I’ve been playing this game since the beginning. Since the first beta, when a Bastion in turret form had its own personal shield and could pivot 360 degrees. Yeah. It’s been a minute. And in all that time, I’ve seen heroes come and go, metas rise and fall, and my own enthusiasm wax and wane. Sometimes a new hero drops and it’s just… more of the same. Another hitscan, another shield, another flavor of the month. It’s fine.
But then, every once in a while, Blizzard drops something that makes me sit up straight in my chair. Something that doesn’t just add a new character to the roster but a whole new way of thinking about the game.
And that’s Venture.
Let’s just get the obvious out of the way. Venture, the game’s newest Damage hero, is an archaeologist with a massive, souped-up drill. They’re plucky, they’re Canadian, and they are, for all intents and purposes, an Earthbender.
Wait. No. Actually, that’s not quite right. My gut, my years of playing this game, and my countless hours rewatching a certain animated series about a boy in an iceberg tell me something different. The marketing might scream Earthbender, but the gameplay? The feel of it? Pure Waterbender philosophy.
Why I Say Waterbender, Not Earthbender
Think about it. In the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender, what defines the bending styles? It's not just about the element itself. It’s the philosophy behind the movement. Earthbending, especially the traditional kind Toph initially rebelled against, is about standing your ground. It’s firm, rooted, unyielding. It’s about direct confrontation.
That is not what Venture does.
Venture is all about fluidity. Ebb and flow. They have an ability called Burrow, where they literally dive into the ground and swim through it like it’s water, popping up underneath some unsuspecting Ana or Zenyatta to cause absolute chaos. You don’t see them coming. They use the very ground beneath your feet—the most solid thing in any map—as a fluid medium for attack. They turn the enemy's foundation into their own personal slip-n-slide of doom. That’s not the stubborn resolve of an Earthbender; that’s the adaptable, opportunistic flow of a Waterbender.
And their Drill Dash? It’s not just a forward movement. It’s a surge of power, a propulsive blast that can be used to engage, to escape, to reposition in the blink of an eye. It has the same energy as Katara using a jet of water to slide across the battlefield or Korra propelling herself through the air. It’s about using the environment to create motion where there was none. It's about finding the path of least resistance, or just as often, creating a new one entirely.
So, Overwatch 2 Goes Full Avatar: The Last Airbender With Its New Hero
This is what fascinates me most. It feels like the design team looked at the core concepts of mobility in Overwatch and just… threw the rulebook out the window. For years, mobility has been about flight (Pharah, Echo), teleportation (Sombra, Reaper), or athletic parkour (Genji, Lúcio). It’s all been very... above ground. Predictable, in its own way. You know to look up for a Pharah. You listen for the sound of Reaper’s footsteps.
But how do you prepare for an enemy that attacks from below the map geometry? It’s a fundamental shift.
The closest comparison we have is maybe Doomfist's old Seismic Slam, but even that was just a leap and a crash. Venture’s Burrow is sustained, controlled, subterranean movement. It’s an entirely new axis of attack. I've played a lot of games, from the twitchy intensity of Overwatch to the simple, satisfying click of a browser game on CrazyGames, and very few things feel genuinely new anymore. This does.
I can already feel the frustration and the excitement. Playing against Venture is going to require a complete rewiring of my brain. Where are they? When will they pop up? Can I time my Cassidy grenade for the exact moment they emerge? It’s going to be a nightmare, and honestly, I can’t wait. It's the kind of complex, three-dimensional chess that makes Overwatch special, a world away from the simple back-and-forth of something like a virtual foosball match where the rules are, thankfully, much clearer. Games like Foosball Kick: Quick Matches, Big Wins are great for a break, but this... this is a whole other beast.
A Few Anxious Thoughts from a Support Main
But, let’s be real for a second. As someone who spends a lot of time playing Support, the idea of a hero who can phase through the ground to get to me is… terrifying. My positioning, my one great defense against the Tracers and Genjis of the world, suddenly feels a lot less secure.
The big question is going to be about their counters and their vulnerabilities. Burrow makes them invulnerable for a short time, which is incredibly powerful. But what happens when they pop out? Are they stuck in an animation? Can they be instantly slept, hooked, or pinned? The balance here is going to be a razor’s edge. If they’re too safe, they’ll be an unstoppable menace. Too vulnerable, and they’ll be a free kill every time they try to make a play.
And I keep coming back to the ultimate, Tectonic Shock. It sends out damaging shockwaves. Again, sounds like earth, but the function is area denial. It's about controlling space, forcing enemies to move. It's another page from the bender playbook—less about a single knockout blow and more about reshaping the battlefield to your advantage. I'm just hoping my little Kiriko Suzu can save me from it. It's going to lead to some incredible fan art and highlight reels, though I just hope none of it gets a takedown notice. I'm not even sure how a DMCA Policy would apply to in-game physics bending, but I'm sure someone will try.
Ultimately, what Venture represents is a jolt of pure, unadulterated creativity. A willingness to ask, “What if a hero could just ignore the floor?” It’s a wild concept, and it’s exactly the kind of shake-up Overwatch 2 needs to feel truly dynamic and unpredictable again.
Some Questions You're Probably Asking
So, is Venture an Earthbender or a Waterbender?
Okay, so literally, they use a drill and move through the earth, which is 100% Earthbender. But I'm sticking to my guns here. In terms of gameplay philosophy—the fluid movement, the surprise attacks from unexpected angles, using the environment as a medium to flow through—it feels way more like the adaptable style of a Waterbender. It's a fun debate!
What role does Venture play and who will they be good against?
Venture is a Damage (DPS) hero. Their kit is purpose-built for diving the enemy backline. That means they'll likely be very effective against squishy, low-mobility heroes like Zenyatta, Ana, and Ashe. They can use Burrow to bypass shields and frontline tanks to get straight to the high-value targets.
I’m already worried about another dive hero. How do I even counter them?
It's a valid concern! The key will likely be heroes with crowd control (CC) that can punish Venture the moment they emerge from Burrow. Think Cassidy’s Magnetic Grenade, Ana’s Sleep Dart, or even a well-timed Junkrat trap placed where you think they'll pop up. Heroes with vertical mobility like Pharah or Echo might also be a good counter since Venture is mostly locked to the ground.
Wait, is Venture the first non-binary hero in Overwatch?
Yes, they are! Blizzard has confirmed that Venture is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. It's a fantastic step for representation in the game, and the community has been overwhelmingly positive about their introduction.
