Overwatch 2: How To Play Hitscan DPS Heroes in Season 3
| Tags: Overwatch, Overwatch 2
| Author Zlosterr
Overwatch 2 Season 3 became available several weeks ago, but we received the first mid-season changes just a couple of days ago. If you haven’t had the chance to read the changes yet, you can click here to go through them and how they affected some heroes.
Speaking of Overwatch 2 Season 3 hero changes, there is a group of DPS characters that seem incredibly strong right now. Known as Hitscanners or Hitscan, these heroes allow people to do tons of damage as long as they hit their shots. So, let’s learn more about them.
Which are the Overwatch 2 hitscan characters?
There are different Overwatch 2 hitscan characters, but in most cases, people use this term when talking about the following:
- Soldier: 76
- Ashe
- Widowmaker
- Cassidy
- Bastion
- Sojourn
Aside from these heroes, people also include Tracer and Reaper in this group. However, they have a different playstyle, meaning we won’t focus on them in this article.
All of them are DPS, and they require people to use their aiming skills to hit their targets. Unlike heroes, such as Junkrat, which rely on AoE damage, Hitscaners in Overwatch 2 are a bit harder to master because players need to hit their shots to be effective. In fact, people use hitscan to describe a shooting mechanic where there is no travel time. In other words, you hit your target if your crosshair is on it.
Why would you want to play a hitscan hero?
Whether you want to complete the Overwatch 2 Season 3 battle pass challenges or reach a given rank, the hitscan heroes are among the best. As mentioned, these heroes stand out because you can hit your target when your crosshair lands on it. Consequently, skilled players can be a lot more effective because of how these heroes are played.
Hitscan heroes shine against targets that are fast and hard to kill because they can kill them instantly. They are also good versus things that need to be destroyed ASAP, such as a Turret.
Regardless of your Overwatch 2 hitscan settings and the hero you pick, the most important thing is good positioning. This is especially true if you decide to focus on options like Ashe or Widowmaker because they won’t be able to do anything if they're out of options.
Each Hitscan hero is different
When looking at the Overwatch 2 DPS tier list, you can see that some hitscaners are way stronger than others. One of the reasons why this is the case is because of the fact that every hero is different.
If we take a look at Widowmaker, for example, we can see that she’s one of the heroes that focuses on landing single but deadly shots at her targets. However, other DPS characters, such as Soldier, rely on bursts and following their targets to score a kill. Speaking of Soldier, he is among the strongest Overwatch 2 DPS heroes right now because he got several buffs in Season 3.
Cassidy is also an interesting hitscan hero because he falls somewhere in between Widow and Soldier. On the one hand, he relies on hitting single shots, but on the other hand, he has more bullets to work with, making him similar to Soldier.
When discussing differences between the hitscan heroes, we also need to mention that each one needs a specific range to be efficient. Widowmaker likes staying far behind, but heroes like Soldier shine a lot more in mid-range. As for Tracer, she’s the queen of close combat.
Focus more on hitting your own shots than dodging the ones from your opponents
Although there might be an Overwatch 2 hitscan nerf in the future, for now, these heroes are really strong and can make a difference. However, some people don’t take advantage of them because they’re not hitting their shots. As strange as it may sound, many Overwatch 2 fans focus more on dodging the enemy’s bullets than landing their own.
Even though OW 2 is a game where you can use all sorts of things to make yourself hard to hit, your number 1 priority is to land your shots. Learning how to play Hitscan DPS in Season 3 and above requires to be accuracy. So, try to land yours instead of focusing solely on dodging your opponent’s shots.
Of course, this rule has many exceptions because it all depends on what heroes you focus on. For example, playing versus tanks will require you to move more often because they can kill you faster. The same applies to playing against Widowmaker or Ashe because they can one-shot you.
Conclusion
Regardless of which Overwatch 2 DPS build and hero you focus on, you need to play as much as possible to be effective. Becoming a better Overwatch 2 player isn’t easy, and it will take a lot of time. However, if you practice regularly and focus on improving, you will see results much faster.
Since the latest Overwatch 2 changes took place a couple of days ago, we will probably have to wait for a bit for the next patch. With that said, always check the Overwatch 2 DPS ranking before deciding which option to pick.