Ana

**Ana** is a Support hero in *Overwatch*. Released on 19 July 2016, she is the 22nd hero added to the game.

## Overview

Ana's versatile arsenal allows her to affect heroes all over the battlefield. Her Biotic Rifle rounds and Biotic Grenades heal allies and damage or impair enemies; her sidearm tranquilizes key targets, and Nano Boost gives one of her comrades a considerable increase in power.

## Abilities

Biotic Rifle**Type**Weapon**Effect Type** Projectile (unscoped)
 Hitscan (scoped) *Long-range rifle that heals allies and damages enemies.
 Hold to zoom in.* **Damage**: 70 over 0.59 seconds**Headshot**: ✕**Healing**: 70 over 0.59 seconds**Rate of fire**: 0.8 seconds recovery**Ammo**: 15**Reload time**: 1.5 seconds animation**Cast time**: 0.24 seconds for scope in
0.16 seconds for scope out**Duration**: 0.59 seconds effect**Area of effect**: 0.1 meters (projectile size, enemies, hip fire)
0.3 meters (projectile size, allies, scoped)**Spread angle**: Pinpoint**Move. speed**: -65% penalty (scoped)**Projectile speed**: 125 meters per second (unscoped) *Ana’s rifle shoots darts that can restore health to her allies or deal ongoing damage to her enemies. She can use the rifle’s scope to zoom in on targets and make highly accurate shots.* * Details

**Ability details:**
* Damage per second: ~93.75 while firing (83.33 overall w/ reload)
* Healing per second: ~93.75 while firing (83.33 overall w/ reload)
* Shots pass through full health allies and do not affect them.
* Scoped shots leave a tracer behind.
* Applies a damage/heal-over-time effect that can be cleansed. Health Packs cleanse the damage-over-time.
* Projectile size is treated as 0.3 meters for allies, making it easier to heal. It is smaller for enemies.
* Using melee or zooming in/out stops fire recovery.
* After the shot, the game raises the Ana camera (changes the facing angle) by 2 units, after which it starts lowering the character's camera to its previous value (a little bit changes it). Unlike Cassidy, Ana will not be able to shoot once the camera is back in position and will have to wait.

Sleep DartLSHIFT14 seconds**Type**Ability**Effect Type** Projectile *Ana fires a dart from her sidearm, rendering an enemy unconscious (though any damage will rouse them).* **Damage**: 5**Headshot**: ✕**Cast time**: 0.3 seconds + 0.67 s. recovery**Duration**: 1.5 - 5 seconds (3.5 seconds in tanks)**Area of effect**: 0.2 meters radius**Spread angle**: Pinpoint**Projectile speed**: 60 meters per second* Details

**Ability details:**
* If a sleeping target takes damage, the target will wake up prematurely in 0.5 seconds.
* During casting time, you can change the future flight path.
* If the ability is interrupted before casting ends, the ability's cooldown will not trigger.

Biotic GrenadeE12 seconds**Type**Ability**Effect Type** Arcing projectile
 Area of effect**!****!****!** *Throws a grenade that heals and increases healing on allies, while damaging and preventing healing on enemies.* **Damage**: 60**Headshot**: ✕**Healing**: 60**Duration**: 3 seconds
0.69 seconds recovery**Area of effect**: 4 meters**Projectile speed**: 30 meters per second *Ana tosses a biotic bomb that deals damage to enemies and heals allies in a small area of effect. Affected allies briefly receive increased healing from all sources, while enemies caught in the blast cannot be healed for a few moments.* * Details

**Ability details:**
* Passes through full HP allies.
* Affected allies receive 50% additional healing, including from Health Packs, while affected enemies cannot be healed at all.
	+ Stacks multiplicatively with other effects that amplify healing received.
* The regeneration of shields is treated as a form of healing, meaning allies regenerate their shields 50% faster and enemies cannot regenerate their shields until the effect expires.
* Has no effect on overhealth.
* The projectile can be destroyed while in air by  Defense Matrix,  Kinetic Grasp and  Javelin Spin, but the explosion is unaffected.
* Biotic grenade can be reflected by  Deflect.
* Amplification Matrix affects all damage and healing dealt, if the projectile passes through it. Splash damage/healing alone going through is not amplified.

Nano BoostQ2100 points**Type**Ultimate Ability**Effect Type** Targeted (allies) *Increases an ally's damage, while reducing damage taken.* **Damage**: +50% damage buff**Healing**: 250 health**Dmg. reduction**: 50%**Cast time**: 0.128 seconds + 0.6 seconds recovery**Duration**: 8 seconds**Max. range**: 40 meters *After Ana hits one of her allies with a combat boost, they deal more damage, take less damage from enemies’ attacks.* * Details

**Ability details:**
* Damage reduction is capped at 50%. If Bastion (who takes 20% less damage while transformed) gets Nano Boosted, the damage reduction is still 50%.
* In FFA Deathmatch, Ana can use Nano Boost on herself.

