We hear ya -- it's hard to counter some Overwatch heroes. From Bastion's "Left Click to Win" to Lucio's annoying ability to keep an entire team healed up, some rounds are just extremely frustrating.
Fortunately, every hero can be countered. Not only that, but you may be surprised at how many heroes can shut down that particular one giving you such a hard time.
But since Bastion is probably the most annoying hero in the game, let's start with the robot.
How to Counter Bastion
Bastion is one of the most annoying characters in Overwatch, no doubt. Fortunately, there are a lot of heroes that can effectively counter him.
Widowmaker and Hanzo both have great range, letting you take down the robot before he even sees you coming.
Since Bastion is a sitting duck, Pharah can usually pump rockets in his face pretty easily -- even from far away.
Players that can close the gap quickly, especially Reaper, may be able to get close enough to Bastion that he can't really fight back. In turret mode, he doesn't spin fast enough, so you can circle strafe him FTW.
But really, Genji is the ultimate Bastion killer. His ability to defect bullets back at the annoying robot -- along with your other enemies -- will make any smart Bastion think twice before shooting at the ninja.
How to Counter Torbjörn
One of my favorite heroes in Overwatch, this master engineer tends to get more Plays of the Game than he really deserves. After all, his turret is doing all of the work!
That said, there are a few ways to easily take him -- along with his turret -- out of the fight.
Widowmaker and Hanzo come to mind again, just because of their long range. Torbjörn's turret has decent range, but the snipers have more.
D. Va, Reinhardt and Mei are also great counters, as they can shield their allies as they approach the engineer and his trusty turret. Additionally, Genji's bullet deflect = dead turret. Pharah's rockets can easily take out the turret, considering it's completely stationary.
And of course there's Reaper's teleport. I can't tell you how many times I played Torbjörn and a Reaper would just appear right above or behind me and Timmy the Turret.
How to Counter Widowmaker
You can basically go one of two ways with this scope-happy vixen. You can either try to take her out from down range (which is risky) or close the gap and hope she doesn't see you coming. That assault rifle hurts!
From far away, Hanzo or maybe a deflect from Genji can work. The deflect is a long shot, though.
In general, the best bet is a character that can move up to Widowmaker quickly, like D.Va. Winston can also move pretty quickly when he ults, but his inability to drop a shield during that time may hurt his chances of getting close enough.
Overwatch's poster girl Tracer isn't a bad choice either, since her unpredictable movements can keep snipers guessing.
Finally, don't forget about Mei's ice wall, Reinhardt's shield or Lucio's speed boost. These abilities can help your team get close enough to the sniper to take her out from mid-range.
How to Counter Hanzo
Similar to Widowmaker, you can either take out Hanzo from long range or close combat.
If you don't want to (attempt) to snipe him, Tracer is a good choice. She can dart around the battlefield and get close enough to take out Hanzo.
You can also try hiding behind a shield from Reinhardt, D.Va or Mei, but you need to listen for his ultimate. If you hear him pop it, dodge for cover -- because it's probably coming straight through the shield/ice wall.
How to Counter Junkrat
I should've played Junkrat much sooner, as he's one of Overwatch's funnest characters to play. Unfortunately, he can also be annoying to fight against. A good Junkrat will get tons of kills with his RIP-tire and throwing explosives all over the place.
Pharah is the best choice to counter him, simply because she can fight fire with fire. If the enemy Junkrat is hiding behind a corner lobbing his explosives off walls, Pharah's splash damage can make him pay without necessarily having to turn the corner herself.
Characters with shields like Mei, Winston and Reinhardt are also good choices, as their shields can prevent Junkrat's grenades from bouncing into middle of your team.
Finally, Junkrat isn't great in close combat so having Reaper teleport behind him = GG.
How to Counter Mei
Mei is probably the second most annoying hero in Overwatch besides Bastion. She does lots of damage, can cause havoc with her ice wall, and can essentially essentially tank by turning into a block of ice and healing.
The key to beating her is burst damage. Snipers like Hanzo and Widowmaker can take her down fast, before she heals. A well-placed explosive from Junkrat or Pharah can do the same, and both have a way to get their boomies over the ice wall.
