'Overwatch' hero spotlight: How to suck less with Hanzo

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Each Overwatch hero is a special snowflake.

Different guns, different abilities, different movement speeds, different quirks. Learning to excel with one hero doesn't mean you've mastered Overwatch.

Playing a hero the "right" way only gets you so far, of course. Positioning, team formation (on both sides) and overall skill level are still important; you can play a hero perfectly and still lose. But you probably won't win until you learn to play whoever you're using right.

We've got you covered. Read on for tips, strategies and ideal maps/modes to help you suck less at using Overwatch's very own arrow-shooting father of dragons, Hanzo.

Ability breakdown

• Primary weapon: Storm Bow. Fires arrows that travel in an arc at varying distances and deal varying damage, depending on how long the drawstring is pulled back ("charged"). It takes just over one second to fully charge a single shot, for high damage. No reload, but there's a half-second delay between shots as a new arrow is cocked. Hanzo's movement is slowed while the drawstring is pulled back.

• Sonic Arrow: The next arrow Hanzo fires releases a sonar ping that makes all enemies in its range appear as red silhouettes, even through walls. The arrow is otherwise a normal Hanzo shot, with the distance and damage determined by the amount of charge.

• Scatter Arrow: The next arrow Hanzo fires splinters on impact, releasing six more arrows that scatter and ricochet off of the nearby surroundings, dealing medium damage to enemies. Just like the Sonic Arrow, the initial Scatter Arrow's range and damage is dictated by the amount of charge.

• Ultimate ability: Dragonstrike. Hanzo fires an arrow that releases a pair of large, snake-like phantom dragons that travel in a straight line until they exit the map. They deal high, continuous damage to all enemies touched by the dragons.

• Wall Climb: Hanzo can climb straight up a wall for a considerable by jumping into it head-on. He can then make a short leap in any direction at the apex of his climb.

How to Hanzo

Excelling with Hanzo is more art than science. even though the core of his strength as a hero -- arrow snipes -- rely on physics.

Landing successful hits with Hanzo is all about compensating for gravity's pull on his speeding arrows. Unless you're firing a fully charged shot at close range or attacking from above, it's always important to aim at a spot above your desired target.

How far above your target depends on two factors: distance and charge. Uncharged shots won't even reach targets that are further off and fully charged shots still require quite a bit of aim compensation when you're lining up a long range attack.

Look at the GIF above. See the three lines denoting Hanzo's crosshairs? Those are important reference points.

The highest of those lines is roughly where a fully charged arrow will land when fired at a medium-range target. A half-charged arrow will strike a medium-range target at the second line down. And an uncharged arrow will reach a medium-range target at the lowest targeting line.

This is why feel is so important for Hanzo. You've got to read your target's position and distance -- just as you would with any other sniper -- but then you also have to compensate for the way your arrows move through a physical space.

All of which is to say: there's no exact science for landing hits with Hanzo. But he is a sniper. You always want to attack at range, using charged shots. Save the weaker uncharged shots for when you're fending off an attack on your position or retreating under fire.

Use Wall Climb whenever you can to reach positions that make it harder for close-range threats to reach you. Hanzo's uncharged arrow fire is not a strong defense against the flankers or tanks he's likely to come into contact with, and good positioning can minimize those encounters.

Sonic Arrow should be fired whenever possible, as revealing enemy positions -- especially near the front lines -- helps your entire team. Try to actually hit an enemy with one whenever you can; Sonic Arrows "stick" to struck targets, following their movements for a greater distance than a stationary Sonic Arrow would.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Scatter Arrow, on the other hand, is best when you've got one or more enemies cornered in a tight space. It's also a powerful counter to stationary foes like Bastion if you can hit the ground directly in front of your target.

Pretty much everything Hanzo does as hero is really meant to facilitate Dragonstrike, one of the more game-changing Ultimates in Overwatch.

Dragonstrike can wipe out a tightly clustered enemy team if you line it up right. Just remember the phantom dragons take a second or two to appear, so this ability has limited use against close-quarters threats.

The most effective Dragonstrikes are paired with Hanzo's Sonic Arrows or Widowmaker's Infra-Sight -- anything that allows you to see enemy positions from out of sight. Your dragons travel through walls, shields and any other barriers, so lining up a cluster of enemies that you don't have a line of sight on is an effective strategy.

Best modes/maps: As with any other sniper, Hanzo is someone who works best at the fringes of the battlefield, backing up his team from the most distant rear ranks. He's not a recommended hero to use in most Control matches, due to both the lack of sight lines and Hanzo's inability to capture effectively. Hanzo is a defense hero first, though he can strengthen any attack on maps with longer sightlines (like King's Row, Dorado and Route 66).