Bastion

"Let me show you how it's done."

This article has been protected! Reason: Bastion is adorable.

Bastion

Added:

24 May, 2016 (launch)

Voice Actor:

Chris Metzen

Game Info

Role:

Damage

Difficulty:

Health:	Armor:	Shield:	Total:
200	100	0	300

Story Info

Real Name:

SST Laboratories Siege Automaton E54

Age:

30

Height:

2.2 m / 7'3"

Occupation:

Battle Automaton, Explorer

Base of Operations:

Black Forest, Germany^[1] (formerly);
Sweden

Affiliation:

Omnics' Rebel Army (formerly)
Torbjörn Lindholm

Gallery Page · Quotes Page

Bastion is one of the heroes in Overwatch. It is an omnic wanderer formerly built to be a war combatant, who is now travelling to satisfy its curiosity about nature and leave its horrifying past behind.

Repair protocols and the ability to transform between stationary Sentry, mobile Recon and devastating Tank configurations provide Bastion with a high probability of victory.

Bio

Once a frontline combatant in the devastating Omnic Crisis, this curious Bastion unit now explores the world, fascinated by nature but wary of a fearful humanity.

Originally created for peacekeeping purposes, Bastion robot units possessed the unique ability to rapidly reconfigure themselves into an assault-cannon mode. But during the Omnic Crisis, they were turned against their human makers, forming the bulk of the omnics' rebel army. Following the resolution of the crisis, nearly all of them were destroyed or disassembled. To this day, Bastion units still symbolize the horrors of the conflict.

One unique Bastion unit, severely damaged in the final battles of the war, was left forgotten for over a decade. It lay dormant, exposed to the elements and rusting while nature slowly reclaimed it. Overgrown with vines and roots and nested upon by small animals, the robot sat inert, seemingly unaware of the passing of time. That was until one fateful day, when it unexpectedly reactivated. With its combat programming all but lost, it instead displayed an intense curiosity about the natural world and its inhabitants. This inquisitive Bastion unit set out to explore its surroundings and discover its purpose on a war-ravaged planet.

Though "Bastion" appears to be gentle—even harmless, at times—its core combat programming takes over when the unit senses danger, utilizing its entire arsenal to eliminate anything it perceives as a threat. This has led to instances of conflict with the few humans it has encountered, and has driven it to avoid populated areas in favor of the wild, uncharted regions of the world.

Abilities

Beside these abilities, Recon Bastion is able to jump, crouch, reload (only when its ammo is not full), and perform Quick Melee. Sentry Bastion is unable to jump, crouch, or perform Quick Melee, but still able to reload (also only when its ammo is not full). Tank Bastion can jump but cannot crouch, reload, or perform Quick Melee.

Unlocks

All seasonal event items, which are marked with special event icons ( • • • • • ), are only available to be unlocked either through their respective Loot Boxes or by Credits within the event's duration. During the event, newly-introduced event items cost three times as much as non-event items of the same rarity, while returning seasonal items are unlocked at the regular price. Items which are obtained from an external source are marked with Blizzard icons () and their requirements are noted below.

Skins

For all of Bastion's skins and weapons, see Bastion/Skins and Weapons.

Common
Classic (default)

Rare
Dawn ( 75) Meadow ( 75) Sky ( 75) Soot ( 75)

Epic
Defense Matrix ( 250) Omnic Crisis ( 250) BlizzCon 2016 () Tombstone () Rooster () Null Sector () Gift Wrap ()

Legendary
Antique ( 1000) Woodbot ( 1000) Gearbot ( 1000) Steambot ( 1000) Overgrown () Dune Buggy () Avalanche () Stealth ()

Note:: The BlizzCon 2016 skin was obtained by purchasing a BlizzCon 2016 Virtual Ticket.^[2]; The Overgrown skin is obtained by purchasing (or upgrading to) the Overwatch's Origins Edition and/or the Collector's Edition.^[3]^[4]

Emotes

Common
Heroic (default)

Epic
Alert! Alert! ( 250) Chortle ( 250) Dizzy ( 250) Rest Mode^a ( 250) Robot ( 250) Boxing () Robo Boogie^a ()

Note:: ^a This emote, after activating, will remain in its animation until the player inputs other actions to interrupt it.

