What’s there not to like about Overwatch’s Pharah? She flies, launches rockets, and is pretty cute, too. She brings some unique abilities to the fight that help her complement almost any team.
Pharah Basic Info
Pharah’s categorization of excelling on offense is dead-on. Even though her abilities can help her defend an area, her strength is taking out stationary defenders like Bastion or Hanzo.
Her primary weapon is a freaking ROCKET LAUNCHER. ‘Nuff said.
Even though her weapon takes some practice to master, it can be devastating — especially against groups of enemies or stationary ones like Bastion or Torbjörn’s turret. You’ll learn to lead your enemies by shooting in front of them, plus aiming towards the ground or walls instead of going for a direct hit.
Abilities
Just as you’d expect, Pharah’s wings give her some flight abilities. These complement her ultimate and rocket launcher though, as it’s much easier to hit an enemy with these weapons from above than ground level.
- Hover (Passive) – Pharah can hover in the air for a short period of time.
- Jump Jet- Pharah uses her jet pack to leap high into the air. Great for reaching higher ground, or she can hover at the top of the jump for a tactical advantage.
- Concussive Blast- Fires a small missile that damages enemies and knocks them back.
- Barrage (Ultimate)- Pharah releases a barrage of small rockets towards her enemies.
Combat Tips
You can probably guess the general playstyle and combos that Pharah uses. Jump jet > Hover > Barrage > GG.
But there are a few other things to keep in mind while you play her.
- You’re vulnerable in the air – While it’s tempting to just Jump Jet all over the map, you stick out like a sore thumb AND it’s easy for enemies to trail you will bullets, shurikens, etc.
- Higher ground > mid-air – It’s generally better to use Jump Jet to just take you to the top of a building or a ledge rather than hover mid-air. At least you can take cover on a ledge, and you can stay up there a lot longer. Plus, some maps (like Dorado and Hanamura) can be traveled almost exclusively on rooftops.
- Don’t get forced into close combat – Pharah is basically a long-range character. She can’t fight enemies in close quarters without damaging herself with her own rockets. Force them back with a Concussive Blast or Jump Jet away.
- Combine your ult with a buddy’s – If you can, try to pair your ultimate with one that incapacitates your enemies. For example, let Mei’s Blizzard or Zarya’s Graviton Surge keep the enemy in one place while you wreak havoc with missiles.
- Get to know the maps very well – Even though it’s always a good idea to know a map well, it’s more important when you’re playing a roof-hopping character like Pharah. Knowing how to maneuver around your enemies on both the ground or roof will be what separates amateur Pharahs from the pros.
There you have it! I hope these Pharah tips and techniques help you rock your next round of Overwatch.
