Overwatch 2 Illari impressions – Sunny with a side of destruction

Illari is the newest addition to the Overwatch 2 roster and she does an amazing job to light up the healing department! With healers growing in number and the swap from 5v5 to 6v6, Illari adds an interesting playstyle to the composition as a damage-focused healer. With the power of the Sun in the palm of her hands, Illari is ready to illuminate the battlefield!

Being an attack-oriented character, some of Illari’s healing abilities are provided by a Healing Pylon rather than from her directly. It deploys on the map with 150 health and acts as a turret spilling heals to nearby allies in need. As a healer main with a fear of missing out on damage output, this new feature was super fun to master. Hiding the turret in obscure areas on the map where my teammates could visit when needed really altered the playing field.

The Healing Pylon should not be a crutch since it has to be placed with some strategy in mind. It can easily be destroyed, cutting off most of the life support if Illari is focusing damage over heals. Therefore, finding the perfect spot for this ability will present a challenge in itself.

Looking closer at her ability kit, Illari’s primary, the Solar Rifle, is centered around your aiming ability. The charging component of her rifle packs a punch and easily finishes off squishies, including those annoying DPS stragglers that enjoy flanking. When used right, Illari can best a 1-on-1 with a DPS. If you enjoy a challenge to your aiming skills but also love to heal, Illari is a great alternative to Baptiste and Zenyatta.

Her secondary also lies within the Solar Rifle. It is the healing aspect of her weapon, which shoots a medium-ranged beam lasting for about 5-6 seconds. It expends stored solar energy and eventually runs out until reloaded. It feels exactly like Moira’s Biotic Grasp, which is also sort of a healing beam that consumes energy from its source.

Her next ability, Outburst, has to be my second favorite. It grants maneuverability, which is found in many healers these days (not you Zenyatta). However, much like Brigette’s Shield Bash, Ourbust gives Illari an escape route that also deals damage by knocking back enemies.

Additionally, you can hold a jump to go higher, so getting stuck with an overpowering Winston is now escapable. Alternatively, you can slash right into hidden enemy healers – they won’t see you coming. Misusing Outburst can majorly set you back because zipping onto an enemy point is bold up until you realize none of your team is there to back you up. It’s best used as an escape route, since dashing back while jumping allows a chance to flee enemy fire.

Illari’s ultimate ability (Captive Sun) is one you run from. She is the first healer that does not heal with her ultimate. Loading the power of the sun onto her gun and aiming it toward enemies makes for a powerful aerial effect type ult. It absolutely annihilates opponents with an explosive orb of solar power.

Upon impact with the demolishing ball of light, standing enemies within range are marked with a slowness status effect and take significant damage often ending in an explosive death. The detonation factor right after the main initiation of Captive Sun is really useful against tanks because if they aren’t destroyed within the first explosion, the status effect can finish them off.Illari is radiant and will definitely become essential to gameplay if they do not nerf her ultimate, which will probably happen soon. It is extremely destructive for a healer and with it, she will possibly go meta with the progression Overwatch 2 is taking. Her ability kit is very flexible and presents a variety of capabilities.

Illari is live right now alongside the Season 6 release.

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