...I dunno why I just referred to grenades as "boomies." But I'm keeping it.
How to Counter D. Va
As the most mobile tank, the key to taking D.Va out is to limit her mobility. That's what makes Mei one of the best counters, since she's all about slowing enemies down, freezing them and blocking them off with her ice wall.
Also, keep in mind that D. Va has a major weakness -- the glass cockpit where you can see her smiling face. While it's difficult to get a good shot on it if she isn't right in your face, that's the place to aim if you can.
How to Counter Reinhardt
Reinhardt is definitely a fan favorite. His shield is just awesome, allowing him to march up the field and defend his team, or sit in one place and defend a few defensive players.
One key to beat this goliath is to do a pincer attack. His shield can't block from two directions, so getting your team to come from 2 directions is a great way to render him ineffective.
As far as specific characters, a few come to mind. Symmetra's charge-up weapon goes right through his shield, damaging both him and his allies behind it. She can also bait him into a turret nest, since he has to engage as a melee character.
Genji also isn't bad. Even though just 1-2 hits from Reinhardt can take him out, Genji can slice through the shield, causing Reinhardt to choose between holding up the shield and getting killed or fighting back.
How to Counter Winston
Seeing Winston leap through the air with glowing red eyes is pretty darn scary. Luckily, neither his damage nor his health are all that great, so you can take him down fairly easily with the right characters.
Bastion really shines against this big guy. It's hard not to hit such a big target, and Bastion can normally take him out from far away. Even if Winston gets a chance to pop his dome shield, he's in trouble unless an ally inside can kill Bastion first.
Winston is also pretty weak to Reaper, as most big characters are.
How to Counter Roadhog
Roadhog is probably the most annoying tank in Overwatch. His Scorpion-like harpoon pull is almost insta-death if he has allies nearby, he has tons of health, AND he can heal himself quickly.
Mei is probably the best counter, as she can freeze Roadhog, making him much easier to kill since he can't heal while frozen. She also has her panic button, which I personally have used many times after getting grabbed by this behemoth.
The other best option is a sniper like Hanzo or Widowmaker. He's hard to bring down with consistent damage like Soldier 76, and instead you need to kill him before he can heal.
Reaper isn't bad either, since he has two ways to escape and it's hard not to hit Roadhog with both shotguns.
How to Counter Zarya
Who is this chick? Because to be honest I very rarely see anyone play her.
When you do come up against her, two great options are Pharah and Junkrat. Their AOE damage is great, because Zarya's shield doesn't protect her from explosives.
Someone with good damage mid-range such as Torbjörn and Soldier 76 aren't bad options either, since they can take Zarya down without getting in range of her cannon.
How to Counter Tracer
Probably the most well-known Overwatch character, Tracer's speed is what makes her so tricky. She reminds me of the Scout from Team Fortress 2, circle-strafing enemies in close quarters while having the speed to get away if necessary.
Roadhog's pull is almost certain death to Tracer, as just one shotgun blast is often enough to kill her. She can pop Recall to escape, but if she doesn't have it available, she's in trouble.
Symmetra isn't a bad choice to go against Tracer. Since Tracer needs to be pretty close to do decent damage, you may be able to bait her into a turret nest. And since she's fairly fragile, she'll die quickly to your turrets.
But McCree is probably the ultimate Tracer-slayer, as his Flashbang nullifies her crazy mobility.
How to Counter Genji
Genji is similar to Tracer in that he relies on mobility to keep him alive. His deflect is pretty nasty too, allowing him to have a field day with enemies using machine guns like Bastion and Soldier 76.
One thing to try is explosive damage from Pharah or Junkrat. You'll need to time it just right, but it doesn't take much to take out the fragile ninja.
Another good option is Winston. He doesn't do tons of damage, but the fact that his tesla gun automatically tracks Genji as he runs around the ape is very useful.
Or you can just use the ice-slinging Mei to freeze him if he makes the mistake of closing the gap with her.
How to Counter McCree
McCree is no joke at either short or mid-range combat. His revolver is pretty darn accurate, and his abilities are tough to counter.