## Strategy

Ana is a mid to long-range Support sniper, capable of healing at any range while also maintaining a fair level of damage output. Her Biotic Grenade lets her amplify healing effects from not only her own healing darts, but also from other Supports and environmental healing, such as Payloads and Health packs. She has a sidearm which will fire a Sleep Dart, which can render the enemy who's hit with it temporarily useless unless someone wakes them up. Nano Boost is a supportive ultimate that is used to provide strong buffs to an ally, allowing them to deal more damage while taking less damage from the enemy. She can also be an anti-healer, as her Biotic Grenade will prevent enemies hit by the blast from getting healed in any way, making her an outstanding support. Ana lacks any means of advanced mobility and only has her sidearm to protect herself, making it easy for her to be outflanked by flankers as well as other mobile heroes.

### Weapons & Abilities

* **Biotic Rifle:** Ana's primary weapon. It carries fifteen rounds in a single clip and is able to affect both teams, healing allies for 75 HP and dealing 75 damage to enemies. It comes equipped with a scope which makes Ana's shots hitscan at the sacrifice of field of view and movement speed.
	+ Ana's rifle is unique in that it deals its damage and heals in rapid segments, rather than all at once. Even though it deals 4 rapid segments of damage within 1 shot, the damage over time effect is **not** mitigated by armor.
	+ While Ana does relatively less damage compared to other snipers, the Biotic Rifle allows Ana to switch back and forth from the roles of combatant to healer, similar to Baptiste and Moira.
	+ Only scope in when you have to. While hip firing, your shots will be hardly visible and it will be more difficult for the enemy team to find your location. While scoped, your shots leave bullet trails which reveal where you are firing from. Consider quick-scoping in order to minimize the time you reveal your position and effectively burst an ally from long-range when needed.
	+ Even though it is a sniper-rifle weapon, the Biotic Rifle can't deal a critical shot. Don't waste time trying to score headshots.

* **Sleep Dart:** Ana's sidearm. It is her personal anti-flanker tool. Firing a single projectile that travels at high speeds, it will inflict the Sleep status effect on an enemy. While asleep, one cannot move, attack, or use abilities, and audio will sound lower-pitched and distorted. The effect lasts for five and a half seconds, but can be cut short by any amount of damage to the target.
	+ Sleep Dart deals very little damage to the target, but can still kill them (trying to get a kill with a Sleep Dart is not advisable).
	+ Sleep Dart is excellent at mitigating channeled ultimate abilities such as Genji's Dragonblade or Soldier: 76's Tactical Visor, and can make the work of large, mobile tanks who often attack snipers much harder.
	+ Ana must be in constant communication with her allies to get the most out of Sleep Dart. Any amount of damage, whether it be a stray bullet or an explosion, is enough to rouse one who is under Sleep Dart's effects.
	+ Much like with Mercy's Resurrect, certain targets are of a higher priority than others. Along with enemies using ultimate abilities, your main targets should either be the enemy tank or an immediate threat to your team (but make sure that your team isn't firing on them). Do not try to use Sleep Dart on faraway enemies.
	+ If Sleep Dart hits a target in midair, they will continue to be carried along by their current momentum until they hit the ground, which can be used to make enemies fall off the map in certain situations.
	+ A sleeping enemy is also a complete sitting duck for extreme burst damage (such as Widowmaker's Widow's Kiss, Hanzo's Storm Bow, Tracer's Pulse Bomb, Reinhardt's Charge, and D.Va's Self-Destruct) and map hazards such as the cars on Oasis.

* **Biotic Grenade:** The Biotic Grenade will heal 60 health to allies within the explosion radius, and during its four seconds of duration, will increase the healing rate of those allies 50%. Meanwhile, enemies within the explosion radius will take 60 damage and become unable to receive healing at all for the duration (including shields and temporary health).
	+ The Biotic Grenade is the only way for Ana to heal herself outside of health packs.
	+ In many cases, Biotic Grenade is much more useful as a anti-heal on enemies than as a heal on allies.
		- If the enemy tank is being well-healed, or if an enemy is making good use of self-healing capabilities, using Biotic Grenade offensively is critical, and must usually be prioritized above using it to heal.
	+ The Biotic Grenade is a fantastic tool for healing heroes with large health pools. Under the increased healing, a critically injured tank will only require a few darts to get back into the fight.
	+ The grenade also serves well as an emergency burst heal for both allies and Ana herself, should an enemy flank her.
	+ The blast radius of the grenade is fairly small, so one should throw the grenade directly onto teammates as opposed to near them.
		- It can still be helpful to use its blast radius to hit targets that are otherwise unreachable; for example, throwing the grenade at a wall behind Reinhardt's shield, rather than directly at him.
	+ Biotic Grenade is a strong ability to use in team fights; throwing it directly to a group of enemies and allies alike can dramatically swing the fight in your team's favor.
	+ Biotic Grenade can both counter an enemy Zenyatta's Transcendence, and synergize with a friendly one.
	+ The grenade is a surefire way to counter Wrecking Ball's Minefield, as it deals more damage to the mines than they have health.

