Orisa has been released into the wild for a few weeks now, and more importantly, available in competitive, which means I can work on my rank (waaaaay behind, this season!) and give the new girl some real “in-the-field” testing.
Following a nice, short build-up to her release, with the die-hard fans piecing things together on reddit, I was feeling the happy buzz of hype, and I’ve been looking forward to giving her a spin, ready to see if she can replace my Reinhardt or D.Va main spots.
How useful is she?
I’ve had a couple of rounds where she’s just been no use to me whatsoever, getting squished, time and time again. Despite her barrier and her improved defense abilities, I’ve not been able to get very far ahead.
Then, I’ve had games where I’ve absolutely worked as an anchor for the team, providing cover and useful fire. Dropping my ultimate and boosting everyone, to find we’ve cleared an area in seconds and worked really effectively.
The fact is, that I like her and her abilities, a lot. However, as is always the case with this game, you’re part of a team, and if you’re not working particularly well together, soloing a capture point as Orisa is not ideal.
Her almost never ending ammo stream from her main weapon is excellent, but it isn’t doing as much damage as I expected. Her barrier is great, and can really help, but I’m pretty sure that a lot of damage has been getting through it?
If I could use the graviton charge to some effect, that would be nice. However, apart from pulling people out of corridors or off rooftops, I’ve not been able to use it to great effect just yet.
I feel like there will be some buffs and nerfs and she’ll get tweaked in time, and become that extra tank that provides support from the front (like Reinhardt walking forward with his shield).
She’s got everything she needs to be excellent and I feel pretty comfortable with her abilities and her role. I don’t gel with some of the heroes (Lucio, Roadhog & Genji being prime examples), but Orisa feels like a natural fit. A little rough around the edges, and a little too squishy, but with time, I think she’ll be a solid choice as a support/tank.
Obviously, each hero requires hours of practice and use, so I know I’ll get better with her over time. So I’m hopeful for the future of Orisa, and feel like I’m going to have another option to add to my repertoire of usual picks.
Now, if only I didn’t have to solo queue for all of my matches……Because regardless of how good you are, you can’t get too far in a terrible team!