): Venture’s weapon is all about close-range, melee combat.
• Clobber (passive): That close-range fighting style is emphasized by a unique Clobber passive, which gives Venture more damage output with their Quick Melee than other heroes.
• Explorer’s Resolve (passive): Venture also has a second passive called Explorer’s Resolve; this one grants the character temporary shields when they use either Drill Dash or Burrow.
• Tectonic Shock (ultimate): Venture’s ultimate is a flashy-looking skill called Tectonic Shock. This skill lets players fire off up to four long shockwaves that do high damage as well as knocking back any enemies caught in the blast.

With their high damage output and high mobility, this hero has the potential to turn the battlefield into a real bounce house. And obviously, the addition of Burrow means a whole new way to look at the map spaces. Venture is only the second addition to the damage hero roster since Overwatch 2’s launch, so I’m curious to see how they’ll slot into team compositions.

My hunch is that Venture will pair particularly well with fellow bounce house tank Doomfist, and could do well in setting up long-range snipers to grab those headshots. I do expect that Burrow will make things challenging for support players, at least to start, because Venture seems to have a high chance to wind up stranded after over-diving. And if they can’t be attacked while underground, I’m guessing they also can’t be healed.

Venture should be a fun playstyle to drill into, and hopefully the community digs their addition to the game.