* **Nano Boost (Ultimate):** Ana's Ultimate ability. Ana will temporarily embolden an ally, giving them 50% increased damage and immunity to 50% of all incoming damage for 8 seconds before it expires. It also instantly heals 250 HP, unless an opposing Ana has debuffed the target with Biotic Grenade.
	+ Ana can instantly refill almost ANY Hero's health by combing the Grenade's 50% healing boost with the instant 250 Healing applied from Nanoboost.
	+ Nano Boost cannot miss or be stopped; it ignores Genji's Deflect, Sigma's Kinetic Grasp and D.Va's Defense Matrix.
	+ While under Nano Boost's effect, one's character model will glow either red (for enemies) or blue (for allies).
	+ Try to save Nano Boost for allies with available ultimate abilities. Soldier: 76, Reinhardt, Genji, and Roadhog are all excellent choices for a Nano Boost. However, certain ultimates (such as Hanzo's) will not be affected by Nano Boost.
		- Remember that Nano Boost instantly heals 250 HP on use. Consider your situation when you have it available; would it be better to save an ally at critical health, or boost another teammate's damage?

### General Strategies

* Ana has damage capabilities comparable to the damage role, though she is unable to deal any critical hits and suffers from low mobility. Play at medium to long range distances and around cover to avoid taking damage, and find angles that allow you to safely shoot at both your team and the enemy. Prioritize doing damage to the other team, but be ready to quickly switch to healing your teammates if they become at risk of dying.
* Ana can provide more healing than other supports due to her fast fire-rate and Biotic Grenade. Playing her as a sole support will lead the enemy to prioritize you as the first target, so additional supports are recommended.
* Biotic Grenade is a strong counter to all healing effects, such as Roadhog's Take a Breather, Zenyatta's Transcendence, or even an opposing Ana's Biotic Grenade. You can throw the grenade directly at the enemy and instruct your teammates to gang up on the affected target, as they can't be healed.
* A target under the effect of Sleep Dart will be rendered useless and unable to take any actions. If your combo can't finish the target, communicate with your team to do so. Reinhardt's Charge is a great choice to finish the target if he doesn't need to cover your team with barrier at that time.
* Don't let the other teammates interfere with your line-of-sight while activating Nano Boost on the target. Communicate with your teammates to whom you will give the ultimate and always have space in your line-of-sight, so you can avoid giving Nano Boost to an undesired target that can't make much use of it, such as Lúcio or Mercy.
* The common targets for your Nano Boost will be damage dealers and tanks. Nano Boost works best when paired with damage-dealing ultimates like Soldier: 76's Tactical Visor or Reaper's Death Blossom. Boosting tanks that are already brawling in enemy space gives them an excellent chance of surviving and picking up an elimination that could swing the fight in your favor. Boosting supports typically only happens as a last-ditch effort to save a teammate who is on the cusp of death and is about to take more damage than you can heal.
* Even though the Nano Boosted hero will take 50% less damage, the affected hero can still die if the enemies focus on them. Make sure to continue providing the boosted hero with healing, so that they won't die in the most important engagement.
* As Ana can both heal allies and damage enemies, along with Biotic Grenade's amplifying healing, she can charge up her Ultimate very quickly, so you can use your Nano Boost on your target to push or to defend (depending on the situation) much faster than other healers can use their Ultimates.
* The Biotic Rifle's damage-over-time property can make it difficult to tell if any particular shot will be a killing blow. Since each shot deals 75 damage, 3 shots are enough to eliminate any of the enemy heroes with 200 HP or less (as long as they are not actively receiving healing). You can occasionally use this knowledge to your advantage, such as when you are being pressured in a duel. For example, after hitting the third shot on a Pharah you can immediately duck behind cover to ensure that you aren't killed by any of the rockets that are still in flight heading toward you.

## Story

**"Everyone must find their cause."**

One of the founding members of Overwatch, Ana uses her skills and expertise to defend her home and the people she cares for. Hailing from a long line of decorated soldiers, Ana inspired confidence and loyalty in her colleagues and endowed her daughter, Fareeha Amari — Pharah, with an intense sense of duty and honor. Like her daughter, she bore a tattoo of an Eye of Horus as a symbol of protection. Likewise, her callsign in the Egyptian military during the Omnic Crisis was "Horus." To this day, Ana is regarded as a hero by the Egyptian people. The Egyptian military gave their elite snipers, including Ana cybernetic eye implants to improve their efficiency in battle.

Ana was regarded as one of the world's deadliest snipers, and has a high kill count. She is able to stay still for hours, waiting for the perfect shot. She originally used a Kinamura rifle, upon which she added a notch for every life she took. Each life weighed heavily on her conscience, and while some snipers preferred to wound targets, in order to lure out more potential targets, she preferred to perform clean kills, disliking causing needless suffering. Her right eye, originally cybernetic, made her vision six times greater than normal, to the extent where she rarely even needed to use the scope. While procedures exist that could repair her cybernetic eye, she feels comfortable with her eyepatch, seeing it as a reminder of who she is now. She continues to experience phantom pain from the eye injury. In light of her experiences, Ana now prefers to avoid taking lives when possible, in contrast to her earlier approach of never leaving an enemy alive.

Even by her own admission, Ana was a poor cook and field dresser, having had to rarely use the latter skill. By the time she reunited with Fareeha however, her skills as a medic had significantly improved.

### Overwatch

As the Omnic Crisis inflicted a heavy toll on Egypt, the country's depleted and undermanned security forces relied on elite snipers for support. Among them was Ana Amari, who was widely considered to be the world's best. Her superior marksmanship, decision-making, and instincts made her a natural selection to join the Overwatch strike team, of which she was one of the founding members. During the conflict, she was present in the battle at Rio de Janeiro. Overwatch successfully ended the war.

