Overwatch 2 Widowmaker: Definitive Hero Guide

Overwatch 2 has been released, and it is free to play. There is no better time to call up your friends and finally get a taste of the iconic team-based first-person shooter. The game also offers a massive roster comprised of fan favorites and new characters. Today we are going to take a look at Overwatch 2 Widowmaker.

Key Highlights

• Widowmaker is a Damage-type hero in Overwatch 2.
• Widowmaker’s primary weapon is called Widow’s Kiss, which can function as both a sniper rifle and a submachine gun.
• Widowmaker’s abilities include the Grappling Hook, which allows for mobility and escaping danger, Venom Mine which slows enemies and reveals their location and Infra-Sight which allows the user and their team to see enemies through walls.
• Widowmaker’s Ultimate ability is called Widow’s Strike, which allows her to become invisible and automatically aim at enemies for a short period of time.

Overwatch 2 is just more of the best parts of the original Overwatch. The game has a pretty well-balanced roster, and you don’t have to pick the strongest heroes to win. However, it is naturally a wise decision to learn all about the character you want to main. That is where we come in.

Widowmaker’s Role In Overwatch 2

Widowmaker has always been one of the most popular characters in Overwatch. Her design made her stand out, and her abilities and playstyle are much more accessible than many other snipers in other multiplayer games. 

Moreover, fans really like her backstory as well. Without spoiling much, she was a ballet dancer who has now become a lethal assassin. What drove her to the point where she currently is, is intriguing. Her cold personality goes well with her occupation and is another thing players adore.

As briefly mentioned earlier, Widowmaker is a Damage-type hero. Her primary purpose is to stand back, find a great spot, and shoot people with her lethal weapon. Her abilities are all designed around this. We will discuss everything you need to know to fulfill Widowmaker’s role.

First and foremost, let us take a look at Overwatch 2 Widowmaker’s phenomenal weapon of choice. It is a remarkable weapon suited for an elite assassin. In the end, we will also talk about all the changes that have been made to the character when compared to her original counterpart in Overwatch. So, keep reading. 

The Weapon Widow’s Kiss 

Widowmaker uses a weapon called Widow’s kiss. In Overwatch, every hero has a single weapon, so it needs to stand out and be cool. Thankfully Widowmaker has always had one of the coolest signature weapons out of all the heroes. 

Furthermore, what makes Overwatch 2 Widowmaker’s weapon great is that it can be used as both a sniper rifle and a submachine gun, as you can see in the image above. It is excellent and is always helpful no matter what situation you find yourself in.

In most games, when the sniper is rushed, they can’t do much to defend themselves, and using a sniper at close-range is very challenging and tricky. With Widowmaker, you can take out anybody try to rush you with relative ease. 

When you aim with the sniper rifle, if you wait for a while, it charges up to 100 percent power. When it does, it deals significantly more damage. While the automatic fire mode is excellent and very helpful, using the weapon as a sniper rifle is essential as that is where you deal the maximum damage. 

Moreover, as it is a sniper, you should aim for the head. Getting a good headshot will absolutely demolish the enemy player by dealing the maximum damage.

Besides learning how to aim well, which will come naturally, you will have to learn the layout of maps. Holding and aiming from the right location is great. Reaching the highest points of the map is easy, thanks to the Grappling Hook ability that Widowmaker possesses. Next, we will tell you how to utilize all of Widowmaker’s abilities. 

Widowmaker’s Abilities

What makes Overwatch special is that everything is designed around the hero. There is nothing that feels out of place here. All the abilities are designed to assist the sniper and damage dealer playstyle of Overwatch 2 Widowmaker. We will discuss what each of these does and how you can utilize them to their maximum potential.

Grappling Hook

First, we have the Grappling Hook, perhaps the most valuable and appropriate ability for Widowmaker. If you have played video games, you can already guess what a Grappling Hook does and what it is used for. In most games, it is an excellent tool for transversal that gives the player great mobility.

In Overwatch 2, the Grappling Hook can literally be a lifesaver for you. If somebody with a bigger health pool rushes you, like a tank, in most cases, you will be dead. In Widowmaker’s case, she can escape if her Grappling Hook ability is available; as you can see in the image above, it is very quick and sticks on various surfaces.

In addition, the Grappling Hook is mainly used to reach excellent sniping spots. You can easily and quickly reach any window that is reachable. It is stellar and is literally perfect for a sniper damage-dealing hero like Widowmaker. 

