@GnomeQueen said:
I feel like the hooded guy in the video must be Reaper pre-transition.
I feel like at some point we'll find out that Talon subjected him to some sort of mental and bio reprogramming, like with Widowmaker.
It is reaper. But it was actually mercy who fucked him up. There are some voice lines reaper says to that effect.
talking to mercy, "You made me like this"
0
RahnalH102the Green Devout, Veteran Monster Hunter, Creature EnthusiastNew MexicoIcrontian
I like playing support because I like helping others, I also hate support because it generally means that I HAVE to really on my teammates. So I've been glad that Overwatches supports can pack quite the punch, part of why Zenyatta is my fav support. Seeing that Ana Amari continues the trend is nice.
@BobbyDigi that's exactly how I've felt about Hero stacking. You can counter six D.Va or Torbjorn, but those matches are the absolute worst in my opinion.
Anybody using MasterOverwatch.com, be careful - I'm pretty sure I just got served (pretty clumsy) malware in the form of a batch file downloaded (named chrome_update.bat) and a big URGENT CHROME UPDATE NEEDED splash screen.
I have the bat file contents if anybody cares to take a look at it, but just watch yourselves.
BlackHawkBible music connoisseurThere's no place like 127.0.0.1Icrontian
Anyone know of a good tutorial, be it video or text that explains which support characters to play based on the loadout of your group and dependent on the map?
Just finished playing Mercy for the first time while defending on Dorado and I wasn't quite sure who to heal the most? I would think the tank but I don't know if I do anything to Reinhardt's shield. Without his shield, he's not the main focus anymore and I don't think his offensive game is significant enough to warrant me boosting him when I could try finding someone else to boost/heal.
So this group has a bunch of quick start videos that might be helpful-- I'll link to Lucio's.
I think it's personal preference, to some extent, as to which support characters you want to use when. I play Lucio most often when I'm doing a control point map-- Illios, Lijang Tower, and Nepal-- because the speed is important to get to the point, and those maps all have parts where you can blast people off the map (although which segment of the map you're on matters in that part). I also choose to play Lucio in games where there isn't a tank, or there isn't a decent tank (thanks pubs!) because he has more survivibility than the other supports-- he has his speed to get him away, and his self-heal has no delay like Mercy's. I also switch to Lucio in rounds where I'm getting murdered a lot as Mercy.
Mercy is a really great option because her ult, when used correctly, can't be beat. Lucio's ult is also helpful-- I like to save it for when I hear the other team use one of their ults-- but nothing can turn a round around like a mass res. That being said, she's squishier than Lucio because her heal is delayed until she hasn't taken damage for a short period of time, and she's pretty slow if there's no one around. If you have a teammate around you can fly to, she's great-- if she's somehow been left alone, she's cannonfodder. I personally like to heal lots of people when I'm using Mercy, but I like to stick close to a tank while healing other folks. You're right that her damage buff is more useful on characters other than Reinhardt, (at least when his shield is up), so I like to give that to someone else near him while running behind him, and switching back and forth between them when need be. Being near a couple tanks is actually pretty great too, because she'll build her ult quickly from all of the damage being taken.
I am not sure if you are just looking for healers, but I can talk about Symmetra too, since she's my favorite character and the one I've played the most. Symmetra is classified as support, but unlike the other characters, she only has a shield she gives out, not a heal. She's pretty much exclusively used on defense, although I have seen her used successfully for offense. I like placing her turrets in groups in weird places or near health packs (or defending a point), but I have seen lots of people group them altogether in one place and have some success. I have seen people complain before, because on defense they'll have a Symmetra but not an actual healer, but I feel like, depending on the team comps involved, a healer on defense isn't always necessary. That being said, I'll often switch from Symmetra to a healer, or to Toblerone if the game isn't going well, because I feel like she's fairly situational. Symmetra also cannot heal herself, but half her health is a shield that will regenerate (as will the shields placed on your teammates).
I am not at all successful with him, but a good Zenyatta can be a killer, literally. If you can land the discord orb and his right/left clicks, he does a TON of damage, and can take you down quicker than you'd think. He's essentially a glass cannon-- more shield than health, and his health doesn't regenerate unless he's ulting. His ult is awesome though-- it's one of the few times in the game when you're truly invulnerable, and can really prevent the team from dying in the event of a big ult from the enemy. I don't feel like he functions all that well as a primary healer, so if someone else is playing him, I will sometimes go Mercy or Lucio on top of that.
