Overwatch D.Va Guide: Flankings and Self-Destructions

In our guide, we reveal how you can protect your own team with D.Va from Overwatch while also instilling fear in your enemies.

Hana Song “D.Va” – Pro Gamer and Mech Pilot

In our series of Overwatch guides, we now turn to the next candidate. Up next is “D.Va”, whose real name is Hana Song and who is a Korean Pro Gamer. In Overwatch, she operates a battle mech, which allows her to protect her allies while also dealing significant damage. However, some mechanics of D.Va are not immediately clear to newcomers. We provide useful tips and tricks.

D.Va in Raw Numbers

• D.Va has 500 hit points (400 armor, 100 HP) in her mech. In her human form, she only has 150 HP.
• The fusion cannons have infinite ammo. They fire 7 times per second with 7 bullets each, dealing 3 damage. Damage decreases to 0.5 at longer ranges, and weapon spread significantly increases.
• Ram enemy players with “Boosters” causes 25 damage.
• The light gun (human form) has 20 shots, each dealing 14 damage. It fires 6.66 bullets per second.
• Requesting a new mech causes 50 damage to all enemies in the immediate vicinity.

Tank or Damage Dealer?

Although D.Va is classified as a “Tank” in the character breakdown, she plays quite differently than Reinhardt. She is not effective at holding a point head-on for extended periods. Instead, D.Va enjoys jumping across the battlefield with her boosters, attacking from the flanks, repositioning with the booster, and causing chaos among the enemy team.

Fusion Cannons – Blessing and Curse at the Same Time

• Don’t hesitate to use the fusion cannons at long range. Overwatch communicates poorly how much damage you are taking. D.Va’s heavy fire, even at long distances, appears threatening to many players – even if you often only deal 1 or 2 damage points.
• Even if the fusion cannons deal little damage at long range, their use prevents enemy shields from automatically regenerating. In certain situations, this can be the difference between victory and defeat.
• In close combat, the fusion cannons are quite powerful. It’s best to sneak up on the enemy support from behind or the flank, get in close with the booster, and attack them. Even if you happen to die, taking out the enemy healer is usually worth your own death.

  

Boosters – Full Speed Ahead

• While using boosters, each enemy can only be rammed once. Even if you hit them multiple times in the 2 seconds, they will only be pushed back once.
• Use boosters as often as possible. D.Va is large and mobile, enabling her to create confusion and panic among her enemies. If a skill has only a 6-second cooldown, you should definitely use it!

Defense Matrix – The Best Shield for the Team

• D.Va’s only real protection mechanism is one of the most powerful in the game.
• For many heroes using an ultimate, their ultimate percentage does not drop suddenly but gradually over the course of a few moments. Therefore, it’s often better to stop an ultimate with Defense Matrix than to interrupt it with another character using stun. This results in the ultimate being truly used up.
• Defense Matrix can be used simultaneously with the boosters! Use this to engage close to Widowmaker, Hanzo, or Bastion.

Self-Destruct – Rarely a Multi-Kill

In terms of pure damage potential, self-destruct is one of the most powerful abilities in the game, but due to its long preparation time, it’s rarely effective for securing kills.

• You can combine boosters and self-destruct! If you use the ultimate while boosting, you eject, but the mech continues in the selected direction before it explodes.
• A mech fired straight up can be enough to confuse the enemy team.
• The explosion kills D.Va if she is too close, but not her own team! When your D.Va sends her mech ahead, it’s time to advance, not to hide with her.

D.Va Without Mech – Vulnerable? Not at All!

Many players tend to play very recklessly once they lose their mech. However, they shouldn’t, as D.Va’s human form comes with some advantages.

• Without a mech, D.Va has one of the smallest hitboxes in the game and is hard to hit (unless you are Reinhardt).
• D.Va has a precise, solid weapon in her human form! The light gun does not weaken at range and has 100% accuracy. You can frequently secure some kills this way.
• Headshots recharge D.Va’s ultimate “Request Mech” very quickly. If you’re good, you should barely need to spend more than 10 seconds in human form.
• Call for a new mech only when you need to be at the forefront again! Depending on the situation, a “small” D.Va can be more useful.

When is D.Va Useful?

D.Va gains special advantages on all maps where you can throw players off edges near control points. This especially includes Ilios, Nepal, Lijiang Tower, and to some extent Watchpoint: Gibraltar and King’s Row. The psychological effect is significant. When enemies know that a D.Va is playing, they tend to avoid edges – if they don’t, you can directly punish them with a friendly shove into the abyss.

Otherwise, D.Va is always a valuable addition when enemies try to force you into choke points. Don’t let that happen. Charge through the threatening areas with boosters + Defense Matrix and give your team the chance to move forward. Whenever the enemy forces you to fight at a specific location, D.Va excels at changing that.

In general, D.Va should be seen as a more “offensive” tank. Those who want to protect the team in the long run might be better off with Reinhardt. However, both heroes together create a relatively solid combination in any team.

You can find even more guides and tips in our overview article on Overwatch guides. Do you have any additional tips for D.Va? Then share your tips with us in the comments!