Overwatch Character Guide: Tracer, Roadhog, Junkrat

In an era where games are released unfinished to make a profit later and fighting games suffer from player bases where character access is gated off behind DLC, Blizzard’s decision to patch in new matches, modes, and characters for free rather than asking players to pay for the privilege is nothing short of incredible. If Overwatch’s community begins to dwindle, it won’t be because they’re divided between base game players and those with the money to buy extras, because Blizzard’s decision means that anyone who picks up the game will have the same access to modes, maps, and heroes as everyone else. Speaking of heroe

Genji’s first ability, Swift Strike, allows him to dash in whichever the direction the reticle is facing, doing damage to anyone caught in his path. This particular ability has a unique hidden modifier, as its cooldown is instantly reset whenever Genji eliminates another player, thus allowing for a series of potentially devastating killstreaks. His second ability, Deflect, is the single best method for taking out Bastion (for those of you who think that everyone’s favorite robot is completely over-powered and unstoppable). By pressing the appropriate command prompt, all incoming fire is immediately deflected in the direction in which Genji is facing, which allows you to do as much damage to enemies as they hope to do to you. Genji’s ultimate, Dragonblade, is also insanely powerful when used correctly. In a nutshell, Dragonblade allows him to whip out his sword and do massive damage to enemies at close range over a duration of ten seconds. The main thing to keep in mind here is that enemies can still kill you when you’re running up on them, so simply bum-rushing into chaos with your ultimate activated is a complete waste.

That parenthetical is important—it’s perfectly understandable to feel uncomfortable with a game asking up to $60 up front, and then asking for more in the form of smaller fees. However, Overwatch isn’t a disaster like Dead Space 3 , which integrated its microtransactions into the heart of the gameplay. Instead, it limits its extras to packs of «loot boxes,» which contain rewards like skins, victory poses, and spray tags that are all earnable in-game simply by playing. It doesn’t create separate player bases, it doesn’t result in a «pay to play» or «pay to win» situation, and it doesn’t detract from the fun of the game. Everyone is still on the same level, and they’re going to stay that way, becaus

We’ve had a few metas develop on the tournament side. One of them was the Dual-Tracer/Dual-Zenyatta meta. We took a look at it, and found that it was a bit too strong, so we made some changes to Zenyatta. Now, it hasn’t entirely disappeared, but it’s no longer the dominant meta for tournament play. If we could, we’d like there to be ten to twenty really strong team compositions out there that you’re kind of picking between based on the players on your team, the other team or the map you’re on.

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 comparison‘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 21 launch heroes, three at a time, with the hopes that you’ll be able to recognize certain patterns on the battlefield.

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

It’s really that feeling of working as part of a team, mastering the characters and controlling the map that makes Overwatch such a joy to play, even without getting the content you want for your favorite character. In one match, my team and I made a last defense on a capture map. Our Bastion entered turret mode to spray one entry point, and Reinhardt held up his shield at another with Zarya close behind, supplying him with a personal shield. Soldier 76 sprinted to the front to deal heavy damage with Mercy flying behind providing a damage boose. All the while, a Widowmaker hid at the very back, ready to snipe enemies that somehow made it past our defenses. In a world filled with so many «go-it-alone» multiplayer shooters, having a game like Overwatch that offers so many unique ways to play as a team is refreshing and fun.