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Overwatch Strategy Guide
Nov 23, 2017 Ultimate abilities are powerful abilities only available to a hero once their Ultimate Meter has filled. Progress towards an Ultimate persists through death. The Ultimate Meter fills by dealing. Venom Mine does a surprising amount of damage, as does Widowmaker's submachine gun. While most skilled flankers will be able to kill you if they get that close to you, you can sometimes do enough damage to drive them away, especially if you aren't caught off-guard by them.
Tracer has unique abilities that allows her to control the speed of her own passage through time, she is able to zip and blink around the battlefield so fast that it's hard to tell sometimes where she came from and where she is going, really confusing her enemies. Because of her fast unpredicted movement ability, she is the best harassing and flanking hero in the game. She can easily get behind enemy lines and defenses (such as Bastions and Widowmakers) to harass the enemy and then blink away and do some more damage. Tracer is the hardest hero in the game to hit, but she does have very little hitpoints (only 150). Tracer's ultimate (Pulse Bomb) is very powerful when pulled off in conjunction with her blink and recall abilities, allowing her to drop a deadly bomb in very well guarded areas, and then escape unharmed.
Name: Lena Oxton
Difficulty: Medium
Role: Offense
Age: 26
Occupation: Adventurer
Base of Operation: London, England
Release Date: 10-27-2015
Difficulty: Medium
Role: Offense
Age: 26
Occupation: Adventurer
Base of Operation: London, England
Release Date: 10-27-2015
Base Hitpoints: 150
TracerIn This Guide: Pulse Pistols Blink Recall ULTIMATE: Pulse Bomb Counters: Strong Against Weak Against Neutral With Members: Allied Synergies |
Main attacking weapon Tracer rapid-fires both of her pistols. Ammo: 40Damage: 3 - 12 per hit (1 shot is two bullets) - (fall-off distance damage) Fire Rate: 40 rps Reload: 1 second Headshot?:YES Default Hotkey: LM |
Tracer's Pulse Pistols is not the most powerful weapon in the game, but it does do an ample amount of damage. It's important to know that it takes only about 1 second for her to fully unload her pistols before it needs reloading, and she can reload in about 1 second. And remember it takes 3 seconds for a blink to recharge for use. This gives Tracer the ability to always be firing her gun twice before another blink is ready for use. With this in mind, it is vital for her to keep her pistols reloaded before blinking into battle, so she can be attacking and then escaping nonstop with minimal reloading.
Ability with cooldown Tracer zips horizontally through space in the direction she's moving, and reappears several yards away. She stores up to three charges of the blink ability and generates more every few seconds. Charges: 3 totalCooldown: 3 seconds per charge Default Hotkey: Shift |
Blink is Tracer's main way of moving around the battlefield quickly. There are a lot of uses for Blink and each map has certain strategies for how to use blink correctly for flanking, ambushing, and harassing purposes. I will cover all of these strategies later on, but it's important to know the mechanics of Blink first.
Blink allows Tracer to zip forward (about 15 feet or so) almost instantly but not quite, as there is actually a small amount of time she goes through while blinking, thus giving her enemy a small timeframe of hitting her while blinking. Tracer can hold up to 3 charges of blink, and she can replenish one every three seconds. Tracer can also quickly use up all 3 blinks at once for a very fast and long distance blink. You can see your 3 blink charges underneath your crosshair.
Blink can be used in conjunction with all your movement keys. For example, if you press left-strafe and Blink at the same time, Tracer will Blink to the left while still facing forward. If you press backwards key and Blink, Tracer will blink backwards, etc. Tracer can also use Blink to move across vertical gaps, such as blinking from one high area to another high area bypassing a pit. Blink does not work exactly like Genji's Swift Strike, where if Genji looks up, he will Swift Strike in an upwards direction. Instead Tracer only blinks in horizontal levels. The mechanics will all become very clear once you actually start playing her and using Blink more.
Tracer's Blink ability enables her to be the fastest overall hero of getting back to the fight after dying, as she can traverse large areas of a map the fastest. She outperforms Soldier 76's Sprint and Lucio's speed aura (with Amp It Up) in this area.
Tracer can also reload her Pulse Pistols or fire while blinking. While playing, the general thing to do is to Blink around enemies, then unload a clip, then Blink away while reloading at the same time. If you are Blinking right up to an enemy you can fire while Blinking at the same time easily.
Interesting uses for Blink
- Tracer can Blink past a Reinhardt Charging at her.
- Tracer can Blink past Widowmaker's Venom Mine, or Junkrat's Steel Trap and Concussive Mine unharmed.
- Tracer can use two Blinks to get out of Zarya's Graviton Surge.
Ability with cooldown Tracer bounds backward in time, returning her health, ammo and position on the map to precisely where they were three seconds before. Cooldown: 12 secondsDuration: 1.25 seconds Default Hotkey: E |
Currently when using Tracer's Recall, she will go back in time by 3 seconds, returning her to the state she was in 3 seconds ago, and this includes her health, ammo, and position on the map. Recall will not regain any lost armor (from Torbjorn armor packs), or shields (from Symmetra's Photon Shields).
There are a number of uses for Recall and they are:
- To escape out of deadly situations. If you see a fight is not going your way and you have a good chance of dying quickly, just use Recall.
- To escape from enemy ultimates. If you see yourself in the midst of an enemy ultimate and you know that 3 seconds ago you were in a safer spot, then just Recall back to it.
- To refill your health. If you just took a lot of damage, simply use recall to refill your life.
- Used for flanking well guarded areas. Blink around your enemy real quickly, do some damage, then use Recall to retreat back to safety.
- Recall can be used as a way to scout things ahead real quickly. First use all your Blinks to get where you want to go to scout the area out, then Recall back to safety.
- Using Recall removes Zenyatta's Orb of discord, which is huge.
- Used in conjunction with her ultimate ability (Pulse Bomb), more info below.
ULTIMATE | Ultimate Ability Tracer lobs a large bomb that adheres to any surface or unfortunate opponent it lands on. After a brief delay, the bomb explodes, dealing high damage to all enemies within its blast radius. Cast Time: 1 secondDefault Hotkey: Q Damage: 400 on contact, and also splash radius damage. There is also self-damage as well. NOTE: There is also an additional 5 damage instantly if Tracer sticks the bomb on a target. This initial stick can do a critical hit (headshot for 10 instead of 5) Headshot?: no (When Tracer sticks a Pulse Bomb on an enemy it will do an immediate 5 damage (before the explosion). This initial 'stick' can do critical damage of 10 instead of 5 if stuck to the head area. The actual explosion cannot crit.) |
Tracer's ultimate Pulse Bomb is very deadly, and it's one of the harder ultimates to avoid in the game. Tracer can throw a Pulse Bomb about 7 feet in front of her and will explode in about 2 seconds. Pulse Bombs are blocked by shields such as Reinhardt's shield or Winston's Barrier Projector. If the Pulse Bomb lands on a target, the bomb will stick to it, and there is not much the enemy can do about it to get rid of it. If stuck to an enemy, most will die instantly to it, only high hitpoint tanks can survive it, or heroes with certain abilities will be able to avoid it, such as the following:
NOTE: A 'Drop the Beat' from Lucio, or a Particle Barrier shield from Zarya can save all heroes in the game from Tracer's Pulse Bomb (so keep this in mind).
How Much Dmg Does Tracer's Ultimate Do It Work
- Mei can use Cryo-Freeze to save her (even from stuck bombs).
- Roadhog has enough hitpoints to survive a Pulse Bomb explosion.
