Overwatch 2: Here’s How To Play Hanzo!

The hero roster of Overwatch 2 is unlike any other you’ll encounter in a video game. With various heroes possessing unique abilities and playstyles, there’s everyone for every type of player. Whether you like to prefer long-range combat or close-to-mid-range combat, there’s everything for everyone. That being said, the Overwatch 2 hero, Hanzo, we’re going to be talking about today features a major flexible playstyle.

Hanzo’s arsenal is what makes him a versatile hero in Overwatch 2. Relying on his bow and a quiver of arrows, Hanzo can reveal enemies from a distance and even rapidly shoot arrows. While his active abilities are meant to damage the enemy players, Hanzo’s passive abilities allow him to climb walls and get to points where you can’t be easily reached mid-game.

Furthermore, his ultimate, Dragonstrike, is a unique ability altogether. The Dragonstrike allows Hanzo to summon a humongous dragon spirit that damages enemy players over time. Meanwhile, before we get into the part of Hanzo’s abilities and how to play him, let’s get to the part of Hanzo’s role in Overwatch 2.

What is Hanzo’s role in Overwatch 2?

Being a midrange sniper (sometimes long ranges, too), Hanzo is essential in watching flanking enemy players as well as destroying enemy defense. That being said, if you wish to play Hanzo, make sure your aim is on point. The more you miss crucial enemy stealth kills, the more you put your team in danger.

On another note, Hanzo is not meant to be played at the front lines; he is a sniper in Overwatch 2, designed to obliterate enemy players from a range. However, if you wish to play Hanzo up close to the enemy, make sure you have a Tank on your team to support you. Furthermore, do not forget to use his storm arrow ability to damage enemies who get close to you.

Hanzo’s abilities in Overwatch 2

Weapon/Ability	Type of Weapon/Ability	Description	Damage
Storm Bow	Primary weapon	The primary weapon of Hanzo that enables him to fire an endless supply of arrows at his enemies.	27-125 (depending on the time charged)
Sonic Arrow	Active ability	This arrow reveals the location of enemy players for 6 seconds within a distance of 9 meters helping Hanzo and his teammates.	Nil
Storm Arrows	Active ability	This ability enables Hanzo to rapidly fire up to 5 arrows with precise accuracy at enemy players.	65 per arrow
Lunge	Active ability	Lunge allows Hanzo to jump in any direction up to 15 meters. Moreover, the lunge further allows Hanzo to change his direction in mid-air to dodge enemy projectiles.	Nil
Wall Climb	Passive ability	Similar to Genji’s and Kiriko’s wall climb, Hanzo can get to spots on the map using his passive wall climb ability.	Nil
Dragonstrike	Ultimate	Hanzo’s ultimate damages enemies on the impact of the arrow as well as over a period of time. The Dragonstrike unleashes dragons that damage and even kill enemy players as it passes through them.	125 arrow damage 150 damage per second (per dragon)

How to play Hanzo in Overwatch 2?

Master your aim

Your aim is the first and foremost thing you need to master to become a better Hanzo player in Overwatch 2. While most Overwatch 2 hero requires good aim, some can even do without it; Hanzo, on the other hand, requires the best aiming skills. As a Hanzo player, you need to be on top of your game if you aim to flop the enemy flanks and further damage the enemy defense.

While there are plenty of ways to get better at aiming in Overwatch 2, precisely aiming for Hanzo’s arrows is a bit of a difficult task altogether. Since the arrows shot with the Storm bow, they do not have a hitscan and have a projectile. Furthermore, it even depends on the time you spend charging the arrows before releasing, which determines how far the arrow goes and how deadly it becomes on impact.

Meanwhile, if you plan to play Hanzo at close range, make sure to put the Storm arrows to good use. While aiming at closer ranges won’t be as difficult as it would be in longer ranges, a good aim would help you eliminate enemy players faster.

Don’t be afraid to engage in close-range combat

Talking about close-range combats, Hanzo has two main skills in his arsenal to help him win close-range 1v1s with enemy players. With the proper use of Hanzo’s storm arrows and lunge, you can gain an advantage over enemy players and overwhelm them.

