Tracer

Tracer is a Damage hero in Overwatch.

Overview
Toting twin pulse pistols, energy-based time bombs, and rapid-fire banter, Tracer is able to "blink" through space and rewind her personal timeline as she battles to right wrongs the world over.

Strategy
Tracer is a close-range skirmishing hero who specializes in speed and single-target damage. Her mobility and high single-target damage makes her excellent at picking key targets with very low risk. Tracer can quickly traverse a map with the use of Blink to outflank her enemies, deal damage to them, and then retreat before they have a chance to respond. Her low base Health and lack of regenerating shields means that she must make good use of Blink and Recall to avoid or reverse damage.

Weapons & Abilities

 * Pulse Pistols: Tracer's primary weapon. Her primary fire rapidly shoots both pistols, dealing heavy damage. These pistols have a large cone of fire and heavy damage falloff, making them ineffective beyond short-range engagements.
 * The shots from Pulse Pistols need to aimed well. The large spreading and very fast fire-rate mean that she has to get close to the enemy as much as possible to track their movement.
 * With the fast fire-rate, it is recommended not to stop in mid-use, even if it will recover the weapons's spreading. Try to land non-stop shots on the enemy.
 * The fast fire-rate means that Tracer has to react quickly if a situation arises that necessitates that she stop firing, such as when Genji activates Deflect or Zarya uses either of her Barriers.


 * Blink: Tracer's most important ability. Blink teleports Tracer a short distance in the direction she's currently moving. She can gather 3 charges as the maximum.
 * This allows Tracer to move unpredictably: she can Blink past an enemy to attack their back, or Blink to the side to dodge an enemy's attacks.
 * Multiple Blinks can be chained back-to-back, allowing Tracer to travel across gaps that normally can't be crossed with just her jump.
 * Blink still has a limit; Tracer needs to wait around 3 seconds to gain 1 charge for it. Use the Blink in combination with Recall and don't waste all its charges without a backup plan.


 * Recall: When activated, Tracer will "rewind" to three seconds in the past, setting her health and position to whatever they were at that time, unless her health value is lower than it was before activating the ability. It will also reload her gun and remove all debuffs from her.
 * Recall is mainly used to restore Health, but it can also be useful for escaping: jump off a ledge, wait for an enemy to follow you, and then Recall back up the ledge.
 * Recall has a short animation that plays when activated, during which time Tracer is invulnerable and invisible.


 * Pulse Bomb (Ultimate): Tracer's Ultimate ability. When activated, Tracer tosses her bomb forwards a short distance. If it impacts an enemy, it will stick to that enemy. Otherwise, the bomb will stick to the first solid surface it lands on. After a short delay, the bomb explodes, dealing a heavy amount of damage to enemies in a small area around the bomb. Note that this explosion will also damage Tracer.
 * Pulse Bomb is devastating on clustered groups or static defenses, like Bastion in Sentry mode.
 * A common ability combination to safely bomb a target is to use Blink to get in close, toss the bomb on them, and then Recall to get back out of danger.
 * Pulse Bomb synergizes very well with abilities such as Zarya's Graviton Surge. The combination of these ultimates will usually wipe out the majority of an enemy team and severely damage their tanks.
 * Avoid being killed by your own ultimate by activating Recall or Blink to escape from the blast.
 * Tracer's Pulse Bomb can eliminate a target just by being struck if they're at extremely low health, though this is not an effective strategy.

