Overwatch‘s Lucio will be turning up the tempo in an entirely different genre very soon. As per a video (above) released last week, Blizzard has confirmed that the musical healer/support hero will be making the jump from first-person shooter action to the studio’s MOBA Heroes of the Storm on February 6, where he’ll be playable in the game’s Public Test Realm (PTR). Predictably, Lucio will be classed as a support character in the team-based battle arena title, able to utilize his Sonic Amplifier to buff and heal allies whenever they find themselves in a pinch.
Of course, such critically important abilities will ensure that Lucio finds himself frequently labeled as a high priority target to kill by the enemy team, but the happy-go-lucky combatant isn’t without a handy set of tools to evade pursuers. Included in his repertoire of abilities is a passive trait, Wall Ride, which enables Lucio to bypass other units as well as increase his movement speed by a whopping 20%. Eventually, however, players will find themselves in sticky situations that can’t be resolved by simply fleeing. While his focus is undoubtedly on supporting companions, Lucio’s basic Soundwave ability will damage and knock back any enemies in front of him.
Carrying over from Overwatch, Lucio’s trademark ability is Crossfade, which allows him to switch between two different musical beats on the fly – one that heals and another that boosts movement speed. Triggering his Reverse Amp Heroic ability on enemies will inflict the opposite effects, crippling foes for 4 seconds.
Considering the successful transition of both Zarya and Tracer to Heroes of the Storm previously, it was always inevitable that Blizzard would continue to introduce additional Overwatch characters to the MOBA, and Lucio is a welcome addition, especially considering the recent lack of new support heroes. But who’s next? We wouldn’t be surprised if it was Reinhardt – he’d be the perfect fit for a lane pusher archetype, don’t you think?