While other heroes like Widowmaker are deadlier in long-range combat, Hanzo is more capable in medium-to-short-range fights. Use his wall climb and lunge abilities to get behind the enemy and take stealthy kills. Furthermore, you can even use these abilities to escape the fight should the enemy players decide to come after you.

In addition to lunge and wall climb, Hanzo can also take down tanks. With the help of storm arrows, Hanzo can take down the toughest of Overwatch 2 heroes in close range. Furthermore, if you’re engaged in a 1v1 at close range, don’t shy away from taking a fight, as the arrows can one-shot the enemy players if you manage to land a headshot.

Assist teammates in getting kills

While Hanzo’s abilities surely make him a formidable foe in Overwatch 2, better use of his abilities will put fear in the enemy team’s hearts. However, if for some reason it’s not your day and you can’t get the kills, you shouldn’t be disheartened; you can assist your teammates in other ways, also.

Since Hanzo can also be played as a stealth hero, you can assist your teammates in ripping apart the enemy defense by first revealing the location of any flanks and damaging any enemy tank heroes, but make sure to keep out of their reach so as to make a quick escape from the fight.

Meanwhile, if you’re not keen on engaging in close-range fights, Hanzo will help you to damage and shatter the enemy defense from a distance; however, make sure to keep your eye out for any flanks. To counter any flanks, make sure to use the wall climb abilities to get to spots where most of the heroes can’t reach. As a Hanzo player, with these tricks up your sleeve, even if you’re having a bad day at aiming, you can help your team secure more kills and win the game.

Overwatch 2: Hanzo – Pairing and counters

While not every Overwatch 2 hero will be a great pair with Hanzo, there are some with whom you and your teammates can make combos to take down enemies with ease.

Make these combos

• Zarya: Zarya’s ultimate goes well with so many other Overwatch 2 heroes, including Hanzo’s. As Zarya’s ultimate gravitation surge lines up the enemy in a corner, it will make for an easy kill for Hanzo players with the ultimate.
• Mei: Similar to how things will work with Zarya’s ultimate, Mei players can synergize her ultimate with Hanzo’s Dragonstrike to kill multiple enemy players. Sometimes even wiping up entire teams in these two moves.
• Genji: As for Genji and Hanzo, their synergy will be different from the other two. While Genji can get up close and personal with enemy players, Hanzo players can put pressure on the same enemy player from afar. Furthermore, Hanzo can even assist Genji in finding enemy players with the sonic arrow, as well as watch their flank.

Stay away from these heroes

• Reinhardt: Hanzo players should stay miles away from enemy Reinhardt players. First, they can block your arrows with the shield; second, if you get close, they’ll finish you in 2-3 strikes.
• Orissa: Similar to Reinhardt, Orissa can take down Hanzo players. Not only at close range but also at long range with the cannons.
• Roadhog: The only hero in Overwatch 2 that you must never engage in close-range combat. With massive health and the ability to self-heal, it is not easy to take down a Roadhog, let alone a Hanzo. Plus, if you get caught in his hook, it’s game over.
• Winston: Winston will literally jump on Hanzo. Moreover, with his tesla canon, Winston can easily take the upper hand on Hanzo.
• Genji: As well as Genji works with Hanzo, you should not stay away from enemy Genji players as much as you can. Genji can deflect your arrows, further damaging you, and can follow you with his wall climb further, making Genji difficult to put down.
• Pharah: As a Hanzo player, Pharah can easily spot you, even if you are the stealthiest player around. Once she identifies where you are on the map, she will rain down her rockets at you, which will be quite difficult to dodge.
• Moira: Never engage in fights alone with Moira players. While playing as Hanzo, Moira players will try to get close to you; to make their efforts worthless, use the lunge ability paired with storm arrows to quickly put her down.

There you have it, these are probably all the things you need to assimilate in your gameplay to become a deadly Hanzo player. Lastly, do tell us in the comments if you have a strategy of your own.