John Pickard asked 2 months ago
Zarya’s weapon, the Particle Cannon, has two distinct firing modes that both gain additional attack power based off her use of her two defensive abilities. Her main firing mode is a short-range laser that maintains a straight line of fire and consistent output, which is outstanding for doing a great deal of damage to those who get within range. The bad news about this firing mode is that it’s completely ineffective once an enemy gets too far, though Zarya’s secondary allows her to fire an energy grenade in a fairly shallow arc. Both of her abilities allow her to create damage absorbing energy shields, which then directly increases the power of her Particle Cannon based on the amount of damage absorbed by said shields. The Particle Barrier allows Zarya to protect herself from oncoming fire, and it lasts significantly longer than her Projected Barrier, which can be placed on a nearby ally. Finally, her ultimate, the Gravitron Surge, pulls all nearby enemies into its aura and does a small amount of continuous damage to everyone trapped inside. The best Zarya players charge right into battle, activate their Particle Barrier and then stay behind one other ally, allowing for the simultaneous use of the Projected Barrier.There are certain characters in Overwatch that lose their effectiveness when solely used for killing, and Reinhardt is firmly in this camp. If you’ve spent any time watching or playing Overwatch, you’ll recognize this massive sheild and hammer wieldimg knight from a mile away. Reinhardt is one of the lucky few characters that has two distinct weapons, one offensive and one defensive. His Rocket Hammer does massive amounts of damage to anyone who falls inside of a given swing, though it should be noted that these swings are exceptionally slow in the grand scheme of things. In addition to the Rocket Hammer, Reinhardt also utilizes the Barrier Field, his iconic light shield that can reflect up to 2000 hitpoints before retracting. Not only does this shield automatically retract when it runs out of HP, but it also recharges when it’s not in use and Reinhardt is much slower when using it. For these reasons, it’s best to save up your shield for when you’re right on top of a payload as a member of the attacking team, as this is where the Barrier Field is easily the most effective.Reinhardt’s first ability, Charge, is quite tough to control, but can basically guarantee you a kill when used properly. As the name suggests, this ability propels Reinhardt forward a great distance, but it also allows him to do damage to everyone in his path. What’s more, any enemies that you pin up against a wall with charge will receive massive damage, usually resulting in a kill. His other ability, Fire Strike, allows him to launch a flaming projectile in the direction of the reticle for large close-to-medium range damage. Using Charge and Fire Strike in combination with his ultimate, Earthshatter (which stuns all enemies in a straight line) makes for a wonderful opportunity to get multi-kills. Still, you’re going to want to choose Reinhardt for his shield and its benefits for objective play over everything else.Bastion is different from most of Overwatch’s heroes in that his main ability alters his main weapon. His standard configuration, Recon, allows him to move freely and gives him a moderately powerful assault rifle designed for medium range encounters. His Sentry configuration is his most useful, and potentially most frustrating, setup. In this mode, Bastion is completely stationary, but has a turret that can do insane damage at close, medium and long range. Needless to say, running straight into Bastion when he’s hanging out in his Sentry configuration is straight up foolish. Add this to the fact that his other ability, Self-Repair, allows him to heal himself, and it’s easy to see how Bastion can be frustrating for those who just bumrush an objective without thought. Oh, and let’s not forget that Bastion’s ultimate, Tank Configuration, not only makes him more mobile and gives him a powerful rocket launcher, but it also decreases the size of his hitbox significantly.Each map was designed specifically for the game mode it’s paired with, meaning nothing feels wrong about the design. An Escort map is designed with one straight path and a few off-shoot areas to accommodate different playstyles. A control map features one central point and multiple paths players can take to try and flank the enemy team and take the spot. These maps also play into the game’s meta. For example, a close-quarters Escort map will benefit Reinhardt whose shield would block everything straight in front of him, but an open control map would leave him vulnerable from many different directions. Being able to control the map with the right hero, managing choke points and figuring out the path that works best with your character’s range is imperative.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’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 twenty-one launch heroes of the Storm anniversary, three at a time, with the hopes that you’ll be able to recognize certain patterns on the battlefield.