Victory Poses

Common
Heroic (default)

Rare
Birdwatching ( 75) Pop Up ( 75) Tank ( 75) Medal () R.I.P. () Firework () Toast ()

Voice Lines

Normal
▪ Beeple	( 25)
mimic bird chirping	( 25)
▪ Boo Boo Doo De Doo	( 25)
similar to the sound of fixing up	( 25)
▪ Bweeeeeeeeeee	( 25)
sound of machine shutting down	( 25)
▪ Chirr Chirr Chirr	( 25)
sound of cackling	( 25)
▪ Dah-Dah Weeeee!	( 25)
a cheerful fanfare	( 25)
▪ Doo-Woo	(default)
a generic joyful sound	(default)
▪ Dun Dun Boop Boop	( 25)
mimic a game death sound	( 25)
▪ Dweet Dweet Dweet!	( 25)
sound of alert or attention	( 25)
▪ Hee Hoo Hoo	( 25)
sing a verse of a song	( 25)
▪ Sh-Sh-Sh	( 25)
sound of a short snicker	( 25)
▪ Zwee?	( 25)
sound of uncertainty or query	( 25)
Event
Doo-Do-Do Dee!	()
	()
Whoo-Vweeeeee	()
a sudden realization followed up by a short giggle	()
▪ Oooooooooooo…	()
a ghost's haunting voice	()
▪ W-W-Wooooo...?	()
an anxious questioning sound	()
▪ Dwee Doo Hoo	()
humming the "Deck the Halls" melody	()
▪ Woop Doo Woo Dun Woop	()
humming a cheerful tune	()
▪ Dwee Wee Woh	()
sound of startling, alert	()
▪ Zwee-ah Wheee Doo Woo	()
sound similar to old-machine data processing	()
▪ Bew-Woo Bew-Woo	()
	()
▪ Doo Dun Dun Woo	()
snippet of the Overwatch default main menu theme	()

Sprays

For Bastion-specific sprays, see Bastion/Sprays.

Highlight Intros

Common

Epic

Weapons

One purchase of an alternate weapon skin will apply to the Recon Submachine gun and Sentry Gatling Gun of all unlocked skins when equipping it.

Default
Recon (default) Sentry (default)

Alternate
Golden Recon ( 3000) Golden Sentry ( 3000)

Achievements

Triple Threat

Kill 2 enemies in each of Bastion's Configurations without dying in quick or competitive play.
Reward: Pixel Spray

Charge!

Kill 4 enemies with a single use of Bastion's Configuration: Tank in quick or competitive play.
Reward: Cute Spray

Story

Lastbastionbot — Bastion in *The Last Bastion*.

Bastion was designed before the Omnic Crisis for peacekeeping; one of their designers is Torbjörn Lindholm.^[5] In the crisis, God Programs had taken over the omniums and started to mass-produce Bastion as the main force of the Omnic Rebel Army. One single Bastion unit SST Laboratories Siege Automaton E54 was created in an unnamed omnium and had been left in domain in the Black Forest near Eichenwalde for at least twenty years.^[1] It is assumed that the last objective of Bastion E54 was attacking the city of Stuttgart at some point during the Omnic Crisis. For a short time before its reactivation, its right shoulder was the location for Ganymede's nest.

Bastion later reactivated and had its first meeting with Ganymede. Although the program led it to its former objective, Bastion strayed away from the route to fulfill its curiosity about nature, following Ganymede around. After being alerted by the sound of a nearby woodpecker, mistaking it for the sound of machine gun fire, Bastion changed into Sentry mode as its combat programming took over and destroyed part of the forest, mowing down multiple trees and scaring its bird companion away. Dejected by the destruction it had caused, Bastion continued marching toward its objective dismally.^[6]

After exiting the forest, Bastion came across a fallen Bastion unit in a meadow and attempted to view the fallen unit's memory through means of optical data transfer, reviewing this data E54 was returned to a moment in time of an explosive battle between multiple omnics and human soldiers of the German Defense Force and the Crusader legion. After viewing the fallen's memory Bastion's face diode turns red and as it recalls its purpose, Bastion stands and charges its weapon preparing to continue the conflict towards the nearby city, its combat programming affirmed. Ganymede flew to the omnic again, offering the twig in its beak and stopping it in its tracks. After a moment of conflict between the past and the present, Bastion's combat program shut off (as seen with its diode turning from red to blue) as it willingly made the choice to return to its friend versus destruction it once wrought. Overjoyed by seeing its friend again, Ganymede and Bastion went back together to the forest.^[6]

Since then, Bastion had traveled across Germany and crossed the Baltic sea in order to arrive at Northern Sweden shortly after Christmas. After being discovered and frightening the locals, the townsfolk rallied to hunt down the potentially lethal omnic. Before any rash choices were made however, Torbjörn intervened, and offer to deal with it himself. Bastion was lured to Torbjörn's bait but it failed to attack multiple times, making Torbjörn notice that the unit behaved bizarrely. Upon realizing that Bastion was peaceful, Torbjörn protected Bastion from the police force and brought it with him.^[5]

Appearance

Bastion is designed to look like the other Bastions created during the Omnic Crisis. He has the number 54 on his left side and dirty paint due to old age. Ganymede the bird sits on his left shoulder. When Bastion is cautious or angry, his glowing blue line will turn red.