General strategies

 * When playing Tracer, do your best to avoid fighting your opponents head-on. Tracer can only deal good damage when close to her enemies, as opposed to other Assault heroes like Soldier: 76, and she lacks durability.
 * Take advantage of Tracer's speed to travel rapidly through side routes so that you can get behind your opponents before attacking.
 * Your top priorities should be support heroes; Tracer's high mobility and powerful gunfire make her a very strong counter to most supports and defense heroes that have low mobility. If you manage to fight the dps-heroes, you have to Blink to their blind spot to fight or flank them from behind when they are unaware that you are coming.
 * Tracer's mobility isn't unlimited; if she doesn't spare her Blink uses, she can put herself in severe danger.
 * Try to find single targets that are separated from their team and take them out. Be wary of diving into large groups to try and kill a target, unless you have Pulse Bomb ready, as a full enemy team can quickly turn and kill you before you can Recall or Blink to safety.
 * If you're starting to lose a fight and are low on Health, don't be afraid to retreat, as Tracer's speed can let her get to Health Packs well before her opponents can. This gives her an advantage in dueling single targets, as she can simply outlast them through good use of Recall and retreating to grab Health Packs before returning to battle.
 * Tracer is considered most effective in King of the Hill maps. Her horizontal mobility is unparalleled, making her ideal to flank enemy lines and to patrol flanks. Her lack of vertical mobility can be problematic on Payload or Control Point maps, where other heroes can give Tracer a difficult time to traverse the map safely.
 * Her Pulse Bomb can also be very effective on heroes that have medium health pools that are in Zenyatta's Transcendence. You cannot kill the Zenyatta during Transcendence, but you can take out heroes with less than 400 health, as Transcendence provides invulnerability only to Zenyatta, not the heroes around him.
 * Due to the slow travel time of her Pulse Bomb, throwing from some further range will likely not stick to any of the enemy and kill no one. Practice your aim and get close to the enemy with Blink as much as possible.
 * Keep in mind that Tracer has lowest base health of all heroes; a single headshot from some heroes can quickly kill her.

Story
"Cheers, love! The cavalry's here!"

The former Overwatch agent known as Tracer is a time-jumping adventurer and an irrepressible force for good. She hails from London, and has traveled all over the world.

She was a great admirer of Tekhartha Mondatta, and was inspired by Mei, an Overwatch scientist. She believes that sometimes, one simply has to do what is right, even if it's outside the law. She has always thought of herself as a soldier (at least since joining Overwatch), and is committed to protecting humans, omnics, and movements that could make the world better.

Tracer is a fan of British pop/punk music, such as The Clash and The Beatles, and collects vinyl records.

Early Life
"When I was younger, I was two minutes late to everything. (Possibly because I was out all night.)"

- Lena Oxton

Lena grew up in London. Her father told her that "a soldier must know her enemy." On her tenth birthday, Lena bought a vinyl record for 60 quid.

In her teens, Lena was something of a party animal; staying out all night, and attending rock concerts. When she turned seventeen, she got her first motorcycle. Still wanting to go faster, she joined the Royal Air Force as a test pilot. She received the callsign "Tracer," and became known for her fearless piloting skills and upbeat attitude.

The Slipstream
"So, you want to hear my story. It all started a few years ago. Overwatch was looking for a hotshot pilot to test their next-generation teleporting fighter: The Slipstream. Enter: Lena Oxton (call sign: “Tracer”). [giggles] That’s me! It was the opportunity I had trained for my whole life. But on my first flight, the teleportion matrix malfunctioned; and I disappeared."

- Tracer

While still a member of the RAF, Lena became the youngest person ever inducted into Overwatch's experimental flight program. She was handpicked to test the prototype of a teleporting fighter, the Slipstream. But during its first flight, the aircraft's teleportation matrix malfunctioned, and it disappeared. Hours passed, then weeks, and with neither trace of life nor contact from Oxton, the Slipstream was presumed destroyed, and its pilot presumed deceased.

Lena reappeared months later, but her ordeal had greatly changed her: her molecules had been desynchronized from the flow of time. Suffering from "chronal disassociation," she was a living ghost, disappearing for hours and days at a time. Even for the brief moments she was present, she was unable to maintain physical form. Sometimes she had strange dreams about the past, including being a kitchen maid at a large house in the country.

