How to Get Better at Overwatch in 3 Steps

Overwatch has roughly half a million characters and all of them play completely differently. Well, obviously, I’m joking about the number but still, Overwatch has a wide selection of characters, meta combos, play styles, and counters. It requires skill, teamwork, communication, and a dash of luck to be successful in it! Luckily for you, I’m here to help you with this How to Get Better at Overwatch guide! I know, I know. Hold your applause, please! I kid, I kid. But in all seriousness, read on and learn three things you can do today to elevate your gameplay!

Why am I qualified?

This is a fantastic question. Why should you listen to me, some stranger on the internet that you’ve never met? If I was you, I’d be skeptical. But alas, here’s why I can help you: I’m a Flex main with enough hours on literally everyone to be able to help give some tips on each hero. I’m upwards of 900 hours on the game and I consistently play with people with more than a couple thousand hours. I stay up to date, read tons of blogs and watch lots of videos about the game, and I ask most every good player what advice they have for anyone else. As far as rank, I’m in Diamond most of the time and I have a number of Top 500 and Grandmaster friends. Read on and I’ll tell you what I’ve learned from myself and from them!

For more Overwatch, check this out: Pinpointing the Best Overwatch Heroes

What’s the first step?

Step 1: Range

There are going to be a lot of steps to take in order to improve, and I do mean a lot. There’s no such thing as a perfect player. Even the best in the world are working to better themselves all the time. That being said, in my research and from personal experience, the number one easiest and fastest way to get better is to use the practice range.

I know, I know. It sounds lame, and nobody will be chanting your name in the streets for killing some bots, but it makes an absolutely enormous difference. Some of the top players, especially accuracy-based ones like Hanzo or Widowmaker, recommend spending a couple hours in the practice range every day. Do you have to do that much? Oh, heavens no. But most skilled players agree that the practice range will get you better across the board, from memorizing your cooldowns to getting the perfect flick shot down. It’s a relaxed, stress-free environment where you can improve. Personally, I’ve found my accuracy and rank have been enormously boosted since I started using it.

Who do I play with?

Step 2: Teammates

Overwatch is a team-based sport, so it’s generally best if you find some teammates to help you. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely despise solo-queue because a good portion of the time, you’ll end up with teammates who are stubborn, toxic, and generally aggravating. Find people to play with and you’ll do better. Obviously, you have to pick the right people, but here are the qualities you should be looking for in teammates no matter your rank:

• Friendly. Trust me. You really don’t want a toxic teammate. It stops being funny and become annoying in the blink of an eye.
• Cooperative. In the big bad world of Overwatch, you need teammates who know how to work together. No, this doesn’t mean that everyone has to agree on everything all the time. It just means that, in the end, everyone’s pushing for the same goal and not running around winging it by themselves.
• Supportive. This is one that people don’t think about as much as they maybe should. You need teammates who don’t, I repeat, don’t turn on each other in five seconds when the slightest thing goes wrong. You need people who’ll be encouraging. I don’t necessarily mean that good teammates put up with everything, merely that you want to be the person saying, “great heals!” more often than getting picked off and yelling at your healers. People mess up. It’s just going to happen. You need a team that’ll help you pick yourself up.

For more Overwatch, check this out: Overwatch Tips and Tricks for Newbies and Veterans

Who am I playing?

Step 3: Find Your Best Character

No, this isn’t a duplication of the above question. Who are you, personally, playing? Okay, real talk time. You might be sabotaging yourself based on a character choice. Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how long you play a certain character. Sometimes, that character will forever elude you, and that’s completely fine. While there are some extremely talented players who can play anyone at a very high level, most folks have a “main,” as in the character they play the most. Of course, vice versa, while a certain character might be difficult, you might be the greatest of another hero. Find your main.

Let me give you an example from my life: Doomfist. Ah, Doomfist. How I wanted to be a good Doom. I spent upwards of 30 hours trying to play him and even got his golden gun. Tragically, at the end of the day, I had a 26%-win rate with him even after all that time. Clearly, it was time for me to play someone else. Alternatively, I have a friend who is ranked #13 Doom in Competitive and fighting him when he’s playing Doomfist is like fighting a tornado. That being said, I’ll run absolute circles around him with other characters.

The point is that finding the right hero is critical for your success. Just because someone you know is really good at a hero does not mean that someone else could be just as skilled. Find who works and perfect them. Become the Widowmaker of Death. Become the Rein of Massive Shatters. Become the Lucio of Unpredictable Boops.

Summary

In conclusion, you’re going to need to do a lot of things to improve. There is no five-day plan. It takes time and patience, and sure, there might be a few failures to launch. There’ll also be games where you pop off and destroy. If I had to pick three things to start on today for this How to Get Good at Overwatch guide, and here they are: (1) get in the practice range, (2) get good teammates, and (3) find your best character and perfect them.

Until next time, get out there and have some fun!

For more Overwatch, check this out: Get Merry with an Overwatch Christmas Sweater