In Overwatch 2, Bastion’s design is more clean and detailed. He also sports a blue hat with a cog in the center.

Personality

While not much is known about Bastion's personality, it's clear that it displays consideration and curiosity towards the natural world and its creatures, as opposed to its fellow units which were determined to attack every human in sight during the Omnic Crisis. As an omnic, Bastion prefers non-populated areas due to people that may see it as a threat. Thoroughly, Bastion is shown to be a gentle and harmless robot that also possesses some fondness for Ganymede.

As tender as it may be, Bastion still retains its core combat programming that is capable of effectively turning it into a mindless killing machine from the former days. The programming will take over its processor and aim to eliminate any threat whenever Bastion comes in contact with anything relating to the Crisis, or hears any sounds that may indicate a threat nearby. However, it was later shown through Bastion's actions in Sweden that it won't easily go into an outburst from normal trigger anymore.

Merchandise

Tips

Do not ignore Bastion's Configuration: Recon. While it does not have as high a damage output as his sentry mode, it is still deadly when chasing down "squishy" targets. It is sometimes more useful to use Configuration: Recon in some situations rather than Configuration: Sentry.

Configuration: Sentry

Bastion's sentry configuration allows it to hold a single point for a long amount of time. Placement for this character is vital in order for it to be any use for the team.
- Although Configuration: Sentry can be very crowd controlling, it is not wise to stay in one place as a turret for too long. Bastion is very easy to spot in this form, and Genjis, Reapers, Widowmakers, and Hanzos can swiftly eliminate the threat. Staying too long in a point allows the enemy to predict Bastion's position and can try to counter it. Instead, it should get a couple of kills and then move to another position to keep the enemy guessing.
- For the maximum effect, placing yourself around corners where enemies will not suspect you is an effective strategy. For example, at the first spawn point for attackers on Dorado, there is a small alcove near the entrance where Bastion can surprise enemies exiting spawn.
- Planting yourself on a health pack and staying there can be effective, as Bastion will be continually healed, making it difficult for enemies to bypass it.
  - Having Sombra hack the health pack first can be very effective as well. This can only be done while Bastion is off the health pack though, perhaps to make the tactic more difficult.
Bastion and Torbjörn can work together to create a formidable defense by using Torbjörn's turrets and Bastion's Configuration: Sentry.
It is possible to enter Sentry mid-jump, which allows Bastion to keep momentum while in the air. This technique can be used from cover to surprise the enemy and reduce the time in which Bastion is exposed while entering Sentry configuration.
When in sentry mode, good synergies include being with Mercy, as Bastion can score kills with Mercy switching between damage and healing, and Mercy will gain many kill assists. Another useful hero to have at Bastion's side is Reinhardt or Orisa, as their barriers can absorb most of the damage from the front.
Bastion's Ironclad ability can be extremely helpful when engaged in a close fight, as the 20% damage reduction can be leave Bastion intact and the enemy eliminated.
Self-Heal, in addition to the Ironclad ability, gives Bastion a strong survival rate in Configuration: Sentry. He can easily outheal Moira's Coalessence and, if constantly using Self-Heal, can survive several normal Dragonblade swings from Genji.

Configuration: Tank

Bastion's tank configuration works best as a backup plan for when a player is getting pressured too much. The tank configuration effectively stops an enemy push if used correctly.
Bastion no longer gains a health boost while in Tank Configuration, meaning that Genji's Deflect is more effective than before. Be wary of Genji.
Tapping (not holding) the button assigned to Self-Repair right after firing, and then firing again, is a good way to maximize durability while still dealing damage. It takes practice to use effectively, however.
As Bastion's tank projectiles are significantly slower than his regular ammunition, leading targets is extremely important in order to land hits.
When Configuration: Tank is activated, the Ultimate meter is depleted entirely. Roadhog's hook can actually be used to cancel the transformation animation. If you use the Tank Configuration a split second before he hooks you, then you will be in Tank configuration when he pulls you to him.

