After being teased in Overwatch’s lore for several years, Junker Queen is finally making her way to the hands of players as one of the new heroes coming with Overwatch 2. With her rowdy attitude and in-your-face kit, Junker Queen is sure to be a hit with tank players that like to be offensive and aggressive.Â
Junker Queen is now officially playable in the Overwatch 2 beta, and while her kit isn’t super complicated, there are some things you should know before you jump into a match with her. Here’s a complete overview of everything you need to know about Junker Queen.
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen guide: Gameplay abilities
Like Overwatch’s other heroes, Junker Queen’s abilities are what make her a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Here’s a complete overview of each of her gameplay abilities.
- Scattergun: Junker Queen’s primary weapon does good damage to enemies in close quarters.
- Commanding Shout: This ability buffs Junker Queen and her allies with improved speed and health, making it easier for them to push forward through defended chokepoints and close the distance with foes.Â
- Carnage: A large melee slash with Junker Queen’s axe does a large burst of damage and inflicts bleed damage over time. It has an eight-second cooldown.
- Jagged Blade (Active): This ability allows Junker Queen to throw her knife (affectionately named “Gracie”) at enemies. If it connects with an enemy, the knife will stick into them. Then, Junker Queen can recall the knife, pulling the stuck enemy towards her. It has a six-second cooldown.
- Jagged Blade (Passive): This passive ability makes Junker Queen’s standard melee attack uniquely powerful. Instead of punching foes like other heroes do, she slashes at them with her “Gracie” knife instead. This attack inflicts a wound that causes bleeding damage over time.
- Adrenaline Rush: Junker Queen also has a passive that allows her to heal when she causes bleeding damage with Carnage, Jagged Blade, and her Ultimate ability, Rampage.
- Rampage: Junker Queen’s Ultimate ability allows her to rush forward, slashing at opponents with a large whirlwind of magnetized metal. Enemies hit by Rampage will take direct damage and damage from bleed damage over time. Victims will also be unable to receive healing for a short period, similar to how Ana’s Biotic Grenade debuffs enemies.
Junker Queen is one of the most aggressive tank heroes Blizzard has ever developed, as her entire kit is all about closing the distance with enemies and dishing out strong close-quarters damage. Her healing passive will help her stay in the fight as long as she remains in the thick of the fray, while her Rampage Ultimate will no doubt work excellently with friendly damage hero Ultimates since it cuts off enemy healing.Â
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen: Release date
Junker Queen is available to play in the current Overwatch 2 beta, which is scheduled to last from June 28–July 18. The beta is available on both console and PC, and Blizzard will continue rolling out waves of invites to players that sign up for the beta until July 15. Refer to our guide on how to download the Overwatch 2 beta for more details on how you can get access and try out Junker Queen yourself.
In terms of when Junker Queen is coming to Overwatch in full, she’s slated to release with Overwatch 2 itself on the game’s Oct. 4 Early Access launch date, alongside damage hero Sojourn and a new support hero that Blizzard hasn’t unveiled yet.Â
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen guide: Quick tips
If you’re looking for some quick tips on how to be effective with Junker Queen’s kit, try out some of the below strategies.
- Play aggressively. Junker Queen’s kit is all about being offensive and getting in the face of your enemies, so don’t be passive and defensive with her.
- Try to use natural cover as you push forward toward opponents. It will help you avoid taking as much ranged damage as possible. This will leave you with more health to use while brawling in close-quarters.
- Commanding Shout is best used with your entire team since it empowers everyone with extra speed and damage resistance. Save it for when your team is making a coordinated push through a rough chokepoint or towards an objective.
- Combo your Carnage axe swing with a shot or two from your Scattergun. This will significantly damage foes close to you, making it harder for enemy healers to keep them alive.
- Use your Jagged Blade active ability to pull “squishy” targets like damage and support heroes away from the protection of their tank ally. This will leave them vulnerable to attacks from your team.
- Try to use Rampage when the enemy team is grouped up so you can easily tag all of them with the Ultimate. Not only will this deal damage and inflict bleeding but it will also heal you quite a lot and give the entire enemy team an anti-healing debuff.
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen: The Wastelander cinematic
A new Overwatch Junker Queen-themed animated short, titled The Wastelander is available to watch now. The short gives fans an in-depth look at Junker Queen’s backstory, showing how she came to overthrow Junkertown’s previous ruler and become the city’s overlord.
Overwatch 2, along with Junker Queen herself, is slated to launch on Oct. 4 on consoles and PC. With all of the additions and enhancements it’s offering, there’s a good chance it could become one of the best Xbox shooters available. The second Overwatch 2 beta is also currently live, and if you’d like to try out Junker Queen for yourself by playing it, you can get guaranteed access by purchasing the Overwatch 2 Watchpoint Pack.