Overwatch's doctors and scientists were stumped, and Tracer's case seemed hopeless until the gorilla scientist Winston designed the chronal accelerator, a device capable of keeping Tracer anchored in the present. In addition, it gave Tracer the ability to control her own time, allowing her to speed it up and slow it down at will. The effects of the accident also gave Tracer unique ageing properties.

Uprising
"Sir, do you want to know why I stuck with this? Why I decided to leave the flight test program and begin training as an Overwatch agent? It's because I believed that if I could figure this out, I could be an asset. I could make this world a better place. I fought to survive, and I'm willing to fight for the world, too."

- Tracer, to Jack Morrison

Seven years before the present day, after the incident, Tracer underwent training to become an Overwatch agent, and trained under the supervision of Winston and Dr. Ziegler at the Overwatch Headquarters' Training and Evaluation facility, where she sparred against Blackwatch agent Genji. Genji would later comment that Tracer was "the only one I have trouble keeping up with." Under supervision, Dr. Ziegler commented on how if no setbacks occurred, she was fit for active duty; a sentiment Winston agreed with. On the 27th day of the King's Row Uprising, Strike Commander Jack Morrison was impressed by Lena's skills with her chronal accelerator. Summoning her to his office, Morrison stated how he was impressed by her determination to stay with Overwatch despite her recent accident. Noticing images of London burning on a viewscreen in Jack's office, Lena commented on her belief in Overwatch's mission. After confiding in Lena his motivations in joining Overwatch, Jack dismissed Lena with the implied knowledge that he approved her request to be promoted to active duty.

Lena Oxton then appeared at an Overwatch aircraft where Dr. Ziegler, Torbjörn, and Reinhardt Wilhelm were preparing to embark on an unsanctioned Overwatch mission authorized by Jack Morrision, who was moved by Lena's words to end the Kings Row Uprising in her home city. Ziegler told Lena that the team was invested in her career, and that Jack was fond of her. Reinhardt welcomed her to the team, and Torbjörn grudgingly referred to her arrival by saying, "looks like the cavalry's here" (a phrase that Lena took a liking to). The team fought their way through the streets, even as hordes of Null Sector omnics tried to bar their way. For Tracer, the assignment was her chance to prove to Overwatch that she was worth the effort. The mission concluded with the team rescuing the hostages, Mondatta included.

Null Sector was defeated, but the events that transpired were classified within Overwatch's archives.

Post Uprising
With her newfound skills, Tracer became one of Overwatch's most effective agents. At some point she was stationed at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. At some point after the Uprising, she was among those who celebrated Commander Morrison's birthday.

Storm Rising
"Tracer. Status report. Target in sight captain. We've waited a long time for Maximilien to show his face. It's now or never. No pressure then."

- Tracer and Sojourn during the operation

Under the command of Sojourn, Tracer led an Overwatch team consisting of herself, Mercy, Winston, and Genji in an operation in Havana. Their mission was to extract Maximilien, an omnic in league with Talon. The Talon forces were moving through the city in a convoy, one which Tracer ghosted on a hovercycle. She moved in and engaged the Talon soldiers. Alongside her team mates, the convoy was destroyed, but Maximilien fled on foot. Tracer wasn't worried, reasoning that he couldn't get far without a vehicle, but Sojourn urged caution...also with a request not to blow anything else up. Tracer replied that she couldn't make any promises.

The team was able to apprehend Maximilien, who agreed to give them an "introduction" to Doomfist, Talon's leader. He told Overwatch that Doomfist would be in Singapore in three weeks and in exchange requested that Overwatch not tell Doomfist of his betrayal.

Doomfist
Alongside Winston and Genji, Tracer battled Doomfist in Singapore. Her agility and speed couldn't be matched by Doomfist, but her pulse pistols had little effect on the man, either being deflected by his gauntlet, or bouncing off some kind of shield. She was caught off-guard when Doomfist suddenly grabbed her chronal accelerator in mid-air and crushed it in his hand, causing Tracer to blink rapidly, and vanish. Following her disappearance, Winston became enraged and defeated Doomfist in a close quarters clash. Tracer's chronal accelerator was repaired or replaced sometime after.

