Overwatch 2 Orisa: Weapons, Abilities, & Tips

Besides just the change from 6v6 or 5v5, Overwatch 2 brought many changes to playstyles to some of the most iconic Heroes from the first game. Orisa, a tank-based class, has gotten many changes to her playstyle, abilities, and much more. That is why we’ll be discussing everything that you need to know about Overwatch 2 Orisa in this guide.

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Key Highlights

• Orisa is a tank hero in Overwatch 2, not the finest but she is helpful in a variety of circumstances.
• Orisa’s primary weapon is the Augmented Fusion Driver, which deals more damage the closer you are to your target and does not require reloading, but can overheat if used excessively.
• Her second weapon is the Energy Javelin, which deals up to 60 damage and knocks enemies back and stuns them if fully landed, with a 6-second cooldown.
• Orisa’s Javelin Spin ability negates incoming fire and pushes enemies back with a small amount of damage, while also increasing Orisa’s movement speed by 50% for 2 seconds, with a 6-second cooldown.
• Her Ultimate ability is Terra Surge, which draws enemies close to Orisa and deals damage in a circle around her after charging, and also activates the effects of the Fortify ability while charging.
• Orisa’s new passive ability is the Protective Barrier, which automatically deploys a stationary barrier in front of Orisa that absorbs damage and can be used to block enemy abilities.
• If you compare Overwatch 2 to the sequel, you can notice some drastic changes in Orisa.

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Weapons And Abilities

Overwatch 2 mainly has 3 different roles now. Orisa serves the tank role, and although she might not be considered as the best tank hero, she definitely can be useful in certain situations.

Especially considering the fact that Orisa is more bit more of an agile Tank, allowing you to get closer to your enemies to deal some significant damage to them. That, combined with her defensive abilities, you shouldn’t have any issues when approaching multiple enemies at once! If you’re looking to unlock other Heroes, check out: Overwatch 2 Unlock All Heroes guide.

Augmented Fusion Driver

Orisa’s primary weapon is the Augmented Fusion Driver, which deals more damage as you get closer to your target. It isn’t ammo-based, meaning you can keep shooting without worrying about reloading. However, you do have to worry about the weapon overheating if you shoot for too long excessively.

When you begin firing the rapid-firing cannon, you’ll be able to land many hits without worrying about overheating. But if you keep holding the trigger, a bar will appear near your crosshair, and once the bar gets completely filled, your weapon will overheat and trigger a sort of like reload animation.

But if you take just a short break in between, you’ll be able to avoid overheating altogether. The time taken to bring the bar down is quite less, so you don’t have to worry about waiting for too long and can get back to firing in no time.

Energy Javelin

The Energy Javelin is Orisa’s second weapon and your only offense-based ability. As per the name, you can throw your Energy Javelin at enemies and deal up to 60 damage upon hit. If you’ve played as Sigma, then you might find the ability similar to Sigma’s Accretion.

Not only will you be able to deal damage to the enemy that gets hit by the Javelin, but they’ll get knocked back and stunned if you fully land the attack. Additionally, you can deal 40 more damage to the opponent if they get knocked into a wall behind them. The only thing that you need to worry about is the 6-second cooldown for the ability.

Fortify

The next stated ability for Orisa is Fortify. Fortify is the ability that truly defines Orisa as a Tank Hero, as it allows her to get an extra 125 HP while also reducing incoming damage by 40%. Not only that, but you can use it for offense as your Augmented Fusion Driver’s overheating will be reduced by 50%, meaning you can keep firing for an additional 50% more time.

Although the ability lasts for 4.5 seconds, the cooldown is of 10 seconds which can be quite long when you’re in the middle of a firefight. Therefore, you should definitely try to take out all threats in those 4.5 seconds.

Javelin Spin

Another defensive ability of Orisa is her Javelin Spin which can work as almost an offensive ability at close range. Using her second weapon, Orisa spins her Javelin in front of her, allowing her to negate any incoming fire for 2 seconds.

