A Breakdown of Ana, an Upcoming Healer in Overwatch

Just a few days ago, Blizzard announced that they are adding a new hero to Overwatch. Back in early June, fans preemptively speculated that a new hero would be announced within the first few weeks of the game's release. Their predictions were a bit early, but not too far off, and fans will be able to play as the new hero in a couple of weeks. The new hero, Ana, is a support sniper, and she should pan out to be one of the most unique heroes in the game.

As just a little background on Ana's history in the Overwatch universe, she is actually the long lost mother of Pharah. Ana was one of the founding members of the Overwatch team, but was lost in battle and presumed dead. She spent some time hiding from the conflicts of the world, but now she's back to kick some ass.

In terms of Overwatch's cast of support characters, Ana will be the most difficult healer to play as.

Here is a breakdown of her skills:

Biotic Rifle

Ana's main weapon is controlled by left and right clicking. Firing with a left click will heal allies, and damage enemies over time. Similar to Widowmaker, right clicking allows you to zoom in with the biotic rifle's scope.

Sleep Dart

Sleep Dart is Ana's left shift ability. It is a long range stun that puts enemies to sleep for a short while. Enemies that are asleep are awakened as soon as they take damage.

Biotic Grenade

Biotic Grenade is Ana's E ability. Biotic grenades heal allies in an area, and damage enemies in an area. Allies affected by biotic grenade temporarily receive increased healing from all sources. Enemies affected by biotic grenade cannot be healed for a short while.

Nano Boost

Nano Boost is Ana's ultimate ability, activated by Q. Nano Boost grants one ally increased speed, reduced damage from enemies, and a damage boost.

Ana has an impressive kit of abilities, but utilizing her skills properly will prove to be a difficult task. Because she has to aim her heals with her weapon, it can at times be tough to land heals. This can be especially challenging with allies who move around quickly, such as Tracer and Genji. When she is mastered by players, though, she will prove to be a powerful healer.

Her Biotic Grenade ability can shut down opposing healers, while at the same time buffing her allies. Stuns are always useful, so her Sleep Dart will certainly play an important role in battle, especially when escaping from enemies. Her Nano Boost has the potential to be incredibly powerful, especially in conjunction with other ultimates. Just imagine giving a Soldier 76 Nano Boost right before he uses Tactical Visor. You could easily wipe out an entire team.

If you're itching to try playing as Ana, she is currently playable in the Public Test Realm. Hopefully Blizzard does some extensive testing in the PTR, and Ana won't be too under or over powered when she is released. Until Blizzard feels they have completely balanced Ana, she won't be playable outside of the PTR, so be prepared to wait a couple of weeks for her release.