Now before I continue on I want to note the difference between this analysis and my Zenyatta guide. I played almost solely Zenyatta during the Beta periods and experienced him when both before and after his changes. I only seriously started playing these other characters upon game launch. A lot of these are more of my own observations rather than an actual guide used to help advise better gameplay with there Heroes. I hope that I can offer insight on the Hero Mechanics but I do not want to pretend that I am extremely proficient with these characters.
The two characters that I really wanted to get my hands on and experience were Widowmaker and Hanzo. These are two characters in the Defense category who are the two sniper classes. Similar to the Sniper in Team Fortress 2 however they seemed to have split his iconic weapons. The sniper rifle and the bow (and arrow). I had stated that Zenyatta is similar to that of a sniper with his long range and stable projectiles. I thought that I would be able to make an easy transition with these heroes.
And boy was I ever wrong. You see one KEY point about Zenyatta is that he doesn't have to charge up his shots. These Heroes do and that constrains their mobility. What they make up for in this area is their raw power in each of their shots. Zenyatta needs to hit multiple shots however a well aimed arrow or bullet can be an instant death for many characters. I believe that these 2 characters have some of the higher skill caps in this game due to their ability to have more of an impact on the game than others. I've noticed that many people only like to use these heroes when playing Defense. It works to the advantage of the Defending team to have snipers but I believe that they can be effective on Offense as well. It's true that the offensive team needs to be physically present at the objective and snipers being close to the battlefield puts them at a serious disadvantage. However the sniper can apply pressure by eliminating defensive threats that would normally stop an offensive push. The Bastion hiding to the side or Torb's turrets are making a push to hard. Opt for a sniper to take out these priority targets.
Let's talk more in depth about these characters. I'll start with Widowmaker. I chose her first because when I got my grubby hands on the game I wanted to rock off that
Widowmaker has 200 base hit points. As stated before she is a sniper and when playing Widowmaker it's important to have good understanding of the map. It's clear that she is for advanced players that already have a good grasp on mechanics and knowledge of the game. Let's go over her abilities.
Ammo: 30
Damage: 13
Fire Rate: 10rps
Reload time: 1.5 seconds
Widowmaker's rifle has two main modes. The first of which allows her to shoot a fully-automatic rifle that allows her to deal damage in close to medium range. I used it mainly to apply pressure to an enemy as I got away or for the last bit of quick damage.
Widow's Kiss[Sniper](Right Click):
Ammo: 30 (Each sniper shot takes 3)
Damage: 17 - 150
Fire Rate: 1rps
Charge Rate: 1 second
This is Widowmaker's primary weapon mode. By holding down RMB you will enter the zoom sniper mode where the LMB allows you to fire off. You'll notice in the middle that there are 3 triangles that build up for charge. This shows how much power a shot will be where 100% charge is maxed out at 1 second. These sniper shots are loud and reveal where they have been shot from. While in sniping mode Widowmaker's movement is slowed and she cannot jump while in this form. It's ideal for Widowmaker to be at a height advantage on the battlefield for the best field of view. That said don't get too comfy and pitch a tent at a place you like. The dynamic pacing of Overwatch forces Widowmaker to constantly move from place to place as she will be found out by the enemies. By those that she was unable to finish off cleanly or upon respawn when they come to take vengeance.
Grappling Hook(Shift):
Cooldown: 12 seconds
To move from place to place you will be using Widowmaker's movement ability: her grappling hook. It allows her to scale cliffs and buildings quickly. Additionally by pressing space bar in mid air allows Widowmaker to swing up in the direction that she was hooking to. Allowing for air time and some pretty sweet plays. It's important to note that the grappling hook can be used at directly in front of you and not just to the skies which allows Widowmaker to close the gap or make an escape. There is no cooldown upon missing this ability which is how I found myself spamming the hook on any nook and cranny I could in an effort to see what is hookable and what isn't.
Venom Mine(E):
Damage: 75
Duration: 5 seconds
Cooldown: 15 seconds
The Venom Mine is a small displaceable item that alerts you when an enemy is in range which will then trigger it's DoT poison gas. The Venom Mine is normally used to be propped behind Widowmaker by the corner of the staircase leading up to her or near the floor to alert her when enemies approach. The trigger effect of this ability is very apparent and really serves as a useful indicator for flankers. It can be used offensively by being shot in an arc to be put at a distance but due to it's low damage it's not used often. The sniper shots are more accurate, damaging and can be done in quick succession.
Infra-Sight(Q):
Duration: 15.5 seconds
A map hack allowing Widowmaker and EVERYONE ON HER TEAM to see an infrared outline of all of the enemies and any thing they may have deployed such as turrets or teleporters. This is one of the best ultimates due to the fact that it helps the entire team, is global, and will still be active even if the Widowmaker dies. An ultimate like this should be used whenever possible but coordinate with your team to save it in conjunction with their abilities or to wait to use it for a or more opportune push or final defensive measure.
