Unless you've been living under a rock for the past months, the name Doomfist should ring a few bells. Considering how the majority of underground caves has no internet connection, I'll just assume you know what we're talking about and take it from there. Blizzard's newest hero Finally made it to the PTR. In the last few hours, all major outlets spent some time discussing the Character. A few rushed to the Public Test Realm and gave Doomfist a spin, and others based their speculations on publicly available data. We tried to stay as far as possible from other people's opinion and make up our own.
A few matches later, here's what we think about this hero. Before continuing, just a heads up: there's much that will need to be kept under control and possibly changed!
Doomfist is the perfect free-for-all character in a team-based game!
Even before you start a match, the purpose of this character is already crystal clear. Doomfist is a front-line fighter, one that is simply supposed to enter the fray and start throwing punches. In some ways, these design choices may detract from the overall experience and discourage team-focused gameplay. After all, why would you want to wait for backup when dealing damage gives you all you need to keep going?
Branded as an attack-type fighter, Doomfist could be best described as a hybrid creature covering both damage dealer and crowd controller roles.
His Seismic Strike, Rising Uppercut, Rocket Punch, and Meteor Strike abilities all allow him to displace enemies on the battlefield. Unlike others such as Reinhardt or Roadhog, the Talon leader remains unable to stun or daze his opponents. The regenerating shields and the auto-loading cannon are still a strong source for concerns.
Blizzard may want to keep an eye on how these skills perform, especially when used in competitive matches. "Overwatch" players owe much of their success to a well-balanced team. A solo contestant picking Doomfist and hoping to win the round by themselves will do more harm than good.
A high-risk/high-rewards system
No matter what it looks like, Doomfist is not an easy character to play.
His melee abilities make him adept at close-quarter engagements, but the relatively low maximum health seems to work against him. At peak capacity, the hero can absorb up to 350 damage before his face hits the dust. If you're planning to make him your main, be prepared to adopt a highly dynamic in-and-out playstyle.
Fortunately, damage output seems to be okay across the board. The Hand Cannon mounted on Doomfist's biological arm deals up to 66 points of damage per shot, with a self-loading magazine holding 4 rounds. Other abilities span between 40 and 150, with Rocket Punch gaining an additional bonus if the target is driven into a wall. Meteor Strike, this hero's ultimate ability, brings down a mighty 300 damage across a 7 meters radius.
Most of the squishier characters caught in the blast would be instantly killed. Damage isn't everything. A melee hero such as Doomfist also needs to be able to constantly change his position. Blizzard was thoughtful enough to give Ogundimu a series of dashes, slams, and jumps. When played correctly, the character never stays around for too long.
Instead, you will be surprised to see how - despite his large hitbox and muscular body - Doomfist can be extremely hard to hit. If you believe getting close enough and unloading all you've got on him is a winning strategy, I'd urge you to reconsider. The Rising Uppercut will send you tumbling into the air, with most of your team laughing at you.
Our final opinion... at least for now!
You probably opened this article to discover whether Doomfist is a character you may like. Sadly, that's a thing I can't really tell you. If you reached these final lines, though, you should have a pretty clear picture in your head. All you have to do now is log into the PTR and try him out for yourself. As far as our opinion is concerned, this addition to the "Overwatch" roster is an unneeded - albeit welcome - one. The game still features a limited amount of healers, buffers, and more technical characters. Considering how flashier heroes attract a higher degree of attention, special precautions should be taken to encourage players to pick less played classes.
If that doesn't happen, the game's lifespan may end up being a lot shorter than expected.
Doomfist still feels great and we're sure you'll have plenty of fun playing him. Blizzard will indubitably continue patching this and other characters to keep the game balanced. In the future, though, it would be cool to see less damage-oriented personalities make it to the world of "Overwatch".