The End of Overwatch
"My name is Lena Oxton&mdash;a.k.a. Tracer. If you asked me about me, I'd say I've been a hero. Top job if you can get it. After the Petras Act passed, and Overwatch ended...for a while, I wasn't sure what I was. Tried to stick it out with the RAF. But that was a bust. They wanted me to retire. Sit a desk. So I left. I needed to do something, anything, I needed to...move. So yeah, I keep myself busy. Helping out where I can. Just little things. Emily calls them compensatory heroics."

- Tracer after Overwatch's disbandment

After Overwatch's dissolution, Tracer felt aimless. She rejoined the RAF, but learning that they wanted her for desk duty, she left the organization. She began a new life back in her home city of London with her girlfriend, Emily, residing in an appartment on Willington Road. Finding herself needing to 'move,' she became a vigilante within the city, continuing to right wrongs and fight the good fight wherever the opportunity presented itself. Emily who tolerated Tracer's activities, calling them "compensatory heroics." The two shared a flat together.

London Calling
Stopping a bike mugger, Tracer returned home to Emily. She reassured her partner that she was happy. Upon reflection, Tracer was reminded that she was only mostly happy. What would make her truly happy was Overwatch's return, but that was an impossibiliy.

Tracer bought an album from Empire Records. Coming out, she saw the police pursuing a gang of omnics. She cornered one of the omnics, who revealed that he'd stolen a modulator, which was needed for the Underworld's grid, as no-one would see modulators to London's omnics legitimately. The two bonded over their shared love of British pop/punk bands. Introducing himself as Iggy, the omnic took Tracer to see his record collection in the Underworld. He showed her the grid, which the omnics relied on for their power, but it was falling apart. Tracer was disconcerted with the revelation, but found some joy when Iggy introduced her to his fellow omnic pop affecionados, Lady and Lizzy. She was struck in awe at the omnics' collection of pop music memorabilia, and the quartet listened to music together.

Iggy escorted Tracer out of the Underworld. She asked if there was anything she could do to help with the grid issue, and assured him that she'd see him again. She zipped out, but on the street, was confronted by a gang of omnics. They opened fire, but she was able to use her speed and skill to disarm them. Even then, the gang leader told her to stay out of the Underworld, and that even if she genuinely wanted to help them, they wanted no help from a human.

Tracer ignored the omnics, and returned with a piece of technology for the grid. Arriving in the Underworld, she found Iggy being lectured by Kace&mdash;the leader of the gang that had confronted her earlier. Iggy was glad for the tech, along with an Iggy Pop record Tracer had brought. Tracer spent the next six hours looking for more parts for the grid, but had no luck, as the required technology was under government restriction. In her appartment, she shared her frustrations with Emily, who showed her a package from a "S. Paceape"&mdash;a delivery from Winston. Tracer hoped that he might have some ideas on how to fix the grid.

The package contained a regulator, which she delivered to Iggy. While glad, she revealed that last night, the grid's transformer had given out, and that there was no transformer they could acquire legally. However, in truth, Iggy had been searching for Tracer, that she bore a message from Tekhartha Mondatta of the Shambali. That his followers were looking for her, and that he wished to address her before he gave his speech at King's Row this evening.

Alive
"Trying to crash another party, love?"

- Tracer

A few hours after her talk with Winston, and following Iggy's advice, Tracer headed for King's Row to see Mondatta. While Mondatta's assigned security were wary of her, Mondatta ordered them to let her in. The two recognised each other from when they'd met at the King's Row Uprising seven years ago. Tracer wasn't sure why Mondatta had rescued her, and even expressed unease at her attempts to help the omnics of the Underworld, wondering if she was the right person to do so...yet also didn't want to look away. Mondatta reassured her of her efforts, and stressed the need for her, for all humans and omnics, to look forward. Tracer wanted such a world, but reminded Mondatta that for some, the Omnic Crisis had never ended. Mondatta acknowledged the point, but stressed that they had to act now.

