Domina From Overwatch, Will You Be My Valentine?

Have you ever fallen successful love?

I did astir a decennary ago, with Overwatch, Blizzard’s leader shooter of near-immaculate design. But that narration sadly became strained, distant even, ever since its determination to determination connected from those archetypal glory days and reinvent itself arsenic a sequel. Well, present Overwatch has gone and seduced maine each implicit again, similar a Hanzo scatter arrow delivered consecutive from Cupid's bow. And it's each acknowledgment to 1 woman: the firm villainess tank, Domina. And it has perfectly thing to bash with those thighs.

This week saw the motorboat of a caller epoch for Overwatch. Blizzard has ditched the “2”, implemented a long-overdue paper overhaul, kicked disconnected a marque new, year-long story, and, crucially, added 5 marque caller heroes to the roster. You’ve got Anran, a fire-fan-wielding damage-dealer; Emre, a tactical operative equipped with much firearms than existent arms; Mizuki, a cursed ex-yakuza subordinate with a healing hat; and Jet Pack Cat, who is, well, a feline with a pitchy pack. And past last, but surely not least, is Domina, an incredibly destructive vessel with a deadly pulse-action laser beam, explosive crystal bombs, and a elephantine other brace of mechanical arms that erupt retired of her shoulders. I deliberation I emotion her.

Vaira, if I should beryllium truthful bold arsenic to usage her existent name, is the benignant of assertive vessel quality that I’ve ever been drawn to successful Overwatch. With astir 300 hours clocked successful dive vessel D.Va alone, it’s beauteous wide that there’s thing much satisfying to maine than launching a behind-enemy-lines onslaught connected an nonsubjective and absorbing each of the other team’s attraction arsenic I effort to origin arsenic overmuch chaos arsenic possible. Domina isn’t a dive tank, though. Yes, she tin origin immense amounts of harm similar everyone’s favourite South Korean mech enthusiast can, but if I were to comparison her to anyone, it would beryllium a almighty operation of the reworked Orisa and Reaper.

Domina is simply a unit to beryllium reckoned with erstwhile it comes to taking the force head-on, acknowledgment to a mates of skills that deter foes. One is simply a precise ample shield that looms precocious implicit her and her teammates. I person to accidental I was initially disquieted astir this ability, since I inactive transportation intelligence scars from that play erstwhile Overwatch was a implicit shield-fest 5 oregon six years agone — ne'er again bash I privation to spot a Bastion and a Torbjorn turret sitting down an Orisa and Reinhardt shield combo connected that dreadful archetypal Paris choke point. But Domina’s unit tract has a amusive wrinkle that plays tactically into some teams’ approach, arsenic squares tin beryllium punched retired of it with a mean magnitude of damage, creating literal windows of accidental for those faced with it. It’s a astute attack to shielding successful Overwatch that, astatine slightest close now, feels balanced for some attackers and defenders.

Then there’s her sonic repulsors, a brace of vigor blasts fired from the palms of her other mechanical hands. They not lone woody a spot of damage, but besides boop radical distant from her. I’ve already had possibly excessively overmuch amusive pushing players disconnected the borderline of Illios and Lijiang Palace’s perilous points similar a super-sized Lucio. Combine that with a crystal grenade that floats done the aerial towards enemies earlier detonating, and a laser beam that fires disconnected a shotgun-like burst astatine the extremity of a trigger pull, similar a devilish operation of Symmetra and Reaper’s weapons, and you person a leader who tin single-handedly tally an full match. I did archer you it wasn’t astir the thighs.

Look, I’ll admit that she’s astir apt too almighty close present and will, successful each likelihood, beryllium subjected to a nerf successful the coming days oregon weeks. But portion she’s present successful each her glory, I can’t urge Domina enough.

That’s not to accidental determination isn’t plentifulness of amusive to beryllium recovered elsewhere successful Overwatch close present — this full update is simply a genuinely unthinkable displacement for a crippled that lone a abbreviated clip agone faced an existential threat, and it’s inarguably much enthralling to play present than it has been successful many, galore years. That being said, I bash inactive yearn for those glory days of 2017 to 2019, and find myself queuing to play its unranked 6v6 mode much than immoderate other. It inactive feels the astir balanced, satisfying mode to play Overwatch, and if Blizzard was ever to afloat revert backmost to the 2 tank, 2 support, 2 DPS squad operation of old, I deliberation Overwatch would genuinely ain my bosom erstwhile again.

My beating chambers beryllium solely to Domina and her stacked acceptable of skills.“

As for now, I fearfulness my beating chambers beryllium solely to Domina and her stacked acceptable of skills that simultaneously consciousness fresh, but besides referential to the Overwatch of old. As I’m penning this, I’m counting down the hours until I tin play arsenic her again and nonstop radical falling to their doom down an Illios well, oregon imprison them successful her explosive Panopticon eventual ability.

I can’t assistance but grin erstwhile I spot that Overwatch is benefitting from its highest concurrent subordinate numbers successful implicit a year, and consciousness blessed for the developers who person worked truthful tirelessly to marque definite this beingness that radical emotion truthful overmuch volition not die. This update has made maine autumn backmost successful emotion with a crippled I erstwhile held person to my bosom much than any, and a ample portion of that is down to however amusive its 5 caller heroes (but chiefly Domina, let’s beryllium honest) are. If Overwatch carries guardant this momentum into the remainder of 2026, it whitethorn go a occupation for the remainder of my societal life.

Simon Cardy is simply a Senior Editor astatine IGN who tin chiefly beryllium recovered skulking astir unfastened satellite games, indulging successful Korean cinema, oregon despairing astatine the authorities of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him connected Bluesky astatine @cardy.bsky.social.