5 Things I Learned In Competitive Mode On Overwatch

Now that competitive mode is unleashed on Overwatch, we’re all trying to get to rank 100 and show off those beautiful golden guns. But lets be realistic, getting there is going to be a dreadful task. Although with the right amount of knowledge and skill, you might be able to make it. Hopefully some of this knowledge will help you on your journey.

1. If no one is a healer then be a healer.

Don’t be that player who spams “We need a healer” and then doesn’t switch to a healing character. Try not to rely on your teammates to pick a healing character either. If you’ve never been a healing character, then here are some of my suggestions:

Zenyatta is great if you’re more interested in doing damage and reactive healing. Simply place a Harmony Orb on a wounded team mate and go back to fighting. Discord Orb should be used as often as possible to increase the damage an enemy player takes, But it cannot be used on more than one player at a time. Zenyatta’s Transcendence makes everyone almost invincible while near him, added with a good push towards the objective can result in a win.

Lucio is great if you want a more defensive and active healing role. Simply by being in the general area of your teammates you will heal them, you can increase your healing done for a short time by using Amp It Up. There is a counter on screen that shows how many of your teammates are affected by your songs, which is great for judging when to use Sound Barrier. This ability puts a huge temporary shield on your team mates who are close by. Lucio also has a knock back ability that is perfect for sending enemy players off the map to their death.

2. A well placed Rip-Tire from Junkrat is the difference between a win and a loss.

There have been countless times when my team is about to lose, then some one uses a Rip-Tire and wipes out the enemy team. When you are controlling the Rip-Tire you can jump, which is helpful to survive your journey. Try your best to not enter the point or payload in the direction that everyone is facing. If you learn to flank your enemies, you will become an invaluable asset to your team.

3. Don’t play competitive mode on a wireless internet connection.

I learned the hard way that if your internet disconnects, the game will see this as you leaving the match early. Leaving early results in penalties. These penalties range from lower experience gains, rank losses, or even a permanent lock out from the season. If you can hard wire your computer or console to your internet router, you can potentially avoid random disconnects.

4. Stay on the point.

This isn’t Call Of Duty where you go out of your way to kill an enemy player. No, not at all. These are objective-based game modes. There have been countless times my team has lost the point because everyone decided to push the enemy team back to the spawn, instead of defending the point. Even if you’re the only one on the point, defend it with your life. Don’t forget to remind your teammates to come back if they stray too far.

5. Pay attention to the team tips when selecting a character.

Your team doesn’t need three Bastions. If you’re defending on the Hollywood map, use Torbjorn and set up a Turret on the elevator. If your team is not putting out enough damage, try switching to Reaper or Pharah. Although sometimes you don’t need to worry about the team tips, just be aware of your team’s composition.

Try your best to be a well-rounded player. Simply sticking to one character is only going to hinder your progress. If you’re not feeling confident with a new character, you can always switch back to quick play for some training. Getting to rank 100 is going to be a long journey, and don’t forget that we get to do it all again after August 18th. Suffer well.