Mondatta was led out of the room by the security team, in order to give his speech. Tracer headed out and joined the human-omnic crowd outside the Meridian. Walking through, she came across Iggy, who was similarly delighted to see the Shambali leader speak to such a crowd. Mondatta began to talk, but Tracer got a bad feeling, and in her experience, her instincts were usually on the money. She left Iggy and made her way through the crowd.

As it was, Tracer's instincts were indeed correct, as she confronted Widowmaker among the rooftops. The two carried out a run and gun battle, but despite her efforts, Widowmaker successfully assassinated Mondatta. Enraged, Tracer tackled Widowmaker, demanding to know why she had done this. Chuckling, Widowmaker easily incapacitated her and departed in a Talon aircraft. Tracer survived, but her chronal accelerator had been damaged.

Still Alive
"My dad used to tell me that a soldier must know her enemy. After fighting with Overwatch, I understand justice, duty, honor. But I don't and will probably never understand why people like Widowmaker create chaos instead of fighting it. It's the part of war that will never make sense to me. But maybe it's at the center of the thing. Maybe I should understand it."

- Tracer's reflections

Lying on the ground, incapacitated, Tracer was left to wonder why Widowmaker had assassinated Mondatta; had she been hired, and if so, by whom? She reflected that what had just occurred was potentially the start of a war. She made her way back to her appartment and watched the news, among which was the report that she may have been involved in the event. Emily reassured her that what happened wasn't her fault, but Tracer wasn't convinced.

In the days that followed, Tracer got another package from Winston; a part for her chronal accelerator. Watching the news, Emily informed her that in response to an omnic protest, the police had called in Special Ops. Tracer ran over to the event; Emily yelled at her that the accelerator wasn't fixed, but Tracer responded that she'd fix it when she got back. As she ran, she reflected that whoever had ordered the hit on Mondatta must have known how the omnics would respond, that the omnics would fight back in response to a symbol of hope being taken away from them.

Despite the accelerator glitching, Tracer made it to the riot, with Special Ops on one side, and omnics and human supporters on the other. The police deployed a sonic pulse, and in the confusion, Lady was hit by the wave at point blank range. She and Iggy helped get Lady back to the Underworld, but Lady ended up expiring. After the memorial service, Tracer sympathized with Iggy, but Iggy rebuffed her coldly. Two omnics were dead now, and what had humans done for them? Kace stepped in, claiming that since the omnics' enlightenment, humans had waged war against them. Tracer said that it didn't need to come to war, that they could stop it from happening, but Kace wasn't listening. He pointed out that Tracer was an Overwatch agent, pointing out that Tracer had fought against omnics in the Uprising. Tracer claimed that she had fought against Null Sector to free Mondatta, while Kace claimed that she'd fought for "them." That she had made her choice. Kace told her to leave the Underworld, that she was no longer welcome.

Back on the surface, Tracer noticed the police clamping down, fearing that what was happening in Russia was now happening in London. As she walked, her chronal accelerator malfunctioned, incapacitating her. As she lay on the ground, a cloaked figure approached her, revealing herself as Lizzy. She got Tracer back to her appartment, where she and Emily were able to fix her chronal accelerator, using spare parts that Winston had sent. With Tracer recovered, Lizzy explained that while Iggy might have come to resent her, she didn't share her antagonism. Mondatta was dead because someone had shot a bullet, not because Tracer had failed to stop it.

Going through the parts, Lizzy came across a device that she believed could fix the grid. However, she doubted that she would be able to get near it, as Kace had rallied the Underworld's omnics to his side. His followers had stalked Tracer, and no doubt they'd be after Lizzy as well. It was at this point that Emily told Tracer that there was a message for her from Winston.

Recall
"Winston? Is that you, love? It's been too long."

