Overwatch 2 Reaper: Abilities, Changes, Playstyle

Overwatch 2 has characters divided into three categories: Supports, DPS, and Tanks. Each of them has a different role, but they combine their roles to win the game. Reaper in Overwatch 2 comes under the DPS category, where you get to see heroes like Tracer, Cassidy, and Genji. DPS characters focus on dealing high damage to the opponents either by staying in the Tank’s cover or by flanking them.

Reaper In Overwatch 2

Reaper comes under the damage category of the game. He played a vital role in the lore of Overwatch 1. He was a part of Talon, a terrorist organization along with Doomfist, Sombra, and Widowmaker, and he was one of its leaders. Initially, he was presented in 2016’s Overwatch as the villain. His ultimate aim was to end the organization of Overwatch in order to bring chaos into the world.

The game has brought many changes to the characters, adding more definitions to each one of them. The new additions include passive abilities as well, such as having healing or damage buff after eliminating an enemy. However, you cannot stack up the passive abilities by multiple eliminations.

Reaper’s Weapon And Abilities

In Reaper’s case, he has two passive abilities, which are The Reaping and Role: Damage. His abilities include Shadow Step and Wraith Form. Moreover, with Hellfire Shotguns as his weapon, he has an Ultimate called Death Blossom.

Hellfire Shotgun

The Hellfire Shotgun is Reaper’s primary and only weapon. There are two guns that Reaper uses, and they fire alternately. They are short-range weapons that can be considered a shotgun, and each of them contains eight bullets. At close range, the weapon deals a critical amount of damage to the opponents, and you can even take out tanks easily during a 1v1.

The gun is not so effective at long ranges, and it will only do minimal damage. To compare the ranges, if you are to shoot at a bot from close range within 5 meters, the bot will be eliminated in only one shot. However, if you are fifteen meters away, the health bar will decrease by only one point. Therefore, make sure you land all your shots from a close range.

If you compare the Hellfire Shotgun with the original Overwatch, they have nerfed the gun a little bit. Its overall damage used to be six, but it has been reduced to 5.4 now. Moreover, there has been an increase in the pellet jump, changing from six to seven. Therefore, if you used to play Reaper before, you will need to put in extra effort to eliminate the opponents.

Shadow Step

Reaper’s Shadow Step ability, activated with the default key E and a left click, enables teleportation between locations. Upon activation (E), purple smoke indicates the destination.

Flexible in range, Shadow Step grants access to otherwise unreachable or time-consuming spots. Its utility varies based on playstyle; during overtime, it can apply pressure until teammates arrive, or provide a quick escape when health is low.

In 1v1 scenarios, teleporting behind opponents offers a tactical advantage, inducing confusion and dominance. However, the ability requires caution as it doesn’t provide instant relocation, leaving Reaper briefly vulnerable during the red smoke phase. Ensure safety during teleportation to avoid exposure.

Wraith Form

The second ability of the Reaper is Wraith Form which can be used by pressing the default key: Left Shift. The Wraith Form allows you to become invulnerable along with a faster movement speed. However, the ability does not let you shoot.

It can be quite useful while fighting against more than one enemy. If the fight becomes overwhelming, you can simply use it to fall back and ask your teammates to be careful. One thing you need to be mindful of is that the Wraith Form makes you invulnerable, not invisible.  

Therefore, as soon as you use the ability, you will be able to run away from the fight, but the opponent will know where you are going. Moreover, if you are low on health, try your best to go near your teammate so they can provide you with cover.

However, if there is no teammate nearby, go to a corner and wait for them to come. Stay in a close corner and wait for them to show up so you can deal high damage. You can even use it if you are playing too aggressively near the opponent’s spawn.

The Reaping

The first passive ability of the Reaper is The Reaping. It allows you to heal while dealing damage. Therefore, even if you have no healer in the team composition, you will not need to worry. Moreover, The Reaping will make you even more independent as you will be recharging your health while taking on the opponents.

Role: Damage

The second passive ability of the Reaper is Role: Damage which grants you a burst of increased movement speed along with a faster reload speed after eliminating a target. The passive ability allows you to take on more than one opponent in a series if there is a need. You can simply take down an opponent and then reload in cover and go on for the second one.

Death Blossom

Reaper’s Ultimate: Death Blossom will cause panic in the opponent team as soon as they hear his voice line. His ultimate ability allows him to use a long-range weapon at a faster firing rate, damaging every opponent that is coming into the field of view.

