We tell you in our guide how to become a proper tank with Reinhardt in Overwatch .
The German tank Reinhardt
The open beta of Overwatch is in full swing, and we are currently focusing on some of the most popular heroes. Naturally, we also dedicate a small article to the German representative of the 21 heroes, Reinhardt. In this guide, we want to provide you with some general tips and tricks regarding his playstyle, so that you can dominate the battlefield with his Rocket Hammer.
The Barrier Field – A safe harbor for the whole team
- Reinhardt’s Barrier Field absorbs an impressive 2000 damage points and provides protection from most abilities. Enemies cannot shoot through the barrier, but allies can! Keep this in mind and protect your team or particularly vulnerable characters like Bastion, Widowmaker, or your healers.
- The Barrier Field regenerates 2 seconds after you have deployed it, gaining 225 shield energy per second. However, if the barrier is completely destroyed, you cannot deploy it for 3 seconds! So it is usually better to deploy the barrier just before it breaks.
- Not all attacks are intercepted by the Barrier Field! Symmetra and Winston can shoot past the barrier with their weapons, and Reinhardt’s Fire Strike also penetrates the barrier.
The Rocket Hammer – Powerful melee weapon
- The Rocket Hammer hits all enemies in Reinhardt’s line of sight for 75 damage points. During the swing, you can still turn, so don’t hesitate to look around to hit more enemies.
- The hits from the Rocket Hammer have a slight knockback. This is minimal, but can be enough to knock people off an edge.
- Reinhardt’s Charge is quite tempting. Most players feel the urge to charge forward – but be careful. You are the tank of the group; if you charge ahead, the team has little chance to follow and loses its protective shield.
- Use Charge only when you are sure you can hit a target! Charge deals 50 damage and 300 additional damage if you slam an opponent against a wall – this kills almost all non-tanks immediately. However, if you miss, you are often dead immediately – because Reinhardt’s movement is sluggish and he is briefly stunned when he hits a wall. That’s enough time for the German knight to be taken down.
- Watch out for Roadhog and McCree! Both can easily interrupt your Charge. Roadhog uses his Chain Hook for this, while McCree uses his Flashbang, which quickly ends your attack and leaves you defenseless.
- A charging enemy Reinhardt can be countered with your own Charge. When the two collide, both characters are stunned for a brief moment.
Fire Strike – The only option for ranged attack
- Fire Strike is your only chance to deal damage at range. The 100 damage points penetrate any barrier and hit all targets in their path.
- Fire Strike can cancel the animation of your melee attack. This allows you to effectively “hit-and-run” a Tracer (or other heroes with low health) by hitting them first and then performing Fire Strike during the swing animation.
Earthshatter – The ultimate cleanup
- Earthshatter is, when used correctly, one of the most devastating ultimates in the game. In a cone area in front of Reinhardt, all enemies are stunned for 2.5 seconds and knocked down, rendering them completely incapacitated.
- Note that both the damage and the stun from Earthshatter require line of sight. Obstacles like walls or the payload will intercept the effect, as will the shield of an enemy Reinhardt or Winston.
- While the primary benefit of Earthshatter is the stun, it also deals 50 damage points. Don’t forget this if you want to deal the final blow to an important enemy when your Fire Strike is still on cooldown.
- A typical “ultimate combo” would be Earthshatter followed by a Fire Strike. If you aim Fire Strike just above the ground, it can hit several downed enemies. After that, you can still swing the hammer 1-2 more times or easily finish off a particularly large target with Charge.
Do you have any further tips and hints for Reinhardt? Share them with us in the comments!
For more news and articles about Blizzard’s hero shooter, visit our Overwatch game page.