During or after the Omnic Crisis, Ana took part in Operation White Dome.

#### Post-Crisis

Following the success of Overwatch's original mission, Ana served for many years as Strike Commander Jack Morrison's second-in-command. She raised her daughter, Fareeha, during this time, instructing her in martial arts. Despite her responsibilities in leading the organization, Ana refused to step away from combat operations. She was aware of her daughter's desire to join Overwatch herself, but Ana was against it. This led to a strained relationship between mother and daughter. At some point, Fareeha asked for a toy rifle, but Ana refused, telling her daughter that she'd shoot her eye out. She later came to regret her comments. Similarly, she eventually came to regret dissuading Fareeha from joining Overwatch.

Ana was responsible for the assassination of the Vikosky kingpins. At a range of 300 meters, she fired once, and both fell. Years later, Ana derived no satisfaction from her double-kill.

Ana remained on active duty well into her fifties, and was stationed at Watchpoint: Gibraltar at some point. She and Reinhardt once danced in the base's command center until dawn.

Ana was present when Reyes brought in former outlaw Jesse McCree into the organization. She surmised that McCree had great instincts, talent, the ability to remain cool under fire, and was highly adaptable. She could tell that McCree had felt trapped by the life he'd previously been living.

At some point in time, Ana met the wife of fellow agent Gérard Lacroix, Amélie Lacroix. Two weeks after Amélie was rescued by Overwatch from being kidnapped, Gérard was killed and Amélie was believed to have been kidnapped once again.

Ana was among those who helped take out the Anubis Project. However, she could come to regret Overwatch's actions, given the adverse effects it had on Egypt.

#### Uprising

Seven years before the present day, the King's Row Uprising occurred. Alongside Morrison and Reyes, Ana listened to McCree, who was on the ground in King's Row, observing Null Sector's actions. Ana asked Reyes what McCree was doing in London, since Blackwatch operations were suspended. Reyes evaded answering the question. To Ana's frustration, the prime minister still refused to allow Overwatch to intervene. In conversation with Morrison, Ana admitted wanting to do something, but while Morrison shared that desire, Overwatch had come under unfavorable scrutiny recently, and they could ill afford another public relations nightmare.

Morrison relented, and sent agents Mercy, Tracer, Reinhardt, and Torbjörn to end the crisis. Ana gave status updates to the four agents.

#### Final Mission

Ana's last mission was an anti-Talon operation conducted by Overwatch; part of a force led by Jack Morrison which rescued a number of scientists that Talon had taken hostage. While Overwatch was successful in this regard, the Talon operative known as Widowmaker was able to take out a number of agents. The operation led to a sniper duel between her and Ana, as they made their way throughout the urban terrain. Ana was able to temporarily incapacitate Widowmaker, hitting her in her helmet. But upon seeing Widowmaker's face, she froze, recognizing her as Amélie. It was all the time Widowmaker needed to take her own shot, shooting Ana through the scope of her rifle and into her cybernetic eye. It was believed that the shot killed her.

In truth, Ana survived that encounter, despite being gravely wounded and the destruction of her cybernetic eye. The world believed that she was dead. She woke up in Poland with temporary amnesia, unable to remember who she was or how she was injured. She was treated under the Polish generic *Janina Kowalski* by Dr. Lee, where she requested to retain her anonymity as her memory returned. Lee obliged, and Ana was kept out of the system, which helped ensure that Overwatch failed to find her. During her months-long recovery, she was able to recall the details of the mission. She even let her daughter believe that she was dead, as she reasoned that Fareeha would expect "Captain Amari" to return home. However, with that moment of hesitation in her sniper duel with Widowmaker, she realized that she changed. Years later however, she'd come to regret her decision to leave Fareeha in the dark.

### Interlude

Wrestling with the weight of a life spent in combat, Ana chose to stay out of the world's growing conflicts. She heard about the destruction of Overwatch Headquarters and the supposed death of Jack Morrison. However, she had her doubts as to whether he'd actually died.

During her travels, Ana passed through Junkertown "once or twice." In one of her visits, she encountered Red Ned, whom she kicked into a wicker basket. Ana claimed that he'd started the altercation.

Ana ended up returning to Cairo. She'd originally planned to live quietly, so that she could be near her daughter. However, the longer she lived here, the more she realized that Overwatch was responsible for the problems plaguing Cairo. As time passed, she realized she could not sit on the sidelines while people threatened her city and the innocents around her. Thus, Ana rejoined the fight to protect her country from the forces that would destabilize it, and most importantly, to keep her family and her closest allies safe. She wrote letters to her daughter, explaining her absence. However, she never received a response.

### Recall

When Winston sent out a recall order for Overwatch agents, Ana intercepted the transmission.