- Tracer

Tracer was contacted by Winston as he issued a recall order for Overwatch agents. She commented that they'd been out of touch for too long; an assessment that Winston agreed with. He told her how Watchpoint: Gibraltar (where he was present) had been attacked by Reaper. Their conversation was interrupted by Lizzy, who told her that she'd been talking to Iggy, but that the line had cut off. Tracer told Winston what had happened, and zipped off to the Underworld. Winston warned her that the parts he'd sent her were only temporary, but Tracer either ignored or didn't hear him.

Underworld
"There are all kinds of leaders in this world. Each has a line they're willing to cross, a level of destruction they're willing to inflict to see their version of justice come to light. It's possible that Kace's followers once believed that the line he was willing to cross stopped at the lives of omnics. It doesn't."

- Tracer

Tracer and Lizzy ran towards the Underworld, the former slowing down to allow the latter to keep up. Lizzy pointed out that the omnics wouldn't just let her in, to which Tracer responded "I know." Arriving at the Underworld's entrance, they found six omnics standing guard. Tracer used her speed to disorientate the guards and have them chase after her, allowing Lizzy to enter the Underworld. She reunited with Lizzy, who led her to the fourth level, where Iggy said she would be. Arriving, they found Iggy, albeit in Kace's custody. Kace told her that the omnic revolution was nigh, and that there was nothing Tracer could do to stop it.

Tracer yelled at Kace to let Iggy go, but to no avail. She and Lizzy were forced to take cover as more of Kace's omnics arrived, opening fire on them. To make matters worse, her chronal accelerator began to malfunction. However, she was able to use her super-speed to nevertheless save Iggy. The two of them escaped the area and reunited with Lizzy, along with a group of omnics that were seeking to leave the Underworld. Lizzy explained that Kace was rounding up all the Underworld's omnics to fight for them, and that there were more omnics scattered throughout the tunnels.

Tracer told Lizzy and Iggy to take the east side, while she'd take the west. They'd rendezvous back at this point, and leave together. A few hours later, they began to head out, but were confronted by Kace's thugs. Tracer pleaded with them to drop their weapons, stating that the omnics just wanted to get to the surface, but one of thugs stated that omnics that refused to join the revolution were just as traitorous as the humans they fought against. Gunfire errupted, and Tracer managed to distract the thugs for a period before her accelerator malfunctioned again. However, she was saved by Winston, who used his barrier projector to save her. Safe behind the barrier, the two opened fire, defeating the enemy omnics.

The two met up with Lizzy and Iggy. Tracer explained that she and Winston would draw Kace's forces deep into the Underworld, allowing the omnics to make it to the surface. Iggy asked Tracer to stop Kace, stating that if he took out the grid, the Underworld would be devastated. She said that she would, and they made their way down into the Underworld's depths, coming across Kace and his followers. While they had a clear shot, Winston pointed out that if they did so, they risked hitting the grid. Tracer suggested that she could get closer, but Winston pointed out that would be impossible, due to her accelerator malfunctioning.

A showdown was averted as Iggy's voice was heard over the comms., persuading Kace's forces to stand down. Kace, however, wasn't as willing to embrace peace, and fired at Iggy. Tracer darted forward, taking the bullet, with the intent to recall backwards. However, her accelerator was damaged, so the bullet ended up richoching within her body. Winston carried her outside, while Kace was able to escape.

Recovery
"I've never called myself anything other than a soldier. My mission was always to protect the ideas, the people, the omnics, the movements that make the world better. That's me, that's what I do. At any cost."

- Tracer

Tracer was taken to a hospital and underwent surgery. The omnics she'd rescued from the Underworld held a vigil, and Emily could only pace back and forth, waiting and hoping. The omnics played Lust for Life on repeat for the entire eight hours she was under the scalpel. She came through, and was greeted by Emily, later telling Iggy that the playing of the song had "tipped it."

