Widowmaker in Overwatch 2 – Is She Worth It?

We take a look at some of the changes to Widowmaker in Overwatch 2.

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People had the chance to play Overwatch 2’s open beta around a month ago. Unsurprisingly, most users focused on Sojourn (one of the new heroes in the game), which means they didn’t have enough time to check the other heroes. 

Fortunately, we have access to the closed Overwatch 2 beta, which allows us to put every hero to the test. Aside from trying some of the most popular options, we’ve also given heroes like Widowmaker a try. The latter is one of the most “hated” names among people who play casually because most players have no idea how to use the hero.

To be fair, Widowmaker wasn’t that popular in the pro meta either. Although some professional players used her in some instances, she was not a popular pick. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise because Widowmaker only works in some cases.

We expected to see a significant rework or at least the addition of new abilities in Overwatch 2, but this did not happen. Instead, Blizzard buffed Widow’s HP, which is why she has 200 HP in Overwatch 2. This buff definitely makes her stronger, but we have yet to see if it is enough to bring her back into the meta.

Overwatch 2 will become available in around three months, so we still have some time to play the open beta. With that being said, here are a few things we’d like to share about this hero.

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Widowmaker only works in certain setups

The first thing that we’d like to point out won’t surprise some of you. People who have previous experience in Overwatch know that Widowmaker is not one of the heroes that work in every scenario. In fact, she is probably the least versatile DPS in the game when it comes down to combos.

Widow is one of the best heroes in long-range fights because she is the only “real sniper” in the game. However, the meta in Overwatch usually focuses on close to mid-range combat. Hence, the hero was not a good option because other DPS did a better job. This includes the following:

• Hanzo
• Ashe
• Echo

These heroes do more damage and are easier to play (at least in most cases). Needless to say, most players preferred using them instead of Widowmaker.

Despite the buff to her HP in Overwatch 2, we think that this hero continues to be a situational pick. She can do wonders in instances where the team needs a counter to any of the heroes mentioned above or things like Pharah. In fact, some of the new maps are also good for Widowmaker because they allow her to have good positioning.

She should see more picks

Aside from the fact that Widow only works well in some scenarios, overall, we believe that she will be more popular than before. One of the reasons is that we have to play in a 5v5 format instead of a 6v6. This might not seem like a big deal to some players, but it greatly impacts the game and certain heroes.

Since Overwatch 2 is still in beta, we don’t know the setups that will become popular once it becomes available to everyone. With that being said, most teams focus on one healer and two tanks, which is good news for heroes like Widowmaker. Since this is one of the biggest counters to any healer, a quick kill on him will help Widow’s team a lot and should be enough to win.

Aside from the lack of healers, Overwatch 2 is better for Widowmaker because there are not that many shields. Furthermore, the available ones, such as Rein’s barrier, are weaker, which is another big plus for the hero. Widow was one of the worst heroes to pick vs a combo that focuses on two shields because she couldn’t do any damage.

Heroes to be aware of

Overwatch 2 is a fantastic game that includes a lot of changes. The new maps and skins make the game a lot more interesting, but what has the most significant impact on it is the heroes and their new abilities. 

Despite Widowmaker’s powerful range-combat capabilities, the hero has many counters that can be extremely annoying. From our experience, the hero’s hardest opponent is another Widowmaker, especially if she is good. The battle between the two snipers is usually epic and always enjoyable to watch. However, it is also risky because if the enemy’s Widow is better than you, you will die all the time.

Aside from the mirror matchup, Widow’s counters from Overwatch remain relatively the same in Overwatch 2. Hanzo and Echo can be complicated to play against unless you are miles away because they can do a lot of damage and burst you. The same applies to Ashe, another hero that people pick as a “sniper”.

In addition to these heroes, Sojourn is also really strong against Widow. Even though she is a mid-range DPS hero, she has the ability to burst her targets. Furthermore, Sojourn’s Disruptor Shot is one of the best spells in the game versus slow heroes like Widow.

Last but not least, we also have to mention Winston. Besides being difficult to kill, he can jump on top of Widow and kill her in seconds. What’s even more annoying is that this tank has the ability to fire bolts of lightning in Overwatch 2. This makes him even more annoying.

Bottom line

We will definitely keep an eye on Widowmaker once Overwatch 2 becomes available to everyone. Even though the hero won’t work in every scenario, the fact that she got buffed and the lack of shields should make her a popular pick.

Fortunately, the hero will only work in the hands of those who don’t miss their shos. Landing headshots with Widowmaker is not easy, but once you learn how to do it, you will become really successful. Don’t forget that most heroes will die instantly, especially if you focus on the DPS and Supports.