The hero roster in Overwatch is diverse. It can happen that one loses overview or that individual heroes cannot be classified at the moment. This guide is meant to help understand the fight against defensive heroes like Bastion, Hanzo, or Junkrat better.
Probably everyone has had an experience with an annoying Bastion, a “too good” Widowmaker, or a frustrating Junkrat. Often, one switches to “stubborn” mode to deal with the opponent with brute force rather than with strategy.
Defensive heroes in Overwatch can cover and control areas well. Unprepared opponents are often caught off guard when they walk into such an area. If one finds themselves in such a situation, it is important to have the appropriate countermeasure at hand.
The colleagues from Invenglobal have written a detailed guide on how to counter every defensive hero in Overwatch – and we present it to you with some adaptations in German.
Counters for Bastion
Fights against Bastion can quickly become exhausting. He seems to mow down his opponents effortlessly just by mindlessly pressing the left mouse button, without himself being in danger. Especially for new players or during unexpected encounters, Bastion is frustrating.
In fact, Bastion is one of the characters that can be easily eliminated if you know his weaknesses. He becomes no longer a problem, can be quickly removed, leading to a numerical disadvantage for his team. The following heroes have particularly good chances against him:
- Hanzo: Possibly the best counter to Bastion. Hanzo’s Scatter Arrow can kill a Bastion instantly if every arrow hits – and it doesn’t even have to hit his critical hit zone. Especially Bastions that do not reposition but stay constantly in one spot have bad odds against the archer.
- Junkrat: The crazy Australian takes advantage of Bastion’s weak mobility. As he can fire from positions that no other hero uses, he can become a nightmare for the Omnic from a great distance, even over obstacles. Proper positioning and the right moment are key here.
- Roadhog: Roadhog cannot kill Bastion immediately, but his hook can pull him out of the configuration: Sentry and force him into the configuration: Recon. In this configuration, Bastion poses no significant threat and quickly meets his demise.
- Genji: Genji’s projectile deflection is useful against Bastion’s rapid fire. This only applies if the Bastion player has a slightly slower reaction time. Better players are rarely tricked. With the right timing, the deflection of the Gatling can also be used to get kills on the Omnic’s teammates.
- D.Va: D.Va herself cannot do much against Bastion, especially since the nerf of her Defense Matrix makes her somewhat weaker against him. Still, the damage negation is enough to give the rest of the team a chance to take out the Omnic. Here teamwork is essential!
Counters for Hanzo
Hanzo is an all-rounder among the heroes. He can deal well, has a lot of mobility, and brings strong synergies and useful tools. With his Sonic Arrow, he can locate opponents to surprise them with targeted arrows.
All this makes him a difficult character to play. However, now and then, one faces a strong Hanzo player. But there are solutions and strategies for that as well:
- Genji: Due to the extreme mobility of the cyborg ninja, it is difficult for Hanzo to hit him. Especially, his ability to move vertically is beneficial, as Hanzo’s projectiles are subject to physics (not “hitscan”). If Genji takes advantage of his strong vertical mobility, he can take Hanzo out with precision using shurikens and deflections.
- Reinhardt/Zarya: In their role as support tanks, Reinhardt and Zarya are not meant to take on Hanzo in a 1v1 and kill him. However, they bring good abilities that can protect their team from the sniper or force him to unwanted movement.
- Winston: With his combination of jumps, attacks, and shields, Winston is the ideal counter to Hanzo. It is nearly impossible for the archer to kill the gorilla before he lands. Once the colossal Winston gets close, he can attack Hanzo with his Tesla Cannon and dome to win the fight.
Counters for Junkrat
Junkrat has recently become truly playable again without bringing a disadvantage to his own team. With his second mine, he has become more mobile and stronger – strong enough to become a threat even in competitive Overwatch.
