Overwatch 2: How to Use Hanzo

Everything you need to know to shine as Hanzo in the Overwatch 2 closed beta and beyond.

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People with access to the closed beta in Overwatch 2 usually focus on the two new heroes – Junker Queen and Sojourn. Even though both are fun to watch and will be the go-to option in many games, there are many other good alternatives out there.

Hanzo is undoubtedly one of the names that come to mind when talking about a good DPS herp. He was one of the few names in Overwatch that was popular among casual and professional players. The high-skill cap combined with excellent damage output makes Hanzo incredibly powerful.

It seems like Blizzard thinks the hero is too strong because he is among the few names that receive a nerf in Overwatch 2. Instead of giving Hanzo a new ability or more damage, Overwatch 2 reduces Storm Arrow’s damage from 70 to 65.

Some may think this nerf is negligible because 5 damage doesn’t make that much difference. However, this is not the case because the 5 damage means that Hanzo must land four arrows instead of three on a target with 200 HP to kill it. In other words, the hero’s burst damage is lower than before, which will have an impact on his playstyle.

Fortunately, Hanzo remains one of the top DPS heroes in the game, so we expect to see him very often. With that being said, let’s look at some of the things you need to know regarding Hanzo and how to use him.

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The current combos

One of the many changes in Overwatch 2 that we will have to get used to is the fact that all matches will be in a 5v5 format. As you know, OW was one of the few competitive games where we had access to a 6v6 clash. However, it seems like Blizzard has decided that six heroes in the same team are too much, so they’ve reduced their number to 5.

The fact that teams will have one less player means that some old tactics won’t work anymore. Currently, the Overwatch 2 beta is full of people who test all kinds of setups. Some teams run a single tank/double DPS/double heal, but you can often find teams that rely on two or even three tanks or DPS.

The new setups and maps mean that some DPS will perform much better than others. Since we had the chance to play the bet a lot, we believe Hanzo will continue to be one of the top picks.

Since the hero is pretty much the same as in Overwatch, he can work with many of the old combos where he shined. Hanzo is a mid-range DPS hero, which means he can do well with heroes in a similar position. Thins like Echo and Ashe are among the preferred options.

With that being said, Hanzo can also be used for long-range combat and paired with Reaper or a good flanker, such as Tracer.  As mentioned earlier, it all comes down to the setup and the number of tanks your team goes for.

Using Hanzo in Overwatch 2

Now that we’ve pointed out what’s new about the hero and the combos that he can work, it is time to focus on a few other important things. Learning how to play with Hanzo is important because this is one of the heroes that can have a massive impact on a given team’s performance. 

His headshots and consistent damage make him a deadly foe, especially in Overwatch 2. Blizzard’s decision to change some of the annoying things about the original Overwatch is one of the reasons why shields are not as helpful as before. Aside from the fact that Rein’s shield is not that strong anymore, the two new tanks do not have a shield at all. The same applies to Orisa, a completely different hero.

The lack of shields will annoy some players, but this is excellent news for heroes like Hanzo. Similar to Widowmaker, the shields were one of the main things that did not allow Hanzo to show his prowess because he could not deal that much damage. Fortunately, this is not the case anymore.

As long as you can land your shots, Hanzo can easily do more damage than most DPS heroes. In fact, all it takes is one good headshot, and you can kill almost any healer and DPS. Tanks are tankier than before, so it will take more shots to bring them down, so keep that in mind.

Hanzo’s counters in Overwatch 2

The fact that Hanzo is a fantastic hero in OW 2 does not mean that he is undefeatable. On the contrary, this is one of the heroes that has loads of counters in the game, so you always need to be careful.

The first name that can make Hanzo’s life more difficult is Widowmaker. The bad news for Hanzo is that Widow received an HP buff, which means that killing her is even more complex than it once was. Widowmaker has more range and can one-shot Hanzo if she lands a headshot, so be careful.

Speaking of one-shotting, Overwatch 2’s newest DPS hero Sojourn, is also pretty good against Hanzo. Even though you can one-shot her with a single arrow, she can do a lot of damage within seconds. Besides using her normal fire mode, she can use her beam to kill you from a long distance. What’s even more annoying is that you can die to her Disruption Shot, especially if you don’t have your jump.

Usually, Hanzo does a pretty good job against most tanks in Overwatch. However, Junker Queen can be a problem, especially if he gets too close. Since this tank relies on doing damage, she is highly aggressive and can throw her knife. If that thing lands on Hanzo, he is dead because JQ will bring him closer to her and kill him within seconds. Needless to say, you can’t one-shot her because she has 450 HP before using the Commanding Shout.