Overwatch Character Guide: Pharah, Symmetra, Mei

In addition to the Concussion Mine, Junkrat’s Steel Trap is effective when used strategically. By placing a large bear trap on the ground, Junkrat has the ability to lock any foe who walks over it in place for a set amount of time. Not only does this make it super simple to eliminate players with the Frag Launcher, but it also is going to enable other players to get easy eliminations as well. Finally, Junkrat has one of the most devastating ultimates out of the entire roster, as his Rip-Tire can be steered into groups of enemies before it’s remotely detonated. Needless to say, the keys to the Rip-Tire are pretty simple: guide it into a group of enemies (often on the objective) and ensure that Junkrat is hidden while he’s controlling it.

With Overwatch, the charming hero shooter from Blizzard, launching this week, we want to make sure that you’re as prepared as possible to help your team dominate. Overwatch’s main focus is clearly on the interplay between its dynamic characters, so in order to become competent, you’ll need to understand how every character works. Throughout the week, we’ll be publishing guides on each of the twenty-one launch heroes, three at a time, with the hopes that you’ll be able to recognize certain patterns on the battlefield.

Well our goal is to have all of the heroes viable, especially in the competitive scene; we want to see each of them played. I think that when this happens, the matches obviously get more dynamic, but you also feel as though there are more available counters for you to pick from at any moment. That’s our value, and we’re working towards that.

Overwatch is one of the year’s most-hyped games, and not just because of promising first impressions and its impressive pedigree. Since the game’s reveal in 2014, Blizzard has periodically released trailers , comics , and video shorts that give glimpses into a world torn apart by a cataclysmic war, a new civil rights movement, and clashes between governments, corporate interests, and militias. The story of Overwatch’s creation as a peacekeeping force, its fall from grace, and newfound resurgence in a world that needs it more than ever is far more in-depth than one would expect from a multiplayer shooter. The video shorts produced thus far are Pixar-level quality, and are good watching even for non-gam

If you’re looking to dig your teeth into a Support Hero Powers with an exceptionally high variance between high and low-level play, then look no farther than Mei. If you were to take a poll of everyone’s favorite and least favorite characters, assuming that you’re speaking to players who have sampled each of them, then it’s likely you’ll find equal amounts of Mei-haters and Mei-lovers. Her main weapon, the Endothermic Blaster, has two distinct firing modes that can take out even the strongest enemies when used in combination. By clicking the left-mouse button (or pulling the right trigger), she can continuously fire a stream of frost, which will both do damage to enemies and eventually freeze them in their tracks. Its secondary firing mode charges up a massive icicle, which does an insane amount of damage upon contact. Needless to say, the Endothermic Blaster has the potential to be ruthless against long-range foes while also making it relatively easy to deal with faster characters like Tracer and Genji.

If there’s one constant in video games, it’s that rocket launchers are always cool, period. Pharah, Overwatch’s resident flying explosive expert, is no exception to this rule, as she has the potential to devastate an entire enemy squad when used properly. Her main weapon, the aforementioned Rocket Launcher, is not only incredibly powerful when it makes direct contact with an enemy, but it also possesses fairly large splash damage, so you don’t necessarily need to worry about hitting foes directly. This is a wonderful weapon for taking out enemies that thrive on camping, like Bastion, Hanzo and Widowmaker. In addition to the Rocket Launcher, Pharah also possesses a jet pack mapped to her jump button. Not only does this allow her to reach higher ground for sneaky firing tactics, but it also allows her to hover in mid-air for a limited time when used properly, making all of her abilities all the more surprising.

Roadhog boasts one of the most effective ability combinations of any of Overwatch’s heroes. His Chain Hook allows him to pull in any hero to point blank range, meaning that it’s pretty much a guaranteed kill for those who nail the timing and accuracy of this maneuver. The most effective Roadhog players will ensure that healers and frustrating characters like Tracer are the main priorities at the start of any given battle, as this will ensure that the opposing team is always at a disadvantage. In addition, Roadhog’s second main skill, Take a Breather, allows him to heal a great portion of his own health, allowing him to stay on the front line of battle for far longer than pretty much every other hero outside of Reinhardt. Finally, Roadhog’s ultimate is absolutely devastating, though it is equally difficult to control. His Whole Hog skill gives him the ability to transform his Scrap Gun into a massive automatic gatling gun, though the sheer amount of recoil makes this a far better option for close and medium range than long distance engagements. The recommendation here is to use Take a Breather to heal up to 600 hitpoints and then dive right onto the objective before activating Whole Hog.