'Overwatch' hero spotlight: How to suck less with Widowmaker
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.
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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 spider-eyed markswoman, Widowmaker.
Ability breakdown
Primary weapon: Widow's Kiss (sniper). Fires single shots that deal high damage when fully charged. Each round takes one second to charge, and can be fired early with reduced damage. Sniper rounds can only be fired from scoped view. 30-round clip, each sniper shot uses three rounds.
Secondary fire: Widow's Kiss (assault). Fully automatic, low-damage fire for dealing with threats at close and medium ranges. Draws from same 30-round clip as the sniper, but each bullet fired is worth only one round of ammo in assault mode.
Grappling Hook: Widowmaker fires a grappling hook in a straight line, pulling herself up to any surface the hook attaches to. 12-second cooldown.
Venom Mine: Widowmaker drops a proximity-activate mine that deals continuous light damage over five seconds to anyone standing in the small blast area. 15-second cooldown.
Ultimate ability: Infra-Sight. Widowmaker activates her recon visor, making all enemies on the map visible to allies -- through walls and other obstacles -- as red silhouettes for 15 seconds.
How to Widowmaker
There's not much mystery to Widowmaker's role in Overwatch: she's a sniper.
Until Ana arrived, Widowmaker was the only hero in the game with a scoped weapon. Widow's Kiss sniper fire is deadly, with a fully charged headshot delivering 300 damage -- enough to take down any non-tank instantly.
Body shots are more survivable, with a full-charge shot dealing 120 damage. That's not enough to one-shot any full-health hero, though a rapid, uncharged follow-up shot is often enough to finish the job.
To see if your shot is charged, watch the little gauge on the right side of the crosshairs while you're looking through the Widow's Kiss scope. It's brief, though the shot does lose its charge if you jump or leave scoped view.
Positioning is key with Widowmaker. Grappling Hook gives you access to positions that most other heroes can't reach. Look for elevated positions with long, clear sightlines that let you cover broad swaths of the map. You don't have to aim the hook perfectly; get close to a ledge and Widowmaker will pull herself onto it.
Once you're in position, figure out where your blind spots are and plant a Venom Mine as a warning system. Mines are also useful in other ways. Drop one when you're making an escape to buy yourself a few seconds or use it offensively -- either when you're cornered or when a firefight is raging below you -- to dish out some extra damage.
Firing Widow's Kiss as an assault weapon should always be a last resort. It does fine damage if you're accurate, but Widowmaker is simply outclassed at short and medium ranges by virtually every other hero. Use assault to cover your escape, not go on the offense.
Infra-Sight is the sort of Ultimate that should be activated whenever you have it. There isn't any situation where revealing all enemy positions to allies for 15 seconds won't be helpful.
Best maps/modes: For most players, Widowmaker is only recommended for defend scenarios. She can be effective on attack in skilled hands, and depending on the match-up, but her need to operate at a distance and reliance on clear sightlines leaves her at a disadvantage when she's not on defense.
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.