- Lucio can use his ultimate (Sound Barrier) to prevent his death along with any other teammates in the area, but he has to use it within a split second after Tracer throws her Pulse bomb.
- D.va can use her ultimate Self-Destruct real quick to propel herself away from the pulse bomb stuck to her mech, but even then she still has a chance to die to the blast radius.
- Zarya can use her Particle Barrier to save herself from the bomb. She can also use her Projected Barrier on an ally to save them as well. Stuck bombs blocked by a Particle Barrier will also give Zarya +50 power to her Particle Cannon.
- Tracer - Tracer can use Recall to unstick a bomb, but Blinks do NOT work for unsticking bombs.
- Reaper can save himself with Wraith Form.
- Winston - His Jump Pack does NOT unstick a bomb. However at full health, he can take a full hit from a Pulse Bomb and live it. Winston can also activate Primal Rage to give him a 1000 HP to survive a Pulse Bomb.
- Reinhardt - He has enough HP to withstand a full Pulse Bomb hit, but he CANNOT use Charge to unstick a bomb. Reinhardt's shield will block Pulse Bombs though.
- Torbjorn - Torbjorn can survive using Molten Core, but he has to use it fast enough for it to work.
- Zenyatta can use his ultimate (Transcendence) to save him. However, a Transcendence may not be enough to save his allies from the explosion, since a Pulse Bomb does 400 damage on contact.
These heroes will die to a stuck Pulse Bombs:
- Genji - Swift Strike will NOT remove a stuck bomb. But Deflect does work at repelling Pulse Bombs away.
- Pharah - She will die. Jump Packs will NOT save her from a stuck bomb.
- Widowmaker - She will die. Grappling Hooking somewhere does NOT unstick a bomb.
- McCree - McCree will die, even his Combat Roll does NOT work to unstick a bomb.
- Junkrat will die.
- Bastion will die.
- Hanzo will die.
- Mercy will die.
- Soldier 76 will die.
- Symmetra will die.
Strategies for Pulse Bomb
A powerful combo Tracer can do is to blink into a heavily guarded area, lob a Pulse Bomb, then Recall back to safety. This is especially useful in places such as:- Behind the Payload.
- Right behind Reinhardt's Shield.
- To kill a Bastion Sentry.
- To kill Torbjorn's turret. Keep in mind it will not fully kill a level 3 turret.
- To kill a hidden Mercy.
- To go inside of Winston's Barrier Shield real quick to take out Winston or his teammates inside the shield.
- An allied Zarya can use her ultimate (Graviton Surge) to clump up all the enemies together, then Tracer can go in real quick to lob the Pulse Bomb and then Recall. This is a very powerful strategy.
Tracer's Strength and Weaknesses Vs Other Heroes
Ana: Due to Ana's poor mobility, she tends to be weak against offensive flankers like Tracer. Tracer's fast Blinks and small hitbox will make it very difficult for Ana to land Biotic Rifle shots at her along with Sleep Darts as well. This makes Tracer one of the best flankers against Ana. Even if Ana does land a Sleep Dart on Tracer, it will allow all of Tracer's Blinks and Recall to replenish while sleeping which will allow her to escape or reposition somewhere else very fast once she awakens.
Ana's best bet against Tracer is to throw a well aimed Biotic Grenade at Tracer to do some damage, as the splash radius will make it easier to land a shot at her. Ana should try to stick with her allies more so they have her back. Ana can Nano Boost an ally near her to help scare Tracer away from her.
Ana's poor mobility makes her very susceptible to Tracer's Pulse Bomb, and there is not much Ana will be able to do about that.
Bastion: Bastion's biggest counters are the offensive heroes, especially the ones that are able to move around the map quickly and unnoticed. Tracer excels in this area very well, she can Blink around very fast to get around Bastion to flank him. Her abilities allow her to zip right to a Bastion and throw a Pulse Bomb, and then Recall out of there to save her. Very powerful and there isn't a whole lot Bastion can do about it.
Remember that hitting a Bastion Sentry in the rear will do double the damage to him. Running right past Bastion can really confuse him on which way to turn to fire at you, this can give you an easy time to take him out with your Pulse Pistols.
Mercy: With Tracer's ability to get virtually anywhere on a map (even in deadly situations), comes in handy especially for killing Mercys. A Lot of times Mercy is hiding behind walls or pillars to avoid enemy fire, but Tracer is able to zip around these areas to kill Mercy very effectively. Like Bastions, Pulse bombs are recommended if Mercy is heavily guarded and you need to get in and out real quickly. Mercy has no counters for a stuck Pulse Bomb.
Widowmaker: Fast moving targets are very annoying for Widowmaker, thus Tracers are very hard to hit for her, even in long ranges. Like Bastions and Mercy, Widowmaker is another prime target for Tracer to take out. Strategies are similar to Bastion and Mercy, except Widowmaker can put down what I call flanker traps (Venom Mine), which can be devastating to Tracers. Venom Mines can stick to walls or ceilings and do poison damage over time and knock out 75 HP from you if Recall is not used fast enough once triggered. Widowmakers tend to put these mines in choke points leading up to her sniping spot, so watch out for her Venom Mines when getting closer to her. Keep in mind that Tracer can Blink past a Venom Mine unharmed.
Even though Widowmaker has no counters to remove a stuck Pulse Bomb, Tracer can usually just kill her with Pulse Pistol damage.
How Does Tracer Wire Work
Torbjorn: Many heroes can damage Torbjorn's turret from long distances, but in a lot of instances Torbjorn is behind the turret in a safe spot repairing it, making it incredibly difficult to get around there to stop him. Luckily Tracer is one of the few heroes that has the ability to get around safely via blinking and take Torbjorn out and maybe his turret too. It's usually only advisable to do so only when combined with a Pulse Bomb, because it doesn't take long for a turret to take out Tracer.
Keep in mind if Torbjorn has a level 3 turret, it will take more than a Pulse bomb to kill it. Pulse Bombs only do 400 damage. A level 1 turret has 150 HP, level 2 has 300 HP, and level 3 has 800 HP. So if it's a level 3 turret you will also need to deal some damage with your Pulse Rifle in order to take it out. Because of this, I find it's more advisable to use your Pulse Bomb on Torbjorn himself and deal with the turret later once it reverts back to level 2 once his Molten Core runs out.
Reinhardt: Tracer is one of Reinhardt's worst nightmares, and this is thanks to her powerful blink, pulse bomb, and recall combo. Reinhardt's shield is very beefy and takes a lot of fire power to take down, and even then the shield recharges fast when not in use. One needs to get to the source of the problem. Tracer is able to deal with the source via Pulse Bombing Reinhardt himself, which can result in a kill for Tracer. However, Pulse Bombs do 400 damage so it may not be enough to take out a Reinhardt at full HP (of 500).
Since Tracer moves around so fast, there is not a whole lot Reinhardt can do about this. When doing this strategy it's usually best to actually make sure you use Recall or blink quickly because staying next to Reinhardt for too long can be devastating to Tracer as he can use his Rocket Hammer or Earthshatter, followed by a Charge to take her out. Also, Reinhardt's shield will block Pulse Bombs from hurting him and his team behind the shield.
Tracer can actually Blink past a Charging Reinhardt, to prevent getting pinned by his Charge.
Genji: Since Tracer moves around so fast, it is very difficult for Genji to land his shurikens or Swift Strikes at her. The Pulse Bomb / Recall combo can be deadly to Genji. Normally he can Swift Strike away from a Pulse Bomb, but if Tracer is able to throw the bomb on Genji so it sticks, there is nothing Genji can do to escape it. Genji can use Deflect on Pulse Bombs to repel them away from him.
