Meet Overwatch’s New Jetpack Cat: Agent of Chaos
▼ Summary
– Jetpack Cat is a new Overwatch hero, a flying feline that heals allies and harasses enemies with endless flight.
– Her key ability is a tether that can transport willing teammates or even objects like Ashe’s B.O.B. or D.Va’s self-destructing mech across the battlefield.
– Unlike some abilities, the tether requires teammate consent, preventing accidental or troll-like displacements of allies.
– Her ultimate ability can tether an enemy, allowing her to drag them off the map or out of a defensive position.
– Jetpack Cat is launching on February 10 as part of a larger game revamp that will introduce 10 new heroes over the next year.
The arrival of Jetpack Cat in Overwatch is poised to inject a new level of unpredictable mayhem into the game’s competitive landscape. This unique support hero, a feline with perpetual flight, doesn’t just zoom around healing allies, she fundamentally alters team dynamics with her central tether ability. Early access gameplay has revealed a hero whose potential for creative, chaotic strategies seems almost limitless, challenging conventional notions of positioning and team coordination.
While testing the new roster, I found Jetpack Cat’s playstyle uniquely demanding. She likely won’t become a staple in my personal support lineup, but her design practically guarantees spectacular team plays when used by a coordinated squad. A crucial design choice mitigates potential frustration: the tether requires a teammate’s consent. This prevents the kind of involuntary repositioning or trolling associated with heroes like Lifeweaver, ensuring you only go for a ride if you choose to.
Once linked, the tethered ally becomes a passenger on Jetpack Cat’s aerial taxi service, vulnerable to enemy fire but granted unprecedented mobility. The true genius of the mechanic, however, is its versatility. It isn’t limited to living teammates. Players can latch onto deployables like Ashe’s ultimate, B.O.B., or even a self-destructing D.Va mech, creating brief windows to salvage a misplaced ability or turn a defensive tool into an offensive missile.
Her ultimate ability flips the script entirely, allowing her to tether onto an enemy hero. This opens up devastating plays, from environmental kills by dragging foes off the map to forcibly extracting key opponents from entrenched defensive positions. The community has already begun experimenting with the sheer possibilities, including mirror matches where dueling Jetpack Cats orchestrate surreal aerial battles between their tethered teammates.
Social media clips from early access streams showcase this chaos in action. One memorable moment features two heavy-hitting heroes, Mauga and Bastion, unexpectedly brawling in the skies above Ilios Lighthouse, a scenario made possible only by this new mechanic. These glimpses confirm that Jetpack Cat is less a traditional healer and more an agent of strategic chaos.
Her official launch on February 10 coincides with a significant overhaul for Overwatch. The game is restructuring its seasonal content model to better integrate narrative lore, with plans to release a total of ten new heroes over the coming year. Jetpack Cat’s introduction signals a bold direction for this new era, prioritizing high-skill, game-warping abilities that promise to keep the meta in a constant, thrilling state of flux.
(Source: Kotaku)
