The new season forOverwatchis underway, and with the addition of role queue, it’s a great time for new players to dive in and give the game a shot. For those looking to step up their game, the difference between beginner and pro is more than knowing what the buttons do and following these tips can help any gamer playOverwatchlike a pro.
More than specific tips for a particular hero, what will benefit any player the most is mentality. Having the right mentality will do wonders for gameplay and efficiency, and these tips can be utilized with any hero currently on theOverwatchtier listor that will be released.
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The first tip is so simple, but it makes one of the largest differences between being a goodOverwatchplayer and a pro: stop dying. If the player is dead, they can’t fulfill their role. It’s an easy shift in mentality (outlined below), but if the player doesn’t die, they’re in the match longer. They’re able to shoot more, support their team, and increase pressure on the opposing team.
Small things like paying attention to the environment, the enemy, and fellow teammates go a long way. If playing tank and the rest of the team has died, there’s no need to stay and die. Fall back, wait for the team to respawn, and make a unified press forward. If a player knows the enemy is running a fast high DPS hero, don’t be the support hanging way in the back where no one can help, and wait to get taken out.
To that end,Overwatchplayers should stop bunny hopping. This is a obvious hold over from other games, and it is doing players zero favors here. Watch anyTwitch streamer get play of the gameand see none of them bunny-hop. Intuitively, jumping to avoid being hit may seem like a good idea, and it might work in the very beginning against people who have never played an FPS before. Yet, if a player is trying to climb the ranks like a pro and are jumping around, it’s just going to get them killed that much faster. Strafe instead. The hero will take less damage and be less predictable and thus harder to hit.
Another big mistake new players make is just not playing the role of their champ. Too often new players come from other games where kills mean more than being the best at their role. Not true withOverwatch. Win rate will be tied to everyone performing their role. Learn what that hero’s utility is to the team to be most valuable.
For example, seen time and again aretanks all make the mistake of abandoning theirOverwatchteamand diving into the thick of the enemy without backup. Then they die, and if they’re dead, they’re not protecting the rest of the team.
The same goes for the mistakes DPS heroes make. For example, a Hanzo or Genji, shouldn’t stand on the ground in the open directly in front of the tanks. Go to high ground and shoot from a safe position. If playing support, it’s a huge mistake to go for kills unless every member of the team is nowhere near danger or dying. Stay back, support the tanks and DPS heroes, and focus on keeping everyone alive and setting them up for great plays. Being a good support means being a team player and letting theDPS get the kills inOverwatchas long as they’re not making mistakes.
In the interest of getting those kills, the next tip is about melee. Many new players don’t use melee at all, or rarely. Bind it to an easily accessible key because it has a ton of functionality outside of just damage, though it helps there too, and players need to use it a lot. If a player has an enemy almost dead but need to reload to finish them off, more often than not a solid melee strike will do the job without wasting time.Well-practiced Roadhog players will combo their chain grabwith a blast from their gun immediately followed up by a melee strike.
On the utility end of it, most abilities that have cast time can be canceled by using melee. So players who intend to use an ability but miss the opportunity because the enemy rounded a corner or the timing was off, throwing out a melee strike will cancel it and not waste the cooldown. This can be particularly handy with a combo-heavy hero likeDoomfist, who was signficantly nerfed recently.
Players also need to help the healers help them. Too often new players assume the healers will chase them around, no matter where they go, and Mercy will keep them alive through anything. Not so. Healers are heroes just like anyone else, and thoughMercy may be the best healer inOverwatch, she can’t heal a player if she can’t see them.
Players who make sure they’re within line of sight of the support are far more likely to get healed and stay in the fight.Letting the healers do their jobalso means they get their ult sooner, so if low on health, don’t go for the healthpack if someone nearby can do it. Though it may not seem like a lot, the heal from the health pack could instead help fill an ult. While one may not be so bad, over the course of a match it can really build up.
The last tip takes some practice and understanding of what powers the heroes have and what synergizes well together, but it can make all the difference in a match. Wait to hold the ult for a better use instead of just firing it off when it’s ready. Some heroes can use their ult frequently and without issue, but if a player has a teammate who could combo their ult along with the player’s, it can wipe an entire enemy team. One of the best combos for this is Zarya’s ult that pulls everyone in an area to a single point. If Hanzo fires his ult into the heart of it, it’ll kill everyone and usually lead to an easy victory!
In the end, the best tip anyone can give is practice. Pickone of the easiestOverwatchheroes for beginnersfor each role and stick with it. Time and dedication is the best teacher, and action is the difference between knowing and doing.
Overwatchis currently available for PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.
