"I just got the Overwatch beta!!!!?!"
[Me, 0:00:02] Wow! This is amazing!!!
[Me, 00:02:47] I literally cannot kill anything and apparently I am really bad and what is going on?
This is an accurate represenation of my previous Overwatch beta experience.
If yours is similar - don't fear! As with every other Blizzard game, there is a wealth of knowledge buried in the intense gameplay Overwatch provides. The information I'm preparing should act as a bare minimum to get started with improving in the Overwatch beta!
In Overwatch, there are two main contributors to gameplay: Heroes and Maps.
Heroes:
Heroes each have at least four different abilities. The standard controls are as follows:
Q (Ultimate ability): These abilities are game-deciding, absolutely crucial for utilizing a hero to its full potential. Being able to recognize key ultimates is important for improving in Overwatch!
Left Shift (LS) and E: The left shift and E keys are designated for interesting skills that add flavor to the kit of heroes. Generally, these skills will either provide or mitigate damage, impacting the burst damage and survivability of the hero. Generally, most mobility spells are relegated to Left Shift, and most projectiles are are relegated to E. Most are extremely useful in the niche that is available. Learning the LS and E abilities of each hero is crucial to higher-end gameplay, in which avoiding damage is a key to success.
Weapon: Each hero has a signature weapon. The weapon is controlled by the mouse - aim, as well as the left click (main attack) and right click (special attack). These generally determine the range at which a hero operates, as well as their sustained damage ability.
Heroes are separated into four roles: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. These roles categorize the heroes by describing the playstyle!
Offense: These heroes are the Damage Dealers and Skirmishers. They often look to apply offensive pressure to objectives and spawns, usually in close-to-mid range. If you enjoy dealing tons of damage and making insane plays, there heroes will be your style.
Genji: The sword-bearing ninja. Excels at close-range skirmishing. Dragonblade: Pulls out a big sword and starts slicing. This sword will wreck your day.
Soldier 76: A machine-gun soldier. Enjoys mid-and-close-range skirmishing. Tactical Visor: It’s aimbot. You will die, quickly.
McCree: Revolver-slinging outlaw. Generally stays mid-range, but can fight at both long and close range. Versatile killing machine. Deadeye: Lines up the shots for McCree, and knocks them down.
Tracer: Machine Laser-Pistols and time-traveling!? Thrives in fast-paced close-range combat. Pulse Bomb: It’s a Halo plasma/sticky grenade! BOOM!
Reaper: Dual shot guns - operated by a mercenary of death. He is a close-ranged focus hero with extremely high dps. Death Blossom: Reaper spins around, DESTROYING EVERYONE around him. This is the play of the game.
Phara: Rocket-launcher and a jetpack? Awesome! She flies around and deals massive long and mid-ranged damage with her basic left-click attacks, while positioning with her jetpack. Barrage: Unleashes a whole lot of deadly rockets from wherever she’s standing. When rockets start falling from the skies, look up, and you’ll see a Pharah.
Defense: Heroes labeled "defensive" usually fill a distinct niche, and control space using their abilities. They fight around objectives and payloads, and hold the line for their teammates, and their playstyles revolve around defensive opoprtunism.
Mei: Environmental Scientist wielding an ice-gun! This highly strategic, extremely versatile and, to you, very annoying hero is mainly used for defending objectives and payloads. Blizzard: This ironically named ultimate can freeze an entire team - run away!
Junkrat: Wielding a classic grenade launcher, Junkrat is great at defending objectives at a mid to long range, with a spray of explosives. Rip-tire: He pulls out an explosive, motorized wheel! Kill it, or run away from it!
Widowmaker: The Sniper-spy. Armed with a long-ranged sniper rifle, Widowmaker can defend objectives and entryways from a very long distance, as well as contributing to skirmishes with long-ranged support. Infra-Sight: Gives Widowmaker temporary wall-hacks, which are pretty useful with a sniper.
Torbjorn: A Swedish weapons expert, Torbjorn builds and repairs turrets that fight to defend payloads and objectives. Molten Core: Speeds him up, giving him the ability to support more firepower.
Bastion: The walking gatling turret. Bastion will choose a spot, park, activate shields, and unload the second you walk anywhere in sight. Great for defending payloads and objectives from range. Configuration: Tank: You finally get close to Bastion and - “AHH OH GOD HE SHOT ME WITH A ROCKET!” Yeah; he temporarily turns into a rocket-launching tank!
Hanzo: The bow-and-arrow assassin. Excels at long-range with his extremely powerful auto attacks. Dragonstrike: He launches a spirit dragon -- A SPIRIT DRAGON -- through walls, killing everyone in its path. Try to avoid this, it hurts.
