Overwatch 2 Pharah: The Definitive Guide

The first-person shooter Overwatch 2 is the new talk in the town. It has taken the gaming community by storm. The game has a variety of heroes for players to choose from. Introducing these players to the heroes and guiding them about their PlayStyle is a hard task, but we’re more than willing to take on it. Pharah is one of those heroes who are always in demand due to her unique gameplay in Overwatch 1 & 2. So let’s get started with it.

The game has divided Heroes or Characters into different roles. They are Tank Role, Support Role, and DPS Role. Each of these is a unique hero with a unique ability. You’ll have to learn about them if you want to master the game. The Best way to start will be without Overwatch 2 Tier List. With that, check out the Tips & Tricks on how to play Overwatch 2. Before all that, you need to learn about all the heroes and how to unlock them. Check out our guide on Unlocking All Heroes in the game.

Key Takeaways

• Pharah is a damage hero whose job is to strike from above.
• She fires Rockets using her Rocket Launcher, each of which deals 120 damage.
• Her Jump Jet and Hover Jet Abilities help her stay above everyone else, where she is the most deadly.
• Her Basic Attack and Ultimate ability have AoE, which is great to take out grouped-up enemies.
• Pharah’s combo with Zarya is one of the best thanks to Zarya’s Ultimate ability.

Pharah In Overwatch 2

When it comes to Pharah, she is one of the Damage Heroes in the game. Her main role in the team is to shoot rockets from the sky. With that, she overwhelms enemies with a non-stop barrage of rockets. If used properly, Pharah can become a threat for enemies to worry about.

Pharah’s damage source is her rocket launcher. It is a long-range weapon that is highly effective against enemies that are attacking together. That is because Pharah can attack them from a distance, and her rockets have a small AoE damage. We’ve mentioned that these rockets are best in the long range. Because if she is caught in the rocket’s AoE, it can damage her too. Although the maximum she can get hit is 40, it’s just not worth it.

Did you know that you can play with your friends on different platforms? Not only that, the game lets you carry your progress from the original Overwatch to Overwatch 2. Learn more about it in our Crossplay and Cross Progression Guide.

Pharah’s Abilities

In Overwatch 2, Pharah has a total of 5 abilities, with a global Damage Heroes passive. These abilities mostly focus on helping her stay up in the sky, as that’s where she’s most useful in the game. Apart from that, her abilities are based on AoE damage, as she is designed to take out groups of enemies.

Rocket Launcher

The first ‘ability’ of Pharah is her weapon, Rocket Launcher. It is her primary weapon that launches projectiles. These projectiles deal high AoE damage. They are great for enemies that have grouped up because of the AoE damage. That way, one rocket fired will hit all in the area simultaneously.

As a Pharah user, firing rockets should be your priority. Because of the high damage, one shot would be more than enough to take down the opponents. The rockets are ideal for hitting the backline of a team. Because that’s where the support or snipers of the team will be, we’ll explain it in the PlayStyle section.

When the basic attack hits an enemy, like all other damage heroes, Pharah’s ultimate ability charges; as you’re dealing high damage, you’ll be charging your ability. If the rockets hit grouped-up enemies, they will charge the Ultimate more than hitting a single enemy.

If Pharah fires a rocket near herself, it will deal ‘self-damage’ to her. That’s why you should make sure that you’re not firing it at enemies near you.

• Direct hit Damage: 120
• Explosion Damage: Up to 80
• Self Damage: Up to 40
• Ammo: 6

Hover Jets

When you’re using Pharah, the Jump button will trigger her Hover Jets ability. When she uses her Hover Jets ability, the Hover Jets fly her in the air. The jets are available for a limited time before they need to be recharged. They also recharge mid-air as soon as you stop using them.

To activate the Hover Jets, you’ll have to press the Jump button. Players can also use the alt-fire button to use the Hover Jets too. The jets last for a total of 2 seconds and during which Pharah gains altitude. On maximum use, she will gain more than 8 meters of height.

Flying isn’t the only benefit that Pharah gets from using the Hover Jets’ ability. While she is using it, her movement speed increases by 20%.

• Movement Speed Buff: 20%
• Duration: 2 Seconds

Jump Jet

This ability of Pharah is quite similar to the one we just discussed. Jump Jet also utilizes her jet, but when you press the ability button, Pharah will be propelled by the thrusters inside her suit. And in no time, Pharah will be soaring high in the sky.

Jump Jet is one of the best abilities in the game for its utility. Using it, Pharah can easily get the high ground. From the high ground or the location that can overlook the whole battle. Pharah then uses her basic attack, ‘Rocket Launcher,’ or her Ultimate Ability, which we’ll get to in a while.

What it means is that she can better utilize her skills and basic attack. She can then keep an eye on the battlefield and know where the healer or the support is hiding. As her rockets deal a small AoE, it won’t give the support much time to save themselves from the rockets hurling toward them.