If Genji uses his ultimate Dragonblade, Tracer can avoid it by simply blinking away from it.
Zenyatta: Zenyatta can be very deadly in 1on1 situations thanks to his Discord Orb and Orb of Destruction weapon, which uses fast flying projectiles that are actually pretty powerful, but Tracer is the hardest hero to hit with his orbs. Tracer can use Recall to remove Zenyatta's Discord Orb, and this is why I have her listed as stronger than Zenyatta. Tracer can also use Blinks to quickly get behind a wall to remove the Discord Orb. So always remember this!
Zenyatta can save himself from Tracer's Pulse Bomb with his ultimate Transcendence, but it won't necessarily save his teammates from a Pulse Bomb, since it does 400 damage on contact.
Hanzo: Tracer is a tough fight for Hanzo, as it is incredibly difficult for Hanzo to hit fast & small moving objects with his Storm Bow. One would need to be really good with Hanzo (lots and lots of practice) to get better at shooting down Tracers.
Hanzo can shoot a Sonic Arrow on Tracer and it will follow her, allowing Hanzo's team to see exactly where she is at. ButTracer can dispel the Sonic arrow from her by using Recall. The dispelled Sonic Arrow will drop to the ground and continue to provide infra vision for Hanzo's team for its remaining duration.
Tracer can easily avoid Hanzo's ultimate (Dragonstrike) by blinking away from it, but Hanzo will most likely die to Tracer's Pulse Bomb, as there is not much Hanzo can do about it. However, I predict when it comes down to high level of play, this will become more of an even fight between the two.
Mei: Mei can be tough to deal with as Tracer. Mei's Icewall can trap a Tracer close to Mei, making it harder for Tracer to use blink to escape, this allows Mei to then freeze Tracer with her freeze gun. Tracer would need to use Recall in this situation in order to easily escape that. If you managed to get some damage off on Mei, that wont matter a whole lot since Mei can just freeze herself to regain her health back.
In close to mid range Mei can one shot Tracer to death with one Icicle shot to the head unless Tracer has either an armor pack on, Photon shield, or Sound Barrier.
The Pulse Bomb / Recall combo is not very effective on Mei, since she can just use Cryo-Freeze real quick to save her. On the bright side, if Mei uses her ultimate (Blizzard), Tracer can just blink away from it to avoid it. You can also Blink away while Mei has her freeze gun on you to quickly escape out of it.
Soldier 76: Soldier 76 is a good overall counter for Tracer. His Pulse Rifle works well in all ranges, and if Tracer gets too close to Solder 76, he can potentially shoot a Helix Rocket at her. As Tracer, if you get too close to Soldier 76, keep jumping, that will help you avoid further damage from Helix Rockets since most will be fired at the ground near Tracer. A lot of times it can be hard to kill a Soldier 76, since he can just heal himself after taking some damage from Tracer. The Pulse Bomb and Recall combo is really the best way to deal with a Soldier 76, as there is not much he can do about it.
Junkrat: Fast moving ground targets are an easy prey for Junkrat's traps because it's very hard to spot them before you hit them. Tracer's fast movement makes it difficult to dodge Junkrat's traps and this is the main reason why Junkrat is stronger than Tracer overall. Although, Tracer can actually Blink past a Trap unharmed.
Dodging Junkrat's Frag Launcher can be quite difficult due to the randomness of the grenades bouncing around, this can make it difficult to get close to Junkrat. Also if you happen to get stuck in one of Junkrat's Steel Traps, it is usually a good bet to use Recall at that second to avoid being blown away by a Concussion Mine before Junkrat Triggers it. NOTE: Junkrat usually place their mines right next to a Steel Trap and trigger the mine to go off once the trap gets triggered.
If you hear 'Fire in the Hole' during a game, this means that an enemy Junkrat just initiated his ultimate (Rip-Tire), in order to avoid this simply blink away from it.
Pharah: Tracer has very poor vertical mobility, so it's usually very difficult for Tracer to reach close to flying objects. This is the reason why Pharah has the advantage over Tracer. Tracers can be hard to hit thanks to her blink ability, but it only takes a few good rocket shots from Pharah to kill her. When Pharah lands on the ground from a Jump Jet, Tracer can do some good damage to Pharah with her Pulse Pistols. Pharah can use a Concussive Blast to propel herself away from Tracer until she can use Jump Jet again.
Pharah can usually avoid Tracer's ultimate (Pulse Bomb) thanks to her flying ability, but if Tracer manages to stick a Pulse Bomb on her, there is nothing Pharah can do to counter it.
Tracer can usually just blink away from Pharah's ultimate (Barrage).
Reaper: Reaper's shotguns simply do more damage than Tracer's Pulse Pistols. A Reaper with good aim is very devastating to Tracer, and he will usually come out on top. Both heroes have ways of avoiding each other's ultimates. Reaper can use Wraith Form to avoid Tracer's Pulse Bomb, and Tracer can use blink to avoid Reaper's ultimate (Death Blossom). As Tracer, I would avoid facing a Reaper during high level of play, but I would say most of the time a Reaper Vs Tracer fight is about even.
Roadhog: Roadhog and Tracer both have a hard time killing each other. Roadhog has a lot of hitpoints, and it will take a long time for Tracer to put a dent in him. Tracer's recall is a great counter to Roadhog's Chain Hook. If Roadhog uses chain hook on Tracer, she can then use Recall to fully escape out of it. As Tracer, I would not go near a Roadhog if your recall or multiple blinks are not ready, as it only takes a few close up shots to kill a Tracer.
Roadhog can serve as a way to charge up your ultimate faster, as he is a big target with a lot of hitpoints, but you still need to be careful around him as he can kill you quickly with his deadly Chain Hook combo.
Roadhog is one of the few heroes in the game that can survive a direct Pulse Bomb explosion. Pulse Bombs do 400 damage and Roadhog has 600 total HP. Pulse Bombs do not have any stun effects, so it will NOT cancel out Roadhog's Take a Breather (self-heal) or Whole Hog ultimate.
If Roadhog uses his ultimate Whole Hog, simply blink away from it to avoid it.
Overall, Roadhog is typically not a prime Target for Tracer. She is better off dealing with other heroes and keeping her distance from Roadhog.
Winston: Like Symmetra's weapon, Winston's Tesla Cannon works very well on Tracer thanks to the automatic aiming, as it does okay at damaging Tracer even while blinking as long as she is in range of him. As Tracer you generally don't want to be around Winston for too long because of his Tesla Cannon and his high HP of 500, as he would take awhile to take down with your Pulse Pistols. Instead, focus on weaker heroes to harass and pick off.
Tracer's Pulse Bomb is a good counter to Winston's Barrier Projector. Tracer can blink into the Barrier real quick, lob a Pulse Bomb, then Recall out of there, dealing massive damage for anyone taking cover under the Barrier.
How Much Dmg Does Tracer's Ultimate Do It Go
If Winston uses his ultimate (Primal Rage), Tracer can simply blink away from it.
McCree: McCree is overall very deadly in close range with just about any hero, except Tracer will give him a tough time due to her fast mobility. If McCree successfully lands his Flashbang on her, Tracer will pretty much die. Keep in mind Tracer is most vulnerable to getting Flashbanged when she is firing her guns at McCree, so you need to have very fast reflexes during this time to quickly avoid the Flashbangs. Tracer can usually avoid McCree's ultimate (Deadeye), as long as she can figure out where McCree is standing, and then simply blink away to take cover from it. Tracer's Pulse Bomb and Recall combo is very deadly to McCree, and there is not much he can do about it.