Tank: Tanks in Overwatch are the initiators of fights - they charge forward, using mixes of damage mitigation and high close-range damage, utilizing smart positioning to avoid the brunt of the damage. They either hold the line of objectives, or push into them to secure them. They are generally accompanied by a support, and have very high health and defensive capabilities.
D. VA: Crafty pro-gamer in a highly specialized robot, she reminds me of the bad robot from the Robocop movies. She’s a tank -- tons of health and defenses, but she can also fly around quickly, pump out damage, and cause massive explosions. Self-Destruct: Goodbye suit, hello giant bomb! When she abandons her suit, run!
Roadhog: A shotgun wielding maniac! He operates at close range, using his hook and powerful close-range basic attacks to deal and soak massive damage. Whole Hog: Roadhog prepares a bunch of ammo and sprays it rapidly.
Zarya: Soldier with a laser-gun. Zarya attacks at close range, using an arsenal of shields and gravity bombs to control the battlefield. Graviton Surge: A gravity bomb that throws people into the air and pulls them in! Look out for combos with this.
Winston: The brilliant scientist, who happens to be an insanely tough gorilla. He will jump on you and mess you up with a mix of his Tesla Cannon and brute strength, as well as his insane damage mitigation. Primal Rage: He’s a gorilla, and he WILL rip off your face. This is why Winston works alone.
Reinhardt: He’s just a giant adventurer with a giant axe, but he can certainly ruin some days. Pushing forward with shields and charging into enemies axe-swinging, he’s great at both pushing and defending objectives and soaking damage, while providing high close-range damage. Earthshatter: Knocks down all of the people in front of him. Subsequently, he will most likely smack you in the face.
Support: The healers, map manipulators, and buff-providers, the supports of Overwatch are extremely diverse and very powerful in their niche. All of the supports possess the ability to hold their own in fights with other roles. Where they shine, however, is in teamwork: supporting their teammates with heals and buffs.
Lucio: "International celebrity who inspires social change through his music and actions.” This guy is awesome - skate around and shoot sound waves at people while supporting your team with speed and healing auras. Sound Barrier: A -HUGE- shield. Do not expect to kill people who have been Lucio ulted.
Symmetra: Reality-bending technician - she creates photon turrets and teleporters to aid her allies in strategically winning the game. Extremely strategic, defensive hero. Teleporter: Literally creates a portal, connecting two spots on the map. Great teleporters can win games!
Mercy: That medic healing you with the cool little beam? That’s Mercy. Love her or hate her, she keeps her teammates alive. Resurrect: Revives ALL recently slain allies around you. Pretty insane for skirmishes.
Zenyatta: This robot who has discovered true zen contains a mix of high mid-ranged damage and mid-ranged healing, combined with the ability to control fights with buffs and debuffs. Transcendence: He turns golden and radiates light -- totally immune, and heals everyone! If he’s fighting you, he may have this in his back pocket.
Now that we know about the heroes that are playable, we need to understand the maps that we'll fight them on.
Maps are separated into two Objective categories: Payload and Point Capture. There are more types being released in future beta patches, as well! Included below are either pro-games featured on the map, or previews of the map. These are study materials.
Payload: The attacking team must escort a moving payload objective to a delivery point, limited by a timer. Defense halts that progress. The current playable Payload maps are:
Point Capture: A team defends designated points on the map, while the attackers attempt to break in and capture it before the time runs out! The current point capture maps are:
Control: Both teams fight over a series of objective areas. A best-of-three King of the Hill. Three objectives per round!
- Lijiang Tower:
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- Nepal
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Now that you know a decent bit about the heroes and maps of Overwatch, you should have enough information to select a hero that fits your personal play-style and get on with the grind!
General tips for improving in Overwatch:
- To win games, playing around objectives is crucial. Overwatch is not a mere deathmatch, and positioning wisely around the objective is key to great Overwatch gameplay!
- The 10 minute game timer makes the game extremely fast-paced. The game is also fluid strategically - the game dynamics can constantly change. This is due to the hero-switching mechanic, with no limitation on multiple heroes and hero switches. Try your best to keep up strategically, and stay ahead of the clock!
- In first-person shooters and RTS alike, preparation is vital to success. Knowing pathways, objective basics, and special spots on maps is just as important as understanding the abilities of the heroes. If you're in doubt, just do a bit of homework! You'll feel a lot more comfortable fighting against heroes that you understand!
- Above all, don't get discouraged! Overwatch allows for an extremely high skill-cap, which can be intimidating. But don't worry - it's good news! You'll be making the play of the game soon enough!
Now get out there and get better! Happy fragging!
For more Overwatch content and news, follow @GosuOverwatch on twitter!
