"Overwatch" is a first-person shooter that takes on a stylized appearance with many different playable heroes, putting players in a number of different game scenarios. This title from Blizzard Entertainment took the world by storm when it released in 2016, now, nearly two years later, it has a raging community and a highly populated competitive scene. According to Statista, the game has logged over 35 million accounts as of October 2017, and with new Tips And Tricks being discovered, new heroes and new maps being released, and thriving competitive action, it is clear to see why.

But if you’re new to the game, or just can’t seem to get out of a losing streak, look no further than here to find out game-changing tactics sure to raise your rank and turn the tide of any match.

1. Sneaky extra shot

We all know how impressive it is to pull off a four or five kill ultimate, but how often do you find that Roadhog or Reinhardt escaping with a fraction of health left? Well, with this tactic, you can be sure to snag that play of the game with an impressive move. When you use your ultimate ability the game registers it as something different from firing your weapons, so as you go to use your trusty death blossom or rocket barrage, be sure to fire an extra sneaky shot towards the enemy with the most health to ensure that you can take them down.

Using this tactic is sure to rack up your kill counter and make any enemy tremble in their boots. Pull off a couple of these sneaky ultimates per game and change the tide of battle.

2. Bastion’s tank jump

Whilst not technically a hidden feature, Bastion has the ability to jump up onto ledges whilst in his ultimate form, configuration: tank.

Many competitive professionals utilize this ability to help get the drop on unsuspecting enemies. To make this jump work you need to fire at the ground just a fraction after using the jump button, this allows the game’s natural momentum to carry you up and away. When you hear the audio cue for Bastion’s ultimate you would usually look around on the ground for his tank to come rolling in, but being able to attack from up high automatically gives any precise player perfect headshot bonus damage opportunities, not to mention the benefit of being able to drop in behind enemy lines and have a perfect flank attack opportunity.

3. Cliffside earthshatter

Reinhardt, as I’m sure you all know, is one of the most relied on heroes in "Overwatch." His ultimate ability earthshatter leaves enemies rendered helpless and stunned on the floor, ripe for the picking. If you add in one of his other abilities, his charge ability, you can make for a cheeky and deadly tactic. Once you have earthshatter ready you want to lure as many enemies as you can to a cliffside location, places such as the Eichenwalde bridge and Hanamura’s market are prime locations. Once there are a few enemies around you want to unleash your earthshatter, knocking down as many enemies as possible, then charge at them.

Make sure you are on the opposite side to the drop by clipping the enemies, instead of inning one of them you will charge them all off the edge to a deadly drop.

4. Barrier savior

Characters that can produce barriers of some kind, such as Winston and Zarya, can be a saving grace to any team. One of the biggest threats to any team is the D.Va ultimate known as self-destruct. This can rip apart an entire team if you are caught unprepared. But one of the easiest ways to counter this devastating ultimate is to have a hero that can produce barriers, that may be a Winston diving onto the exploding mech and dropping his bubble or a Zarya shielding both herself and another team member from the explosion.

It doesn’t matter what amount of health your barrier has because it will absorb the entire self-destruct, and if you’re playing Zarya, that’s eighty free gun charges right there. Eat it up.

5. Roadhog launcher

Roadhog used to be overpowered and nearly impossible to stop, but since he got nerfed by Blizzard it takes a lot more tactical play to use him to his full potential. One such tactic to make Roadhog a first pick character again is the use of his ultimate. Jamming scrap metal into a grinder on his gun, Roadhog gleefully laughs as he sprays enemies with shrapnel that sends them flying away. Though if any enemies have a barrier producer in their midst your ultimate can be a big flop. So, the best way to utilize this ultimate is to land a hook first, ideally you want to land it on any character that can counter you, so a Reinhardt or a Zarya possibly.

Once hooked in immediately pop your ultimate and watch as your enemies fly far away.

6. Widow high jump

If you play Widowmaker you’ll know there is no sweeter feeling than pinging your enemies with headshots and watching them fall like a sad domino, except one thing. Launching yourself high into the sky like a majestic purple eagle, and then hitting the headshot, causing the sad domino fall. By releasing the grapple ability button just before landing and jumping you can launch yourself up to get a great angle for any team fight. Though aiming whilst airborne can be a challenge, it is so rewarding when you nail those kills. You can turn the tide of a team fight from a distance by picking off healers and weak heroes that hang back and are otherwise untouchable from a frontal attack.

7. Faster reloads

How often do you lose a one-on-one battle? How many times do you get killed whilst reloading? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us, but there is a way you can Improve your rate of fire and give yourself that extra oomph needed to win those encounters. Some characters have slower reload animations than others, for example; Genji, Reaper and Junkrat all have fairly slow reload animations, but there is a way that you can shave precious time off of the animation to allow you to get back to shooting quickly, and that’s the melee tactic. Keeping an eye on your ammo counter you can get an idea when the actual reload is complete and the animation is still finishing. When the counter changes back to fully loaded, simply melee attack and it will cancel the animation and allow you to shoot quicker, giving you an edge in battles.

8. Torbjorn turret heals

In what way could playing against a Torbjorn be more frustrating than it already is? The answer is actually the same thing that will make you want to play him even more. Sneaky turret placement. Every player has hundreds of stories of how they died to a Torbjorn turret, and how much it angers them, but there is a way for you to get your Torbjorn revenge and use him against the world. Placing a turret over a health pack is one of the best ways to use the turret, and you may be thinking: “Why would I do that, it’ll be out of all the action?” That’s where it is supposed to be. This sneaky tactic punishes the natural panic that overcomes players when they’re about to die, they instinctively run to a health pack, letting your turret pick them off with no hassle. Not only that, but sitting the turret on the health pack actually heals your turret! No health for the enemy, turret self-sustains, it’s a win-win!
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