Additionally, you’ll be able to move around at a 50% increased speed, perfect for either approaching or getting away from an enemy. And if you’re close to an enemy and they get caught in the spin, they’ll get pushed backward and get inflicted with a small amount of damage. The ability has a 6-second cooldown.  

Terra Surge

Orisa got a new Ultimate Ability, and it’s known as Terra Surge. In fact, it’s much better at dealing damage to enemies than her previous ultimate, Supercharger. You can learn more about Ultimate Abilities and which ones are the best here: Overwatch 2 Best Ultimate Abilities.

The main premise of the ability is that it draws any nearby enemies close to you as you spin around the Javelin above your head as a charging animation. You don’t have to worry about taking damage as you charge up because you’ll also have the effects of the Fortify ability activated while you charge up.

But the main thing to consider is when to unleash the move. As you charge the attack, you’re building up a power unleashing attack that deals damage in a circle marked by a green line. The more you charge up, the more damage you’ll be able to deal. But if you wait too long, enemies might get away, and if you’re too early, you won’t deal any significant damage. 

Changes To Orisa

In case you played Overwatch 1 and were used to the previous Orisa, then you need to be acquainted with all of her changes made in Overwatch 2 for a smoother transition. You might find the changes to be quite drastic, coming from the first game to the sequel.

The first noticeable change is that Orisa has lesser health than before. But her defensive abilities tend to make up for it. Especially considering that Fortify has more effective time than before. But you still have to be considerate of all incoming damage if you are used to higher health from the previous game.

Furthermore, Orisa used to have Supercharger Ultimate, Protective Barrier, and Halt, which are now replaced by new abilities that were discussed above. Whether they’re better or not is up to debate, but it definitely switches up the play style.

Orisa Playstyle

Although there are many changes to Orisa, she still plays a Tank role which is why your playstyle will mostly align with that of many other tank classes, such as Winston. But the difference lies in the fact that she doesn’t exactly have a barrier, so you have to be creative in defending yourself.

Your primary method for being offensive is to rely on your Augmented Fusion Driver while being careful of the heat. But you can also use the Energy Javelin, especially when you’re near walls, to deal damage to enemies.

As Augmented Fusion Driver works better at close range, you can usually approach enemies as you continuously shoot at them, and right before your weapon is about to overheat, you can finish them off with the Javelin.

In terms of defense, Orisa’s abilities defend her in such ways that help set her up to either get close to enemies or make an escape. If you find yourself surrounded by multiple enemies or are about to enter an area where you need to wipe out multiple enemies, then using Fortify is the way to go.

But, of course, the best way to deal with multiple enemies would be the ultimate move. However, you need to be careful and thoughtful of its timing to make sure you’re using it as effectively as possible.

General Tips And Tricks

• When being on the offense, ensure that you have some sort of support behind you, such as healers, to finish off enemies, as your HP isn’t as large as other Tanks.
• Javelin Spin is great for throwing enemies into pits or off the corners of the map, allowing you to take them out even if they have a lot of health left.
• You can knock out other Heroes like Cassidy, Pharah, and Roadhog, that is in the middle of their ultimate, by using the Energy Javelin throw.
• Although Javelin Spin can block most attacks, it’s useless against Zarya’s Particle Cannon. Therefore, you should avoid using it against that.
• Be extra careful around high DPS enemies such as Reaper or Tracer, as they’re capable of dodging Orisa’s attacks with ease.
• Despite being a Tank class, Orisa can be quite weak against other Tank Heroes, such as Reinhardt, especially at a closer range. Therefore, either don’t go alone or try to avoid getting into direct close-range fights with such heroes.

With that, you know everything about Orisa in Overwatch 2. There have certainly been some drastic changes to the Hero as we transitioned from Overwatch 1 to 2. But if you take the time to adapt to all these changes, you’ll end up with a hero that is not only great for defense but can also be useful in many attacking situations!

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