One week later, Tracer had fully recovered, and her accelerator had been fixed. Winston informed her that he hadn't been able to find Kace, but suspected that he might have been tied with Null Sector. In better news, he and Lizzy had been able to fix the grid. Asking her if she was ready for the next battle, Tracer stated that she wouldn't have it any other way. That she was back in the fight, and ready to go.

Day at the Museum
"You know, the world could always use more heroes."

- Tracer

Widowmaker and Reaper attacked a museum dedicated to Overwatch, trying to steal Doomfist's gauntlet. Tracer fought them alongside Winston and the villains were forced to retreat. Tracer complimented two young boys that had helped her in the aftermath, commenting that the world could always use more heroes.

Reflections
"It's been hard these last few years, spending so much time alone, the holidays can really get you down. But I know this year is going to be different. I can finally spend the holidays with my family again. And I have a good feeling about next year..."

- Tracer's reflections

During the winter holiday season, Tracer sought to pick up a gift for her girlfriend, Emily, in King's Row. After blinking to numerous stores, Tracer was unable to find a gift owing to stores either being closed (or—in one instance—allowing another patron to keep a scarf that they were about to purchase). Ultimately, a small girl gave Tracer a gift in gratitude for Tracer having retrieved the girl's family's gifts from a thief earlier that night. Arriving home, Tracer gave the gift to Emily, which to her surprise was the scarf that she sought to purchase earlier. Emily loved the gift, and the two kissed. Later, Tracer and Emily went to visit Winston for dinner at Watchpoint: Gibraltar, who was about to spend the holidays alone with Athena. Tracer then reminisced about the events of the past year, and had a good feeling about the next one.

Blizzard World
"I can't wait to get on some rides."

- Tracer after seeing the ad

Alongside Winston, Bastion, and Torbjörn, Tracer saw an ad for Blizzard World. Declaring that she couldn't wait to get on some of the rides, she zipped off.

Zero Hour
"Attention. This is your captain speaking. We're on final approach to Paris. You may now power on your electronic devices. Weather is mostly cloudy, with a hundred percent chance of Null Sector invasion."

- Tracer

When Null Sector invaded Paris, Tracer, Winston, and Mei took the Orca to aid the city. Winston deployed force, distracting Null Sector long enough for Tracer to land the craft. She and Mei joined the fight, but their initial success was disrupted by the arrival of a Titan. It opened fire, destroying the Orca, injuring Mei, and ensuring the group were outgunned, as well as outnumbered. Tracer told Winston that they couldn't stay here, to which he responded that she get Mei and the civilians to safety while he held Null Sector off. He assured Tracer that he'd be right behind them, to which she responded "you better be."

Fortunately, Winston's last stand wasn't required, as new Overwatch members arrived to join the fight. However, they still had to deal with the Titan. They quickly devised a plan, combining Tracer's pulse bomb with Mei's backpack, effectively creating an 'ice bomb.' Tracer used her blink ability to get into the Titan, plant the bomb, and get out, freezing the construct before it shattered.

In the aftermath, the members of Overwatch reunited. When asked if Overwatch had returned, Winston triumphantly declared that they had.

A New War
After Paris, the team traveled to Watchpoint: Gibraltar, which they used as their base of operations. As it turned out, Null Sector's attack on Paris was simply the prelude to a global invasion. Winston pointed out that Null Sector wasn't the only threat Overwatch had to deal with. He declared that they'd had to fight their way through one city at a time.

Rio
"So how's Overwatch enjoying our city? It's beautiful. Except for all the killer robots."

- Lúcio and Tracer at Rio

Null Sector attacked Rio de Janeiro. Tracer and her fellow Overwatch members deployed into the city, where they linked up with Lúcio. While they were able to take out a number of Null Sector omnics, Lúcio explained that as long as Null Sector's command ship remained airborne, Null Sector could keep deploying omnics ad infinitum. As part of the plan, Tracer, Mei, Reinhardt, and Lúcio fought their way through Rio's streets before linking up with Echo in the team's shuttle. Echo flew them into the ship's hangar and they fought their way to the core, destroying it. This kickstarted a chain reaction that spread throughout the rest of the ship. However, Tracer and the rest of the team were able to make their way off the carrier before it detonated.

