Overwatch 2 – Hanzo Hero Guide

Overwatch 2 has finally launched, turning the hero shooter into a free-to-play title. This change also adds new heroes, new maps, and a new mode, Push. This also means that Overwatch has officially switched to a 5v5 instead of a 6v6, dropping one of the tanks on each team. This means that the balance and meta of the game have changed drastically, putting more emphasis on individual performance, meaning high-skill characters like Hanzo are thriving in the right hands. You can see how all heroes, including this one, stack up in our Overwatch 2 tank tier list, DPS tier list, and support tier list. Where did your favorite land?

Hanzo overview

Hanzo is a sniper damage hero, armed with the Storm Bow, which can take down non-tank heroes in a single headshot. Much like Widowmaker, Hanzo is best utilized sitting in the back line or getting to vantage points where he can shoot enemies from a distance. His Storm Arrows ability lets him shoot five arrows rapidly for less damage, great for dealing with an enemy that gets in your face. His Sonic Arrow can reveal enemy locations and his ultimate ability can destroy enemies in its path.

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Now Playing: Overwatch 2 – Everything To Know

Hanzo abilities

Storm Bow: Hold to charge then release to fire arrows further.

Storm Arrows: The next 5 arrows fire instantly at reduced damage.

Sonic Arrow: Reveals enemies for a short time upon impact.

Lunge: Double jump.

Dragonstrike ultimate: Launch a deadly Dragon Spirit that devastates enemies it passes through.

Wall Climb: Jump at walls and hold to climb.

Find vantage points and let it fly

Hanzo’s quality as a damage dealer rests entirely on your own ability to land shots with his Storm Bow. It’s projectile-based, so you will need to lead shots. You can also adjust the trajectory of the arrow based on how long you hold the shot before releasing it. To help you get the best angles you can, you need to utilize Hanzo’s movement abilities. The double jump is a little more useful for putting distance between you and an enemy, but that and the ability to climb walls lets you get to higher parts of the map that not all heroes can reach. From there you might have an easier time nailing headshots on enemies.

Trick arrows

Hanzo has two abilities that modify the way his arrows function, albeit not by a ton. The first is the Storm Arrows ability, which lets Hanzo rapidly fire up to five arrows during a short period of time. These arrows don’t deal as much damage as a normal arrow–although a headshot is still quite deadly. This is best used when someone gets in your face trying to take you down, or if faced with a tank at close to medium range. The Sonic Arrow shows nearby enemies wherever it lands and it still deals damage like a normal arrow. This can make it easier for you to lead a shot to take down an enemy, or it can help you plan where you are going to send your ultimate ability.

Dragonstrike

Since Hanzo has a global ultimate ability, it has a ton of flexability.

Hanzo’s ultimate ability, Dragonstrike, sends an arrow flying, after a short period which spawns two massive dragons, which go in a straight line, spinning around each other. This ultimately deals a ton of damage to enemies standing in its path, great for sending down tight pathways and choke points or for clearing a Payload. If there is a group of enemies standing tightly together, it’s a great opportunity to let it rip, but there are a couple of nuances to know about the ability. First, the ultimate ability is considered a projectile that could get absorbed or reflected, but only for the first few moments before the dragons spawn in, after which it goes through anything and everything. Another thing to know is that the ultimate is considered global, so it will travel from wherever you shoot it to the end of the map, meaning you could launch it toward the enemy spawn in an attempt to stagger them.

Other Hanzo tips

  • Hanzo’s double jump goes in whichever direction you are moving and moves at more of a 45 degree angle and not just straight up.
  • If you want to get a feel for the maximum range and arrow drop for Hanzo, hop into the firing range and test it out.
  • While getting headshots is the most effective way to play Hanzo, hitting a body shot still deals a hefty amount of damage.
  • If the enemy team is repeatedly diving you, you might need to switch up your strategy or switch to another hero.

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