You mentioned that you wanted to ramble about characters' powers/kits and how they relate to their characterization, so you know I'm going to ask you to talk about Torbjörn 👀 Oh and Bastion too if you're up for it! ♥
YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!
Look, I get. . . very emotional about Torbjorn's old kit. It perfectly encapsulated him as a character and while the rework better balanced him, it gutted how his playstyle represented his personality and ideals.
Torbjorn's kit was all about defense. It makes sense, him being in the defense category, so what makes him different? Well, it was that his defense was not just that he preferred to stay in one place, but that he was protecting the entire team while doing it. His turret can kill enemies, yes, but it's more useful watching sightlines and distracting enemies long enough to give the other defenders a chance. His gun has both long-range and short-range capabilities and he has a larger health pool, meaning that he can help the team poke from afar or get right down in the fray, jumping to a teammate's rescue if needed. His ultimate was best used defensively- powerful enough to stop a regular push in its track singlehandedly unless the enemy also threw a couple ults back.
And finally, most importantly, I want to mention armor pack.
He was one of the few DPS who had an ability that could support other teammates instead of himself, and that means everything. Torbjorn is not a leader, not like Soldier 76. Instead, what his support ability showed was his moral core of titanium. He built all of his weapons with the idea that they would protect others, but he also physically armors those around him. His craftsmanship protects them on every level. And that's the core of his character- an engineer who wanted to use his tools to defend the innocent. Of all of the high-ranking Overwatch officials, Torbjorn is the only one who hasn't given up yet on that dream. Sure, he's a bit more jaded than he was, but he never gave up on protecting the world. He never gave up, and his ability to build armor for his team in the middle of a fight from the literal scrap of the fallen surrounding them reflected that.
. . . and then he got reworked and he was given generic bursty abilities and the function of protecting his team was removed. Count me mad about it.
With Bastion, something's always bothered me. In The Last Bastion, Bastion is terrified of their own abilities. Switching to sentry mode is frightening and exhausting for them. Contrast this in Overwatch 1, where Bastion can switch between recon and sentry on the merest whim. Something doesn't add up.
However, the community recently received an update about Bastion's rework that I think will fit them more narratively, while also reflecting their newfound friendship with Torbjorn.
A common theme in new Bastion's kit, weirdly enough, is distance and avoidance. The sticky grenade can bounce of walls and around corners; their primary fire has longer range and is no longer fully automatic; their ult can be fired on the enemy from across the map. (The only thing that contrasts this is sentry mode- and I'll get to that one later.) What these all mean is that Bastion isn't usually going to be directly in the line of fire, and when they are, they have precision weapons, not crowd control.
Bastion models were built to put as many bullets out on the field as possible, to kill as many humans as possible. But our Bastion is frightened by that kind of destructive capability, and these upgrades for Overwatch 2 reflect that. Clearly, Torbjorn retooled them with these preferences in mind. Bastion may still be fighting, but now their style is controlled; no longer all-consuming carnage, but precise targeting with as little stray fire as possible. The ability to physically distance themself or stay out of sight of the main battle could also make them more comfortable in a field as well, lessening the effects of their PTSD and the chance that they get triggered into a full episode.
Sentry mode is a very deliberate contrast to all of this. Sentry mode is violent and even more aggressive than it was in the first game, given that Bastion can now move during it. It's useful for when distance and poking fails, used to initiate pushes and take new positions. However, as a cost to this aggression, it's an ability on a cooldown. This is what struck me the most narratively upon seeing their new kit. Sentry mode is something that is very taxing on Bastion, I think. It's a reminder of the worst part of themself, a reminder of a past they're desperately trying to outrun and a future that so many have predicted for them. It's whispers of lethal programming, it's a ruined battlefield, it's a destroyed nest. It's the loss of self-control. Let me make it clear that Bastion does not like sentry mode- but that they're willing to enter it to fight for what they believe in, most particularly for the safety of those that show them kindness. But there's only so long they can do it for lest they get lost in the memories.
To sum it up- Bastion's Overwatch 2 kit looks like it reflects Bastion as The Last Bastion, the individual who's forging their way through the world in the present. Their tools have been personalized through their bond with Torbjorn to better fit them and prove that they aren't limited by what their model was built to do. And that makes me very emotional. Here's hoping Overwatch 2 shows Bastion's progression from being hesitant to fight to stepping up to protect the people they care about.
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