Overwatch 2 Soldier 76: Abilities, Changes, & Tips

Overwatch 2 is geared towards returning as well as new players. There are a lot of starting heroes in the game that have easy 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. Even though the hero may seem to have a casual FPS-style attack & offensive playstyle, mastering his playstyle by learning all the moves will be the way forward for players who’re looking to main him.

Key Highlights

Soldier 76 is a damage hero with a straightforward playstyle, making him a good choice for both novice players and seasoned pros.
His main weapon is the Heavy Pulse Rifle, which has a clip capacity of 30 rounds and does 6-8 points of damage depending on where the projectiles hit.
Soldier 76 has the Biotic Field ability, which restores health to all party members within a certain radius, and the Helix Rockets ability, which allows players to do burst damage to opponents.
He also has the Sprint ability, which allows him to cover ground quickly, and the Tactical Visor ultimate ability, which automatically targets and attacks enemies.
Soldier 76 is able to do damage at any range, both continuously and in bursts, although his damage is most devastating at medium and close ranges.
Some drawbacks of Soldier 76 include the absence of any genuine expertise in either his weapons or his abilities, the inability to travel vertically, and an ultimate ability that is less powerful than that of other Assault heroes.

Soldier 76 Role

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 is a versatile Damage hero that may be used in a variety of situations. He is able to do damage at any range, both continuously and in bursts, although his damage is most devastating at medium and close ranges. Because of his proficiency with the Sprint ability, Soldier 76 is able to cover ground on the battlefield fast, and his use of the Biotic Field ability enables him to provide assistance to both himself and his squad.

The absence of any genuine expertise in either his weapons or his abilities, the inability to travel vertically, and an ultimate ability that is less powerful than that of other Assault heroes are all drawbacks of this character. Because he is an easy hero to pick up and play a challenging one yet to become proficient with, he is an excellent choice for both novice players and seasoned pros.

Heavy Pulse Rifle

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

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.

When Biotic Field is active, there is a brief animation that plays. The reload animation for Soldier 76 will be disrupted as a result of this animation. Because of this, in order to get the most out of it, you should use it either before or after you reload your weapon.

Helix Rockets

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.

If you are uncertain about your aim or you are up against an opponent who is skilled at evasion, aim your Helix Rockets toward your adversary’s feet rather than straight at them. Even if you are unable to make direct contact with the targets with the rockets, this will ensure that the blast will do them harm.

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 they are also struck by the splash damage, 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

The majority of damage-dealing heroes have some kind of blink or teleportation ability. However, 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

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 with pinpoint precision, such as Tracer or Genji. When going up against aggressive foes, players need to take advantage of the Tactical Visor ability in order to get the kill off quickly.

Since Tactical Visor grants you flawless precision, the most effective technique after activating the skill will be to spend extra time concentrating on avoiding opponent strikes while it is operational.

All Soldier 76 Changes From Overwatch To Overwatch 2

Combat Soldier 76 [Image Credit: eXputer]

In Overwatch 2, a large number of characters have been subjected to nerfs ranging from minor to significant, and Soldier 76 is one of those heroes that has had their damage output marginally adjusted.

The fact that the character’s total damage output and the efficiency of his Tactical Visor Ultimate may be seeing a small decrease is not to be overstated, nor is the inclusion of landing headshots to Tactical Visor.

The new Damage Passive provides the Soldier with a burst of boosted mobility and reload speed whenever they eliminate an enemy. The damage dealt by the Soldier’s Heavy Pulse Rifle was decreased from 20 to 18, which is a modest nerf when matched to the damage dealt by a few other Damage characters. Another one of the updates that Soldier 76 got was a modification to the Visor Ultimate, which is now affected by damage falloff.

The most significant improvement that Soldier 76 received in the sequel was the ability to complete headshots while wearing the Tactical Visor Ultimate successfully.

All of these changes still suit Soldier 76, and he can be a deadly force to reckon with if you keep your opponents at a medium distance instead of a close one.

Best Soldier 76 PlayStyle

Health regeneration [Image Credit: eXputer]

Soldier 76 may take on any role that the player desires. He has the potential to be an outstanding healer, a character with high damage output, or someone who can lead the squad in a full frontal attack.

Soldier 76 is an excellent player to have on any squad. A hero like Genji, Tracer, or Reaper is more successful at flanking than he is due to the fact that he does not have any sure getaway options. Because of this, he often provides the most benefit to his squad by remaining in close proximity to them and assisting them in combat by providing suppressive fire with his Heavy Pulse Rifle and healing with his Biotic Field.

Soldier 76 is the perfect early-game hero for frontline dominance and attack due to the fact that he has a stable supply of constant damage, a reliable area-of-effect heal, and a strong burst. Together with Reinhardt or any other offensive hero, Soldier 76 is able to advance or guard areas with relatively little effort by gunning down anybody who is in his way, all while applying pressure to snipers and attackers from a distance.

Soldier 76 has the ability to periodically strike out on his own, away from the rest of his squad, while maintaining his health with the help of his Biotic Field. This indicates that you are in a position to play a little bit carelessly and go out on a limb, even if it takes climbing a nearby higher line of sight area to locate an advantageous viewing position.

If things start to get a bit out of hand and you get the feeling that you’re going to be cornered, then you should be prepared to sprint back to the safety zone as soon as possible. The fact that Soldier 76 isn’t very good in close-quarters combat, though, means that the diversion created by his presence alone may often be sufficient for his squad to make progress. However, this won’t be the case if Soldier 76 passes away since the absence of his harm would be keenly felt.

If you want to become an expert in Soldier 76, you should make it a routine to use Sprint anytime you are not actively engaged in a fight. This is due to the fact that the ability gives you a significant edge in terms of mobility compared to a large number of the heroes in the game. There is no limit on how many times you can use the Sprint ability, so you shouldn’t worry about abusing it.

When Soldier 76 attacks from a strong position on higher terrain, he is able to do the most effective task. You need to take precautions to prevent your more strong close-range heroes from quickly reaching him. This will provide him with cover from any return fire and make it simpler for him to aim his Helix Rockets.

Learning to master Soldier 76’s healing ability will be useful not only for you but for the rest of your team as well. You need to have the knowledge of when to utilize it and when not to use it. You may provide yourself with continuous healing by dropping the Biotic Field at the beginning of a combat. This may offer you a significant edge in Health, which is particularly useful while fighting against numerous foes at once.

Using Helix Rockets may seem like a simple “point-and-shoot” game, but it really involves a lot more strategy and planning than that. You need to be aware of how to do the most damage possible to your foes with this burst damage and when to fire it. If a Helix Rocket strikes an adversary head-on, it may cause significant damage to them. You should attempt to lure your opponent around a corner so that you may fire the Rocket at them as they round the corner.

Summary

Soldier 76 is still, without a doubt 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 we have listed above.

If you’re not much into Soldier 76, then you can use and 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.