I can't really speak to Ana because I haven't played her at all, which I really should do.
RahnalH102the Green Devout, Veteran Monster Hunter, Creature EnthusiastNew MexicoIcrontian
The "Overwatch Central" youtube channel has some good guides in general: Quick Hero Guides Maps Hero Counters
The quick hero guides that go over the heroes in question will probably give you the most info you are looking for. The others can help you get some inferred info about the supports.
I'll also put in some general tips for each support based on my own insight. Mercy: A dedicated healer, Mercy has the best direct healing output but has to heavily rely on her teammates. For her to get out of harms way and to help the team deal more damage. She is probably best at defensive positions where her team is spread out among a particular area but are all within flying distance for her. So maps with varied layouts, especially elevated areas are good for her. As for team comps, Mercy does best with a typical team with a spread of roles, since they'll likely be taking up different positions and offer other ways to protect her. If a team is dive/flank heavy she can have trouble since that will put her in the middle of the fray often. She is very fragile and typically doesn't last long in a fight. Especially against seasoned players as they will know to target Mercy immediately. A good Pharah is a Mercy's best friend (hence the fan community shipping them). For damage boosting, healing is your first priority, if everyone topped off, safe, or otherwise not in need of healing, you'll generally want to damage boost the highest dps heroes on your team. Snipers, assault characters, Junkrats, someone with Ana's ult on them, someone trying to kill the flanker targeting you. Some things might be a bit more situational, say your Junkrat or Pharah is trying to blowup a turret nest, amping their damage real quick would be key for the team. Situations change all the time. As you play more you should be able to eventually realize when to damage boost, or when to heal, or when to retreat.
Lucio: Another dedicated healer who is more self reliant then Mercy. He has self healing, speed boost, a strong knockback, and can wall grind to be a bit more elusive and get to areas some other heroes can't. Lucio's passive healing aura has a better general healing output then Mercy, but lacks direct healing output even when using his amp. His teammates need to be a bit more careful since Lucio won't be able to get their health back as quick as Mercy does. Lucio is pretty balanced and can fit well in just about any team or map. More walls the better though.
Zenyatta: Is an aggressive support who excels with an aggressive team. His healing orb provides more direct healing then Lucio's passive, but not as much as Mercy's. However he doesn't have to be relatively close to his teammates, he just needs to maintain line of sight. All of his orbs have very long range, combine this with his fragile build and you want to play him in the back line. This way he is likely to have line of sight on all or most of his team and will hopefully be a bit more protected from flankers. Use his debuff orb to help make some troublesome heroes easier for your team to deal with. Getting this orb on a troublesome tank, a nested Bastion, an enemy healer, or a good Tracer can be quite helpful to the team. Maps with excessive amounts of cover can be troublesome for Zenyatta as this makes most of his abilities moot, or very hard to maintain. You'll likely want another healer on your team or for your team to be heavily self sufficient/health-pack aware.
Ana: A long range support who can deal a fair amount of healing and damage. Like with Zenyatta, it's recommended you have another healer on the team with her. Things to note about her healing application: If she's in scope, her shots are hit-scans (instant) and if a teammate is in the somewhat large triangle at the center of her scope, then they will be healed. If she is shooting from the hip, then her shots are projectiles and have travel time. The aim assist for teammates is not active here. For Ana to be most effective, she needs to have some level of coordination with her team. Not too recommended in a pug group. If other snipers are good on a map, then Ana likely is as well. So maps with long ranges and elevated areas are best for her. I haven't gotten to play her much so I can't say much more on the subject.
Symmetra: A defensive support that excels at area control and team utility. She provides small regenerative shields to her teammates and a handy but limited teleporter ult. She is a pretty niche hero who is mostly played on defense for certain maps. Usually Temple of Anubis, King's Row, or Volsk. Industries due to the long walk back to the first point on these maps as well as the close quarters that her laser turrets can help control on these maps. She can be played on offense but that takes some practice.
