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Season 4 of Overwatch 2, Blizzard Entertainment’s dynamic first-person shooter (FPS), is just around the corner. With the newest update comes fresh content, one of which is the game’s latest hero, Lifeweaver.
The Thai hero, who is the first openly pansexual character on the Overwatch 2 roster, falls under the Support class. He is witty, kind, and, quite literally, a lifting spirit in any team that he is a part of.
Lifeweaver comes with an ability set that allows him to protect teammates, heal them sufficiently, create platforms, and inflict severe damage at close range. Handling all these abilities and using them efficiently can be a challenge for both new and returning players.
Nonetheless, with practice and time, players can expect this hero to be a sustainable healer that provides enough damage numbers across the leaderboard in an Overwatch 2 match.
Understanding Lifeweaver’s abilities in Overwatch 2
Playing a Support hero in Overwatch 2 is almost always a challenging task. These heroes are the backbone of the team. Lifeweaver retains the game’s fundamentals when it comes to healing but has a few quirks that make him unique.
In terms of aiming, his primary fire, Healing Blossom, is soft-target-based like Brigitte’s armor packs. The amount of healing is dependent on how long he charges the Blossom up.
His alternate fire is called Thorn Volley, and it shoots out Biolight thorns at enemies in a scattered manner. Although intended as a defense mechanism, these projectiles are capable of dishing out a good deal of damage, especially at close range.
Petal Platform and Rejuvenating Dash are exactly what they sound like. One raises a flower-like platform, which ascends as soon as someone, including enemies, steps on it. The other zips the hero a short distance toward the direction he is moving and lightly heals him.
Lifeweaver's third ability, Life Grip, is where Overwatch 2 makes this character interesting and innovative. Almost working like a friendly Roadhog Hook, this maneuver pulls an ally towards the hero and shields them as they travel.
Tree of Life, Lifeweaver's ultimate ability, sprouts a tree that heals allies as it is placed. It periodically continues to heal them over time. This Biolight tree also provides cover for his teammates.
Playing Lifeweaver at close quarters and spamming his Thorn Volley might seem like a good idea at first, but this character’s healing prowess far outweighs his DPS ability. With this being the case, players should focus on his Healing Blossom and Life Grip, both of which have great range and protective capabilities.
Lifeweaver demands a lively and efficient playstyle to be effective in Overwatch 2
During an Overwatch 2 match, Life Grip is especially powerful when trying to save an ally who is about to be knocked off the map, or pulling and placing allies in an advantageous position, such as an ulting Reaper. Pulling back teammates who might have wandered into enemy territory haphazardly also remains an option for the usage of this hero’s third ability.
Healing Blossom, as the primary method of healing, should be a player’s first priority and the ability they should master first. With a simple mechanism of clicking toward an ally to fire a healing blossom at them, or holding down the primary fire button before releasing (generating healing energy), this should be fairly easy to understand.
Raising Petal Platform can have both defensive and offensive advantages in Overwatch 2. Casting this ability will issue a height advantage for your allies, such as an ulting Cassidy, or provide an instant vantage point to snipers like Widowmaker and Ashe.
Healers, such as Ana and Kiriko, can also benefit from the added elevation, as they will have a clearer line of sight. Defensively, as shown in the trailer, it can render Orisa’s ultimate useless if placed correctly, and also provide a means to escape for injured teammates.
Combining Rejuvenating Dash with Petal Platform will allow Lifeweaver to employ a bit more mobility, making way for quick escapes and position readjustments. The dash is also particularly useful for moving out of enemy abilities that are fast and have a smaller Area-Of-Effect or AoE, such as Doomfist’s Seismic Slam.
Remembering that Support heroes aren’t only meant for healing should come in handy during flanks, as Lifeweaver can excel at close quarters with high damage output. Players should not shy away from these fights, especially if there is backup around. Sprinkling a few of those Biolight thorns along with the heals is also a good idea to help a team out.
Lifeweaver’s ultimate, Tree of Life, allows every teammate to be healed simultaneously in an AoE, which can sometimes be the difference between victory and loss.
Almost everyone on this Overwatch 2 character’s team will benefit from Tree of Life. This makes him a great Support pick for almost any team composition.
