First Impressions: Freja
Freja is the newest hero announced for the Overwatch roster. A former Overwatch agent turned bounty hunter. She will be the 43rd hero added to the game. As well as the third Damage hero to be added since the launch of Overwatch 2. Freja is Danish, expanding the roster of countries represented in Overwatch still further. Although not the first Scandinavian hero, as Torbjörn and Brigitte are Swedish.
Here are my thoughts on Freja based on her announcement and the trial period.
Character and Lore
Lore wise Freja’s allegiances don’t appear to lie with either of Overwatch’s main factions. We know from her hero trailer that she’s happy to work for Talon without necessarily believing in their goals. But she’s also left Overwatch so it seems she’s not aligned with the good guys either.
I find morally dubious characters can be some of the most fun. We’ll have to see where Freja’s story goes from here, whether she’s forced to pick a side as the overall story progresses.
Gameplay
The way she feels to play is somewhat like Tracer but with greater range and vertical mobility. Highly skilled players with strong aiming are going to be deadly at range while playing Freja.
I see two broad archetypes where Freja can be useful. Firstly as a frontline DPS using her vertical mobility to pop up above enemy shields to target players behind the shield. The relatively short time that Freja spends airborne (compared to a Pharah or an Echo) will make Freja more effective at this manoeuvre, as there’s a greater chance of catching the enemy off guard.
In general I’m looking forward to another airborne hero being added to the game. I’ve found Overwatch to be more tactically engaging and challenging when teams are forced to think in three dimensions. Adding a hero who can pop up in places other heroes can’t will help this to happen more often in the game.
The other way I can see Freja be used is as a flanking assassin type hero. Similar to Sombra but without stealth. Her ability to move fast to close the distance to her target, or to escape after securing a kill will be very useful for this style of play. The reason I think that the devs has this playstyle in mind for Freja is the existence of her Tracking Instinct perk. Which gives Freja the same ability to track critical health targets as Sombra.
One possible weakness in Freja’s kit is how her aim down sights ability bringing her to a full stop in mid-air. In multiplayer FPS games like Overwatch often movement is life and standing still is death. Having you hero stationary and uncovered like that, even for a brief moment, can be deadly. Particularly at the upper echelons of ranked play and the professional scene.
We will have to see whether this turns out to be a significant downside of playing Freja, or whether will discover techniques or strategies to mitigate the risk.