Side note: If you play Soldier:76 often, you should check his hero specific options and turn on friendly health bars so you can see if your healing canister can save a teammate.
In general, if you're playing a healer, you should try and keep everyone as healed as you safely can. If they get bloodlust and charge ahead into an unsafe situation, you probably don't want to follow them.
5
RahnalH102the Green Devout, Veteran Monster Hunter, Creature EnthusiastNew MexicoIcrontian
With the recent D-Va buff, Mercy and D-Va are basically the Heavy / Medic combo you want. It becomes almost impossible to loose your mech to any normal attack if you have a D-Va that knows how to protect mercy and they become nearly impossible to get off the point. Her forward shield gives Mercy a couple seconds of refuge in sticky situations. It's as good a pairing as you will find in the game.
Always target the support hero first. That's critical to success in overwatch.
Playing king of the hill games against a team with a Lucio that knows how to weave can be incredibly challenging. The way he is able to stay alive spreading his healing, I don't think he is as useful in situations where the team has to constantly move. Payload games his utility isn't the same, but you get into a king of the hill game and you are all trying to hold a singular point and you have a Lucio weaving in and out basically refusing to be eliminated with the rest of the crew there soaking it up, he is the toughest support hero to target.
@Cliff_Forster said:
With the recent D-Va buff, Mercy and D-Va are basically the Heavy / Medic combo you want. It becomes almost impossible to loose your mech to any normal attack if you have a D-Va that knows how to protect mercy and they become nearly impossible to get off the point. Her forward shield gives Mercy a couple seconds a refuge in sticky situations. It's as good a pairing as you will find in the game.
I'm not entirely sure I agree with this, although of course play styles differ. D.Va can be great to heal because she absorbs a lot of damage, which can be great for building the Mercy ult, but I feel like she's more centered around harassing than being a straight tank that defends the support. I would much rather follow around a Reinhardt, Zarya, or even Roadhog. I also find that it can be more valuable to heal an ally in danger over D.Va, because she doesn't die if she loses the mech, whereas another character near you will.
Comments
It is reaper. But it was actually mercy who fucked him up. There are some voice lines reaper says to that effect.
talking to mercy, "You made me like this"
I like playing support because I like helping others, I also hate support because it generally means that I HAVE to really on my teammates. So I've been glad that Overwatches supports can pack quite the punch, part of why Zenyatta is my fav support. Seeing that Ana Amari continues the trend is nice.
Pretty damn close to his "origin" skin
It's the same. The hood is just down in game, and he's not wearing the beanie in the photo.
And Zenyatta's getting a buff! Along with D.Va. So excite.
holy god the d.va buffs. That feels good.
OH NO! I am SO OBSESSED with the original of this song by JT, ask @KINGPIN
Most fun I've had in OW so far.
6v6 Reinhardt. It's just ridiculous, I really recommend trying it if you can get the other team to cooperate.
OMG, 9:00 He talks about Fun. Nailed it. Exactly how I've felt.
@BobbyDigi that's exactly how I've felt about Hero stacking. You can counter six D.Va or Torbjorn, but those matches are the absolute worst in my opinion.
That was a great video @BobbyDigi, thanks for sharing. I love how much they are diving into the data to find what is working or not for the game.
Anybody using MasterOverwatch.com, be careful - I'm pretty sure I just got served (pretty clumsy) malware in the form of a batch file downloaded (named chrome_update.bat) and a big URGENT CHROME UPDATE NEEDED splash screen.
I have the bat file contents if anybody cares to take a look at it, but just watch yourselves.
That's it, Rocket League is over.
https://www.facebook.com/LeagueofOverwatch/videos/vb.1737565323122652/1759392744273243/?type=2&theater
@Tushon That intro though.....
less fun intro, but this save felt realllllly good
https://gfycat.com/LeadingFlickeringAllosaurus
Anyone know of a good tutorial, be it video or text that explains which support characters to play based on the loadout of your group and dependent on the map?
Just finished playing Mercy for the first time while defending on Dorado and I wasn't quite sure who to heal the most? I would think the tank but I don't know if I do anything to Reinhardt's shield. Without his shield, he's not the main focus anymore and I don't think his offensive game is significant enough to warrant me boosting him when I could try finding someone else to boost/heal.