Counters

On console platforms, faster heroes can circle-strafe Bastion faster than the player is able to aim with comfortable stick sensitivity. This means it can be possible to simply outgun Bastion, but this is extremely difficult on the PC where the mouse allows for much faster aiming.
The best position to confront Bastion in its Configuration: Sentry is from the rear; while in Configuration: Sentry, Bastion has a weak spot in the form of a glowing blue cube on its back. Successful hits here do double damage.
- The game will register these hits as headshots, despite the fact that the shot may not actually hit where the head visually is.
- In Configuration: Recon, the cube is inside Bastion's chest, which implies that it is a power core of some sort. In Configuration: Sentry, Bastion's core is ejected out of the back, which is its chest. This implies that enemies are shooting Bastion's power supply, which it would make sense for the game to count as headshots.
New players can find it difficult to deal with Bastion in Configuration: Sentry, as its damage is reasonably high and can be hard to combat. However, exploit the fact that Bastion in Configuration: Sentry is stationary:
- Ana's Sleep Dart makes for a great counter against Bastion, as it not only disables the turret mode, but also puts it out of the fight for a brief period of time.
  - In addition, Ana can also throw a Biotic Grenade on Bastion to temporarily disable its self-repair ability.
- Bastion won't be able to escape (without switching configuration) from D.Va's Self-Destruct or Tracer's Pulse Bomb.
- Genji's Deflect ability can give Bastion a nasty surprise, turning all of that massive damage right back at it, potentially killing Bastion in under one second. A good Bastion player can opt to stop firing, but Genji can use his right-click to spam shurikens and keep accuracy.
- Junkrat can launch bombs from behind cover to damage an entrenched Bastion.
- McCree's Flashbang works on Bastion in Configuration: Sentry.
- Mei's Ice Wall can obstruct Bastion's fire while her team passes by.
- Pharah can attack Bastion with splash damage from behind cover without exposing herself to its fire.
- Reaper can teleport from cover to cover to sneak up on Bastion to target its weak spot. This is not advised though, since you make lots of noise while teleporting, which might mean Bastion will detect you.
- Roadhog can hook Bastion and pull it out of Configuration: Sentry, forcing it into Configuration: Recon.
- Sombra can use her Translocator to teleport behind it and target the weak spot or use her
- Sigma's Accretion can knock Bastion out of Sentry mode. Also, depending on the horizontal distance, it will temporary paralyze him. Gravitic Flux can lift Bastion off the ground, even in Sentry mode.
- Thermoptic Camo to sneak behind to use Hack, stopping Bastion from going out of or into Configuration: Sentry, or Configuration: Tank. However, do not underestimate Bastion's Configuration: Recon, as his weapon can still be a hazard and his Self-Repair is still usable. (This is because Self-Repair is considered as an Alt-Fire and not an ability)
- Symmetra can use a fully charged photon projector orb, forcing Bastion to move or face heavy damage. Additionally, she can drastically slow Bastion's rotation down by attaching turrets to the ground and around him, and allowing her to outgun him.
- Widowmaker and Hanzo can outrange Bastion. Hanzo's Dragonstrike can also be effective.
- Zenyatta's long range Orb of Destruction and Orb of Discord can also be effective in taking Bastion out.
- Reinhardt can absorb damage while allowing teammates, or a friendly Bastion to take out the enemy.
- Mei can build her Ice Wall, so that a lot of damage is absorbed. Then she can flank the Bastion, freeze him, and with about 3 headshots, can finish him off.

Trivia

The game refers to Bastion as an "it", with no statement of gender. Lead writer Michael Chu has stated that Bastion does not have a gender.^[7] On one occasion however, when discussing changes being made to Bastion, principal designer Geoff Goodman referred to Bastion as a male,^[8] on another occasion Overwatch Project Director Ben Dai also referred to Bastion as a male.^[9]
According to Jeff Kaplan, Bastion went through multiple Ultimate abilities before the development team settled on Configuration: Tank. The choices the team went through included grenades, a remote mine, the ability to shoot through walls, and an artillery volley.^[10] They were changed either due to balance difficulties or due to not fitting the character.
- Remote Mine could drive like an RC car before burrowing into the ground and doing damage to nearby enemies.^[11] It may have been the inspiration for Junkrat's RIP-Tire.
If crouching and standing up, Bastion will start to hum a tune over and over again until it stops crouching and standing up.
Bastion has the most Epic skins of any hero, with a total of 6.
Bastion is one of 2 heroes with more than one skin available from an external source.
Bastion has the highest HP of all non-Tank heroes, and is one of three non-Tank heroes with innate armor, along with Brigitte and Torbjorn.
Bastion is currently the only hero in Overwatch who does not talk. Instead, Bastion uses robot noises and beeps. When activating its Ultimate, it makes a distinct series of servo noises, ending with a high-low-high sequence (similar to the "charge" sports fanfare).
- Bastion's robot noises and beeps are provided by Chris Metzen, who ran through several software plugins and voice modulations.^[12]
In the Summer Games, Bastion's signature sport is boxing.
- Bastion's Summer Games emote may be a reference to the toy and game Rock Em' Sock Em' Robots.
The word "Bastion" means, a fortified area or position, something considered a stronghold. When Bastion is in Sentry Configuration, it's hard to get past it.
Bastion is the only hero with a lore blurb attached to a victory pose (R.I.P.)