But that isn’t the only use of Jump Jet. You can use this skill of Pharah when you’re surrounded by enemies. Just press the ability button, and you’ll be soaring through the skies. As Pharah doesn’t have fast movement speeds, Jump Jet is the only escape skill she can have. By pressing the ability button, she’ll be 11 meters high in mere seconds.

When Pharah is soaring through the skies using her Hover Jet ability, she might be prone to get attacked. If she is getting attacked by enemies, Jump Jet will quickly take her away from the enemy’s crosshair. It will give you enough time to make your decision if you want to fire back or save yourself.

• Max Range: 11.55 Meters Vertically
• Duration: 0.5 Seconds
• Cooldown: 10 Seconds

Concussive Blast

With the Concussive Blast ability, Pharah throws an explosive blast to where the crosshair is aiming. The blast will deal 30 damage to the enemies near it and knock them back. The ability becomes quite useful when you’re covered by enemies in a closed space. At that time, you won’t be able to use Jump Jet, so the best option would be to use the Concussive Blast.

The Concussive Blast won’t push enemies away from you. You can use it to push yourself away from enemies. Now, if you’re wondering what about the 30 damage, then it doesn’t work like the Rocket Launcher. The 30 damage won’t hurt Pharah herself or her teammates.

It can be great to quickly reposition yourself to get a better look at the enemy backline. You can quickly press the ability button and will be knocked back into a specific position. For this, you can’t just press the button in any direction.

If you want to move, say forward, then you’d have to use the ability right behind yourself. That way, you’ll move to the front. What it means is that if you want to move in a specific direction, then you’ll have to use it in that direction’s opposite.

You can use it before using Jump Jet to get a quick start on the ability. It is always great to get those extra few meters that you can get. With that all being said, even though it seems like a normal ability, there are tons of benefits to it.

• Damage: 30
• AoE: 8-meter radius
• Cooldown: 9 Seconds

Barrage

And that leads us to the last ability of Pharah, which is her Ultimate ability. It is considered one of the deadliest abilities in the game. In this ability, “Pharad directs a continuous salvo of mini-rockets to destroy groups of enemies”.

The Ultimate ability, ‘Barrage,’ becomes available after a while as you charge it by using the Rocket Launcher’s attacks. Once the Ultimate ability is charged, it will be available to use. When you press the ability button, Pharah will fire a ‘Barrage’ of mini-rockets toward where you’re aiming. The Barrage ultimate is quite powerful. If enemies even take time to make their next decision, they’ll be dead within mere seconds.

When firing the Barrage, Pharah will be stuck where she is and fires the rockets. It means that if she is on the ground, she’ll stay there and won’t fly up while using the ultimate. Similarly, if you use the ability in mid-air, she will stay there throughout the ultimate’s duration. Although, you can look around using the ability. But wherever your Crosshair is aiming, you’ll be firing the Barrage there.

Freely aiming around is a great benefit for Pharah. Because the opponents won’t be sitting in one place waiting for Pharah’s ability to end. When they’re trying to run toward cover, you can aim at them and deal as much damage as you can before they get away. Use the Jump Jet ability and get high in the air, and then use the ultimate. That way, you will have a complete vision of the map or the area where you are.

One last thing, if you fire too near to Pharah, it will cause her self damage. That will easily kill Pharah, too, in mere seconds. So don’t use it in a room or any small area.

• Direct Hit Damage: 40 per mini-rocket
• Splash Damage: Up to 30 per mini-rocket
• Self Damage: Up to 15 per mini-rocket
• Rate of Fire: 31 mini-rockets every second
• Duration: 2.5 seconds

PlayStyle For Pharah

Pharah is not so great when she is on the ground. That is because her kit is made to stay in the air, or on high ground. Even though she doesn’t have a sniper rifle, she should be played as a sniper. Here’s what you need to do to master her PlayStyle.

Master Hover and Jump Jets

So, the first thing you do with Pharah is to get to the high ground. For that, you can use Jump Jet, as it will take you up in the sky in mere seconds. If the ledge you’re trying to get to is a few meters away, you can use Hover Jets to get there.

Your main focus would be to prioritize the Jump Jet and Hover Jet abilities as they are the main deal of Pharah. They might seem easy to master, but when you’re in a fight, one slight mistake might end up getting you killed. You’ll have to practice using these abilities in the practice region and unranked matches. Because only after practicing will you properly use them.

Keep The High Ground

Once you have understood when and where to use the Jet abilities, it’s time to utilize them. The main purpose of these skills is to ensure that Pharah always has a high ground. Because when she’s up high, she’ll almost always have the upper hand in the fights.

Try to spend as little time as you can on the ground, as she’ll be the most vulnerable there. You’ll become an easy target for opponent damage heroes.

Don’t Stay At One Place

Staying up isn’t the only thing you need to do. Because as you’re up in the sky, you’ll be easily targettable by enemies. Any sniper in the enemy team will easily take a clean headshot as there won’t be any obstacles between you and their hiding place.