Trivia

 * She is the first character in the setting to be confirmed as LGBT. Specifically, she is a lesbian.


 * Tracer's signature line "Cheers, love! The cavalry's here!" was actually inspired by Torbjörn before her first mission during the King's Row Uprising.


 * Tracer's favourite football team is Chelsea.

Merchandise

 * A Tracer statue will go on sale at some point in the future.


 * A Funko Pop Tracer figurine was released in June, 2016.


 * A Tracer figure will be available in LEGO Overwatch.


 * The Tracer vs. Widowmaker LEGO Overwatch set featuring the Satellite Drone XR-9 was revealed by Target in 2018.


 * A Nerf replica of Tracer's pulse pistol went on sale in late 2018.


 * A Figma Tracer statue is available.

Development
"People may know Tracer as the poster girl, but she’s not just a character we use on covers and posters; she also encompasses the values of the game, the universe, and the Overwatch development team. The hopeful optimism that she brings, her style, everything about that character was very instrumental to us finding the identity of the game."

- Arnold Tsang

Tracer originated from the playable Jumper class in the cancelled Project Titan. During the initial pitch for the project that would become Overwatch, the Jumper was invisioned as wielding machine pistols and time bombs, and had the Blink and Recall abilities. Most of the concept work on the Jumper was male. This signaled a shift in game design, as while the classes of Titan were player characters, the characters of Overwatch were intended to be distinct individuals. The Jumper was thus made female and given a backstory.

Tracer conceptually began with the idea of a hero that blinked across the map. She was the first hero developed for the game According to Chris Metzen, Tracer "was one of the first characters we really got to know." While not created for a starring role, the development team warmed up to her. Metzen has likened her to Spider-Man. After Tracer was given a name and backstory, the game had a clear creative direction; making the shift from classes to heroes.

At some point during early development, Tracer shot lasers from her eyes.

Currently, Tracer is the 'mascot character' of Overwatch, and its centerpiece hero. She has been called the "Rosetta Stone" of the game. Her design used to include a jacket.

Jeff Kaplan stated that the decision to announce Tracer as a lesbian in the holiday comic was considered carefully by the Blizzard team. Kaplan stated that the team wanted to portray Tracer's sexuality in a realistic and non-pandering way that was respectful of the character and tied into her story; not just "checking a checkbox on a list." Kaplan also stated that the team was aware of the negative backlash that the announcement was bound to receive owing to Overwatch's global popularity, that the subject was difficult to talk about, and that it could bring up legal troubles in some countries. Russia banned the comic from appearing on Overwatch's Russian website in accordance with federal law.

Tracer was redesigned for Overwatch 2 by Arnold Tsang. The team sought to preserve Tracer's core design elements&mdash;her color palette, silhouette, and sense of motion&mdash;while simultaneously evolving and updating her model and style. This led to a departure from her "retro" goggles, bomber jacket, and leggings and a move toward a sleeker, more tech-y design that befits a freshly recalled Overwatch agent.

Appearances in Other Media

 * Tracer is a playable character in Heroes of the Storm. Her visage can also be found on a color variant of Tychus's armor in the game. She was playable before the release of Overwatch itself.
 * In one of Tracer's poke lines, she says she had strange dreams about the past, including being a kitchen maid at a large house in the country. This is a possible reference to her voice actress' role on Downton Abbey.


 * A Tracer portrait is available in StarCraft II for those who purchase the Origins Edition.


 * A life-sized statue of Tracer is present on Blizzard's campus.


 * A giant action figure of Tracer was displayed on the Hollywood Boulevard as part of the leadup to Overwatch's release.


 * Tracer appears in the 2018 film Ready Player One, based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Cline.