14 guides · every rank
Overwatch fundamentals
The habits that win fights whatever you play: where to stand, when to fight, what to do with your cooldowns and ult, and how to keep your head. Each guide has a part for your rank, because Bronze and Master need different advice. For one hero's matchups, see the hero guides.
In the fight 6
- Where to standWhere to stand in a fight at every rank: cover, angles, range and high ground, from not dying first in Bronze to owning a lane in Master.
- Staying aliveDying less at every rank: get to cover when you first take damage, know your danger health, don't get traded when ahead, and set up without taking hits.
- Using your abilitiesWhen to use your abilities and when to hold them: keep your escape for escaping, use the rest on a cue you picked, and save them to punish mistakes.
- UltimatesWhen to use your ultimate: more and earlier in the lower ranks, then tracking theirs and planning yours with your team so you don't spend them all at once.
- Who to shoot, who to healTarget choice at every rank: pick one and finish it, take the closest and easiest, punish whoever's out of position, and heal just enough to keep shooting.
- Aim and mechanicsAim basics and how much they matter: crosshair height, smooth aim, one sensitivity, shooting on the move, steady damage, and where to practice.
Around the fight 6
- When to fight, when to resetPicking your fights: too reckless at low ranks, too passive higher up. Stage with your team, push when ahead, and regroup instead of trickling in.
- Rotations and the mapPlaying the map: take key space and high ground, move along cover instead of the open middle, use the lulls between fights, and own one side of the map.
- Comps, hero choice and swapsDive, brawl and poke: how each comp fights, what it wants and what beats it, plus how many heroes to play and when a swap is worth it, by rank.
- Playing with your teamPlaying as a team of five: fight when your tank fights, never go down alone, take angles your team can cover, and sync timing and ults as you climb.
- AwarenessKnowing what's going on: where your team and theirs are, what you can hear, who's looking at you, and which enemy ultimates are ready.
- CommsWhat's worth saying on voice: short calls about who's where and who's low, your ultimate for combos, and your plan a few seconds early.