Lucio: Dealing with a Lucio as Tracer can be annoyingly difficult. Lucio can use his alternate fire Soundwave to knock back Tracer if she gets close and his healing aura can quickly restore the damage done by her Pulse Pistols. And worst of all, Lucio is the best counter to Tracer's Pulse Bomb with his ultimate (Sound Barrier), protecting all his teammates in the area who got bombed. It's generally a better idea for Tracer to use her Pulse Bomb shortly after Lucio uses Sound Barrier so it doesn't get blocked.
However, Lucio will have a hard time killing Tracer since she moves around so fast and it can be difficult for Lucio to aim his Sonic projectiles at her. Overall the fight is somewhat even and they will both have troubles taking each other out.
Symmetra: Like Winston's short range Telsa Cannon, Symmetra's short range Photon Projector beam actually works well on Tracer because of how it automatically aims at her (even while blinking). Because of Symmetra's weapon, it's probably a good idea to keep somewhat of a distance from her.
Because Tracer moves through hallways and passages to get around the enemy to flank them, Symmetra usually places her Sentry Turrets in these areas to take out heroes like Tracer. So you need to be extra cautious if you know the enemy has a Symmetra on their team and be prepared to either quickly Blink past them or take out her turrets if you see them. Tracer's weapon is decent at taking out sentry turrets, but she only has 150 hitpoints, so it wont take long for her to die to the turrets. You can also use a Pulse Bomb to clear out a room filled with sentry turrets if you really need to.
Symmetra's Teleporter is a prime target for Tracer, and it is her job (along with other offensive heroes like Genji and Reaper) to take out her Teleporter.
Tracer's Pulse Bomb can be deadly to Symmetra, as there is nothing Symmetra can do to counter a stuck Pulse bomb.
Zarya: Zarya's Particle Cannon weapon is actually decent against Tracer and since Zarya is able to take a lot of damage, she will be hard for Tracer to take down. Zarya is one of the harder heroes to flank due to her Particle Barrier, which makes her invulnerable for a few seconds and any damage absorbed will be converted to more power for her weapon. Zarya can also put a Particle Barrier on one of her teammates as well, which further makes harassing harder for Tracer.
Zarya can also use her Particle Barrier on herself or one on of her teammates to save them from Tracer's Pulse Bomb, while at the same time absorbing all the damage and converting it to make Zarya's weapon much more powerful. With this in mind, it's important to make sure Zarya has used her Barriers first and it goes on a cooldown before using your Pulse Bomb on her.
Since Tracer is usually out harassing and flanking, she is usually in the clear when Zarya uses her ultimate Graviton Surge (clumps all the enemies up in the area). However if Tracer does get trapped in Zarya's Graviton Surge, she can just use Recall to escape out of it or use two quick Blinks as well.
As Tracer, you are better off avoiding Zarya and focus on killing other easier targets, but getting some open shots on her is a good idea if you can.
D.va: D.va's Fusion Cannons are very powerful up close, which makes attacking D.va as Tracer somewhat difficult. D.va should not be a prime target for Tracer as D.va has too many hitpoints and she can use her Boosters to get more health or escape from Tracer very easily. D.va's Defense Matrix can prevent Tracer from doing some short term damage to her as well as blocking Tracer's Pulse Bomb.
D.va's ultimate (Self-Destruct) is not a big deal to Tracer as she can simply blink away from it. D.va can also survive a Pulse Bomb hit, and even if her mech dies, D.va will still live and call down another mech. Overall a tough fight for Tracer, but you may be able to pull off some harassing shots at her to throw her off track a bit and to charge up your ultimate.
Tracer: Ds3 hollowslayer greatsword bonus dmg. Fighting another Tracer is a battle of who has better overall skill at aiming with the Pulse Pistols and blinking around to make a harder target and Recalling at the right moments to escape to refill life. Remember using Recall can save you if another Tracer throws a Pulse Bomb on you.
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Overwatch Strategy Guide
Hanzo is a ninja from Japan who specializes in using a bow to slay his enemies. Hanzo is a defensive hero that works similar to Widowmaker in which they are both snipers and have different ways of mobility: wall climbing for Hanzo, and grappling hook for Widowmaker. Hanzo differs a bit from Widowmaker in which he is a bit more on the offensive side and can keep up in the front line with his team to help push forward, while Widowmaker usually stays in the back and snipes. Hanzo's Scatter Arrows make him very deadly close up and with enough practice one can get really good with Hanzo's aiming from all distances. Although Hanzo has a high skill ceiling to master, new players will still have a lot of fun playing with his abilities and getting kills from a bow & arrow always feels so good to pull off. Hanzo's ultimate Dragonstrike is a very useful tool for helping his whole team push forward and destroy static defenses (such as those annoying Bastion Sentries).
Name: Hanzo Shimada
Difficulty: Hard
Role: Defense
Age: 38
Occupation: Mercenary, Assassin
Base of Operation: Hanamura, Japan (formerly)
Release Date: 10-27-2015
Base Hitpoints: 200Difficulty: Hard
Role: Defense
Age: 38
Occupation: Mercenary, Assassin
Base of Operation: Hanamura, Japan (formerly)
Release Date: 10-27-2015
HanzoIn This Guide: Storm Bow Sonic Arrow Scatter Arrow ULTIMATE: Dragonstrike Counters: Strong Against Weak Against Neutral With Members: Allied Synergies |
Main attacking weapon Hanzo nocks and fires an arrow at his target. Ammo: Infinite (no reloading)Fire Rate: Varies (max charge is 1.2 second) Damage: 29 - 125 Headshot?:YES Default Hotkey: LM Additional Key: RM will cancel a charged shot |
The mechanics for Hanzo's Storm Bow are simple: charged up shots will fly faster, with less of an arch and deal more damage, so those will be more efficient for longer distances, or for doing high damage in any range. The main drawback of charged up shots is that Hanzo will move considerably slower (30% slower) until you release the shot (or cancel it by pressing RM). The second drawback is that charged up shots can only be fired once every 1.2 seconds. Non charged up shots can be shot more frequently but they will fly slower with a big arch to it plus doing less damage, making them much harder to aim precisely (especially at longer distances).
Fully charged shots do about 66% more DPS overtime and you will typically be using charged shots more often than non charged shots.
Reasons for doing quick non charged shots
- Quick non charged shots enable you to move faster while firing, which can let you retreat from a losing fight more effectively or chase after fleeing enemies while still being able to do some DPS.
- When you only need to do a little bit of damage to finish off a victim.
- Lets you get a shot off before an enemy runs around a corner from you.
- To get a quick shot off before you think your about to die.
Enemies to keep a distance from with non charged shots
Some enemies are very deadly close up and (as Hanzo) you should try to keep your distance from these heroes below. You can use rapid non charged shots to enable you to move faster while still doing some DPS to the enemy:
- Mei - You will want to keep a distance from her freeze blaster.
- Reinhardt - Up close and he can use his Rocket Hammer to knock you down, or Charge at you.
- D.va - Her Fusion Cannons become more deadly the closer you get to her.
- Roadhog - Get far away from Roadhog as you can to avoid his deadly Chain Hook ability.
Bow Shot Then Melee Combo
Keep in mind that Hanzo can do a melee attack instantly after firing a bow shot. This holds true for all of Hanzo's different types of arrows as well. This combo enables Hanzo to do a good amount of damage almost instantly to enemies up close.
Keep in mind that Hanzo can do a melee attack instantly after firing a bow shot. This holds true for all of Hanzo's different types of arrows as well. This combo enables Hanzo to do a good amount of damage almost instantly to enemies up close.
Hanzo's Storm Bow ranks right up there at the top of some of the hardest aspects of Overwatch to master. It will take a lot of practice and game playing to get better at aiming with Hanzo correctly.
