'Overwatch' hero spotlight: How to suck less with Soldier: 76
Want help with a different hero? Click here to check out our master Overwatch guide, where you'll find links to tips and strategies for each hero in the game.
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.
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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 meat-and-potatoes shooty man, Soldier: 76.
Ability breakdown
Primary weapon: Heavy Pulse Rifle. A fully automatic machine gun that, with accurate fire, deals moderate damage at all ranges. 25-round clip.
Helix Rockets: Fires a slow-moving, tightly clustered three-rocket barrage that deals heavy damage in a small area around its point of impact. 8-second cooldown.
Sprint: Significantly increases Soldier's movement speed. Identical to the "sprint" feature from any other modern first-person shooter. No cooldown.
Biotic Field: A deployable healing station that restores 40 health per second to any ally standing in its area of effect (marked by a yellow circle on the ground). Lasts for five seconds when placed. 15-second cooldown.
Ultimate ability: Tactical Visor. Firing a weapon while Tactical Visor is active automatically directs that fire toward visible enemy targets, eliminating the need to aim. 6-second duration.
How to Soldier: 76
Soldier: 76 is your video game-standard "dude with a machine gun." He's perhaps the most well-rounded of all the Overwatch heroes, with decent-but-not-the-best speed, lethality and even team-wide support.
It all starts with that Heavy Pulse Rifle, which is deadly accurate over great distances when fired in short bursts. Watch the crosshairs as you fire and you'll actually see them widen as your accuracy dips. Three- or four-bullet bursts with a brief pause in between is Soldier's ideal rhythm.
Even with the timing dialed in, you still won't want to catch yourself in any sniper duels. That's not to say snipers should be ignored; Soldier's accurate fire -- especially from behind a Reinhardt shield -- can harry them into giving up their position.
That said, your primary targets as Soldier should be support and squishier damage-dealers. The Pulse Rifle's fast, accurate fire is especially effective at shutting down a Pharah in mid-air.
Use Helix Rockets whenever possible. They're minimally useful at long range -- unless the target is stationary -- due to their speed, but the 120 damage a single barrage dishes out is no small thing. Don't try to be precise, either; just aim at a close- or medium-range target's feet. Splash damage will do the rest.
Biotic Field provides a welcome alternative to health packs, and gives Soldier the ability to help his team. He's typically firing from behind tanks as a front line offensive hero, and it leaves him perfectly positioned to drop a timely Biotic Field when the damage piles up.
Sprint's utility requires little explanation, just don't forget that you have it. When you die and respawn, sprint should be the only thing you're using until you get back to the thick of a firefight. And if you're under heavy fire, duck around a corner and dash away.
Basically: if you're not actively shooting something, use Sprint.
Tactical Visor isn't a bad Ultimate, but it's easily misused. Since the enemy team knows when it's active -- and will quickly target you as a priority threat -- never switch it on when you're already being targeted.
Save it instead for ambush opportunities. Soldier isn't a flanker, but Biotic Field gives him the freedom to stray from the team. Settle into a flanking position once your Ultimate is ready and use it from there.
Just remember: Tactical Visor doesn't increase your damage, it only ensures your bullets strike targets. Reloading is also still a concern. The Ultimate won't be as effective if one or more of the targets in front of you is a tank.
Best maps/modes: Soldier's well-rounded skillset makes him an asset on any team, in any mode of play.
Topics Blizzard Entertainment Esports Gaming
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