However, be careful while using it in an exposed position. You will still be vulnerable, and therefore if the opponent team has a player like Widowmaker, you will be eliminated in no time. Therefore, assess the area and ask your teammates to cover for you.

BEST Playstyle For Reaper

The best playstyle for Reaper revolves around strategic flanking and close-range engagements:

1. Flanking Strategy: Reaper excels in flanking opponents. Approach from unexpected angles to catch enemies off guard, focusing on taking out DPS and Healer heroes with close-range attacks.
2. Lower Sensitivity: Lower sensitivity helps maintain aim on moving targets in close-quarters combat. Practice precision aiming for effective eliminations.
3. Use Abilities: Utilize Reaper’s abilities to gain advantages. Don’t hesitate to use abilities like Wraith Form to escape dangerous situations or confuse opponents.
4. Wraith Form: When low on health, use Wraith Form to reposition or escape. Reappear in a strategic location to surprise enemies and regain health.
5. Maximize Ability Benefits: Optimize the benefits of each ability. Use Wraith Form for reloading and repositioning to avoid exposing yourself while vulnerable.
6. Shadow Step: Utilize Shadow Step to flank enemies or escape dangerous situations. Practice timing to ensure effective teleportation without being caught off guard.
7. Combo with Ultimate: Coordinate Shadow Step with Reaper’s Ultimate, Death Blossom, for maximum impact. Use Shadow Step to reach elevated positions before activating Death Blossom to catch enemies off guard.

Reaper’s Synergizing Heroes

Let’s not forget that Overwatch 2 is a team game, and so Reaper will need some other hero in certain situations. So, there are some heroes that your teammates can play with in order to synergize the abilities and damages and end up eliminating opponents within a few seconds.

Moreover, it will leave them frustrated and lose the game assuming the strategy is too good. The following heroes mentioned have abilities and playstyles that complement that of Reaper and so make sure that you convince your teammates to use them.

1. Ana:
   • Utilize Ana’s Nano Boost ultimate to enhance Reaper’s damage output. Combo with Reaper’s Death Blossom for devastating team wipes, especially during retake attempts.
2. Sombra:
   • Coordinate Sombra’s EMP with Reaper’s ultimate to disrupt enemy abilities, ensuring Reaper’s Death Blossom hits its mark without interference.
3. Kiriko (Support Hero):
   • Kiriko provides vital support during Reaper’s flanks, creating favorable 2v1 scenarios. Her teleportation ability offers an escape route if Reaper faces overwhelming odds.
4. Zarya:
   • Zarya’s Gravity Surge gathers enemies, setting up Reaper for maximum impact with his ultimate. Coordinate to catch foes off guard and unleash devastating collateral damage.
5. Orisa:
   • Orisa’s recent buffs enhance Reaper’s ability to secure kills. Her ability to pull enemies inward sets them up for Reaper’s finishing blows, making it easier for him to eliminate weakened foes.

Apart from that, you can use the Overwatch 2 Best Ultimate Abilities to come up with your own combos in order to take out opponents more easily.

Changes For Reaper In Overwatch 2

There are only two major changes that Reaper has received in the game, and they are:

1. Hellfire Shotguns damage per pellet was reduced from 6 to 5.4.
2. The spread increased from 6 to 7.

Although the game has nerfed his weapon skills, the game has changed overall. I don’t get to see more clogged-up gameplay with tanking abilities, rather, the battlefield is more open now, and there is room for flank. Therefore, Reaper is now more significant than he was before.

My Personal Experience With Reaper

I have had a positive experience with Reaper, with high damage output and great self-sustain. He’s good at flanking, pushing through enemy lines, dealing with tanks, and contesting objectives. However, he now has a spread on his shotguns, reducing their long-range accuracy. Additionally, his wraith form ability has a longer cooldown, making it harder for him to escape danger.

For Instance, in an attack match, I flanked the enemy by using Reaper’s Wraith Form, eliminating their supports and damage dealers with Hellfire, aiding the objective capture. During defense in another match, I got caught in the open before using Wraith Form, leading to my quick demise, and my team failed to hold the objective.

Despite these nerfs, Reaper is still a viable hero in OW2. He is still very powerful and can still be very effective in the right hands.

Next: Overwatch 2 Maps