Overwatch 2 - Widowmaker Hero Guide

Widowmaker in Overwatch 2 isn’t your typical DPS, and she requires a level of precision significantly higher than most heroes. With the right training right and knowledge of each map’s layout, you can make Widowmaker into the ultimate one-shot hero, capable of decimating an enemy team before they even know what’s happening. The trouble is it takes quite a bit of effort to reach that point. Here's how to play the snipe-happy Widowmaker.

You can see how all heroes, including this one, stack up in our Overwatch 2 tank tier list, DPS tier list, and support tier list. Where did your favorite land?

Widowmaker overview

Widowmaker is a sniper with an automatic rifle that deals more damage when it powers up after a few seconds, though of the rifle’s two forms, the sniper variant is the most effective. Widowmaker’s short-range rifle can be wildly inaccurate, so even though it can theoretically deal a significant amount of damage at full power, the gun’s spread means your shots likely won’t all land anyway.

Widowmaker uses a grappling hook to escape from foes and reach high places, and she can also plant a venom mine that gradually saps enemy health if they approach it and trigger an explosion. She only has one mobility option, though, and that’s where Widowmaker’s biggest weakness lies. As you’d expect from a sniper, she has low HP and won’t survive a one-on-one fight.

Widowmaker abilities

• Widow’s Kiss (automatic): Fires a spray of bullets at close range
• Widow’s Kiss (scope): Fires a single, high-powered shot
• Grappling Hook: Throws a grappling hook and quickly follows after it, assuming it connects with an object
• Venom Mine: Throws a motion-sensor mine that explodes when enemies approach and poisons them
• Infra-Sight: Makes all enemies visible to your entire party

Practice is essential

Widowmaker can instantly defeat an opponent with a headshot, but the issue there is actually landing the headshot. Overwatch 2 is a fast-paced game, and most players won’t stand still while you shoot them. More than most DPS characters, playing Widowmaker effectively requires investment in your aiming skills. Play matches against AI and adjust the difficulty to help improve, and be patient with yourself. No one is automatically brilliant with Widowmaker right away, especially if they’re new to the FPS genre.

Practice matches also help you learn the layout of each arena so you can identify the best places for Widowmaker to set up and harry the enemy team.

Run for your life

Finding these hiding spots is vital, since Widowmaker is almost useless unless she’s tucked away safely with her scope. The automatic rifle’s poor spread means her primary attack is only useful for damaging wounded enemies, and you shouldn’t count on it in a pinch. Instead, you should use Widowmaker’s grappling hook to flee any dangerous situation and, ideally, find higher ground where you can recover and set up again.

Since Widowmaker’s HP is low and she needs isolation to thrive, you don’t want to rely on a healer to keep her safe. If an enemy finds you, you’re likely to perish quickly before a healer can be of much use anyway.

Here to help

While Widowmaker’s primary focus is long-range damage, her mine ability and ultimate have strong support potential. From a safe distance, you can chuck a mine into the fray and sap enemy HP to tip the scales in favor of your team or hurl one into the objective area and weaken foes before your team sweeps in.

Widowmaker’s ultimate can help your team pinpoint enemy weaknesses as well, exposing, for example, Ana’s position or making it easier to track down pesky speedsters like Tracer, so make sure to use it as much as possible--ideally when Widowmaker is safe and can activate it without getting shot.

• If you’re having trouble in the open, set up near corridors and narrow pathways to make landing headshots easier
• Fully charged body shots still deal extensive damage, so if you don’t always hit the head, that’s okay!
• Don’t stay in one place after firing a few shots. You’ve given your position away, and it’s only a matter of time before you end up with unwanted visitors
• Aim for healers and weaker DPS characters first since they have low HP. Tanks are best handled by someone else
• Time your ultimate so it’s even more useful, such as when your team is attacking the enemy’s position and especially if there’s an enemy Widowmaker around

If you’re keen on experimenting with other Overwatch 2 roles, check out our tank hero tier and support hero tier to see how they all match up.