Overwatch Character Guide: Torbjörn Zenyatta Widowmaker

Speaking of positioning, Widowmaker's two core abilities allow her to either get to a new position quickly, or protect the one she's currently holding down. The first of these abilities, her Grappling Hook, can be aimed using the reticle, and will quickly propel her towards the surface it's fired at. Not only is this awesome for quickly reaching positions above the playing field, but it also works wonders when you're looking to get out of a jam. Widowmaker's second ability, the Venom Mine can be fired with an arc, and deals damage over time when triggered. This toxic gas mine isn't just great for crowd control, though. If you've ever played a military shooter that allowed you to place claymores behind you while you snipe, you'll be happy to know that the Venom Mine can have a similar effect. Finally, her ultimate, Infra-Sight, allows your entire team to track the positions of all enemies in real-time, instantly countering any flankers and generally setting you up for success.

There are certain characters in Overwatch that lose their effectiveness when solely used for killing, and Reinhardt is firmly in this camp. If you've spent any time watching or playing overwatch 2 stadium builds, you'll recognize this massive sheild and hammer wieldimg knight from a mile away. Reinhardt is one of the lucky few characters that has two distinct weapons, one offensive and one defensive. His Rocket Hammer does massive amounts of damage to anyone who falls inside of a given swing, though it should be noted that these swings are exceptionally slow in the grand scheme of things. In addition to the Rocket Hammer, Reinhardt also utilizes the Barrier Field, his iconic light shield that can reflect up to 2000 hitpoints before retracting. Not only does this shield automatically retract when it runs out of HP, but it also recharges when it's not in use and Reinhardt is much slower when using it. For these reasons, it's best to save up your shield for when you're right on top of a payload as a member of the attacking team, as this is where the Barrier Field is easily the most effective.

The game also does its best to highlight the contributions of all players, regardless of playstyle. In-game kills, captures, ‘blocks’ and defends are handed out quite liberally, and your contribution to taking out an enemy (for example) is rewarded with points and an on-screen message, regardless of whether you landed 1 point of damage or 100. A single ‘play of the game’ is shown off at the end of a game, and these highlights often include players in support roles, who didn’t contribute offensively. An MVP system between matches also allows players to cast their vote for an MVP, rewarding a player based on conditions such as kills, captures and damage dealt, along with more defensive plays like ‘most healing’ or time spent freezing enemies. It’s an excellent addition that de-emphasizes the importance of pure offensive play, and it helps (in addition to the other aforementioned design choices) to cultivate a sense of team play, rather than a lone wolf approach to victory.

Hanzo's weapon, the Storm Bow, has a damage output that increases based on the amount of tension on its string, which can be controlled by holding down the fire button. Quick shots, while weak, are certainly great for short range encounters, though it should be noted that effective Hanzo players are going to want to stay behind allies who shoot a bit more rapidly. Where this sniper becomes absolutely fatal is through his fully charged shots, which can take massive chunks off of the health bars of every enemy they come in contact with. However, this power comes at a price, as Hanzo's shots have an arc to them, so long range shots must be aimed above their targets in order to make contact.

The traditional sniper hero of the bunch, Widowmaker is a particularly lethal character for those with solid keyboard and mouse skill, or those who are particularly great at sniping with a controller. However, if you don't consider yourself to be particularly precise with your aim, then it's best for everyone involved if you don't weight down your team with a desire to get the greatest headshot of all time. Her weapon, the Widow's Kiss, has two distinct firing modes that make her one of the highest damage dealers of the entire roster, assuming that you play her correctly. If you fire without aiming down sights, it functions as a close-to-medium range automatic assault rifle, though this should only be used to get yourself out of a jam, as it is nowhere near as powerful as its standard firing mode: the long-range sniper rifle. The longer that one aims down sights, the more powerful the shot will be (up until it fully charges to 100%), so if you're looking to get your quickscope on, you're playing the wrong game. Headshots are absolutely lethal, so take your time, line up your shots and ensure that you're fully charged, as spamming only functions to give away your position.

Winston's second ability, Barrier Projector, creates a bubble shield that absorbs a small amount of damage before cracking and breaking. This is best used as a way to temporarily slow down or distract enemies, rather than as a pure defensive ability like, say, Reinhardt's shield. Finally, Winston's ultimate, Primal Rage, not only fills his health bar up to 1000 hitpoints, but it allows him to punch enemies for massive damage and use his jump pack every three seconds. Simply put, Winston should be used as a distraction whenever possible, and then as a tool of destruction once his ultimate meter is totally full.