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Blizzard entertainment’s first-person shooter (FPS) Overwatch 2 has been out for about four months. With a new and revamped competitive experience, players old and new alike are grinding the rank ladder fervently. Overwatch 2 has three playable classes - Tanks, Supports, and, arguably, the simplest one, Damage (DPS).
While the other two classes are tremendously important to team composition, the DPS heroes are the purveyors of the core foundation of the game - first-person shooting.
These characters can pick off and engage with opponent supports and DPS while applying pressure onto their tanks. Different DPS characters may have vastly different abilities and HP bars. For example, Tracer and Symmetra have the lowest hitpoints in the game but can have massive damage output in the right hands.
Targeting and four other crucial tips for Damage (DPS) Overwatch 2 players
There are 17 damage heroes in Overwatch 2, with some being hitscan, and others being either projectile or beam. Each hero has unique skills complementing their playing style.
These characters are responsible for initiating team fights, isolating 1v1s, and retaliating against relentless tanks. Playing DPS might seem easy, but there are a few fundamentals you must know to remain consistent and outfrag your opponent.
Your damage hero pick depends on a game’s situation and mode and whether you are on the offense or defense. Regardless, almost every DPS pick will make sense if you play them efficiently to their strengths.
For more in-depth role analysis, you can check out comprehensive guides, pro streamers, and content creators who main DPS heroes, and keep an eye out on professional DPS players in the Overwatch League.
Here are five beneficial tips for maining DPS heroes:
Know when to leave a fight
As a DPS, the urge to fight and produce results swiftly may sometimes cloud your judgment. Do not unnecessarily extend your engagements and fall back when the team requires you to do so.
Playing Damage does not mean you should be fighting all the time, but in fact, taking on smart battles and securing kills. In Overwatch 2, if you, as a DPS, do not recognize when you’re losing a fight, your team will overcommit along with you.
If unsure of winning the fight, it is always better to back off and regroup with your team. If your comms aren’t working out, you can always stick to the objective. Overwatch 2 may provide a few exceptions, such as in overtime when fighting around the objective should be your priority, you should consequently battle till the end.
Map knowledge
With great DPS comes great map knowledge. Having an amazing aim or mastering your hero’s abilities won’t make much of a difference if you don't know where your team is getting attacked from.
Learn and try to memorize specific spots for different Overwatch 2 maps, both offensive and defensive. Certain "choke" points on maps such as Circuit Royale and Colosseo can produce fairly easy picks for Damage players who can utilize these locations.
If you lack Overwatch 2 map knowledge or your enemies are more informed, there’s a high chance they will outclass you. Understanding your environment means checking for opponents in places you wouldn’t otherwise look. This gives you an immense advantage and greatly reduces the enemy’s element of surprise.
Choosing your targets
As a Damage hero, you must choose your targets wisely and coordinate your actions with your team. Overwatch 2 has the weakest heroes in Supports, as they are the most vulnerable when isolated in 1v1s.
When launching an attack, remember to communicate with your team so they can back you up and retaliate against oncoming enemy backup. Having teammates also means you do not get immediately flanked as you take a duel.
If DPS players do not communicate with their teammates about targets, they will be lost on the battlefield. Overwatch 2’s gameplay system does not favor uncoordinated attacks. You and the supports may end up feeding rather than securing kills and holding the objective.
Not being ambitious
Being a DPS in Overwatch 2 means being action hungry. When you see an enemy, your first instinct is to engage, which isn't particularly wrong in most situations.
However, most Damage players will tend to undertake fights regardless of the number and strength of their opponents. This will lead to you lowering one's HP and then dying without securing any kills.
In Overwatch 2, learning to isolate opponents and catching one or two on the flank is the easiest way to gain the upper hand and remain focused on the task at hand - which is to DPS structurally. Waiting back for your team is also a viable option. Doing this greatly reduces your chances of dying and increases your team’s chances of winning fights.
Relying on your Supports
Supports are your best friend as a Damage hero player, and staying in sight of one will infinitely increase your lifespan in Overwatch 2. Receiving Mercy’s Damage Amp or staying inside Baptiste’s Immortality Field will always give you an advantage.
In addition, the constant heals will inevitably come in handy. Remember to stay in the line of sight of your Support heroes.
Keeping your healer’s location in mind also means you can rush to help them quickly if the enemy launches a rapid offensive against your backline. This means you’ll end up staggering your opponent and breaking their flow, reducing pressure from your tanks and saving your healer.
These are the five foremost tips as a DPS you should try and follow in Overwatch 2. Doing so should place you in higher Elos quickly while improving your Damage gameplay rapidly.
Remember not to underestimate your opponents or be too arrogant in your abilities. Pick your fights smartly, play with your team, and keep track of your performance as you grow. With time and practice, your mechanical ability, aim, and game sense will escalate drastically.