You need to move around to save yourself. Earlier in the guide, you must’ve noticed that Pharah’s Hover Jet ability gives her a 20% speed buff. Use it to your advantage. Make unpredictable movements as they will help you survive for a longer duration.

When you’re on the ground, waiting for your abilities to end, you will have to make do with what you have to save yourself. The best way would be to use the ability of Concussive Blast. If used right, it will create a gap between you and the opponent. 

Learn The Map

While staying up, you need to understand the surroundings. As you’re using a completely different hero with different mechanics, you’ll have to re-learn whole maps. But this time, it will be from a higher position. For a start, you can learn about them in our Overwatch 2 Maps guide. In it, we’ve explained everything you’d need to know about them.

Understand how each of the maps works, what area is best for taking out the enemies, and at what position you can spy on them. And most importantly, which location is ideal for keeping yourself safe from enemies? Meaning where you can run to if you’re getting attacked by enemies or if your teammates all end up dying.

Prioritize Targets

One of the biggest advantages that you have over some heroes is the ability to fly above. It will make a lot of enemies’ heroes quite useless. As you’ll be soaring up in the sky, or you’ll be at a higher platform, some of the heroes won’t be able to hit you at all. They are Reaper, Lucio, and Symmerta, among a few others. These heroes use short-range weapons. So even if they targeted you, the bullets wouldn’t damage you as such.

But these heroes can end up causing a lot of problems for your teammates. You can easily aim at them and launch rockets toward them. They will only try to run away from you as they can’t hit you.

But the heroes that have Hitscan abilities are the worst for Pharah. Their Hitscan abilities allow them to lock onto enemies. A few of those heroes are Cassidy, Widowmaker, and Soldier 76. They make Pharah vulnerable as their ultimates lock onto a flying Pharah. The only way then would be to run behind a cover, which becomes hard when you’re up in the sky.

What you can do is when they’re using their abilities, you can use your Ultimate Barrage at them when they use their Hitscan abilities. They’ll have to run for their lives because if they stay in one place to aim at you, they’ll be dead in mere seconds. That can save you from these Hitscan enemies. But it’s always better to save your ultimate for when the enemies group up.

Combos With Other Heroes

You shouldn’t always be flying up high all alone without any support and expect to survive for long durations. Overwatch 2 is a team game, and you’ll need your teammates to support you and, at times, take the heat away from you.

Pharah’s abilities are great, but they will, at times, be less effective than you’d expect them to be. So you’ll need to look at other heroes to support you. That’s why you need to know about the combos that you can do with other heroes to help you be more effective.

If done correctly, you’ll win the game easily as it will become harder for enemies to take you out or to heal from the damage done by you as Pharah. So, here are a few heroes you can combine your abilities with to be more useful.

Zarya

Zarya is one of the best heroes whom you can combine with Pharah. If you’ve played Zarya, then you must know that her ultimate can hold an entire enemy team in one place. It is the buffet for heroes with AoE damage.

But out of all the heroes, we believe that Pharah has the best advantage when Zarya is holding all of the enemies in one place. Thanks to her powerful AoE ultimate Barrage, she can take out all of the enemies without any problem.

Mercy

No combo is better than that of Pharah and Zarya, but some heroes come near it. One of them is Pharah and Mercy. The flying duo can become so overpowered that it might end up making your opponent’s rage quit.

Mercy’s Caduceus Staff, when used with the alt-fire button, will increase an ally’s damage dealt. That becomes overpowered when you combine it with Pharah’s already powerful AoE basic attack. Her 120 damage is increased by 30%. And once you hit a few opponents, they’ll need to be hit by any of the teammates and will be killed. Like Mercy, you can combine her with any of the Best Supports, and you’ll get good results from the combo.

Changes In Pharah From Overwatch To Sequel

When Overwatch 2 launched, Pharah received a few buffs like many other Original Overwatch 1 heroes. These changes might seem small in numbers. But they improved Pharah a lot when you consider their utility in the gameplay or PlayStyle.

1. Rocket Launcher reload starts 0.25 seconds faster when out of ammo.
2. Concussive Blast now deals 30 damage and deals additional knockback on a direct hit.

Both of these buffs make Pharah stronger than she was in Overwatch 1. So we’re expecting to see a Pharah meta in the future. Maybe it would be with one of the heroes whose combo we just mentioned. Whatever the case is, we expect to see more of her in matches as she is a fun hero to play with.

Final Words

Pharah is one of the Starting Heroes in Overwatch 2. So you’ll get to play with her as soon as you’re done with the training part. It gives you the opportunity to test her out and see if her gameplay suits you or not. Keep in mind that Pharah’s role is that of a Sniper who doesn’t take out one hero like a normal Sniper. She has to use her Rockets to take out enemies, which aren’t as effective as a sniper.

Her abilities are designed to make her stay up high and take out enemies from there. That’s why you should get up high as soon as the game starts. That way, you’ll be able to utilize Pharah to her maximum.