### Shrike

Continuing her fight for justice, Ana operated under the alias of "Shrike," and was wanted for espionage, assault, and theft in Egypt. She used the Necropolis as her base of operations, and took care of the relics she found there before sending them to Dr. Hamid Faisal. She had come back to Egypt in part due to her guilt over the fallout of the Anubis project. Disguised as a masked bounty hunter, Ana sabotaged several Talon operations in Egypt, drawing attention from Reaper and his associate Abdul Hakim, as well as Jack Morrison, still alive despite his supposed death years ago. After days of lying in wait, she caught sight of Hakim in one of his palaces. The conflict came to a head when Ana and Morrison were lured into a trap at Hakim's compound in Giza, leading to a battle between the three former comrades. Though Ana sided with Jack and forced Reaper to retreat after unmasking him, she was disturbed by his visage and parting words, reminding her that Overwatch had been responsible for their suffering. Following the encounter Ana explained that she cared about Jack, not the war he was fighting, and resolved to watch over him as the two departed.

### Bastet

Ana was left with the realization that Jack and Reyes were actually alive. Still, living or not, Jack had been wounded by Reyes. Hearing the sound of police sirens, they went to ground, staying out of sight. Still suffering from his wounds, Jack passed out, forcing Ana to take him to her base in the Necropolis. She gave him tea after he woke up. The wound was still giving him trouble, despite his enhanced healing abilities. Ana suggested that they contact Dr. Angela Ziegler, but Jack refused. The two discussed their pasts and their objectives—Jack was going after Reaper and Talon. However, he needed her help. Ana told him to rest first, and despite Jack's protestations, he passed out—Ana had drugged the tea.

Jack was out for two days, over which Ana spent time gathering supplies. She explained her motivations for her actions in Egypt, but claimed that Jack's crusade against Talon was based on revenge. The two disagreed on how to approach things, with Jack focusing on the larger threat of Talon, while Ana wanted to focus on Cairo. Jack gave up and stormed out, leaving Ana alone to use his computer. She could see that Jack had been tracing Reaper's movements. Jack returned later in the night, and made a deal—he'd help Ana capture Hakim. After that, they'd go after Reaper. Ana accepted under the condition that they also apprehend Hakim's associates. Jack agreed. They were still in Egypt during Christmas.

Within a week, they'd rounded up a number of Hakim's associates, whittling away at his organization. After the initial burst, Hakim went to ground, turning their hunt into a waiting game. On stakeout, they finally caught sight of Hakim, at which point Ana took out her Bastet mask. She explained that Jack's Soldier: 76 persona had inspired her. As "Bastet," she wouldn't be a hunter, but a protector.

A week later, Hakim had been captured and his organization dismantled. Ana's actions as "Bastet" had caught the attention of Egypt's media, and even forced the government to act. At the Necropolis, Ana stated that she'd leave most of the items she'd collected behind, that they'd stay here until she found a caretaker. Jack asked her about Fareeha, pointing out that it would be awhile before they were in Egypt again. Ana gingerly replied that she'd left a message. Jack told her that Fareeha would come around in time. The two left the Necropolis, Ana still carrying her Bastet mask.

### Valkyrie

Morrison was still suffering from the gunshot wounds he'd suffered from Reaper, so the two of them were forced to visit Angela Ziegler, currently based in Cairo. Ana made herself at home while Ziegler treated Morrison. That night, an explosion rocked Cairo—Talon had attacked the Temple of Anubis facility. Ziegler told them that HSI would get it under control, but Morrison simply replied "it's Talon." Ana, taking a more diplomatic approach, pointed out that there were people caught in the crossfire, and that they'd need help. Ziegler relented, and flew overhead as Ana and Morrison made their way through Cairo's streets to the site.

Ana and Morrison engaged in a firefight with the Talon soldiers. During the battle, Morrison caught sight of Reaper. Over the radio, Ziegler told him that Reaper wasn't their concern, that they had people to save, but Morrison wasn't listening. He headed into the smokey haze that covered the site, with Ana warily covering his back. They later found Ziegler, helping her and the children she'd helped rescue from the rubble.

The next day, they met up with Ziegler again—they planned to pursue Reaper into Europe. Morrison asked if Ziegler would join them, but Ziegler refused, stating that her place was in Cairo. Ana and Ziegler discussed their respective choices post-Overwatch, including the matter of the recall that Winston had sent out, but she followed Morrison in his pursuit.

### New Blood

Ana remained uncertain about Winston's recall order, but decided to help her comrades from the shadows.

#### Reunion with McCree

Ana sent Jesse McCree a note, simply written "charmer. Time to talk," followed by coordinates. Ana knew that McCree had survived the fall of Overwatch, and had returned as a gunslinger for hire. She also knew that a returned Overwatch would need new blood, and worried that a return of the old guard would poison Overwatch's return.

McCree arrived in Cairo, finding Ana in a restaurant, and revealed that he knew that she was the one who'd sent the note. The pair talked long into the night, reliving old times, before the subject of Winston's recall order came up. McCree was mum as to whether he would head back. Ana, however, explained that Talon was hunting ex-Overwatch agents, and that it had attacked Watchpoint: Gibraltar. She opined that maybe it was time for her generation to move on. McCree suggested that a reformed Overwatch would need leaders like her, but Ana grimly asked if he wanted to relive the past. She revealed that she'd called McCree here instead of chatting online because she wanted to see him face-to-face. Maybe for the last time.

