Mastering DPS Heroes in Overwatch

If you want to dominate lobbies through mechanical skill and clutch carry performances, then DPS is the role for you in Overwatch. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything about succeeding as a damage per second hero.

What Makes a Great DPS Hero?

DPS heroes share a common goal – demolish opponents through high damage abilities. But the category covers a diverse cast with unique playstyles. Let‘s examine some key DPS across the spectrum:

Hitscan

Hitscan heroes have weapons with instant travel time. To do damage, you simply aim directly at the target:

• Soldier: 76 – A balanced automatic hitscan good for learning basics. His Pulse Rifle does reliable damage at range. Sprint provides mobility and Biotic Field sustains health.

• Cassidy – His 6-shooter Peacekeeper revolver can one-shot combo. Flashbang enables set ups. Roll reloads and repositions. His Deadeye locks on for big multi-kills.

• Ashe – Her Viper rifle is a powerful semi-auto hitscan. Dynamite and Coach Gun provide AOE damage and repositioning. Her aim-down-sights scope makes her deadly at range.

• Widowmaker – The ultimate long-range sniper. Her fully charged Widow‘s Kiss headshots one-shot kill. Grapple hook offers mobility and Infra-Sight provides wall hacks.

Projectile

Projectile heroes launch damaging projectiles with travel time to reach targets:

• Genji – His shuriken are fast projectiles. Swift Strike dashes through enemies. Reflect turns their damage back on them. Dragonblade wrecks with melee dash resets.

• Hanzo – He fires deadly projectile arrows that headshot. Storm Arrows burst down targets. Sonic Arrow reveals enemies. Dragonstrike travels through cover.

• Torbjorn – His Rivet Gun shoots projectiles that gain range when ADS. Build Turrets for extra damage. Overload buffs stats. Molten Core supercharges turret firing.

• Mei – Her cryo gun shoots icicle projectiles at range. It freezes close targets to set up headshots. Ice Wall blocks paths. Cryo-Freeze heals and makes her invulnerable. Blizzard freezes areas.

• Junkrat – Lobs bouncing grenades that explode on contact. Concussion Mines mobilize and displace enemies. Steel Trap roots foes in place. RIP-Tire is a deadly explosive ultimate.

Unique Damage Styles

Some DPS have totally unique damage styles:

• Symmetra – Her Photon Projector charges up to do more damage the longer it fires on a target. She places Sentry Turrets that damage and slow. Teleporter moves her team across the map.

• Echo – Versatile aerial threat that can copy enemies with Duplicate ultimate. She fires 3-round burst projectiles, sticky bombs that stick to surfaces and enemies before exploding, and Focusing Beam that melts high health targets.

• Doomfist – Uses a magical gauntlet for empowered melee punches and slams that knockback foes. His abilities combo together enabling swift dives and kills.

No matter their flavor, great DPS heroes share key traits like mobility, impactful abilities, and skills that enable them to secure kills. Now let‘s examine how to play their role effectively.

Executing Fundamentals of an Effective DPS

To excel as DPS, ensure you master these fundamentals:

• Mind your positioning – Whether at high ground or flanking, position yourself where you can deal damage without being pressured

• Focus fire – Concentrate damage on one target at a time rather than spreading damage

• Threat assessment – Identify and prioritize the most valuable target to focus like enemy supports or damage ults

• Cover usage – Play corners, walls, and map geometry to limit exposure to damage

• Cooldown tracking – Keep mental tabs on enemy abilities on cooldown to punish

• Ultimate timing – Coordinate your damage ultimates with your team‘s setups for maximum impact

• Mechanical skill – Precise aim and fast target acquisition to land shots and secure kills

• Aggressive play – Pressure without overextending into dangerous territory alone

• Flanking routes – Use side routes and mobility to find angles on unsuspecting enemies

• Dueling – Isolate 1v1 matchups and come out on top through cooldown usage and movement

The best DPS players have masters not just aim, but the full gamut of combat fundamentals required to out-trade enemies in skirmishes.

Why Ranged Hitscan DPS Heroes Excel

Hitscan DPS bring unparalleled reliable damage at range. Their advantages include:

• Instant damage at any range unlike projectiles
• Precise firing from the safety of range
• Less aim leading required to track moving targets
• Can take safer off-angles for crossfire
• Strong dueling to win shield wars and sniper battles
• Less susceptible to damage falloff at long range engagements

This makes hitscan heroes like Ashe and Widowmaker especially dominant on open maps like Junkertown with ample long firing lanes. Their one weakness is needing direct line of sight – spam damage from heroes like Junkrat can splash through barriers to counter them.

Overall, investing time in hitscan aim training will make you a threat in any match lobby and expansion map pool.

