How to play Widowmaker in Overwatch 2 – strategies, counters and the best cards

Widowmaker is the main sniper character in Overwatch 2. Sometimes it can be difficult to shine with the fragile French assassin in a game as fast-paced as Overwatch 2. Good mechanics and head-clicking skills can get you far, but understanding the Basics and using their skills can help make up for what you may be lacking in the target department. For the raw goal, there is only one right way to improve – practice, practice, practice. For everything else, we’ve collected our best teaching strategies and tips, as well as counters and best cards for Widowmaker in Overwatch 2.

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The best strategies for playing Widowmaker in Overwatch 2

positioning

You can feel like a tower at times when playing Widow, so proper positioning is more than just picking a spot to stand. Instead, think about “angles” and “lines of sight” all the time. While the advantage from height is usually a good starting point, it’s also what the opponent will expect. So think of ways to subvert that and get your enemies looking at where you might be while hitting them from a different angle. If possible, look for a corner or obstacle to duck or hide behind. Otherwise, if you miss your shot, you’ll just be a sitting duck.

target priorities

With a fairly slow rate of fire and consuming 3 bullets per shot, choosing your target as a Widowmaker is crucial. Sure, stacking up high damage numbers by hitting tanks with bullets can look good on the scoreboard, but that’s not your job. Your one-hit potential is best used on the enemy’s fragile targets. Healers should be your top priority, but their DPS characters that pose an imminent threat are an even better target. Once you’ve eliminated that threat, you can shoot at everything else with impunity – healers first, of course.

Quickscope

Quickscoping is a shooting technique that takes practice to perfect. Once you master it, it can prove to be an invaluable tool in your arsenal. It was much more powerful in the early days of Overwatch when Widow scoped up faster. These days you want to use it for fast damage, to finish off wounded targets, or when boosting your damage, e.g. B. with a Mercy boost on you. To perform a quickscope, it’s best to pre-aim your target and quickly right-click, then immediately left-click to fire, followed by a quick right-click release to reposition.

Assault Rifle Mode

Unlike snipers in most other FPS games, Widow’s rifle has an offensive fire mode that is often overlooked. It’s a good idea to practice shooting with it as the spray distribution is difficult to get used to. It will absolutely save your neck when you’re under pressure, especially when you miss that first sniper shot and the enemy is in your face.

grappling hook

Everyone knows that you can get into unexpected positions with the grapple hook. You’ve probably seen it for jump shots too. While it’s undoubtedly fun to use this way (and it takes practice too), there’s more you can do with it. For example, it’s your only mobility tool, so it’s a good idea to keep it for escaping if you expect to be pressured. You may not know this, but the grapple holds the momentum, so if you use it horizontally you can press jump to jump a few meters further forward. Combined with Vemon Mine and Assault fire mode, you can pose a threat even while retreating.

Venom mine usage

Too many players overlook the humble Venom mine. Not only does it deal damage, but it can serve as a trigger warning as well as a short wallhack. The most obvious use for the Venom Mine is to place it at a slanted angle so you don’t get flanked. Another use is to place it near you when you expect to be pounced on, want to move away and leave the enemy hero with a nasty surprise. A final, less obvious use is that you can throw it into an unfolding brawl. The mine’s damage is both AoE and DoT. So if you fire it at a cluster of enemies, it will damage some of them, which in turn can help your team win the fight.

Ultimate use

It’s always a good idea to consider when and how to use a hero’s ultimate. The same goes for Widowmaker. Try to look for ways to benefit your team and yourself – these wall hacks can be indispensable for everyone. If you’re being countered or pressured, consider using your ultimate ability as soon as you know that character has respawned. If you’re dueling another widow, you might want to save your ult if she triggers hers to counter her.

when to alternate

Overwatch 2 is a game that allows you to swap out heroes in the spawn room on the fly, and you should always remember that you can take advantage of this. Widowmaker has suffered a nerf to her health pool, and with 175 hp and the game speeding up with the return of Dive Comp, you’ll likely be targeted and forgotten as Widowmaker. So you may have to swallow your pride and trade it for the good of the team. At other times certain map sections are just hard for Widow to complete, so you might want to have a bag selection for such an opportunity. If you really want to stay on the hit scan theme, consider practicing switching to Ashe, Soldier 76, Cassidy, or even Tracer.

Related: Every Legendary Widowmaker skin in Overwatch 2

The best cards for Widowmaker in Overwatch 2

Widowmaker shines on maps with long sightlines and good elevation positions. Open map sections where she can attack enemies with little cover can quickly become her playground as well. Most control cards aren’t generally very good for Widow, as she’s not really a character who wants to stand on objectives, despite what the voice chat would have you believe. Some of Widowmaker’s best cards and card sections include:

• Ilios (Control): An exception to the rule, the ruins section is great for widows, and both the lighthouse and fountain are decent too.
• Circuit Royal (Escort): Great Widow card for defense. However, it could be difficult to get angles on offense.
• Havana (Escort): Another great widow card, especially the 1st and 3rd sections.
• Junkertown (Escort): Lots of open terrain in 1st section but 2nd and 3rd may need swapping if you get stuck or overrun.
• Rialto (Escort): Especially the 1st section. Later it might be harder to maintain.
• Route 66 (Escort): Also known as “jump shot paradise” by widow enthusiasts.
• Blizzard World (companion): The 1st and 2nd sections are great for Widowmaker, but the 3rd is a lot less.
• Hollywood (Hybrid): Widowmakers have been known to single-handedly halt progress in the street phase of this map.
• King’s Row (Hybrid): One of the best widow maps in the game. Except for that pesky road phase.Colosseum (Push): There are some really good sightlines on this map for Widow to thrive in.

Against Widowmaker in Overwatch 2

It’s not always fun blowing your head off or your teammates when you’re on the receiving end of Widowmaker’s scope. She can be difficult to deal with, especially when her team knows they must back down to support her. There are some characters who stand a good chance of countering Widowmaker:

• widowmaker: The best weapon against a troublesome widow is another, better widow. Sniper duels can be intense, but when one Widowmaker dominates the other, maybe it’s time to trade.
• Genji: Everything in the Cyborg Ninja’s gear is well suited to deal with an annoying Widowmaker player.
• Tracers: Speed ​​is Tracer’s number one weapon, and that goes for Widow as well. Just sneak up on them and use the close-range advantage against them.
• As he: What Widow has in range over Ashe, she lacks in consistency and rate of fire. A good Ashe can outperform a Widowmaker and be more supportive of her team.
• Hanzo: Hanzo, the king of shaky stares and unreasonable headshots, can often beat Widow from a distance.
• Stay: Sojourn is a DPS threat and with her Charged Shot, she’s easily able to outwit Widow who’s peeking at the wrong time.
• Echo: With good speed and maneuverability, Echo Widow can face face faster than most.
• Winston: One of the original widow counters, the monkey scientist can use his bubbles and jumps to constantly pressure her.
• D.VA: Defense Matrix and Rocket Boosters allow this tank to reach Widow and minimize her damage.
• Anna: As well as the lore reasons, a good, aggressive Ana player can outsmart Widow and get her thinking about peeking too much again.
• Lucio: His speed and notoriously difficult head model can make him an absolute backline threat in the hands of a skilled skater.Kiriko: The Japanese support has Genji and Hanzo’s best qualities when it comes to duels, allowing her to dash with left and right clicks on Widow.