Their reunion was cut short as they were attacked by Talon troopers. They fought their way through the market, and McCree noticed that Ana was knocking the troopers out rather than killing them. Odd, for a woman who'd previously never left an enemy alive. Ana commented that a lot could change over the years, and that she'd done more than enough killing.

Ana took McCree to one of her hideouts, and gave him a USB containing data on the threats she'd been monitoring, along with a number of individuals she'd been tracking—Hana Song, Aleksandra Zaryanova, and her own daughter, Fareeha Amari. Each of them were fighting their own battles, and she wanted McCree to find them, and lead them, as a cohesive force. McCree commented that if he did this, he'd be leaving behind what Overwatch was. What *he* was. Smiling, Ana told him that that was a good thing. It was good to learn from the past, but it should be left there.

Agreeing to the mission, McCree took the USB and headed off to track the targets.

#### Reunion with Fareeha

McCree, by this point going by his original name of "Cassidy," first tracked down Fareeha, and brought her to see her mother. The two had an awkward reunion—she mentioned the letters she had written, but Fareeha said that if Ana had anything to say, she could say it directly.

The reunion was interupted by a Talon ambush. Fareeha took to the sky, while Cassidy and Ana fled on the ground. Ana ordered that Fareeha lure their attacers out into the open. Cassidy was unsure, but Fareeha recognized her mother's plan—more of the Talon forces would come, and they could wipe out the cell in a single strike. It worked to a point, as Fareeha was able to unleash a rocket barage that wiped out their attackers, but not before being wounded.

Ana rushed over to her daughter and treated her wounds, despite her protests. She explained her regrets about the lives she'd taken, and how she now refused to kill. But of all her regrets, the greatest was steering her daughter away from the life she'd wanted. Fareeha told her that she couldn't take it back, to which Ana agreed. But perhaps she could set some things right. She told Fareeha that the world had suffered for her mistakes, and needed heroes again. Fareeha needed a team that would help her achieve her full potential. She couldn't find that with HSI. But she could with Cassidy, if she went with him.

Fareeha refused, preferring to remain with HSI, at least for now. She gave her mother a final goodbye, hugging her, and whispering, "it's good to see you again. I wasn't sure I'd ever get the chance." After that, she flew off. Cassidy told Ana that her cover was blown given the carnage they'd unleashed in Cairo, and asked if she needed help getting settled. Ana was barely listening, as she watched her daughter fly off into the night sky, and Cassidy realized that she'd be okay. When she asked him where he'd head next, he responded that he had his eye on someone up north, and departed.

### Hunting Talon

Her reunion with her daughter complete, Ana departed with Morrison. They travelled the globe, hunting down Talon agents.

Not long after their reunion, Fareeha did indeed rejoin Overwatch. Ana learnt of this.

### Istanbul

Ana and Morrison traveled to Istanbul to meet with an informant, one who claimed to have knowledge of what brought Overwatch down.

## Trivia

* Ana is Hero 22 and the first new hero added to the game.
* Ana's story draws parallels with the story of Horus from Egyptian mythology. During an altercation with a former friend (in this case, Widowmaker), she lost her eye. Additionally, both her and Pharah possess an eye of Horus tattoo.
* Her voice actress is an Egyptian woman who was recorded from Cairo. The voice actress's name, Aysha Selim, was not revealed until September 29, 2016 in a reply on the official forums.
* Ana is the sixth playable *Overwatch* hero in *Heroes of the Storm*.
* As of October 2023, Ana is the most played hero in the series.

### Misc. Character Information

* In Cassidy/Baptiste interactions in *Overwatch 2*, it is confirmed that Talon has a bounty on Ana's head, and that it is larger than the one on Cassidy's. Assuming that this is the same bounty Orisa mentions in the original game, the price on Ana is over $60 million.
* Going by her respawn quote in *Overwatch 2*, Ana apparently aspires to visit Fiji.
* Ana's memories were used to create the A-7000 Wargod.

### Development

Ana was the first hero added to the game after its launch. Blizzard began with the knowledge that they needed another healer, since Lucio and Mercy were showing up in every game. A concept was the Alchemist, a character who could drink from a decanter and then jump really high, or provide an extra-long heal over time. Meanwhile, the team were struggling to place the personality of Ana, which they’d conceived independently. Her backstory positioned her as a crack sniper, but the game already had Widowmaker. It was thus decided that the hero would be both a healer and a crack shot, using her rifle both offensively and defensively. The Alchemist concept was phased out within a few weeks. Influences for Ana's visual design were post-apocalyptic themes and imagery. The designers wanted to show her as someone who was rugged and resourceful, living on the edges of society. Her "Wasteland" skin is based entirely around this idea. Strap, pipe, and cannister designs in the skin were used to emphasize a character that was scrounging anything she could to survive.

Prior to being revealed, it was widely speculated that Ana and Sombra were the same character, resulting from the photographs of her Shrike mask being misidentified as Sombra.

Several PR assets on Blizzard's press center website for Ana are labeled "Shrike" instead of "Ana", suggesting that her placeholder name during development was Shrike. The name Shrike was used for one of her epic skins, in which she wears a mask previously seen in pre-release easter eggs.

Ana was teased on Temple of Anubis, with an opened document picturing her wearing her Shrike mask. Her scope could be seen being worked on in a GameSpot video. Also in the video was an early prototype with a modified Widowmaker model seen in the character selection screen, in the support section.

