There are many things happening with Overwatch right now. Many eyes are on the League’s Grand Finals while fans wait patiently for the next hero to join the competitive season. With Wrecking Ball now in the game, we got to see the variety of his customization options and how adorable the little troublemaker is. Among these were also his legendary skins that gave him the look of a Junker and his time on the Lunar Colony.Since his reveal last month, many fans wasted no time in drawing up concept arts for him and they range extensively for designing the little hamster. Much like D.Va, designing skins for Wrecking Ball is a two-part operation. Not only are you making a fun design for the mech, but you also need to design something for the pilot. The fun part here is that with Wrecking Ball literally being a giant rolling ball of death, you can say any spherical object would be up for grabs. You’d think designing something for Hammond himself would be hard if you design the mech first, but it works opposite from D.Va’s case. So much so, that after looking around the web, I’ve found eight fun concept ideas for Hammond that would be great for him to use.
1) Disco Ball
The most likely out of the eight that will be pitched today since an OW artist did draw this.
So, getting a popular request out of the way, we have 70s representation. In terms of ideas of Wrecking Ball suggestions, a giant destructive Disco Ball topped many fan’s wish lists. It makes sense considering that people want to spread destruction through Disco Fever while lights reflect off the ball and bodies hit the floor. The only issue with a shiny wrecking ball could be that it may “expose” Hammond too much on some stages.Around parts of the web, you will find claims of people saying how some skins can give a player an “unfair advantage.” Whether if it is for or against them, it doesn’t make all skins equal. Top examples of this are things like Zenyatta’s hat feather or Reinhardt not wearing his helmet as it can change their exposure. Not to say Wrecking Ball on Hollywood would be a concern as he’d shine so bright you can see him coming and gun him down, but it all depends on how Blizzard approaches this.To go with the Disco Ball, we need to put our little guy into something special. What better choice of attire is there than a solid white suit with black kicks. Not that Hammond would need to be a John Travolta Hamster, but it would fit into Hammond’s goofy nature. Considering that they drew the picture shown above during the “Concept Art Reveal” for Hammond, it may be a safe bet to say Wrecking Disco Ball could have a potential future.
2) Giant Watermelon
A dramatization of the remains of Wrecking Ball as a Watermelon
While we may see tons of Wrecking Ball ideas that focus on what sports ball we can turn the mech into, there aren’t many ideas thrown around for other round objects like food. Fun Fact: Watermelons are a good fruit to feed Hamsters. So, if we have a larger than normal hamster, then why not have a larger than normal watermelon? It would be hysterical to see a giant watermelon run around the battlefield while Hammond could have his fur stained red to make it look like he is eating the mech from the inside while fighting. It could be a fun Summer skin to give Hammond but would probably be one we won’t see soon enough.
From Imgur
Speaking of Summer.
3) Summer Games: Beach Ball/Lucioball
I swear that Lucioball wasn’t put there just be a red herring (Not like the monkey anyway…)
I’m grouping these two together as they can happen during the Summer Games. We don’t know if there will be a specific theme this year like we’ve had for the previous ones, but you can say whether if it was around a sport or the beach, Hammond could have a legendary skin of his own. From his first teaser image, many made a joke that the next hero would have something to do with the Lucioball. After the giant ball went through the alley, a Lucioball skin is very plausible. Even with Hammond, you can dress him up as a Futbol fan. Bonus points if Hammond looks like a mini Lucio.In case if Hammond may not be as big of a sports fan, we can also consider him enjoying some R&R at the beach. While you can have him in a full-body swimsuit with the red and white stripes, Wrecking Ball can have the standard color scheme of being an all-white ball with red, yellow and blue stripes. Would it be nonsensical to see a giant beach ball rolling at you? Of course, but that is part of the fun of Wrecking Ball during the summer time.And while Lucioball may return next month, Wrecking Ball’s kit opens a window of opportunity for a new mode and many didn’t hesitate to speculate.
4) Bowling Ball
Now imagine that the man is an intelligent hamster and the bowling ball is ten times his size
If Wii Sports and Tekken 7 proved anything to us, it is that bowling is a fun diversion. Lucioball may have another new map, but fans may want more variety than just six Lucios playing Rocket League. With our newest hero, not only can you make a new game mode, but you can give players a chance to practice his special ability. You can set it up where players take turns rolling down the Alley and knocking over pins to see who can earn the highest score. Meanwhile, with a giant rolling bowling ball, you can pretend your enemies are a bunch of pins to knock over while Hammond has his Bowling attire on. Hopefully, Blizzard has something for that ready next month, if not for the near future. Even if there is no game mode devoted to Wrecking Ball knocking over giant pins, a Bowling Ball skin sounds right up Wrecking Ball’s alley (no pun intended).
5) Halloween Event: Pumpkin Golem
From Twitter User Noah Bowden. I would actually spend money on the chance to grab this one.
