Overwatch 2 Hanzo: Abilities, Playstyle, Tips

Hanzo Role

Hanzo is an attack character in the game, so his role in matches revolves around playing aggressively and making sure the enemy team thinks twice before engaging your team. He is a skilled assassin equipped with a bow and a quiver of enhanced arrows.

Key Highlights

• Hanzo is a ranged damage dealer and assassin character in Overwatch 2, known for his skill with a bow and arrow.
• His role in matches is to play aggressively and attack enemies from afar, while also providing support to his teammates.
• Hanzo’s primary weapon is the Storm Bow, which can do damage ranging from 27.2 to 125 depending on how long the arrow is charged.
• Hanzo has five distinct abilities, including Storm Arrows, which allow him to shoot five arrows instantly, Sonic Arrows, which reveal enemies in a sonar range, Lunge, which allows him to double jump and reach vantage points, Wall Climb, which improves his agility and allows him to traverse the map and Dragonstrike, his ultimate ability which summons two spirit dragons that deal damage to all enemies in their path.
• Hanzo excels at picking off isolated enemies and taking out key targets but he is vulnerable in close combat and can be easily countered by characters with strong close-range abilities.
• To play Hanzo effectively, it’s important to use his mobility to keep a safe distance from enemies, aim carefully to maximize damage, and communicate with your teammates to set up kills.

Hanzo’s ideal role in any match would be to keep his distance and attack enemies from afar relentlessly. Being forced to use a bow against enemies with futuristic weapons certainly puts him at a disadvantage; therefore, it is recommended to keep your distance. 

Don’t expect to get many kills but do expect many assists, as your primary objective will be to damage enemies from afar with your bow while your fellow DPS teammates go in for the kill.

Hanzo’s Weapon And Abilities

As seen in the image above, Hanzo is a skilled bowman and an assassin; thus, his weapon and abilities allow him to be silent and deadly while also allowing him to be agile and traverse the map easily so he can get the upper hand on his opponents in Overwatch 2. 

Aside from his Storm Bow, Hanzo has five distinct abilities that can be used in multiple situations and either allow you to assist your teammates or get out of tricky situations.

Storm Bow

The Storm Bow is Hanzo’s trusty bow which he uses to attack his enemies from a distance and provide support to his fellow DPS heroes as they are facing their opponents on the front lines.

• The Storm Bow can do damage between 27.2 and 125. The damage is determined by the amount of time you spend charging your arrow before releasing it.
• Of course, depending on the amount of time you spend charging your arrow, you can shoot somewhere between 0.8 to 2 shots per second.
• The amount of time you spend charging your arrow can also affect the projectile speed and your movement speed. Let’s not forget that, unlike guns, it takes some extra time to charge and shoot another arrow, and every second counts when you are taking on an enemy face to face thus, place your shots carefully.

Storm Arrows

The Storm Arrows are Hanzo’s best friends if he ever finds himself face-to-face with the opponent and does not find an opportunity to retreat. Using Storm Arrows in a situation like this is exemplary because this ability allows him to shoot five arrows instantly. 

In other words, Hanzo gains the ability to use his bow like a gun and not spend extra time charging an arrow after every shot, thus giving him a better chance of surviving a 1v1 battle.

• When the Storm Arrow ability is activated, every arrow does 70 damage, which equates to 350 damage if all five arrows hit the enemy successfully.
• This ability only lasts for 5 seconds and has a 10-second cooldown, so be sure to fire all the arrows before the time runs out.

Sonic Arrows

As an assassin who always prefers attacking from a distance, it is advantageous to know the location of hidden opponents or opponents that are out of your line of sight. The Sonic Arrows help with just that as they temporarily reveal enemies that are in its sonar tracking range.

• The sonar in Sonic Arrows has a 9-meter radius, and any enemy in the sonar range will be highlighted and shown on the screen. 
• It lasts for 6 seconds and has a 12-second cooldown.

Lunge

The Lunge ability allows Hanzo to double jump and reach vantage points more easily compared to other heroes. Players can further use these vantage points to get a better perspective of the battlefield, and their opponents, so they can deal ample damage to them more quickly.

• It is a non-damaging movement type with a 5-second cooldown.

Wall Climb

Similar to the Lunge ability, the Wall Climb also improves Hanzo’s agility and allows him to traverse the map more efficiently. It enables him to reach new heights easily and find the best sniping position to aid his allies from afar. Unlike the Lunge, the Wall Climb ability does not have a cooldown and can be used as frequently as you desire.

Dragonstrike

And finally, the Dragonstrike ability is Hanzo’s ultimate ability that can change the course of the battle and give your team a few seconds of relief they desperately need if the enemy team is giving you a hard time.

The Dragonstrike ability summons two dragons that do massive damage to every opponent it passes through. Let’s say the entire enemy team was in the point zone trying to keep your team out. If you were to find the right angle, then you can potentially kill the entire enemy team or give your allies the opportunity it needs to overpower the enemy team with this one ability. 

• When you summon the dragon, the arrow you shoot will do 125 damage, while the dragon will do 150 damage each second the opponent is in contact with it. But since this ability summons two separate dragons, you can inflict 300 damage per second.
• This ability has a 4-meter radius and unlimited range. These dragons can pass through walls as well, and their cast time is 1.5 seconds.

Hanzo’s Best Playstyle And Tips

As mentioned previously, Hanzo’s ideal role in any match would be to keep his distance and attack from afar. Hanzo is a type of hero who suffers at close range because his bow and arrow are not as fast as the futuristic weapons used by most heroes in the game; thus, it is paramount for Hanzo always to keep his distance and find good sniping locations if he wishes to be of any help to his team.

One of the tips we can give is to first explore every bit of the map at the start of the match and find the best vantage points. Start sniping your enemies from afar, causing them to either retreat or meet their end by the heroes fighting on the frontlines. Hanzo’s move set allows him to easily reach locations most heroes can’t reach or have trouble reaching; thus, you should always be using this to your advantage.

As Hanzo, you should spend most of your time either in sniping locations or behind your team while providing them with support, draining the health of your opponents at a distance while your fellow DPS and Tank heroes go in to finish the job. While we are on the topic, consider reading our guide on the BEST DPS heroes and Tank heroes in Overwatch 2.

Final Words

Overwatch 2 is a brand-new free-to-play online game developed and published by Blizzard Entertainment. If you are still new to the game and decided to make Hanzo your main but don’t know much about the game mechanics and characters, then make sure to read our entire guide. 

Aside from Hanzo, we also have hero guides for Widowmaker, Cassidy, Lucio, Genji, and Tracer so consider giving them a read if you ever decide to switch to one of these characters. 

That concludes our guide on Hanzo in Overwatch 2, his role, abilities, playstyle, and tips. The game is available now on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Nintendo Switch, and PC. 

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