So this group has a bunch of quick start videos that might be helpful-- I'll link to Lucio's.
I think it's personal preference, to some extent, as to which support characters you want to use when. I play Lucio most often when I'm doing a control point map-- Illios, Lijang Tower, and Nepal-- because the speed is important to get to the point, and those maps all have parts where you can blast people off the map (although which segment of the map you're on matters in that part). I also choose to play Lucio in games where there isn't a tank, or there isn't a decent tank (thanks pubs!) because he has more survivibility than the other supports-- he has his speed to get him away, and his self-heal has no delay like Mercy's. I also switch to Lucio in rounds where I'm getting murdered a lot as Mercy.
Mercy is a really great option because her ult, when used correctly, can't be beat. Lucio's ult is also helpful-- I like to save it for when I hear the other team use one of their ults-- but nothing can turn a round around like a mass res. That being said, she's squishier than Lucio because her heal is delayed until she hasn't taken damage for a short period of time, and she's pretty slow if there's no one around. If you have a teammate around you can fly to, she's great-- if she's somehow been left alone, she's cannonfodder. I personally like to heal lots of people when I'm using Mercy, but I like to stick close to a tank while healing other folks. You're right that her damage buff is more useful on characters other than Reinhardt, (at least when his shield is up), so I like to give that to someone else near him while running behind him, and switching back and forth between them when need be. Being near a couple tanks is actually pretty great too, because she'll build her ult quickly from all of the damage being taken.
I am not sure if you are just looking for healers, but I can talk about Symmetra too, since she's my favorite character and the one I've played the most. Symmetra is classified as support, but unlike the other characters, she only has a shield she gives out, not a heal. She's pretty much exclusively used on defense, although I have seen her used successfully for offense. I like placing her turrets in groups in weird places or near health packs (or defending a point), but I have seen lots of people group them altogether in one place and have some success. I have seen people complain before, because on defense they'll have a Symmetra but not an actual healer, but I feel like, depending on the team comps involved, a healer on defense isn't always necessary. That being said, I'll often switch from Symmetra to a healer, or to Toblerone if the game isn't going well, because I feel like she's fairly situational. Symmetra also cannot heal herself, but half her health is a shield that will regenerate (as will the shields placed on your teammates).
I am not at all successful with him, but a good Zenyatta can be a killer, literally. If you can land the discord orb and his right/left clicks, he does a TON of damage, and can take you down quicker than you'd think. He's essentially a glass cannon-- more shield than health, and his health doesn't regenerate unless he's ulting. His ult is awesome though-- it's one of the few times in the game when you're truly invulnerable, and can really prevent the team from dying in the event of a big ult from the enemy. I don't feel like he functions all that well as a primary healer, so if someone else is playing him, I will sometimes go Mercy or Lucio on top of that.
I can't really speak to Ana because I haven't played her at all, which I really should do.
My heal priority (as Mercy):
Shielded tank > tank > about to die > top DPS
The "Overwatch Central" youtube channel has some good guides in general:
Quick Hero Guides
Maps
Hero Counters
The quick hero guides that go over the heroes in question will probably give you the most info you are looking for. The others can help you get some inferred info about the supports.
I'll also put in some general tips for each support based on my own insight.
Mercy: A dedicated healer, Mercy has the best direct healing output but has to heavily rely on her teammates. For her to get out of harms way and to help the team deal more damage. She is probably best at defensive positions where her team is spread out among a particular area but are all within flying distance for her. So maps with varied layouts, especially elevated areas are good for her. As for team comps, Mercy does best with a typical team with a spread of roles, since they'll likely be taking up different positions and offer other ways to protect her. If a team is dive/flank heavy she can have trouble since that will put her in the middle of the fray often. She is very fragile and typically doesn't last long in a fight. Especially against seasoned players as they will know to target Mercy immediately. A good Pharah is a Mercy's best friend (hence the fan community shipping them). For damage boosting, healing is your first priority, if everyone topped off, safe, or otherwise not in need of healing, you'll generally want to damage boost the highest dps heroes on your team. Snipers, assault characters, Junkrats, someone with Ana's ult on them, someone trying to kill the flanker targeting you. Some things might be a bit more situational, say your Junkrat or Pharah is trying to blowup a turret nest, amping their damage real quick would be key for the team. Situations change all the time. As you play more you should be able to eventually realize when to damage boost, or when to heal, or when to retreat.