For some players, the best event skins in Overwatch come out around Halloween. Not only do the cast dress up in fun imaginary outfits, but they can also alter their voice lines like Mercy, Zenyatta, and Junkrat. It’s fun to see what skins also get into “Junkenstein’s Revenge” as the Halloween-Theme horde mode can be very engaging for those who want to enjoy something from the norm. With Wrecking Ball, there are a few ideas we can see come up with to help bring our little hamster into the spirit of Halloween.As you can see here, this concept idea would turn Wrecking Ball into a giant Pumpkin while Hammond can either be a ghost, candle, or bat. It is a cute idea and one in case if he will not be in the Halloween event. If he is though, this skin might be silly when you have Reaper having his own “pumpkin head” skin. Part of me would like to think Wrecking Ball could be in the event, although I can’t say in what form, let alone which side. Still, I could see a case where Hammond’s character could be in control of a “rock golem” to fight for him while he rides it on top. Could be a fun to see another “Forest Spirit” of sorts, but either way, I’d like to think Wrecking Ball will get a Halloween Skin this year.
6) Winter Wonderland: Christmas Ornament
Nothing like spreading Holiday cheer like crushing an enemy with a giant red Christmas Decoration
There is one more holiday we can have our little guy enjoy, and it is the most festive time of the year. We’ve seen plenty of Holiday Skins for our Overwatch cast, and while it would be fun to see Hammond dress up as an elf, there are other ideas we can roll with (again, no pun intended). One idea thrown around by some is turning Wrecking Ball into a giant Christmas ornament, although the design itself could be more than just a giant red ball. The design would be up to Blizzard, but an ornament-related skin can be a fun addition to Overwatch‘s winter event. Maybe it could look like the moon so that it could be a fun call back to Hammond’s earlier days before coming to Earth. As for Hammond himself, perhaps he can wear the topper of the ornament or it can be a part of his grappling hook. Just hang yourself off a hanging bring as you celebrate Christmas with your loved ones (and then crush those who stand against you).
7) Giant Smiley Face
Or as I like to think of it, how to indirectly add Pacman into Overwatch
Ok, so this one was thrown in a touch randomly but bear with me for a second. As stated earlier, we need to see more for Wrecking Ball skins than just “Make Mech into a sports ball.” This whole list could really have been nothing but sports and hobbies, but where is the fun in that? That and Hammond was basically designed to bring smiles to people’s faces while he is violently gunning People, Omnics, and Gorillas down. If we wanted to help spread the joy, why not go with a giant yellow smiley face? And no, I’m not talking about Emojis.Much like the Disco skin theme, this skin would be set in the 70s where this iconic smiley face came from. It would make Wrecking Ball stand out a bit but imagine if Hammond was sticking out at the top of that face as guns deployed from the cheeks. I can’t think of any “troll skins” that Overwatch has, but this would be hysterical if you the last moments you see is a giant smiling mech violently filling you with holes while a hippy hamster with a giant afro is laughing at your demise. Would it fit in with the rest of Overwatch? Probably not, but if we can have 80s Zarya, we can certainly have the 70s shine in through one means or another.
8) 8-Ball
From Twitter User IsaB, I don’t know if we need to go as far as the pool cues, but I need that Hamster in that vest and bowtie!
To wrap up this list of eight, we have an idea that also revolves around the number. Whether or not if it was intentional for Hammond to be Experiment 8, he could be good at playing 8-Ball. Requests for an 8-Ball skin is staggering where you look as it feels like this was planned to be a skin for Wrecking Ball. The biggest question that would need to be answered though is what form exactly does the 8-Ball take?
While we don’t have the wide range of voice lines for Wrecking Ball yet, some found a few interesting ones. If you want to check out Hammeh’s Wrecking Ball Voice Lines Preview video, there are some lines for Wrecking Ball that stretch even further than just Summer games. From callouts to archives enemies to the AI saying “Ho! Ho! Ho!” there is a lot of pre-planning going on. One of these lines is also a possible hint of a multi-part voice line for the Lunar New Year event where he “Accesses Luck.” Something to which that could be a good time to drop a Magic 8-Ball as if Hammond is reading his opponent’s future — before bringing their misfortune to light.
Personally, if it was my call, I’d appreciate the simple approach of a billiards attire. A giant 8 ball where you have pool cues acting as machine guns while you have Hammond in a snappy suit and bow tie. You can even make it where the minefield can be a bunch of billiard balls. Hopefully, if that time comes, Wrecking Ball will get a voice line saying, “Target in the corner pocket.”
From Reddit user Pleasance13: You know what they say about imitation…
As we close out this wish list, there was one final mention I wanted to give. If you did look through Wrecking Ball’s victory poses, you know that there is one that has him doing a pose of a certain other pilot. While it is a cute parody, many in the community (and the man who did the picture) did think of what it’d be like if you went further with the concept. While the mech itself may look like a giant pink jawbreaker, the star of the show is Hammond doing his best D.Va impression; complete with bodysuit and face paint. Now would this be a possible skin we would see in Overwatch? That’s difficult to say. However, if this list has shown anything, it is that if it is giant and can roll, it is certainly possible.
Who knows if we may get to a point where characters may start to dress up as each other, but it could be a fun starting point to start with Wrecking Ball.
So, What Do You Think?
What skin idea do you have for Wrecking Ball? Is there a suggestion that you want to see happen? Leave your thoughts down below and be sure to follow us here at Culture of Gaming for more articles covering Overwatch and other games.