Ability with cooldown Hanzo launches an arrow that contains a sonar tracking device. Any enemy within its detection radius is visibly marked, making them easier for Hanzo and his allies to hunt down. Cooldown: 20 secondsDuration: 10 seconds Damage: 29 - 120 (Remember that Sonic Arrows still do damage too) Headshot?:YES Default Hotkey: Shift NOTE: Pressing the default key again will cancel the Sonic Arrow rev. |
Just like Widowmaker's ultimate Infra-Sight which allows her team to see all enemies on the entire map, Hanzo's Sonic Arrow works similar but in more frequent smaller bursts around a fairly large radius, this is obviously extremely helpful for many reasons. It's good to use this in spots where you and your team are trying to push forward to, or in spots where the enemy could possibly flank you, such as alternative choke points around the map. For example you can put a Sonic Arrow next to a hallway that is a choke point leading up to your team's Bastion Sentry or Widowmaker. The Sonic Arrow can catch enemy heroes such as Genji or Tracer trying to sneak up on the Bastion or Widowmaker to flank him/her, which can inform your team to go protect your defenses quickly.
It's important to remember to keep using the ability. As soon as the cooldown finishes, immediately start thinking about where you want to put the next one, this is something I have noticed that not many people keep up with properly.
Sonic Arrow Sticks
Sonic Arrows also do damage like regular arrows do and if shot at an enemy directly it will stick to and follow that enemy. Being able to stick a Sonic Arrow on an enemy allows you and your team to keep track of that enemy for a period of time. This is especially useful on offensive flankers such as Reaper, Genji, and Tracer. It can also be useful on a McCree to warn your team when he approaches you and your allies to prevent getting flash banged.
Sonic Arrows also do damage like regular arrows do and if shot at an enemy directly it will stick to and follow that enemy. Being able to stick a Sonic Arrow on an enemy allows you and your team to keep track of that enemy for a period of time. This is especially useful on offensive flankers such as Reaper, Genji, and Tracer. It can also be useful on a McCree to warn your team when he approaches you and your allies to prevent getting flash banged.
These two heroes can dispel the Sonic Arrow from them:
- Reaper can dispel the Sonic arrow from him by using Wraith Form.
- Tracer can dispel the Sonic arrow from her by using Recall.
Please note that when Tracer or Reaper use these abilities, the Sonic Arrow will drop to the ground and continue to provide infra sight for its remaining duration.
Enemies cannot see Sonic Arrow
Sonic Arrow is a silent ability. The enemy does not have any indication or feedback that a Sonic Arrow was shot next to them or on them, as it will all appear and sound like a normal arrow to them.
Sonic Arrow is a silent ability. The enemy does not have any indication or feedback that a Sonic Arrow was shot next to them or on them, as it will all appear and sound like a normal arrow to them.
Two Sonic Arrows at the Start of a Game
Hanzo has a neat trick where he can have two Sonic Arrows out on the battlefield at once. To do this you simply look straight up in the air and then fire a fully charged Sonic Arrow. After 18 seconds that Sonic Arrow will land on the ground right where you looked straight up at to fire it. Now, Sonic Arrow's cooldowns start right when you fire it. This means that you can fire the second Sonic Arrow before the first one lands on the ground, allowing you to have two Sonic Arrows on the battlefield at once!
Hanzo has a neat trick where he can have two Sonic Arrows out on the battlefield at once. To do this you simply look straight up in the air and then fire a fully charged Sonic Arrow. After 18 seconds that Sonic Arrow will land on the ground right where you looked straight up at to fire it. Now, Sonic Arrow's cooldowns start right when you fire it. This means that you can fire the second Sonic Arrow before the first one lands on the ground, allowing you to have two Sonic Arrows on the battlefield at once!
This double Sonic Arrow trick gets the most use at the very start of a match. This can provide a wider area of coverage for seeing where your enemies are coming out when a match starts. Achieving this is simple: at about 16-18 seconds right before a match starts, simply fire a Sonic Arrow straight up in the air where you want it to land at (usually in front of one of the attacker's entrance doors), and then fire the second one right when the match starts when the attackers are first coming out of their spawn. I highly recommend getting into the habit of doing this at the start of every Defender's match as Hanzo.
There might be more valuable uses for this trick and I'll be sure to include them here once they get discovered. You can also use this same exact trick for Scatter Arrows as well.
Ability with cooldown Hanzo shoots a fragmenting arrow that ricochets off walls and objects and can strike multiple targets at once. Cooldown: 10 secondsDamage: 75 per arrow, 6 total arrows once scattered, and 375 total damage if all arrows connect. - 125 unscattered Bounces: 5 total Headshot?: no (but initial arrow can headshot, scattered shots cannot headshot) Default Hotkey: E |
Scatter Arrow is one of my favorite abilities in the game, as a lot of it has to do with simple geometry. The initial arrow of Scatter Arrow acts just like any regular arrow, until it hits something. A target hit by the initial impact of a Scatter Arrow will not take any initial ricochet damage until the scatter arrows actually bounce off of something else first.
In order to deal damage to enemies with Scatter Arrow, a trick all Hanzo players will need to get used to is firing the Scatter Arrow at the ground in front of the enemy. The arrow will then scatter upwards to the target and can dish out more damage (sometimes a LOT more damage) than what a normal arrow would do. This also makes Hanzo very deadly in close ranges.
After the initial arrow of Scatter Arrow hits something it will scatter 6 arrows that will bounce 5 times each. The scatter shots can strike through multiple enemies and only bounce once they hit walls.
Overall, shooting Scatter Arrows effectively will take some practice. It's really a matter of simple geometry of the ricocheting arrows to try and hit your opponent.
Effective Scatter Arrow strategies
- If you are off in the distance and you see an enemy run into a room or hallway, fire a Scatter Arrow in there, you will be surprised by how often you will get kills by doing so. Smaller rooms make Scatter Arrows more deadly from the smaller space the arrows bounce around in.
- Taking out Bastion Sentries. Simply aim a Scatter Arrow at the ground in front of a Bastion Sentry to easily deal a lot of damage to him.
How Does Tracer Ammo Work
Double Scatter Arrow Trick
Like how I mentioned above about double Sonic Arrows, you can achieve the same thing with Scatter Arrows, allowing you to have two Scatter arrows out at nearly the same exact time. This works by simply firing a fully charged Scatter Arrow straight up into the air and after 18 seconds it will land on the ground and then scatter upwards. The best known time to use this trick is also at the start of a match so that when the enemies come out they have a chance of getting hit by it when it comes down or when it scatters after hitting the ground. I recommend doing this trick about 15 seconds before the match starts, which will hit the ground precisely 3 seconds after a match starts. Just do this pretty much right after you fire your Sonic Arrow straight up in the air.
Like how I mentioned above about double Sonic Arrows, you can achieve the same thing with Scatter Arrows, allowing you to have two Scatter arrows out at nearly the same exact time. This works by simply firing a fully charged Scatter Arrow straight up into the air and after 18 seconds it will land on the ground and then scatter upwards. The best known time to use this trick is also at the start of a match so that when the enemies come out they have a chance of getting hit by it when it comes down or when it scatters after hitting the ground. I recommend doing this trick about 15 seconds before the match starts, which will hit the ground precisely 3 seconds after a match starts. Just do this pretty much right after you fire your Sonic Arrow straight up in the air.
If there are any other useful strategies related to this trick I will be sure to include them here as they get discovered.
