Soldier 76 is one of Overwatch’s oldest heroes and he’s received some major attention from the devs lately with some major buffs. These buffs do change how to best utilize him, and there has been some confusion on how this affects certain matchups. Until now.
Overwatch YouTuber Nathan ‘KarQ’ Chan enlisted the help of former pro André ‘IDDQD’ Dahlström to show off the best tricks for players to succeed and rank up as the new and improved 76.
The first thing that IDDQD recommends is that players learn to control the new recoil in the practice range or special Workshop modes. Mastering the recoil will allow you to deal huge amounts of damage that otherwise would have been canceled out by the gun’s spread.
One important thing to keep in mind when dueling an Orisa is how fast Soldier can destroy her 600 HP barrier. With the help of a Helix Rocket and 26 bullets that deal 19 damage each, you alone can shred it in only three seconds.
Considering her shield cooldown is 10 seconds, you can create a nice opening for you and your team to force Fortify or even eliminate her outright.
Against Roadhog, Soldier 76 can be a huge savior for his teammates. Right as Hog tries to land a hook, Soldier’s Helix Rocket can boop him out of position, causing the tank to miss the hook completely.
When fighting a Wrecking Ball, a unique trick is to use his own Piledriver ability to your own advantage. While some maps have areas that Soldier can’t rocket jump to, you can use it while in the air due to the Piledriver to boost yourself higher up.
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If you’re dueling an Echo, be sure to use biotic field if you’re hit by her Sticky Bombs or she starts using Focusing Beam to negate the damage. Aside from that, being able to track her and adjust the recoil of your gun should result in easy kills.
For McCree and Reaper, IDDQD believes the main goal should be to keep your distance as Soldier should be able to win at mid-long range. However, if either can close the gap, the matchup swings in their favor. Be sure to keep the fights to areas that favor you.
A big way to deal with Sombra is to instinctively throw down Biotic Field right as you hear the unstealth voice or EMP activation.
In a fight against a Torbjorn, it’s best to take the Turret out first. Right as he throws it down, IDDQD recommends firing a Helix Rocket because the Turret starts off at low HP. Once it’s out of the picture, focus down the Torb.
Ana can be a difficult target if you’re fighting her head-to-head. Instead, if you can get an angle where you can hit her from the side as she’s scoped in. A Helix Rocket and some shots can make short work of the sniper healer.
Saving Helix Rocket against Baptiste’s Immortality Field is key in the match-up as it will make burning down the lamp much easier giving your team an important edge in the team fight.
Soldier 76 is one of the most popular heroes in the game, so be sure to practice these tricks, know your matchups and be prepared to climb in Competitive Season 25.