Ana was added to the PTR on July 12, 2016. She was added to the live PC version of the game on July 19, 2016.

## Images

* tAna Cabana skin concept art
* Ana Cabana skin gun concept art
* Ana Corsair skin concept art
* Ana Sniper skin concept art
* Ana Sniper gun skin concept art
* Ana Haroeris skin concept art
* Ana A-7000 Wargod skin concept art

## Balance Change Logs

*For more information, see Patch Notes.*
* Overwatch 2 PvP
* Overwatch 1

**Overwatch 2 PvP**

Patch
Description

9 Jan 2024

 Biotic Grenade

* Effect duration reduced from 3.5 to 3 seconds.

31 Oct 2023

 Biotic Grenade

* Cooldown increased from 10 to 12 seconds.

10 Aug 2023

Developer Comment: Ana's damage breakpoint change has proven too effective overall given her long range so we are reverting it back to its previous value. We are also increasing the size of unscoped projectiles when firing at enemies (her projectiles have always had a larger size for allies) which should help them land more consistently against close-ranged threats.
 Biotic Rifle

* Damage and healing per projectile reduced from 75 to 70.
* Unscoped projectile size increased from 0 to 0.1.

9 May 2023

Developer Comments: Ana’s survivability has improved significantly ever since the addition of the support passive. We are reducing the amount of healing provided by the Biotic Grenade explosion as she doesn’t need to rely on it for self-healing as much as before.
 Biotic Grenade

* Explosion healing decreased from 100 to 60

11 Apr 2023

Developer Comment: We've been watching how effective Sleep Dart has been in 5v5 gameplay. It hasn't been overly disruptive as a whole, but since it is significantly more reliable to land against Tank heroes due to their large hit boxes and even more valuable to do so with only one tank on the field, we're reducing its maximum duration against those targets.
 Sleep Dart

* Maximum duration on Tank heroes reduced 30%, from 5 to 3.5 seconds

7 Feb 2023

 Biotic Grenade

* Effect duration reduced from 4 to 3.5 seconds

15 Dec 2022

 Biotic Rifle

* Damage and Healing increased from 70 to 75

 Biotic Grenade

* Effect duration increased from 3 to 4 seconds

6 Dec 2022

Sleep Dart is still one of the most powerful crowd control abilities in 5v5, though with the addition of cleanse mechanics to offer a potential counter to this effect we're more comfortable with reducing the cooldown here to improve Ana's personal survivability.
 Sleep Dart

* Cooldown reduced from 15 to 14 seconds

5 May 2022
(beta)

Ana’s Biotic Grenade was too effective with one less tank and more infrequent barriers, so we are reducing the duration of the ability. We also saw Ana using her grenade less frequently on herself because of the new support passive ability. To help compensate for her grenade, we wanted to give her power back through increasing her Biotic Rifle’s ammo.
 Biotic Rifle

* Ammo increased from 12 to 15

 Biotic Grenade

* Duration reduced from 4 to 3 seconds

26 Apr 2022
(beta)

 Sleep Dart

* Cooldown increased from 12 to 15 seconds

**Overwatch 1**

Patch
Description

19 Nov 2020
 Biotic Grenade
* Projectile now passes through allies with full health

*Developer Comment: A significant number of Biotic Grenades are blocked by allies accidentally intercepting it. Having it collide with allies in the same manner as Ana's primary fire will enable more deliberate placement of the ability.*

31 Aug 2020
 Biotic Rifle
* Ammo reduced from 14 to 12

19 May 2020
 Biotic Rifle
* Healing reduced from 75 to 70

29 Apr 2020
 Sleep Dart
* Sleep duration lowered from 6 to 5 seconds

19 Mar 2019
 Nano Boost
* Heal reduced from 300 to 250

11 Sep 2018
 Biotic Rifle
* Increased the precision of the Relative Aim Sensitivity While Zoomed slider. This can be found under Options > Controls > Hero > Ana

9 Aug 2018
 Nano Boost
* Now also instantly heals the target for 300 health
* Range increased from 30 to 40 meters

22 May 2018
 Biotic Rifle
* Projectiles will now pass through allies with full health
* Ammo increased from 10 to 14

16 Nov 2017
 Biotic Rifle
* Damage increased from 60 to 70

23 May 2017
\*Recoil Recovery Aim Compensation can now be disabled for Ana, McCree, and Widowmaker. The option can be found under the “Control” tab in the “Options” menu. Simply select the appropriate hero under the dropdown menu and look for the “Hero” section

21 Mar 2017
 Biotic Rifle
* Damage decreased from 80 to 60

28 Feb 2017
\*New Hero Option: Nano Boost Sensitivity
* + Allows players to adjust Nano Boost’s targeting sensitivity

24 Jan 2017
 Biotic Grenade
* Effect duration has been reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds
* Healing boost on allies has been decreased by 50%

*Developer Comments: The healing boost from Ana’s Biotic Grenade was providing too much healing, especially when used on targets with large health pools.*

15 Nov 2016

GENERAL
* Dealing damage to things other than players (like Torbjörn's turret or Symmetra's teleporter) no longer charges ultimate abilities
* Ultimate costs have been increased by 25% for all heroes

*Developer Comment: Game-changing ultimate abilities were coming up a bit too frequently. This change helps keep them in check while still allowing them to be powerful*.