Final Thoughts:
Widowmaker made me question my abilities at playing a shooter game. I wasn't an MLG 360 no scope pro however I was certainly able to accurately hit most of my shots regardless of what weapon I played when given a clear shot. The one shot one kill motto that she stated always made me feel nervous when I played her. I felt as if I had to aim for headshots to guarantee the kill. This caused me to miss...a lot. I felt miserably guilty whenever we won because I knew that I hadn't contributed much personally and I also felt responsible whenever my team lost. Sooner or later I would get outsniped by an enemy Widowmaker and I watched through the kill cam in awe.
This person had such a great accuracy with Widowmaker and I noticed something particularly interesting. She primarily went for body shots. As close to the center as possible. I realized that with more mobile characters her damage would suffice to finish off the character if even a little damage was done to them or a quick follow up shot with no charge would seal the deal. After practicing this myself I noticed that my efficiency at playing the character skyrocketed. This was also when I made mental notices of how her grappling hook cooldown wouldn't apply if she missed.
I have a lot of respect for Widowmaker players especially the talented ones. She's a difficult character to play and is merciless in punishing you for missing your shots. The task of a Widowmaker is simple to eliminate targets and in the proper hands a skilled Widowmaker can carry a team. (Get ready for Ranked)
Moving on I'd like to address Hanzo. Like Widowmaker he also has 200 HP and is similar in the sense of being a sniper. We'll address how they differ in styles with their abilities.
Storm Bow (Left/Right Click):
Damage: 29 - 125
Hanzo's stormbow is his choice of weapon. It needs to be drawn back and this can be shown by a visual cue on his targeting reticle how far back the arrow is pulled. Unlike Widowmaker Hanzo isn't as restricted in moving and can actually jump while drawing his bow. An effective strategy I found to shoot over cover or help aim (also a remnant from CS:GO)
If you use a custom targeting reticle (like I suggested previously) then it is highly advised that you switch to the default only for Hanzo. The reticle that Hanzo uses shows the circle getting smaller showing his charge levels and it switches crosshairs based on what arrow modification he is using.
Sonic Arrow (Shift):
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Duration: 10 seconds
Hanzo can choose to add certain properties to his arrows. The first is by using shift he can make his arrow a sonic arrow. After hitting its mark an orb grows around where the arrow hit revealing all enemies nearby. This is very useful and is a mini Widowmaker ultimate in essence.
Use this while pushing to see who is nearby. I like to shoot the sonic arrow right at enemy spawn before the doors open to see who comes out of a certain doorway and prepare accordingly. Additionally I shoot this arrow at the doorway of a checkpoint right as it opens and prepare again for the opponents.
The sonic arrow doesn't have to hit anything to use its effect but it it still an arrow meaning that it does damage and can potentially kill.
Scatter Arrow(E):
Cooldown: 10 seconds
Arrows: 5
Bounces: 3
Damage: 75 per arrow (375 max)
Another arrow modification: the scatter arrows are multiple arrows that will spread out and bounce around several times (3) and deal damage 75 on each hit. This is best used inside a hallway or confined space where the bounces have the most chance of hitting an enemy.
Even though it is also an arrow like the sonic arrow a direct hit from a scatter arrow won't do as much as a normal shot because they will bounce off the target. I notice that a lot of Hanzo's will use both arrow modifications as often as possible. While it doesn't hurt to have extra vision with the sonic arrow the scatter arrow can be used if someone flanks you. You quickly go inside and unleash the arrows. Since it isn't effective in open spaces I stick to mainly shooting with my basic arrows when outside.
Wall Climb (Passive):
Hanzo's passive is the ability to wall climb. He can use this to scale walls and quickly reach a rooftop ledge for height or getting away. It's really fun to climb over a pillar, jump and get a clean shot off before you even reach the ground.
Cast Time: 1.5 seconds
Damage: 200+DPS
A signature move that is near meme status. His ultimate has him fire an arrow which after a while 2 dragons will spiral around and deal a ton of damage to anything that it touches. If you've ever been caught in a Hanzo ult you will see that your health depletes extremely quickly. It's a good thing that this ult doesn't hinder your mobility because you will want to get out of it as quickly as possible. The cast time followed by the japanese shouting is a huge cue to scatter away from the imminent damage and what I primarily use it for. I use the ultimate as an extremely effective zoning tool. It will clear opponents off of any point or hallway as they try and dodge.
Final Thoughts:
I found Hanzo to be easier to play in comparison with Widowmaker. Widowmaker put too much on the line of being able to perfectly hit your shots where if you didn't you then gave off your location which made it very stressful playing her. Hanzo can fire arrow after arrow much faster and they still do enough damage to one shot several characters. I actually had a lot of fun with Hanzo that I want to continue playing him and refining my control over him. I think that like Widowmaker he has large potential to swing a game in favor. I also found myself being able to be more aggressive and being able to help out the team by being closer to objective points. This means that I could cap a point if needed and I was able to be right near my team to provide pressure as a teammate capped.
Thank you for reading! If you have any Heroes that you would like to hear my thoughts on please let me know! As always:
Feel free to add me and ask for a game!
Battle.net: LrdRwekien#1110
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