Lucio: Another dedicated healer who is more self reliant then Mercy. He has self healing, speed boost, a strong knockback, and can wall grind to be a bit more elusive and get to areas some other heroes can't. Lucio's passive healing aura has a better general healing output then Mercy, but lacks direct healing output even when using his amp. His teammates need to be a bit more careful since Lucio won't be able to get their health back as quick as Mercy does. Lucio is pretty balanced and can fit well in just about any team or map. More walls the better though.
Zenyatta: Is an aggressive support who excels with an aggressive team. His healing orb provides more direct healing then Lucio's passive, but not as much as Mercy's. However he doesn't have to be relatively close to his teammates, he just needs to maintain line of sight. All of his orbs have very long range, combine this with his fragile build and you want to play him in the back line. This way he is likely to have line of sight on all or most of his team and will hopefully be a bit more protected from flankers. Use his debuff orb to help make some troublesome heroes easier for your team to deal with. Getting this orb on a troublesome tank, a nested Bastion, an enemy healer, or a good Tracer can be quite helpful to the team. Maps with excessive amounts of cover can be troublesome for Zenyatta as this makes most of his abilities moot, or very hard to maintain. You'll likely want another healer on your team or for your team to be heavily self sufficient/health-pack aware.
Ana: A long range support who can deal a fair amount of healing and damage. Like with Zenyatta, it's recommended you have another healer on the team with her. Things to note about her healing application: If she's in scope, her shots are hit-scans (instant) and if a teammate is in the somewhat large triangle at the center of her scope, then they will be healed. If she is shooting from the hip, then her shots are projectiles and have travel time. The aim assist for teammates is not active here. For Ana to be most effective, she needs to have some level of coordination with her team. Not too recommended in a pug group. If other snipers are good on a map, then Ana likely is as well. So maps with long ranges and elevated areas are best for her. I haven't gotten to play her much so I can't say much more on the subject.
Symmetra: A defensive support that excels at area control and team utility. She provides small regenerative shields to her teammates and a handy but limited teleporter ult. She is a pretty niche hero who is mostly played on defense for certain maps. Usually Temple of Anubis, King's Row, or Volsk. Industries due to the long walk back to the first point on these maps as well as the close quarters that her laser turrets can help control on these maps. She can be played on offense but that takes some practice.
Side note: If you play Soldier:76 often, you should check his hero specific options and turn on friendly health bars so you can see if your healing canister can save a teammate.
In general, if you're playing a healer, you should try and keep everyone as healed as you safely can. If they get bloodlust and charge ahead into an unsafe situation, you probably don't want to follow them.
yay slow typing
When I play Mercy I prioritize.... ahhhh hell who am I kidding I don't fucking play Mercy.
With the recent D-Va buff, Mercy and D-Va are basically the Heavy / Medic combo you want. It becomes almost impossible to loose your mech to any normal attack if you have a D-Va that knows how to protect mercy and they become nearly impossible to get off the point. Her forward shield gives Mercy a couple seconds of refuge in sticky situations. It's as good a pairing as you will find in the game.
Always target the support hero first. That's critical to success in overwatch.
Playing king of the hill games against a team with a Lucio that knows how to weave can be incredibly challenging. The way he is able to stay alive spreading his healing, I don't think he is as useful in situations where the team has to constantly move. Payload games his utility isn't the same, but you get into a king of the hill game and you are all trying to hold a singular point and you have a Lucio weaving in and out basically refusing to be eliminated with the rest of the crew there soaking it up, he is the toughest support hero to target.
I'm not entirely sure I agree with this, although of course play styles differ. D.Va can be great to heal because she absorbs a lot of damage, which can be great for building the Mercy ult, but I feel like she's more centered around harassing than being a straight tank that defends the support. I would much rather follow around a Reinhardt, Zarya, or even Roadhog. I also find that it can be more valuable to heal an ally in danger over D.Va, because she doesn't die if she loses the mech, whereas another character near you will.
For Reinhardt his best defense is having great offense behind him so he can keep moving forward.