Overwatch 2 Ana guide: Abilities, tips & how to unlock
You don't have to master every hero in Overwatch 2, but understanding how each character works can even be handy when coming up against them. So, get our rundown on the Egyptian healing sniper, Ana, and how to make the most of her kit.
Abilities explained
Click to enlarge| Name | Type | Effect |
| Biotic Rifle | Primary Fire | Long-range sniper rifle that heals allies and damages enemies. Players can also zoom in for more precision |
| Auto Heal | Hero Passive | Passively restore health over time |
| Sleep Dart | Ability | Fires a projectile dart that puts an enemy to sleep for a short while |
| Biotic Grenade | Ability | Grenade that heals allies for 100 HP with splash damage, boosts healing output by 50% on affected allies, and prevents healing on affected enemies |
| Nano Boost | Ultimate | Boosts target player's damage by 50% and reduces damage taken by 50% |
| Role: Support | Role Passive | Begin regenerating health more quickly |
Ana has one of the highest potential healing outputs in the game, but she requires you to have a high level of skill to pull that off. Combining pinpoint aim with careful cooldown management will make you a top-tier Ana player, and the focus of praise from your teammates.
While more recently released heroes might have a more viable kit, Ana still remains one of the strongest healers in the game in the right hands.
Offering players the opportunity to output both healing and damage, players who can hit their shots - especially in high-pressure scenarios - will really thrive.
Tips for playing Ana
If you're not the best mechanically, then you're bound to struggle at the beginning to get any value out of picking Ana. Her playstyle entirely relies on your ability to consistently hit your shots, as otherwise, your teammates will end up back in the spawn room, and you will fall to any DPS that decides to focus on you.
One of the key things that you need to understand when picking Ana up for the first time is the difference between her two firing modes. The first firing mode which is the unscoped shots is projectile, so there is a delay in their flight.
This means that you will have to lead your shots a bit, especially if it is on a smaller target. This mode of fire is great on tanks though, as their big fat bodies are very forgiving if your aim isn't the best.
Click to enlargeHowever, her secondary scoped fire mode is hitscan, which means that your shots hit their destination the moment you press the trigger. This means that you can be far more accurate, and makes smaller targets far easier to hit. One other benefit of the scoped fire mode is that it has a far more generous hitbox for healing allies.
Any allies found within the small upside-down triangle around your crosshair will be hit by your healing, regardless of whether you had successfully aimed at them or not. This is very helpful for filling up the HP of that Tracer or Genji that refuses to sit still, however, it does not work on enemies, meaning you'll have to be more precise with your aim in those instances.
One of Ana's biggest weaknesses though comes in her lack of mobility, which can leave her in a tricky situation if you're not careful. She does have a soft mobility option in the sleep dart, which, if successfully hit, can give you the space to move away, but she does not have any means to escape in a pinch.
This is accentuated by her reduced movement speed when scoped, which can mean that you're a sitting duck if you rely on it too much. Learning a good balance between scoped and unscoped shooting can really make you a better all-round player.
Biotic Grenade is arguably her strongest non-Ultimate ability, as it possesses a wide range of benefits that can be crucial if used right. You can use it offensively and defensively, but knowing the situations when both converge is even better.
Click to enlargeIf one of your teammates is low on health - especially if they're a tank - using a Biotic Grenade on them can allow you to heal them back to full in a flash. Furthermore, this is especially useful if your team is playing close together, as anyone affected by the Grenade will get an instant 100 HP, and a subsequent healing boost of 50% - perfect in combination with a Moira too.
If the enemy healer seems a bit too strong though, why not make use of the Biotic Grenade's anti-heal ability to cut off their supply. Alongside inflicting 60 points of damage onto anyone caught in the splash, the Biotic Grenade leaves them unable to be healed, which can be a killer move if your team can apply the focus correctly.
Finally, her Ultimate Ability Nano Boost is the only Ult in the game that doesn't directly benefit the player, as you bestow the power onto one of your lucky teammates. While you can use it in any situation, and it can be the key to saving one of your teammates in a tight spot, it is best used in conjunction with other Ultimates.
NanoBlade - the combination of Nano Boost and Genji's Dragonblade has historically been the most popular, but Soldier 76, Zarya, and Reinhardt all heavily benefit from your Ultimate ability.
How to unlock Ana in Overwatch 2
If you have purchased Overwatch in the past, or have picked up the Watchpoint Pack, then Ana will be sitting there waiting to be played the moment you open the game.
However, if Overwatch 2 is your first experience with the game, then all you need to do is complete four standard matches and she will be available for selection.