ULTIMATE | Ultimate Ability Hanzo summons a Spirit Dragon which travels through the air in a line. It passes through walls in its way, devouring any enemies it encounters. Cast Time: 1.5 secondsDamage: 200+ DPS Range: 4 meter radius Headshot?: no (but initial arrow can headshot, the Dragons cannot headshot) Default Hotkey: Q |
Ah Dragonstrike. John the ripper oxs dmg. one of the coolest looking ultimates in the game. New players might think Dragonstrike is a killing machine, but in actuality it's really meant for breaking up enemy formations, defenses, and scattering enemies around so they become easier to deal with and allow your team to push forward. Avoiding an enemy's Dragonstrike is actually not too hard as you can easily strafe around to avoid it.
Dragonstrike mechanics
- Hanzo has a brief cast time of 1.5 seconds. While casting Hanzo cannot move but he can continuously turn and aim before actually firing the Dragonstrike.
- Hanzo will first fire the initial arrow before it turns into spiral twin dragons. The initial arrow will act like any other arrow dishing out normal damage to any targets in front of him, but it can travel through walls. Regardless if the arrow hits an enemy first or not, it will then turn into the spiral twin dragons after it travels about 5 meters.
- The twin spiral dragons will fly directly towards the middle of Hanzo's crosshair.
- The dragons will fly through everything, including barriers, shields, and walls until it leaves the entire map.
- The Dragons will do a damage over time effect of 200+ DPS.
- Enemies will take more damage if they are closer to the center of the spiral dragons.
- A Dragonstrike does NOT do any damage to things that are constructed, including: Torbjorn's turret, Symmetra's Teleporter and Sentry Turrets, Junkrat's Traps and Mines, and Widowmaker's Venom Mines. Although, it will do damage to all heroes, including robot heroes.
The issue of actually getting hit by a Dragonstrike comes from an unexpected shot through a wall in which you have very little time to respond to it. There are many areas in the game where you can aim a shot so it will appear out of a wall unexpected to the enemy causing potential frags for Hanzo. I will cover all these spots later on in a separate guide.
Dragonstrike strategies
A very important use of Dragonstrike is to break up defenses. It can be used to kill Bastion Sentries, and force Widowmakers to move somewhere else.
A very important use of Dragonstrike is to break up defenses. It can be used to kill Bastion Sentries, and force Widowmakers to move somewhere else.
How Much Dmg Does Tracer's Ultimate Do It Get
Dragonstrikes are useful in tight confined spaces such as hallways or narrow passages, as enemies will have a much harder time escaping it.
Allied ultimates that pair well with Dragonstrike
- Zarya's Graviton Surge - After an allied Zarya uses her ultimate Graviton Surge (clumps up enemies together), simply shoot a Dragonstrike at it to kill all the enemies that are clumped up in the surge.
- Reinhardt's Earthshatter - Earthshatter will drop enemies to the ground for a few seconds, which could give Hanzo some easy kills with Dragonstrike.
- Widowmaker's Infra-Sight - Being able to see all the enemies on the map can enable Hanzo to fire a Dragonstrike through walls to kill those enemies before they even have time to react to it.
- Mei's Blizzard - Blizzard can slow and then freeze a bunch of enemies together. This would be a great opportunity to launch a Dragonstrike at the chilled/frozen enemies.
Hanzo's Strength and Weaknesses Vs Other Heroes
Bastion: All of Hanzo's Storm Bow shots can be devastating to a Bastion Sentry as you can fire them from long distances and since a Bastion Sentry is stationary, it will be very easy for Hanzo to aim and fire at him dealing a lot of damage in return.
Remember the closer you get to a Bastion Sentry the more damage he will generally do to you than you will do to him, so keep your distance if you can.
You can fire a Sonic Arrow on Bastion which will stick to and follow him even if he relocates elsewhere, which will make it easier for you and your team to know where he is at (for a brief time). Remember Sonic Arrows will also do damage like a normal arrow as well. Hanzo's Scatter Arrow shot at the ground in front of a Bastion Sentry is an easy target and will deal a large amount of damage to him too.
Dragonstrike is very powerful against Bastion. Dragonstrike travels across the entire map (even through walls) and does insane DPS to anything in its path. This can either kill a Bastion Sentry or force one to move around to avoid it, thus giving your team an easier time to push forward.
Zenyatta: Zenyatta is not too much of a threat to Hanzo. Zenyatta is a relatively slow moving hero and is not too hard to hit with the Storm Bow. Scatter Arrow shots at the ground in front of Zenyatta can be difficult to aim because Zenyatta floats in the air a bit and the Scatter Arrows can actually go underneath of him and miss.
The worst thing Zenyatta can do is put a Discord Orb on you, and even then Hanzo is usually not a prime target for Discord Orbs. Hanzo can climb walls to potentially help him get behind a wall to remove the Discord Orb but other than that Hanzo is very susceptible to additional damage done by the Discord Orb.
Zenyatta's slow mobility makes him a bit more susceptible to Hanzo's Dragonstrike, but he does have option of using his ultimate Transcendence to save himself and potential allies from it.
Mercy: Hanzo does well against Mercy since he is able to shoot long distances along with being able to see behind walls. Mercy tends to hide behind corners and tries to stay out of the line of sight from her enemies, but Hanzo is able to use his Sonic Arrow to see behind walls enabling him to line up shots faster once she comes in contact with him. While being able to see behind walls, Hanzo can also attempt to ricochet Scatter Arrows behind walls/corners in hopes to take her out as well.
Torbjorn: Torbjorn is another slow moving hero that is relatively easy to hunt down for Hanzo. Torbjorn is often found repairing or building turrets usually next to a wall for him to take cover. With Sonic Arrow, Hanzo can see him before he pops around the corner to repair his turret, giving you an easy opportunity to head shot him quickly when he comes in contact. Scatter Arrow can also be used to ricochet off of walls in hopes to take Torbjorn out before he finishes building/repairing his turret.
Torbjorn's turret is immune to a Dragonstrike, but Hanzo has a relatively easy time taking turrets out simply with charged bow shots.
Ana: Hanzo counters Ana in similar ways how Widowmaker counters Ana. Hanzo can snipe from a distance doing more impressive damage with potential headshots (Ana does no headshots). Sonic Arrows enable Hanzo and his team to spot Ana behind walls making it easy to snipe her when she pops in view.
Ana's poor mobility makes her an easier target for Hanzo's Scatter Arrows, but as long as Ana keeps her distance from Hanzo she should be safer from Scatter Arrows.
As Hanzo revs up a bow shot, he moves considerably slower, which is a better chance for Ana to land a Sleep Dart on him during this time, but since Hanzo and Ana are both long distance snipers, overall it will still be difficult for Ana to land a Sleep Dart on a target that is far away. Although Ana will have an easier time landing a Biotic Grenade on Hanzo which will prevent healing on Hanzo for a short period of time while also doing some damage.
Since Ana snipes from a distance she is generally a bit safer from Hanzo's Dragonstrike, but Ana's poor mobility will make it extremely difficult for her to escape from a Dragonstrike if caught in the midst of one.
Ana's ultimate Nano Boost can be very effective against Hanzo. A Nano Boosted enemy will have a much easier time honing in on Hanzo to take him out.
Roadhog: Since Hanzo is not a close up combatant, he does well against Roadhog since he is usually out of reach from Roadhog's Chain Hook. Sonic Arrow further helps Hanzo stay out of Roadhog's reach and helps him to aim and ricochet Scatter Arrows at the same time at him. If Roadhog does actually manage to Chain Hook Hanzo in, Hanzo will most likely die as there is not much he can do about it except fire a Scatter Arrow, which won't do much to Roadhog.