HERO
 Nano Boost

* + No longer increases move speed

*Developer Comment:The increased speed from Ana’s Nano Boost made the ability feel unstoppable and forced Ana players to select targets that could really take advantage of the speed boost. Removing the speed boost means that Ana has a reason to apply Nano Boost to a larger variety of heroes, and enemies can fend off the attack more easily*.

11 Oct 2016
 Nano Boost
* Ultimate cost has been increased by 20%

 Biotic Grenade

* Radius has been increased from 3 to 4 meters

*Developer Comments: So far, we haven't seen any indication that Ana is too strong overall, but her ultimate charges a little too fast, especially considering the impact it can have on a match. Also, her Biotic Grenades are getting a small boost to help her hit multiple targets.*

26 Jul 2016
 Biotic Rifle
* Rate of fire increased by 20%
* Magazine size increased from 8 to 10

*Developer Comments: While Ana has been very well received, she was showing to be a little bit weaker overall. In addition to helping her feel better to play, these changes should also increase her healing and damage output.*

19 Jul 2016
New Hero: Ana (Support)

After being out of the fight for several years, one of Overwatch's founding members is returning. Introducing Ana — a battle-scarred veteran who supports her teammates from a distance using a unique and highly specialized collection of weapons.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Ana, *PlayOverwatch*. Accessed on 2022-12-12
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Ana (OW1), *Blizzard Entertainment*. Accessed on 2016-07-12
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 2018-02-22, Overwatch Twitter, *Twitter'. Accessed on 2018-02-25*
4. ↑ Pharah, *Blizzard Entertainment*. Accessed on 2016-05-22
5. ↑ *Pharah: Mission Statement*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 *Overwatch*, *Ana Cosmetics*
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 *New Blood Issue 2*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 *Ana: Legacy*
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 *Overwatch 2*, *Ana Quotes*
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 *Overwatch*, *Ana Quotes*
11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 *Bastet*
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 *New Blood Issue 1*
13. ↑ 2015-05-24, Overwatch is Back: Uncertainty and Hope After UN Confirms Vigilante Activity. *Blizzard Entertainment.*, accessed on 2016-5-25
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Ana Origin Story
15. ↑ *Overwatch*, *Pharah Quotes*
16. ↑ *Heroes of the Storm*
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 *Overwatch 2*, *Ana Quotes*
18. ↑ *Tracer: Uprising*
19. ↑ 2017-04-12, Welcome to Overwatch Uprising!. *YouTube*, accessed on 2017-04-12
20. ↑ 1 Year Anniversary, *Blizzard Entertainment*. Accessed on 2017-05-24
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 *Ana: Old Soldiers*
22. ↑ *Tracer: Reflections*
23. ↑ *Valkyrie*
24. ↑ *Overwatch 2: Heroes Ascendant*
25. ↑ 2016-07-13, BLIZZARD HIRED EGYPTIAN ACTRESS TO VOICE ANA IN OVERWATCH. *IGN*, accessed on 2016-08-11
26. ↑ 2016-09-29, "We were extremely fortunate to work with a very talented Egyptian actress named Aysha Selim on the voice of Ana (who we recorded all the way from Cairo!)" Michael Chu. *Battle.net forums*, accessed on 2016-09-29
27. ↑ 2017-09-15, Blizzard Virtual Press Tour: Ana, Junkrat and Volskaya Foundry Map coming to the Nexus. *Blizzplanet*, accessed on 2017-09-17
28. ↑ 2023-10-07, whoever didn't go outside this year needs to confess now. *Reddit*, accessed on 2023-10-12
29. ↑ 2016-08-11, Overwatch's Ana was nearly a potion-swigging alchemist. *PC Games*, accessed on 2017-07-11
30. ↑ *[[The Art of Overwatch]*
31. ↑ 2016-05-19, Fans believe a new Overwatch hero called Sombra could be unveiled on Monday. *Eurogamer*, accessed on 2016-08-11
32. ↑ 2016-07-06, Blizzard releases major hint about Overwatch’s next character (update). *Polygon*, accessed on 2016-08-11
33. ↑ 2016-07-06, Overwatch Is Still Hiding Lots of Clues About A Mysterious Character. *Kotaku*, accessed on 2016-08-11
34. ↑ Overwatch Games Press, *Blizzard Entertainment*. Accessed on 2016-08-11
35. ↑ Documents depicting Ana wearing her Shrike mask. *Temple of Anubis*.
36. ↑ 2016-04-21, *The Story of Overwatch: The Fall of Titan*, 00:09 *Youtube*. Accessed on 2016-07-10
37. ↑ 2016-04-21, *The Story of Overwatch: The Fall of Titan*, 15:25 *Youtube*. Accessed on 2016-07-10
38. ↑ 2016-07-12, OVERWATCH PTR NOW AVAILABLE - JULY 12, 2016 *Playoverwatch*, accessed on 2016-11-06
39. ↑ 2016-07-19, [PC Overwatch Patch Notes – July 19, 2016] *Battle.net forums*, accessed on 2016-11-06