Other than its action-packed gameplay, one of the main reasons for Overwatch’s popularity is its cast of unique and quirky characters. One of these characters is Ashe’s loyal sidekick BOB, whose name has an actual in-universe meaning. So, what does BOB stand for in Overwatch? We’ll tell you all about it in this article, along with some other acronyms and in-universe trivia.
So, What Does BOB Stand For?
As per Michael Chu, former senior designer on lore and story for Overwatch, BOB is an acronym either for Big Omnic Bodyguard or Big Omnic Butler. He’s Ashe’s giant robotic sidekick that she can summon when her Ultimate skill is fully charged.
Once summoned, he’ll dash into the fight and will remain for ten seconds after he collides with something. He’ll use his arm cannons to inflict damage on enemies in the area and can be affected by any player buffs and boosts. If used correctly, BOB can change the flow of a close game.
As per in-universe lore, BOB was the butler for Elizabeth Ashe since the time that she was still a child. With the continued disinterest of her parents to Ashe’s upbringing, she came to rely on BOB for emotional support, notwithstanding the fact that he couldn’t talk. When Ashe eventually turned to a life of crime, BOB joined her in her endeavor and became a part of her Deadlock Gang.
During Ashe’s introduction as Overwatch’s 29th hero on Blizzcon 2018, it can be argued that BOB practically stole the show. Both the devs and players like to joke that BOB is the game’s 29.5th hero.
Common Acronyms When Playing Overwatch
Below are some of the more common acronyms that you may encounter while playing a game of Overwatch.
2CP – This will refer to an Assault map match. CP refers to capture points, as winning an Assault game requires a team to secure two of three capture points to win.
AD-ing – when in-game, this refers to strafe firing left and right. The A and D keys on the keyboard are bound by default to left and right respectively. A person who’s AD-ing is strafing left and right.
CD – refers to Cool Down. This is the time required for an ability to be used again.
CC – means Crowd Control. This refers to abilities that slow down, hinder, or force enemies off the map.
C9 – this means to lose the game by forgetting to clear the objective. This refers to a pro gaming team Cloud 9 that infamously lost a match by not paying attention to their objectives three times in a row in a single match.
DPS – this means Damage Per Second. It refers to the amount of damage that a character’s weapon can do. It can also refer to the characters that specialize in dealing large amounts of damage.
E – Refers to a character’s second ability. This relates to the key used for the skill on PC.
EZ – Acronym for easy. This means that the match is very one-sided.
GG – Acronym for Good Game. When said at the end of a game, denotes good sportsmanship. Can be considered as a taunt when said at the beginning or in the middle of the game.
KOTH – An abbreviation for King of the Hill.
LFT – An abbreviation for Looking for Team. A player that is trying to find a group to play with will usually type this in chat to indicate their intention of wanting to join a group.
LOS – An abbreviation for Line of Sight. This refers to skills that require the player to see their target to activate.
M1/M2 – refers to the left and right mouse buttons. Indicates the primary and secondary character attacks.
MMR – this means Match Making Rank. This is a hidden stat that determines the players that you can be grouped with in a match.
PUGs – this means Pick Up Games. Refers to a game with random players. Most usually encountered in Quick Play matches.
Q – Refers to the character’s Ultimate Skill. It relates to the default key for sing the Ultimate Ability on PC.
SR – means Skill Rating. Another stat that affects in-game match making. in addition to the MMR.
XQC’d – refers to a Winston player jumping into the sky to avoid killing teammates with a stuck pulse bomb, but end up killing them anyway. This is related to the move infamously done by the pro gamer XQC of team OWL.
Interesting Lore Trivia
Below are some interesting Overwatch lore tidbits that you may or may not know.
- Va’s Mech is named Tokki.
- Orisa, Overwatch’s 24th hero is the youngest at only one month old.
- Reinhardt is a big fan of David Hasselhoff.
- Roadhog wears a mask with hogdrogen inhalers to counteract his radiation poisoning.
- Winston is rather fond of peanut butter and bananas, which he claims is a result of his genetic therapy.
- Bastion’s pet bird is named Ganymede.
- Genji’s sword is called Ryuichi Monji.
- Junkrat’s canteen is filled with Milk Tea with Boba half sweetened.
- McCree’s revolver is named Peacekeeper.
- Mei’s cryogenic robot is named Snowball.
- Lucio is a very talented musician. Three other Overwatch members, Mei, D. Va, and Orisa are big fans of his work.
Superb Lore Building
Overwatch’s superb lore-building combined with its fun gameplay made it one of the most popular team-based shooting games around. With the announcement of Overwatch 2, both the game and its world are set to entice more players into the fold.
Were you aware of what BOB stands for in Overwatch? Are there other acronyms and trivia in Overwatch that you’re particularly proud to know? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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