Overwatch 2: How To Play Genji Effectively?

In this edition of the Overwatch 2 guide, we’re going into the details of how to play the damage hero Genji. Meanwhile, before we get into the details of Overwatch 2’s Genji’s abilities and how to utilize them to the fullest, let’s take a look at what kind of hero Genji is and his background.

According to the Overwatch lore, Genji belongs to the Shimada Clan. The clan to which Hanzo belongs, who is Genji’s brother. Having been part of Blackwatch, Genji is a formidable Overwatch hero. After being left almost dead in a deadly confrontation with his brother, Genji was revived with the help of cybernetics by Dr. Angela Ziegler of Overwatch.

After working with the Blackwatch and following many missions, Genji couldn’t come to terms with what he had become. Repulsed with his now mechanical body, Genji left Overwatch and wandered the world in search of meaning in his new life. It was then that he found Zenyatta. Through the Omnic monk’s wisdom, Genji found peace with his part human and part mechanic body and joined the organization after Winston’s calling.

Now that we know a bit about Genji’s past and how he came to be who he is, let’s move on to the part of the Overwatch 2’s damage hero’s abilities and how to play Genji.

Overwatch 2: Genji’s abilities

1. Shuriken (Main Weapon)

Genji’s main weapon in Overwatch 2 is Shuriken. Thrown three at a time, each shuriken has a damage of 29; furthermore, the total ammo capacity is 30, giving players many attacks before reloading. While the primary fire shoots three consecutive shuriken, the alt-fire shoots a fan of three shuriken, much like a shotgun spread.

2. Deflect

An interesting ability of Genji that helps him in close quarters as well as long ranges. As the name suggests, it deflects all incoming shots back toward the enemy for two seconds. Deflect has a cooldown of 8 seconds.

3. Swift Strike

As a cybernetic ninja, Genji doesn’t only throw shuriken at enemy players but also makes use of his katana. With a cooldown of 8 seconds, the Swift Strike allows Genji to dash forward and hit enemy players with a damage of 50 per slash. Interestingly, the swift strike resets upon a successful kill with the ability.

4. Dragonblade (Ultimate)

The Dragon becomes me. This is what the enemy players fear the most in close-quarter combat when against Genji in Overwatch 2. Boasting damage of 110 per slash, Dragonblade allows Genji to perform swift slashing strikes upon enemy players for 6 seconds. Furthermore, players can use Genji’s swift strike and deflect while using Genji’s ultimate, providing versatility to the damage hero in Overwatch 2.

Overwatch 2: Genji | Making the most out of his abilities

1. Versatile range

Genji’s shuriken and his ability to perform double jumps and climb on walls make him one of the most versatile damage heroes in Overwatch 2. Players can shoot the shuriken from a range when approaching an enemy player to lower their health and then perform a spot-on swift strike for the kill.

Furthermore, if you find yourself taking damage head-on, make sure to use the deflect ability wisely. While you must be tempted to use deflect before you begin a one-on-one, remember the ability has an 8-second cooldown. Furthermore, one more thing to take notice of is that Genji can only deflect the projectiles coming from the front; any damage coming from the sides or his back won’t be deflected.

Using deflect timely and calculatingly is key in making better plays with Genji. While Genji can’t deflect Winston’s or Zarya’s beam, he sure can deflect almost all other incoming projectiles, including Cassidy’s stun grenade.

2. The ultimate flanker

As a master of close-range combat combined with the ability to climb walls and get to places where other Overwatch heroes can’t, Genji is a great flanker. A flanker who can easily flank the enemy flanker, if I may. Meanwhile, learning to know when to flank and when to play alongside your teammates is crucial in making great Genji plays.

Furthermore, players must use Genji’s double jump ability and his ability to wall climb to get behind enemy lines and take down the enemy support. Get a clean, swift strike kill, and then quickly get away using the same ability.

3. Recommended teammates

In any Overwatch 2 match, Genji works well with any healer, providing the hero heal while he does massive amounts of damage to the enemy team. That being said, Genji particularly works well with Zenyatta, who can continuously heal Genji with his orb of harmony. Furthermore, Zenyatta can also be a big help to Genji by making him easier to kill the enemy players with his discord orb.

In addition to Zenyatta, Zarya and Genji can be a devastating combo for your team. With Zarya’s massive health cap and her ability to keep Genji shielded from enemy attacks, these two have a really great synergy between them. Next in line is Kiriko, the newest addition to Overwatch 2’s roster is a support hero. Similar to Genji, Kiriko can also climb walls. This can work wonders when paired with Genji, as she can keep up with him to provide healing and extra attack and movement speed. Furthermore, Kiriko’s ultimate also works well with Genji over other heroes, giving him a boost in speed and attack power.

4. Steer clear of these heroes

While Genji and Zarya’s duo will work wonders in your team’s favor, players should steer clear of the enemy Zarya. As Genji can’t deflect Zarya’s beam, the damage will consume you sooner than you can make your play. Furthermore, Zarya’s massive amount of health is another thing to consider when going against her on a 1v1.

Another Overwatch hero that Genji should stay away from is Pharah. While Genji can get to most places on the map owing to his double jump and wall climbing, Pharah can easily get away with the help of her jetpack. While Pharah is in the air and dropping bombs on Genji, he has no way of reaching her; the only thing Genji players can do is run and hide.

Well, there you have it. We hope all this information about Genji is sure to help you win those crucial Overwatch 2 matches. It doesn’t matter if you’re not very good at playing Genji; make sure to keep on practicing, and you’ll get better sooner than you think.