Overwatch 2 Soldier 76: Abilities, Changes, & Tips

Become a tactical soldier who never misses & heals his squadmates!

Overwatch 2 is geared towards returning as well as new players. There are a lot of starting heroes in the game that have an easier learning curve than the ones you unlock later. Soldier 76 in Overwatch 2 is one of the readily available heroes in the game, who has straightforward shoot, heal, and lead frontal assault mechanics.

Key Takeaways
  • Soldier 76: Versatile damage hero, suitable for all skill levels.
  • Heavy Pulse Rifle: 30-round clip, deals 6-8 damage based on projectile impact.
  • Abilities: Biotic Field (heals in radius), Helix Rockets (burst damage), Sprint (fast movement), Tactical Visor (auto-targets enemies).
  • Effective at any range, excels at medium and close distances.
  • Drawbacks: lacks specialization, no vertical mobility, Tactical Visor less potent than other Assault heroes’ ultimates.

Soldier 76 Role

Soldier 76 [Image Captured by eXputer]
Soldier 76 is a damage hero in the game, and he is an excellent pick for players who are new to the franchise. For veterans, playing with this hero means they have already learned all the bells and whistles of Soldier 76 & how good or bad he is in the sequel.

Even though there are slight tweaks to the hitscan damage numbers of the hero, overall, he is still in good shape for players to main him throughout season 1 of Overwatch 2.

Soldier 76 Abilities

Soldier 76

Here are all the Soldier 76 Abilities and their details:

Soldier 76 Abilities TypeCooldown Effect Area of Effect Duration
Heavy Pulse RifleAssault rifleN/AHitscan: Automatic Assault Weapon30-50 metersN/A
Biotic FieldAbility 15 secondsArea of Effect: Deploy a field that heals your allies and you 4.5 meters5 seconds
Helix RocketsAbility 6 seconds Projectile Area of Effect: Launch a volley of explosive rockets.3 meters0.5 Seconds recovery for primary
SprintAbility N/AMovement: Run faster while moving forward.N/AInfinity
Tactical VisorUltimate Ability N/AAutomatically aims your weapon at targets in view.N/A6 Seconds

Heavy Pulse Rifle

Heavy Pulse Rifle [Image Credit: eXputer]
Type Weapon
Effect Type Hitscan
Damage 5.7 – 19 dmg
Falloff Range 30 – 50 meters
Rate Of Fire (ROF) 9 rounds/sec
Ammo 30
Reload Time 1.5 secs

When you are utilizing the main weapon, you are required to modify the rate of fire so that it is appropriate for the range at which you are battling. Make use of fire that is totally automated while engaging the enemy at close and medium ranges.

However, if your target is a bit farther away than the typical range of Soldier 76, you will need to fire three-round bursts at long range in order to make use of the flawless accuracy of the Heavy Pulse Rifle.

The spread of the character’s gun has been substituted with vertical recoil, which ensures that the accuracy will not be affected no matter how many rounds are fired by the player. The weapon has a clip capacity of 30 rounds of ammunition, and the damage ranges anywhere from 6-8 numbers, depending on where the projectiles hit.

Biotic Field

Biotic Field [Image Credit: eXputer]
Type Ability
Effect Type Area Of Effect
Healing  40 hp/sec
Area Of Effect Radius: 4.5 meters
Casting Time 0.54 secs
Duration  5 secs
Cooldown 15 secs

Soldier 76 will plant a biotic emitter in the ground, which will restore any life points that have been lost by friends, including those lost by your character. Allies who are within a radius of 4.5 meters of the Biotic Field will have their lost health restored.

In a normal situation, the Biotic Field ability restores 35 health to all party members every single second. This ability has a duration of 5 seconds and a cooldown of 15 seconds after it is used. The Biotic Field may also be attached to the Payload and moving platforms in order to move around with them.

Helix Rockets

Type Ability
Effect Type
  • Projectile
  • Area Of Effect
Damage
  • Direct Hit: 40 dmg
  • Enemy Splash: 40 – 80 dmg
  • Self Splash: 20 – 40 dmg
Move Speed +4 m/s
Projectile Speed 50 m/s
Area Of Effect Radius: 3 meters
Duration  0.5 secs recovery
Cooldown 6 secs

Players have the power to do burst damage with Helix Rockets, putting an opponent who is near death out of action before they have a chance to flee or use a skill against you.