Especially, his ability to cover larger areas with damage and make routes impassable for flankers with traps and suppressive fire makes him strong. However, Junkrat’s significant disadvantage is his lack of range. This can be exploited to take him out:
- Pharah: Pharah is an obvious counter. It is difficult, even impossible, for Junkrat to hit a Pharah in flight (because she can simply fly higher than his projectiles). At the same time, her range makes her an opponent that Junkrat cannot counter.
- Widowmaker: Widowmaker can also score with her long range. As Junkrat usually has to stay in relatively obvious positions to do his job, he quickly becomes an easy target for a sniper rifle. Widowmaker can reliably take him out while staying safe herself.
- Zarya: The weightlifter Russian has two particularly significant advantages in the fight against Junkrat: her shields and her weapon. As the demolitionist cannot prevent his attacks from causing area damage, it is easy for Zarya to charge her cannon through her shields. Even if she cannot kill Junkrat directly with it, she will still be extremely annoying for the rest of the team.
- Soldier 76: The Overwatch veteran can deal significant damage to Junkrat from a distance. His accuracy at medium to long range combined with his Helix Rockets can quickly take Junkrat out of the game. Should Soldier:76 find himself too close to the grenades, his biotic field helps against incoming damage.
Mei
As frustrating as it can be to play against Mei, it is also quite unlikely at the moment. Mei is one of the least played heroes. Her abilities bring a lot of control but she is quite vulnerable if one plays a bit around her:
- Reaper: In a direct confrontation, Reaper has the best chance to kill Mei. If he hits well, 2-4 shots are enough to incapacitate Mei. If that is not enough, he can still assume a wraith form to shake off the frost effect and start anew.
- Pharah: For Mei, it is difficult to reliably hit a flying Pharah. The high damage and range of the Egyptian make her a deadly threat to Mei. Mei has significant problems against Pharah’s concussive blast: due to her low mobility, she can only slowly get back into position.
- Widowmaker: Like for almost any target without much mobility, Widowmaker is also a strong counter for Mei. With a well-placed headshot, she can quickly extinguish the lights on the researcher. Especially when she has retreated into the ice block, aiming becomes easier and only the timing needs to be right for a secure hit.
Torbjörn
The Swedish engineer Torbjörn is not really a threat on his own. Through his turret, he can cover and control an area from two sides, but he is not a significant danger alone. Therefore, he is usually protected by his team, making it somewhat harder to deal with him:
- Junkrat: The strongest counter to Torbjörn is likely Junkrat. Not only can Junkrat’s grenades quickly blow up Torbjörn’s turret or even him. Due to their physics, the grenades can bypass shields and obstacles.
- Zenyatta: Zenyatta is a bit more complicated to play against Torbjörn. With a fully charged right-click and some normal attacks, he can reliably take out the turret without taking too much damage himself. What does hit is usually absorbed by his orb. His ultimate also counters Torbjörn’s, and with the Orb of Discord, he can turn protecting tanks into easy targets.
- Hanzo: Hanzo’s ability to utilize the environment to redirect his damage makes him a particularly effective counter. The physics of his projectiles and the high damage allow him to quickly disable the turret and also Torbjörn.
Widowmaker
Widowmaker is one of the heroes that are often played but not really effective. The sniper can reliably take out targets from extreme distances. However, in the wrong hands, she is hardly a noteworthy threat.
If you encounter a Widowmaker who knows her craft, the following heroes can help:
- Winston: The highly intelligent gorilla is every sniper’s nightmare: mobile, robust, and strong. Widowmaker can have a hard time killing him on his way to her, and once he reaches her, the fight is practically decided. Only if Widowmaker perfectly escapes his attacks and quickly repositions, does she have a chance.
- Genji: Genji’s agility and ability to reflect shots make him a good choice. With well-timed deflections, shurikens, and dash attacks, he can deal significant damage to the sniper and wins the encounter in most cases.
Benedict says: In my opinion, defensive heroes are the most annoying in the game. They can quickly become frustrating and lead to “tilt”. Therefore, it is all the more important to know the counters – and the heroes themselves.