Flanking and Securing Picks

Flanking is a pivotal DPS skill – navigating side routes to surprise enemies from an unexpected angle. Here are effective flanking tips:

• Use mobility abilities like Sprint or Swift Strike to quickly access off-angles

• Time it when enemies are distracted in a teamfight to slip by undetected

• Target isolated, vulnerable enemies like Zenyatta or Ana in the backline

• Secure a pick and escape before they can react

• Don‘t overstay your welcome and feed into focus fire

• Return to your team before a critical engagement to refocus with numbers advantage

Flanking in moderation gives you immense pressure potential. Just resist the urge to constantly leave your team to lone wolf – you still need their support to maximize your effectiveness.

Why Ult Economy is Vital

Ultimate abilities often decide teamfights. Using them effectively is critical:

• Track which enemies have used impactful offensive ultimates like Genji‘s Dragonblade

• Save defensive ultimates like Lucio‘s Sound Barrier to counter enemy teamwipe combos

• Call out your offensive ultimate status so your team can prepare to combo

• Make sure you have enough time to use your full ultimate duration for value

• Confirm that any required setup is in place before using your ultimate

• Focus on building your ultimate charge through damage and elims

Ults like Tactical Visor for Soldier or Deadeye for Cassidy can devastate a fight when timed properly. Respect ult economy as a win condition.

Carrying with DPS Duos

DPS heroes really enable each other through synergy. Here are powerful pairings:

• Pharmercy – Mercy pockets Pharah enabling more aerial aggression

• Grav Dragon – Zarya‘s Graviton Surge groups enemies for Hanzo‘s Dragonstrike

• Orisa Halt Hook – Orisa pulls targets together for Roadhog‘s hook combos

• Nano Blade – Nanoboost enables Genji to devastate with his Dragonblade

• Super Charger Visor – Damage boosted Tactical Visor melts teams

• EMP Bomb – Sombra‘s EMP disables enemies for D.Va‘s Self Destruct

Coordinate your abilities together for deadly combos.Amp up each other‘s damage potential.

Map Meta Trends

DPS heroes thrive on different map types:

• Control – Mobile flankers like Genji and Tracer use the compact maps to find openings

• Escort – Hitscan range dominates long streets like Route 66 and Watchpoint Gibraltar

• Assault – Explosive area denial from Junkrat and Pharah stall chokepoints

• Hybrid – Flexible picks like Soldier and Mei adapt to mixture of open and closed terrain

In ranked, having a diverse hero pool you can flex between enables you to excel on each map style.

Playing Around Enemy DPS Pressure

Opposing DPS can devastate your team by pressuring you into disadvantageous positions. Here are some tips to minimize their impact:

• Use shield tanks like Reinhardt to block sniper sightlines

• Leverage knockback abilities like Lucio‘s Soundwave to disrupt mobile flankers

• Enable your own DPS mobility with speed boosts to reposition

• Position near cover and corners to limit exposure

• Focus fire to burst down their biggest DPS threats quickly

• Track enemy abilities on cooldown to punish overextensions

• Save defensive ultimates specifically to counter enemy DPS combos

With awareness and coordination, you can deny the enemy DPS freedom to run rampant.

Mastering DPS Involves Excellence in All Areas

To truly master DPS, you need to optimize multiple aspects in parallel:

• • Mechanical skill – Precision aim, tracking, target switching, etc.
• • Ability mechanics – Comboing cooldowns, animation cancels, rollouts
• • Game sense – Ult tracking, win conditions, adaptable playstyles
• • Communication – Shot calling focused targets, calling flanks
• • Positioning – Optimizing angles while staying safe
• • Movement – Dodging, strafing, high ground
• • Teamwork – Playing for combos, coordinating dives

Great individual play combines with collaborative coordination to unlock a DPS player‘s full dominance. Strive for excellence in all areas.

Trust In Your Support System

While you make impactful solo plays, remember that your team enables your success.

Supports heal and boost you during aggressive positioning. Tanks make space for you to dish damage without being threatened.

Valorant your support system. Be thankful for their contributions – your stats would suffer without them. Avoid flaming teammates when things go wrong.

Overwatch is a team game, even for mechanically gifted DPS stars. Keep perspective on the big picture.

Closing Thoughts

And there you have it – everything you need to know about excelling as DPS in Overwatch. Select your favorite damage heroes and get practicing! Mastering these concepts takes time and dedication. But the journey will transform you into a lethal threat capable of hard carrying teams to victory.

Now get out there, frag out responsibly, and show the enemy team what you‘re capable of. The power fantasy of popping off on DPS heroes and single-handedly winning teamfights is like no other feeling in gaming.

I wish you the best of luck ranking up and enjoying all the memorable plays to come. Thanks for reading!