Other Blizzard games

Bastion appears in a player portrait of StarCraft II.

Cultural references

Laputa castle in the sky aged robot — Aged robot from *Castle in the Sky*.

The story of Bastion, especially in the short The Last Bastion reflects the first half of the movie The Iron Giant. Bastion's personality and characteristics also resemble the Iron Giant's - Ganymede is the counterpart of Hogarth Hughes, who is the Iron Giant's companion, mentor, and guide.
- Bastion also has a spray named "Giant", and it imitates and references the movie's poster. His "Rest Mode" emote also directly imitates the way that the giant sits down in the movie.
Bastion's Overgrown skin may be a reference to the robots from Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky. It could also be a reference to its lore, as it was left to rot in the wilderness for several years.
- Bastion, as seen in The Last Bastion, has an appearance similar to the Overgrown skin, though there are some differences. For example, the bird nest on Bastion's body is on the other shoulder.
Bastion's configurations are perhaps a reference to the way robots are able to transform into vehicles, weapons, or other machines in the Transformers franchise.

Patch changes

For changes made to Bastion's abilities, see Configuration: Recon, Configuration: Sentry, Reconfigure, Self-Repair, Ironclad, and Configuration: Tank.

February 28, 2017 Patch: New passive: Ironclad
August 2, 2016 Patch: Fixed a bug where the Origins Edition skins would not count towards unlock progress of the "Decked Out" Achievement.
July 19, 2016 Patch: Ultimate cost increased by 10%. Self-healing abilities now charge ultimate abilities.
April 6, 2016 (beta) Patch: Several new sprays have been added for Bastion.
April 5, 2016 (beta) Patch: Added "Gearbot" Bastion Legendary skin. Origins Edition skins can now be equipped.
March 8, 2016 (beta) Patch: Added "Steambot" and "Woodbot" Bastion Legendary skins.
February 9, 2016 (beta) Patch: Base health increased by 50 armor.

References

Bastion Navigation
General	Main • Quotes • Gallery • Skins and Weapons • Sprays
Abilities	Configuration: Recon • Configuration: Sentry • Reconfigure • Self-Repair • Ironclad • Configuration: Tank
Lore	Organizations	Omnics • SST Laboratories
	Character relationships	Ganymede • Torbjörn
	Locations	Eichenwalde • Black Forest
	Others	Omnic Crisis • Bastion Units
Media	Animated Shorts	The Last Bastion
Media	Comic Shorts	Binary

Heroes in Overwatch
Tank	D.Va Orisa Reinhardt Roadhog Sigma Winston Wrecking Ball Zarya
Damage	Ashe Bastion Doomfist Echo Genji Hanzo Junkrat McCree Mei Pharah Reaper Soldier: 76 Sombra Symmetra Torbjörn Tracer Widowmaker
Support	Ana Baptiste Brigitte Lúcio Mercy Moira Zenyatta

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Overgrown skin's lore information

[2] BlizzCon® 2016 Virtual Ticket - BlizzCon - Battle.net Shop

[3] Overwatch™ Ready for Action Spring 2016 — Pre-Purchase Now for Console and PC

[4] Overwatch: Origins Edition | Digital Bonuses Preview

[:2-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Binary

[:1-6] 6.0 ^6.1 The Last Bastion

[7] Michael Chu addresses Bastion's gender

[8] Geoff on Bastion updates being worked on

[9] The Last Bastion release; at 10:40

[10] Bastion's Ultimate abilities

[11] Overwatch: Bastion - Remote Mine (Ability Preview)

[12] Overwatch Visual Source Book

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]