To get away from Roadhog's deadly Chain Hook more effectively, you can do rapid fire shots at him to enable you to back away from him quicker while still doing some damage.
Since Roadhog is a slow moving hero with poor mobility, it's generally very easy to aim bow shots at him, and Roadhog will have a harder time dodging Hanzo's Dragonstrike due to his poor mobility as well.
TIP: When Roadhog uses his ultimate Whole Hog, he will be forced to move very slowly until the 6 second duration is up, this would be a great time to launch a Dragonstrike at him to finish him off, since he will be unable to avoid it in time.
Reinhardt: Reinhardt's shield is the main reason why he is tough to deal with for Hanzo. His massive shield protects everyone behind it from Hanzo's Storm Bow. The fact that Reinhardt can move closer to Hanzo while having his shield out makes Hanzo an easier target for Reinhardt's Charge ability. As Hanzo do the best you can to get as high up as possible from Reinhardt (use wall climb). When you are high up you are protected from most of Reinhardt's abilities, including his deadly close range melee attacks, Charge ability, and safe from his ultimate Earthshatter. Reinhardt has no vertical mobility so that is another reason to stay elevated away from him. You just need to watch out for Reinhardt's Fire Strike ability, which he can use every 6 seconds. Fire Strike travels in a straight line and you will need to strafe around to avoid it properly.
If you find yourself on the same ground level as Reinhardt and he is approaching you, that would be a good time to back away from him while doing rapid non-charged bow shots, so you can move faster (but do a bit less DPS). If Reinhardt gets too close to you he can use his Rocket Hammer to knock you down or even Charge at you close up easily.
When trying to shoot down Reinhardt's shield, you will be able to do more DPS by doing fully charged shots. Your DPS will drop the less charged up your shots are.
A Dragonstrike can be used to temporarily make Reinhardt move out of the way, disabling his shield for a short period of time, enabling your team to do some good damage for a short while.
Winston: Winston's Barrier Projector (shield) does a good job of protecting his team from Hanzo's Storm Bow shots. Winston's Jump Pack ability allows him to quickly propel himself in close range, where he can do some serious damage to Hanzo and his team with his Tesla Cannon and Primal Rage (ultimate).
As Hanzo, keep your distance from Winston and if he leaps at you, use a Scatter Arrow shot on the ground in front of him and try to keep backing away from him. If you can, quickly climb a wall next to you, it should give you enough time to escape before Winston can use another Jump Pack.
If there is a lot of enemies inside of Winston's Barrier Projector, consider firing a Dragonstrike at it to force all the enemies to scatter out of the barrier.
Genji: Brother Vs Brother, who wins? Overall I think it's a pretty close matchup, but I think Genji has the advantage thanks to his Deflect ability. Deflect can be used to deflect arrows back at Hanzo to kill him. Genji would need to time Deflect very precisely though which can be a bit difficult. When fighting a Genji as Hanzo, keep strafing, that way you will avoid being hit by deflected arrows. Scatter shots to the ground in front of Genji can be an effective way of taking Genji out, but Genji can do double jumps in the air which can potentially avoid Scatter Shots to the ground more easily.
Genji is also a good target for sticking a Sonic Arrow on him, allowing you and your team to track his whereabouts for its duration.
For 1on1, Genji's ultimate Dragonblade is more effective than Hanzo's Dragonstrike. Genji can Deflect the initial arrow from Hanzo's Dragonstrike, sending it back at Hanzo and turning it into a Dragonstrike for Genji's team (it's rare to see this though). But Genji cannot Deflect the actual twin Dragons once deployed.
Tracer: Tracer is a tough fight for Hanzo, it's incredibly difficult for Hanzo to hit fast & small moving objects with his Storm Bow. One would need to be really good with Hanzo (lots and lots of practice) to get better at shooting down Tracers.
If you can, try to shoot a Sonic Arrow on Tracer as it will follow her, allowing you and your team to see exactly where she is at. Unfortunately though, Tracer can dispel the Sonic arrow from her by using Recall. The dispelled Sonic Arrow will drop to the ground and continue to provide infra vision for its remaining duration.
Tracer can easily avoid Hanzo's ultimate (Dragonstrike) by blinking away from it, but Hanzo will most likely die to Tracer's Pulse Bomb, as there is not much Hanzo can do about it. However, I predict when it comes down to high level of play, this will become more of an even fight between the two.
Widowmaker: Sniper Vs Sniper? This is an interesting matchup and I believe that Widowmaker has the advantage here simply because her sniper abilities are simply more superior in long range snipe battles. However, the closer Hanzo gets to Widowmaker the easier it will be for him to take her out. Since Widowmaker is usually way in the back from her team and away from Hanzo, she doesn't need to worry too much about a Hanzo shooting her down (even though it can happen). There are numerous places in Overwatch that Widowmaker can use her Grappling Hook to get up to that Hanzo cannot climb to, thus giving her more of a safe advantage over Hanzo in those situations.
On the bright side for Hanzo, he doesn't usually need to worry about Widowmaker's Venom Mines, since her mines are mostly used for dealing with offensive heroes that try to get close to her team.
Hanzo's ultimate Dragonstrike happens to be somewhat useful on Widowmakers, since it forces her to leave her current sniping spot to find another one, temporarily disabling her from combat for a short period of time, which can be huge.
![Much Much](https://cdn4.gamepur.com/images/cuphead/thumb/Lobber.jpg)
Reaper: Hanzo is one of Reaper's prime targets to take out. Reapers are very deadly to Hanzo thanks to his sneaky mobility with Shadow Step (teleport) and Wraith Form (invulnerability). If you know the enemy has a Reaper, always be on the lookout for getting flanked from behind. Make sure you stick with your team so they got your back and fire Scatter Shots at the ground in front of Reaper to hopefully take him out before he uses his shotguns on you. If you see him coming at you from a distance, remember you can always wall climb yourself away from him if possible.
Use Sonic Arrows to detect Reaper from flanking you and be prepared to take him on if he approaches. If you see Reaper using Shadow Step, get ready and fire a charged bow shot at his head when he teleports in, it could be an easy kill for you.
You can fire a Sonic Arrow on Reaper to track where he is at, which can potentially warn you and your team if he gets close too close. But keep in mind his Shadow Wraith ability does remove the Sonic Arrow from him. The dispelled Sonic Arrow will drop to the ground and continue to provide infra vision for its remaining duration.
Reaper can avoid a Dragonstrike by using Wraith Form to escape it safely. Unfortunately if you are close to Reaper when he uses his ultimate Deathblossom, there is nothing you can really do about it except try to either run from it, head shot him quickly to take him out, or Scatter Arrow shot to the ground in front of him.
Pharah: Shooting Pharah down as Hanzo can be very difficult, as aiming at her while she is moving around in the air can be hard to land shots on. While revving up Storm Bow shots Hanzo moves a bit slower, thus making it easy for Pharah to fire rockets down at him. Pharah can also use a Concussive Blast on Hanzo if she needs to either reload or knock Hanzo around to protect her from bow shots.
A good Hanzo player can be devastating to a Pharah. With good aim, Hanzo can shoot Pharah down from the air more consistently, but this will take a lot of practice.
Sonic Arrow makes it easier to spot a Pharah's movement behind walls. This can make lining up a shot easier for him and his team. As Hanzo, you need to watch out for Pharah possibly flanking you from behind. Use Sonic Arrows around choke points leading up to you, to see if enemies such as Pharah tries to sneak up on you.
Pharahs tend to be out of range of Hanzo's Dragonstrike, since she is usually flying around in the air. But Hanzo will need to watch out for Pharah's ultimate Barrage since his mobility is not the greatest for avoiding it. When Pharah uses Barrage, Hanzo can fire a headshot on her to take her out with one shot (as long as she is not protected in some way).
