Learn how to play Widowmaker in Overwatch 2 with these tips
Equipped with the ability to snipe enemies and also take on foes one-on-one, Widowmaker is the perfect option for those craving something that requires a bit of skill. If you’re curious to make the jump to this powerful damage hero, or simply want a few extra tips, we have a comprehensive guide on how to unlock and use Widowmaker in Overwatch 2.
Widowmaker abilities
Widowmaker is just as good as a DPS character as she is as a support, with a wide range of Overwatch 2 abilities to use to assist your team.
- Widow’s Kiss
- Type - Primary Fire
- Effect - Can be used as an automatic assault rifle or transformed into a long-ranged sniper rifle.
- Grappling Hook
- Type - Ability
- Effect - Can be used to grapple up to higher vantage points.
- Venom Mine
- Type - Ability
- Effect - Deploy a poison trap that damages enemies.
- Infra-Sight
- Type - Ultimate
- Effect - Show all of your team the locations of enemies.
Click to enlargeBe sure to mix and match all of these to take advantage of Widowmaker’s diverse set of abilities in Overwatch 2.
Tips for playing Widowmaker
Firstly, you’re going to get the most out of Widowmaker playing from afar. Whilst they possess the ability to use their gun as a close-range weapon, it’s far more effective at a distance.
When aiming down the sight, you’re going to want to wait for it to charge to 100%, at which it will deal the maximum amount of damage against enemies. If you’re aiming for the head on anything but a tank, you’re highly likely to get a kill in one shot.
Click to enlargeOf course, playing at close range is completely viable, but you need to make sure you have great accuracy as it has a high recoil and can be very hard to land your shots. However, if you are getting into hot water, be sure to use the Grappling Hook to zip away or move to a higher vantage point where you’re unlikely to get hit.
To avoid situations like this, we recommend using Widowmaker’s Venom Mine. This can be deployed near your location, or on an objective if you want to slow down or even kill enemies. Using a mixture of your Venom Mine and Grappling Hook can help give you a tactical advantage in fights, whilst also giving you the chance to stay out of the thick of it if things get dicey.
Finally, once you’ve powered up your Ultimate Ability, make sure to use your Infra-Sight. This powerful tool highlights all enemies on the map and can be perfect if used in the right situation. It’s especially vital if you want to discover where enemies are hiding near an objective, or just want to help another hero use their Ultimate Ability.
How to unlock Widowmaker
In order to unlock Widowmaker, you can grab her from the get-go if you played the original version of Overwatch. If this is your first rodeo, then purchasing the Watchpoint Pack for £34.99 / $39.99 in Overwatch 2 is a quick way of unlocking her, along with 34 other characters and a variety of skins and coins, along with the Season 1 Battle Pass.
Click to enlargeIf you don’t want to dish out any extra cash, you can unlock Widowmaker as part of the onboarding process but may take upwards of 100 games before she is finally unlocked.