We highly advise you to make use of the move whenever it is available. Keep in mind that it has a cooldown, a short one, but it still exits, so don’t spam the move and waste it. You never know who might be in the corner you just tried to quickly get to by using the Grappling Hook. 

Venom Mine

Next up, we have Venom mine. Think of it as a claymore but one that doesn’t instantly kill the people trying to sneak up on you. It is great and does damage over time. The maximum damage it deals is 75, which is a lot and can assist you and your teammates greatly when you are in tough situations. 

In our opinion it is good. Mines that instantly take off a lot of health or straight-up kill can become very frustrating and even rage-infuriating at times. Also, planting the mine is fairly simple; you just aim, and it sticks to the exact spot you were looking at, as shown in the image above. 

Moreover, the Venom Mine can let you know when to get out using the Grappling Hook whenever it goes off. It deals damage and serves as a good alarm that lets you know if you are being rushed. The mine has a cooldown of 15 seconds which is also fair. 

It keeps dealing damage to the enemy for a couple of seconds and can also naturally eliminate them if you manage to take off a lot of their HP. The Venom Mine is a poisonous trap that is very fitting for an assassin. 

The Ultimate Ability InfraSight

Lastly, we have Infra-Sight, which is Widowmaker’s ultimate ability. Every Hero in the game has an ultimate ability that makes them use their maximum potential. When you activate, Infra-Sight Widowmaker gets serious and turns into a deadly assassin that tracks the enemy players in real time. 

It is literally wall-hacks as it allows Widowmaker to see every single enemy hero’s location, as seen in the image above. What makes the ability incredible and one of the best ultimates in the game is that all the players in your team can now see the enemy players. It turns Widowmaker into a damage-dealing support hero who is just incredible. 

Using the ability at the right time is critical. If you waste it, then you will have to wait a long time for it to recharge. We advise you to use it when things get tense and you need to eliminate the enemy fast. Next, let us talk about the optimal playstyle you should adapt for the hero in Overwatch 2.

Optimal Playstyle

Widowmaker is suited for gamers who love sniping and appreciate being able to defend themselves when they are rushed by naturally tougher foes. She is an excellent hero, and if you have a viable aim, you can be an excellent player from the get-go.  

Her abilities and unique weapon make her stand out from all the other snipers in various multiplayer games. Widowmaker’s main focus is dealing damage, but every good player also looks out for their teammates using the scope. What makes her a stellar pick is how she can be both a support and a damage dealer.

As a matter of fact, her ultimate ability requires you to be selfless and think of all your teammates. It helps support everybody on the team whenever you use it selflessly and at the right moment.

If you just want to camp a spot and get kills, then Widowmaker is not the right pick for you. The Venom Mine literally disincentivizes camping because it doesn’t instantly kill the enemy players who are trying to rush you. When played effectively, Widowmaker is among the best heroes Overwatch 2 has to offer.

Please read the following Overwatch 2 Widowmaker tips & tricks. These range from basic to advance tips that will help you get a gist of the optimal playstyle for the character. 

• Always keep a modestly wide distance between you and the enemy so that they can’t pick you off easily.
• Make sure to plant Venom Mines near your current spot, as they will let you know whenever somebody is trying to sneak up on you.
• Only use the ultimate ability when most of the enemy team is out of your view. 
• Use the Grapple Hook as much as you can. Keep switching your sniping locations by using it, or the enemy will catch up to you.
• Only rush enemies with the automatic fire when they are low on health, as the automatic fire deals significantly less damage, which is fair since Widowmaker is a sniper. 

All The Changes Made To Widowmaker In Overwatch 2

Widowmaker has not had any noteworthy changes made to her or her core gameplay. There are minor tweaks that are all good, and the most notable one is that her HP is now 200. If you loved the character in the original Overwatch, then you will love her here. 

Little has changed, and that is either a good thing or a bad one depending on who you ask. We do think that she is a very enjoyable character which requires a lot of skill and thinking to utilize properly.

Summary

And that covers everything you need to know about Widowmaker. She remains one of the most skill-requiring characters in Overwatch, and once you master her, you will turn into an unstoppable force who deals massive damage and reveals the locations of your foes to your allies. 

Overwatch 2 has received criticism for being mostly the same game the original Overwatch was. We think it adds the very best that the original game had to offer and makes the necessary changes. It is the Overwatch that you love, just free-to-play and very well-balanced.

What do you think about the game? Who do you main? Which character do you think has the best story? Is Overwatch 2 a good sequel? Let us know all about it in the comments section below.