McCree: As long as Hanzo keeps a distance from McCree he does very well against him. Hanzo's climb ability helps him to further keep a distance from him. Although if Hanzo gets too close to McCree it could be a quick death for Hanzo, due to McCree's deadly close up Flashbang and Fan Fire combo.
If McCree uses his ultimate Deadeye and you have Dragonstrike ready, quickly get behind a wall to take cover then fire the Dragonstrike at him to maybe take him out and/or make his team scramble away making McCree an easier target to deal with.
Sticking a Sonic Arrow on McCree is an effective way at warning your allies if he gets close to flashbang them.
Mei: Don't under estimate the power of Mei's Ice Wall. Her Ice Wall can shield herself and her teammates from Hanzo's Storm Bow shots allowing her team to move closer to the objective, or preventing the other team from guarding the objective. Keep in mind that an Ice Wall can be completely destroyed by one of Hanzo's Dragonstrikes after a few seconds.
As Hanzo, you may find yourself coming in close contact with Mei trying to freeze you with her Endothermic Blaster, which can be very deadly. Your best bet in this situation is to aim a Scatter Arrow at her to hopefully kill her or at least force her to use a Cryo-Freeze to disable her for a few seconds. You can also get away from Mei's freeze blaster effectively by doing quick non charged up bow shots to enable you to back away from her quicker while still doing some damage at her.
Mei's ultimate Blizzard can be tough to deal with for Hanzo. Run away from it if you can and you should be fine, and remember you can climb walls to help you escape it.
If you can climb really high up away from Mei you will generally be very safe from her, as she can't do much to you when she is further away from you (besides Icicle shots). Keep in mind she can use her Ice Wall to propel herself upwards a bit to get to higher spots, but Hanzo can still climb higher.
Soldier 76: This is an even matchup. Soldier 76's Pulse Rifle is great for short to medium range, but his damage starts to drop off at longer ranges, giving Hanzo the advantage from long range. If Hanzo keeps his distance from Soldier 76, he will have an easier time dodging his Helix Rockets and take less damage from his Pulse Rifle.
In short range, Soldier 76 becomes more deadly, but Hanzo can always shoot a well aimed Scatter Arrow at him to potentially take him out.
Soldier 76 can avoid a Dragonstrike by sprinting away from it.
Soldier 76's ultimate Tactical Visor can be deadly to Hanzo. Hanzo can try to avoid Tactical Visor's aimbot by losing line of sight with him, possibly by climbing away.
Junkrat: Since Hanzo doesn't have any super fast movement abilities he is less prone to getting trapped by Junkrat's Steel Trap or Concussion Mine, even though it can happen. If you know the enemy has a Junkrat, just be on the lookout for his traps and mines laying around on the ground and you should be fine.
Junkrat's Frag Launcher spam can be annoying for everyone, but remember Hanzo can always climb walls to get to spots where Junkrat may not think about spamming his Frag Launcher at. Speaking of staying at higher grounds, that is generally a better place to be to avoid Junkrat's ultimate Rip-Tire. Even though Rip-Tires can climb walls, not many Junkrat players steer Rip-Tires up walls, at least from what I have observed, but at least watch out for it! Remember, a good Scatter Arrow shot to the ground in front of the tire will have a good chance at killing the Rip-Tire before it reaches you.
Another deadly ability that Hanzo can do is use a Sonic Arrow to spot Junkrat behind walls, and he can then attempt to shoot a Scatter Arrow to ricochet in his area to knock Junkrat out.
Lucio: Lucio himself isn't much of a threat to Hanzo, but his crossfade team auras can give Hanzo an overall much harder time. Hanzo already has a tough time aiming at his enemies with his bow, imagine all his enemies with much faster movement, it becomes so much harder to hit enemies, that's why Lucio's amplified movement speed is devastating to Hanzo. Lucio's amplified movement speed also helps his team escape from Hanzo's Dragonstrike ultimate.
Lucio should be a prime target for Hanzo, as it's important to remove his team auras as often as you can.
When you hear Lucio use Sound Barrier, you are better off just taking cover for the next 5 seconds until their shields wear off. This would be a good time to reposition somewhere else to confuse the enemy of your whereabouts.
Symmetra: Symmetra usually stays in the backlines while putting up Sentry Turrets and lobbing slow moving Photon orbs at her enemies, and is usually out of Hanzo's sight most of the time. If Symmetra gets close to Hanzo her Photon Projector can be a pain to deal with as it will auto aim at you and it can be hard to fire bow shots at her during this time.
Sentry Turrets are probably the second biggest threat to Hanzo because they can be hard for him to shoot down with his bow and his lack of fast movement abilities will make it harder for him to avoid them. If you know there is Sentry Turrets in a room, you can fire a Scatter Arrow in there with the hopes of knocking some of them out.
Keep in mind that Symmetra's Sentry Turrets and Teleporters are immune to Dragonstrikes.
Hanzo is usually not a Teleporter hunter as that is a job for offensive heroes with superior mobility, so that is another advantage for Symmetra. Although Hanzo's Sonic Arrow could potentially spot Symmetra putting down a Teleporter behind a wall. This can be tough to deal with for Symmetra because enemy Sonic Arrows have no indication that it was used on the battlefield.
A good way to spot a Symmetra, is to see exactly which angle her Photon Orbs are flying at you, just trace it back and you should see Symmetra in the distance. Shoot a Sonic Arrow in her area and use some good charged up long ranged shots to take her out when she peeks within view to lob her photon orbs.
Hanzo: Fighting another Hanzo comes down to who has the better overall aim with the Storm Bow and who can pull off their Scatter Shots better. Sonic Arrows also really help when dealing with opposing snipers such as Hanzo, as it will allow you to start aligning shots while taking cover.
Zarya: Zarya isn't too much of a threat to Hanzo due to her weapons being mostly short and medium ranged, but she is one tough chick to take down. As a tank with a lot of HP, it's going to take a number of well aimed shots to take her down. Zarya can put a Particle Barrier on her and one on her teammates occasionally. Don't shoot at these Particle Barriers because they will block and absorb damage, then turn it into energy for her weapon, making it stronger.
Zarya's ultimate Graviton Surge clumps her enemies together and can be rough for Hanzo, as he has no counters for it. The best way to deal with her ultimate is to try not getting stuck in it in the first place by splitting up a little bit from your teammates. Find a higher ground or another area to shoot from to avoid being pulled in by her Graviton Surge.
Zarya's Particle Barrier will block and absorb Hanzo's ultimate Dragonstrike, but a Particle Barrier will not fully protect Zarya (or an ally with a barrier) from a Dragonstrike, as Dragonstrike actually does a damage over time effect, in which it can take down her Particle Barrier and then quickly eat away at the actual hitpoints.
D.va: D.va is another tough tank that will take a number of shots from Hanzo. D.va doesn't really have anything too brutal for Hanzo to deal with but you will need to keep your distance from her as best as you can because her Fusion Cannon weapon becomes stronger in closer ranges.
To get away from D.va's deadly Fusion Cannons up close, you can do rapid fire shots at her to enable you to back away from her quicker while still doing some damage at her.
Remember when her mech is destroyed, the little D.va will pop out of her mech and you will then need to kill her too before she calls up another fresh mech.
D.va can use her Defense Matrix ability to block and absorb the initial arrow of Dragonstrike, but once the actual Dragon gets deployed it cannot be blocked/absorbed by Defense Matrix.
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Easiest and Hardest Overwatch Heroes to Master
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