In Overwatch 2, Junker Queen was the first tank to be added, and this beast from down under arrived with a bang.
Arriving in Overwatch 2 with fellow heroes Sojourn and Kiriko, Junker Queen was the first tank built for 5v5 fights to be introduced to the overhauled game. Armed with her axe, Carnage, and her electromagnetic gauntlet, she’s ready to destroy the enemy team and leave them in the dust.
Unfortunately, in the flurry that was the Overwatch 2 release, Junker Queen seemed to get lost. Unlike the other two new heroes, Kiriko and Sojourn, Junker Queen’s abilities are largely rehashed versions of those of other heroes – resulting in a mix that doesn’t quite work.
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen: story and background
In Overwatch 2, Junker Queen’s story is one of blood, fights, and turmoil. Known as Odessa “Dez” Stone, she grew up in a small Outback settlement. Her parents, who were former Australian Liberation Front cell members, had to teach her all about surviving the harsh and unforgiving world of the wasteland.
Living under the shadow of the ruined Australian omnium, the Omnic Crisis never ended for Dez and her family as omnics roamed the sandy landscape and groups of settlers fought for every scrap of resources. Kicked out of the safety of Junkertown, life didn’t get better for this mountain of a tank for a while.
13 years later, Dez returned to Junkertown to challenge the Junker King for his thrown in the all-out brawl known as The Reckoning. In this fierce fight, Dez managed to wade through wave after wave of terrifying Junkertown residents until she made her way to the head honcho. Triumphing over the former King, Dez’s fame skyrocketed overnight through the Outback as she claimed the title of Junker Queen.
After winning the prestigious title and beginning her reign over Junkertown, Dez began uniting the factions in one diplomatic beatdown. Along with fellow heroes Junkrat, Roadhog, and Wrecking Ball, Dez is starting to impose order and fight the omnic menace that has plagued her for so long.
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen: abilities breakdown
Primary Fire: Scattergun
Description: Pump action shotgun
Like Reaper’s dual shotguns in Overwatch 2, Junker Queen has a slower but equally powerful weapon. Dealing 106 damage per second, 80 when you could the 0.75 seconds of recovery time between shots, Junker Queen can do some severe poke damage.
Some tricks and tips for this weapon:
- You can get a headshot with this weapon.
- The falloff range for this weapon is 15 to 25 meters.
Ability: Jagged Blade
Description: A blade that, when lodged into an enemy player, can drag them towards Junker Queen.
This blade can deal 95 damage throughout initial impact and return impact when the player is first hit, dragged back to Junker Queen, and finally has the blade dislodged from them.
If the blade hits an enemy or terrain, it is automatically returned after three seconds. If the blade is blocked by D.Va’s Defense Matrix or Sigma’s Kinetic Grasp, it will automatically return to Junker Queen.
Some tips and tricks for this ability:
- The cooldown starts when the blade is thrown.
- Melee attacks while the knife is thrown do not apply a wound: the return of the blade does, though.
- Junker Queen can recall jagged Blade at any time.
Ability: Commanding Shout
Description: Grants temporary health and speed to yourself and allies.
This ability can increase your health by 200 and your allies' health within a 15-meter range by 50. Movement speed is also improved by 30% when using this skill.
This ability is excellent for rallying your team to crash into the enemy heroes or even speed up your journey to the point.
Some tricks and tips for this ability:
- The cooldown begins when the duration for this skill ends.
Ability: Carnage
Description: Wound all enemies in front of you with your axe.
A melee attack that lets Junker Queen swing her sword to do a total of 130 damage on and after impact, this ability will keep the crowds away. This ability will also let you heal up to 50 damage over three seconds through Adrenaline Rush.
Some tricks and tips for this ability:
- Each enemy hit by Carnage reduced its cooldown by two seconds.
- Carnage is not reflected when blocked by Genji’s deflect.
Passive Ability: Adrenaline Rush
Description: All wound damage Junker Queen inflicts causes her to heal herself.
This ability is similar to Reaper’s Passive Ability, which allows him to heal off the damage he inflicts on enemy heroes. In total, Adrenaline Rush can heal 125% of wound damage dealt.
Each enemy can only have one wound per ability. So reapplying an injury with the same power just refreshes Adrenaline Rush’s duration and doesn’t stack the healing.
Some tricks and tips for this passive ability:
- The wounds from the return impact and quick melee of Jagged Blade are considered the same ability, but the wound inflicted from a direct hit is separate.
- If an enemy dies with wounds on them, then Junker Queen is instantly healed with the would-be remaining wound damage.
- Passive Abilities happen automatically with no input needed from the player.
Ultimate: Rampage
Description: Wound enemies by dealing tick damage over time and prevent them from receiving healing.
Dealing 100 damage, you shouldn’t take this ultimate lightly. However, it’s not the damage you should be scared of. Rampage takes inspiration from the old sniper legend Ana Amari and her biotic grenade that can prevent enemies from receiving healing.
Junker Queen uses the same ability, with her ultimate being able to affect a larger area and more players than Ana can. This is often the nail in the coffin for enemy teams as damage is dealt coupled with no access to healing means that Junker Queen and the rest of her team can pick the injured off quickly.
Some tricks and tips for this ultimate:
- This ultimate can travel through enemy barriers but is blocked by walls if you are behind them and out of the line of sight.
- You cannot cancel the charge forward during the Rampage, so be aware of sharp drops or the edge of the map in case you go flying off.
Overwatch 2 Junker Queen: gameplay breakdown
In Overwatch 2, Junker Queen is a mystery. Added at the start of the sequel, we haven’t had much time to get to know her and her abilities. Ramattra, Kiriko, and Sojourn all seem to have found their place in Overwatch 2’s meta. So why does Junker Queen stick out?
If you look at Dez’s abilities, then it’s pretty apparent that she is a hybrid model, taking a few powers from various tanks. For example, her Jagged Blade mimics Roadhog’s Chain Hook as it pulls enemies towards her, and Commanding Shout is similar to Lucio’s Amp It Up as it speeds teammates up with some increased health. Finally, her Ultimate Rampage has the same effects as Ana’s Biotic Grenade, as it damages enemies and blocks healing. While this copycat behavior suits her personality as she is known to take the scraps off defeated enemies, the result is a hero who lacks an individual identity, which is important in Overwatch 2.
Despite the similarities between characters, it is essential to play Junker Queen as her own hero and not be restricted by the heroes she copies. Dez works best when sticking close to her DPS heroes, as it can be challenging to achieve final kills by yourself; having someone near to complete the finishing touches can help massively.
Junker Queen is also specifically made for 5v5 matches. This means her character needs to stay close to the rest of her team while running into the heart of the enemy in small and frequent dives. You don’t want to fight for long, so disengaging is your best friend.
Collaboration is critical to doing well with Junker Queen, don’t be afraid to get aggressive as long as your teammates are close by to back you up.
