Brigitte Lindholm – Quick Lore and Hero Guide
https://youtu.be/5GkjKCmuj6U
Lore
Brigitte is Overwatch’s 27th hero and is the youngest daughter of Torbjörn Lindholm. Brigitte expressed interest in mechanical engineering before any of her siblings and was integrated into her father’s workshop at a young age. While her father was well known for his particular skill with weaponry fabrication, Brigitte leaned more towards the art of armor and defensive systems. Rather than following in her father’s footsteps, she decided to accompany her godfather and retired overwatch member, Reinhardt, on his adventures as his apprentice.
Brigitte served as a mechanic to Reinhardt, repairing his armor and keeping him alive. The two traveled the world, helping those in need and seeking justice anywhere they could find it. Brigitte soon noticed Reinhardt’s age was catching up to him, and decided that the best way to help him was to take up arms and become more than just his mechanic. She had him train her in various forms of combat, and built her own set of armor in secret. Once completed, she began joining Reinhardt in fights, and eventually, the two reunited with the reactivated Overwatch team.
Abilities and Play Style :
Brigitte functions as a tank/support, and many would even argue that she takes the place of a defensive hero. She wields a rocket flail that has a small amount of range and the ability to strike multiple heroes, as well as a small frontal shield that functions like a personal version of Reinhardt’s barrier. Her first ability, typically bound to the E key, is a targeted skill like Zenyatta’s orb that provides a burst of healing. If the player receiving the healing is at full health they gain temporary armor instead. Her next skill is called Whip Shot, in which she hurls her flail, dealing damage and knocking enemies back. She also has a shield bash ability that allows her to leap forward a small distance, and stun the enemy with the force of her shield. Brigitte’s passive turns a small amount of damage that she does with her flail into AoE healing, which could be considered a good substitute for group healing such as Lucio, or even Moira. Finally, her ultimate “Rally” allows her to move faster and provide those around her with an armor boost, which is only removed with damage received (vs Lucio’s buff, which passes with time).
Throughout the course of playing Brigitte on the PTR, it seems like she best fits in the role of a frontline support. I often found myself up with the tanks, brawling on the point rather than the typical support play, which often involves running and dodging enemy focus the entire match. Brigitte offers a unique game play experience, in which many tank mains will find comfort. It’s a refreshing taste after swooping from character to character as Mercy, trying to hide from Winston or Genji the entire match because you were forced into the support role. While her play style seems to tie in with that of a tank, she has abilities for everyone. Her targeted heal is a excellent merge between Zen’s targeting and Anas burst heal, and the passive heal is fun to manipulate seeing as it comes from the damage you deal. Not only this, but her skill shot “Whiplash” gives those who want a taste of the DPS life a fun and effective tool and her ultimate really just ties the whole kit together.
Brigitte’s healing is actually really good. While I wouldn’t say it’s the best healing of the supports, I would claim that it’s up there among one of the best (if you’re doing damage, that is). Her rocket flail has a really nice sweep to it, that when used properly yields great results. Not only is she effective in her role, she’s simply really fun to play. Almost everything you will do as she just feels amazing. Landing a Whiplash is incredibly satisfying, and when someone rushes you and they get stunned with her bash you feel like nothing short of a professional.
Meta
While I feel like it may take some time for Brigitte to find a comfortable position within the meta, when she does latch on she will stick. The wonderful thing about this character is that she works in most compositions. I played her with lots of different players, teams, and styles and she work in nearly every scenario. Take, for example, tank meta. Whether it’s triple or quadruple tank, the typical style of play is aggressive and frontline heavy. Brigitte, not surprisingly, is really good at front lane brawling with the other tanks. Another example is the dive comp. While a little more difficult, I found that if I dove into the front lines with a Winston and the other flankers, she was able to keep them alive and function as a more versatile, but slower, version of Lucio.
On top of that, her ultimate is pretty darn good and works well with any team composition. Ultimates like Orisa, Ana, or lucio require good timing and coordination. Brigitte’s ultimate has slightly more flexible and especially when used in the middle or at the beginning of a team fight, can change the course of the game. Many games I played ended up with 3 or 4 DPS, and her ult made them bulky enough to survive the length of an extended fight.
For the first week or so of her implementation into competitive, I feel as though she will remain a semi-niche pick. While she is good and fun to play, there are more comfortable picks that can, in general, function more efficiently than her. While I do think she definitely has a position within the meta, it may take a little while for teams to fully grow accustomed to her and the play style the accompanies the kit.
Conclusion
Brigitte is an overwhelmingly fun character to play, and one of the best characters to be implemented into the game (in my opinion). Excluding Ana, I feel like she will be one of the most popular hero releases since the start of Overwatch. While it may take her a while to gain solid footing in the meta, I could see it happening and hope to see her taking a prominent role in the Overwatch League as well as casual play. Brigitte, playable now on the PTR, has earned her place in the Overwatch roster and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Expect to see her in a majority of your matches!
