Overwatch meets Star Wars Squadrons in D.Va custom “Dogfight” mode

Theo Salaun

Overwatch’s D.Va normally only flies in short bursts, but a fan is working to change that with an exciting custom mode. This “Dogfight” project lets you fly around as D.Va like a TIE fighter in Star Wars Squadrons.

Flying in video games is fun. Humans are naturally bound by the laws of gravity, but popular Overwatch characters like Pharah, Echo, and D.Va are less restricted. In D.Va’s case, pilot Hana Song’s MEKA is equipped with boosters that enable brief bursts of flight.

While those moments of boundless mobility are exciting (and mighty useful in-game), they are limited. Reddit’s Soundwave_TW has a plan to fix that, by developing a custom mode predicated solely on the ability to fly around as D.Va.

It’s only a work in progress at the moment, but the groundwork is already very exciting. With thousands of upvotes and 100-plus comments, Overwatch fans seem delighted by Soundwave’s concept: giving D.Va the ability to fly around with the unique feel of a starfighter in Star Wars Squadrons.

As can be seen in the progress clip shared by Soundwave, D.Va’s MEKA is equipped with a different degree of flight capacity in this custom mode. Rather than just a simple “Boosters” button, “Dogfight” D.Va has manageable thrusters — accompanied by HUD information detailing “Thruster Integrity” and “Thruster Power.”

In action, the “Dogfight” name for this mode is easily explained. Like Star Wars Squadrons, which is predicated solely on intergalactic, first-person battles between space ships, D.Va is able to defy gravity with surprising mobility (and lethality) for long periods of time.

Baby Dva grins happily
Already a beloved character, D.Va’s pilot skills would be tested by the Dogfight mode.

Eventually, one can imagine that Soundwave intends this mode to include opposing D.Va mechs who can fight each other in the sky (or space, should things move to Horizon Lunar Colony). But, for now, one can simply speculate on that potential based on seeing the MEKA glide down and delete a Baby D.Va before zooming away.

While D.Va likely won’t be gaining infinite flight in the base game at any point, this mode could be very fun in the workshop world. Based on the positive feedback to Soundwave’s WIP already, this will probably be a well-received addition once it’s complete.

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About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.