Your best bet is to take him out from a distance. Torbjörn, Bastion, Hanzo and Widowmaker are all good choices, as McCree doesn't really have the mobility to escape any of these characters.
How to Counter Soldier 76
I haven't exactly heard anyone rage against Soldier 76. As the stereotypical soldier, his role in Overwatch is basically just to provide constant damage output.
Any healer is actually a decent indirect counter, as they can keep the team alive fairly easily against 76. A hard-hitting tank like Reinhardt or Roadhog is also a good choice, as they have enough health to live through Soldier 76's attacks. but burst him down quickly all by themselves.
How to Counter Pharah
I love the idea of Pharah, but I think she's one of the toughest characters to master in Overwatch.
Characters with machine guns like Soldier 76 and Widowmaker take her down pretty easily -- especially when she's flying. Even Mercy or Lucio can take her down with their pistols fairly easily.
And the fact that she moves very slowly in the air makes her an easy target for a sniper like WM or Hanzo.
How to Counter Reaper
McCree is probably the best person to counter Reaper. His flashbang is great for taking out Reaper's modes of escape, and his preference for close-quarters combat means Reaper will probably come right to him.
Another good way to go is Junkrat or Pharah. Once you get Reaper's timing down, you can lay an explosive at his feet right when he reappears -- whether it's from his teleport or wraith form.
In fact, any ability with a bit of a time delay can be used against Reaper. Mei's ultimate or Roadhog's pull come to mind -- the big guy would just have to make sure he isn't facing Reaper alone.
How to Counter Zenyatta
The biggest problem with Zenyatta is his horrible mobility. Once he comes under fire, he has zero ability to escape.
He excels in one-on-one combat though, since getting both of his offense orbs on you is nasty. To prevent that from happening in the first place, take him down from far away with a sniper like Hanzo or Widowmaker.
You can also hide behind a character's shield, like Winston's or Reinhardt's, to prevent the Orb of Discord from reaching you.
As with all support characters, take him out as fast as you can. If you let him stick around, you'll have a hard time gunning down his teammates.
How to Counter Mercy
Obviously a Mercy rush isn't the scariest thing in the game, but a well-played Mercy is extremely annoying to fight against. Her ability to fly to safety and hang out behind her allies means you essentially have just 2 options to deal with her.
The first option is to take her out with a sniper when she sticks her head out. Unfortunately, she may not even do that if her allies keep retreating behind a wall to for her heals and buffs.
The other option is to flank her. Very mobile characters like Genji, Tracer, or Pharah come to mind.
You can also try going straight for her with someone like McCree, or Soldier 76, but they don't really have a way to escape when the enemy seeks vengeance for taking out their healer.
How to Counter Lucio
Lots of players would agree that as it is right now, Lucio is the best overall support in Overwatch. He does decent damage, his speed buff is useful for getting the jump on the enemy team, and the fact that he heals the entire team is awesome.
He's basically the Bard from Everquest. Except, you know, he's not sitting there playing a lute.
Because this skater is so fast, he's able to escape most hairy situations. You have to hit him fast and hard, taking him out before he can get away.
Mei's ice wall and freezing abilities are perfect, because Lucio is pretty much a goner if you can freeze him.
Someone that deals tons of damage in a short period of time, like Reaper or Widowmaker, can also take him out before he can escape and heal up.
And of course McCree's stun-fan fire combo is almost guaranteed to take out Lucio, unless you're too far away to maximize your damage.
How to Counter Symmetra
I can't tell you how many Plays of the Game I got with Symmetra. Her turrets are just awesome, assuming you place them someplace they can do some real damage.
The bane of her existence is AOE damage. Junkrat and Pharah can take out several turrets at once, making them great counters.
Roadhog also makes for a great counter, because he has the necessary health to take turret fire while shotgunning Symmetra down.
No matter who you choose, be on the lookout for Symmetra's turrets close to the objective. She might cluster them together to gun you down quickly or spread them out to give her broader coverage.
Thanks for reading! Over time I'm sure players will discover more counters for Overwatch heroes, but for now these tips should help get you started.
I'll catch you in-game!
Published: Jun 3, 2016 10:22 am