The area of effect for the Helix Rockets is a radius of 3 meters, and the cooldown for this ability is 6 seconds. If you strike a target directly with this ability, it will deal 120 damage to them. However, if the splash damage also strikes them, they will suffer roughly half of the damage that was dealt to them directly.

You take damage from Helix Rockets as well, and if your health is very low, being hit by one of them will result in your death. Therefore, while you are in a confined space, you should not recklessly fire them at your enemies.

Sprint

Type Ability
Effect Type Movement
Move Speed +50% increase
Duration No Limit

Soldier 76 has the ability to sprint very quickly. You have the power to improve your character’s movement speed by up to 40% if they have Sprint ability. The duration is, in theory, endless, and Soldier 76 will keep running until you turn off the Sprint ability, at which point he will stop.

Sprint is a very flexible talent that may be utilized both offensively and defensively. It can even be employed to escape danger. Players may utilize it to maneuver between cover, pursue opponents who have fled the battle, make a dash for a Health Pack, or make their way back to the action once they have respawned.

Tactical Visor

Tactical Visor [Image Credit: eXputer]
Type Ultimate Ability
Reload Time 0.65 secs
Casting Time 1.2 secs
Duration  6 secs
Ultimate Cost 2,500 points

Please note that although Tactical Visor has the potential to be a very strong Ultimate ability, it does not render your bullets any more destructive than they would normally be. Your shots are going to be stopped by obstacles, and they will continue to require the same number of hits to eliminate an opponent as they did previously. It is optimal to utilize this ability against foes while another player of your squad is present and distracting them.

Damage falloff is blocked for the while that Tactical Visor is active. This indicates that Tactical Visor will do a steady 20 damage every shot, irrespective of the distance from your enemies are from you.

Tactical Visor is a super strong ability that gives Soldier 76 the ability to strike extremely elusive enemies, such as Tracer or Genji, with pinpoint precision. When going up against aggressive foes, players need to take advantage of the Tactical Visor ability in order to get the kill off quickly.

Best PlayStyle

Health regeneration [Image Credit: eXputer]
Soldier 76 adapts to various player roles, excelling as a healer and a high-damage character. While less effective at flanking compared to heroes like Genji or Tracer, Soldier 76 can venture solo, using his Biotic Field for health maintenance and exploring advantageous vantage points. His mere presence can divert enemies, aiding the squad’s progress, but his absence is keenly felt if he falls.

Optimal effectiveness occurs when Soldier 76 attacks from elevated positions, necessitating precautions against close-range threats. Mastering his healing ability is crucial for personal and team benefit, offering a health advantage in multi-foe combat.

My Soldier 76 Experience

In my opinion, Soldier 76 is one of the easiest characters to use in OW2. Not just in the DPS role but compared with any other role, he is one of the easiest characters due to his simple and straightforward abilities. Soldier 76 is also one of the best picks for new players. 

naqib overwatch 2
My Overwatch 2 hours on Steam

While playing Soldier 76 in Overwatch 2, I try to show aggression right at the beginning of the match. The reason for this is to tackle the enemies’ confidence and shut it down right off the bat. However, as an experienced player of Overwatch, I can show aggression when needed and can play defense when aggression is not the solution.

Soldier 76 is still, without a doubt, an excellent Damage hero you will not regret to main throughout season 1 of Overwatch 2. Most of the writers at eXputer have played lots of hours using Soldier 76, and they still love the transition and welcome the small changes I have listed above. 

If you’re not much into Soldier 76, then you can use the main other excellent heroes such as Genji, Reinhardt, Reaper, Ashe, and Hanzo. Or, if you want a playstyle that is not traditional, then Symmetra, Ana and Torbjorn, Lucio, Widomaker, and Cassidy may be perfect for you. 


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Naqib is a Guides Writer at eXputer. He is a passionate gamer and a die-hard anime fan since a very young age. Now, after gaining 15+ years of gaming experience and spending more than 5,000 hours on Valorant, Naqib creates content based on his firsthand knowledge of the most recent video games! You can further follow his gaming activities on his Steam profile.

Experience: 1+ years || Mainly covers Guides || Education: Bachelors in Software Engineering.

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