Lucio is undoubtedly one of Overwatch’s most beloved heroes, both inside the game and just in general, but this guide contains a few things you have to learn in order to get the most out of this wall-riding DJ.
The Brazilian Support has had a cult-like following of players since day one, and there’s a good chance you’ll see him picked in Competitive no matter what rank you’re playing in.
While he’s one of Overwatch’s original heroes and one a lot of beginners tend to gravitate towards, using him to his full potential can be a bit tricky.
This guide will help you master dropping the beat, hitting fat boops, and give you some insight into his unique gameplay, abilities, lore, skins, and more.
Contents
- Overwatch Lucio lore
- Lucio voice lines
- Lucio’s weapon
- Lucio’s abilities
- How to play Lucio: tips
- Lucio’s skins
- Changes for Lucio in Overwatch 2
Overwatch Lucio lore
Who doesn’t love Lucio? While he hasn’t seen the same lore treatment as other heroes with no comics, short stories, or cinematics; he is the only Overwatch character to have their own (sadly discontinued at the time of writing) breakfast cereal called Lucio-Ohs.
In terms of actual backstory though, Lúcio Correia dos Santos was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in a poor and crowded favela hit hard after the Omnic Crisis.
Lúcio wanted to find a way to lift the spirits of his neighbors and found the answer in music. He performed on street corners, in block parties, and as he got older and became more famous, at a string of legendary underground shows.
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That tight-knit community came under threat through, when the Vishkar Corporation (the same one Symmetra works for) came in to redevelop vast areas of Rio, including Lucio’s old neighborhood. They also imposed curfews to crack down on what the company saw as “lawless” behavior, and exploited residents as a cheap workforce.
Until, Lucio decided he wouldn’t take it anymore and stole Vishkar’s sonic technology to fight the corporation. The tech was originally developed by his father, but owned and patented by the corporation. This is what gives his healing and speed songs their power.
Other than what Blizzard tells us on their site, he does seem to have some kind of relationship with fellow hero and international music star Hana ‘D.Va’ Song as well, based on some flirty in-game voice lines.
Overwatch Lucio voice lines
Video starts at 0:22 for mobile viewers:
We can count on even more Lucio lore in Overwatch 2 as well, based on the previews of the new Rio map from BlizzCon 2019.
Overwatch Lucio weapon
Lucio’s trusty Sonic Amplifier can be absolutely deadly in the right hands. It’s primary fire shoots a 4-shot burst, with each slow-moving projectile dealing 20 damage on impact, and yes, you can definitely hit headshots with it as well.
Sonic Amplifier
- 20 rounds per clip
- 1.5 second reload
- 1 burst per 0.935 seconds
NOTE: Lucio excels in close-quarters combat where enemies don’t have time to react and dodge his projectiles, but he can also punish probing DPS from a good distance if they stray too far from their shield or cover by peppering the area with shots.
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Lucio abilities
Lucio is a team player first and foremost, and from his abilities it’s obvious you’re going to get the most use out of him when you can stick with your team and keep them alive. But he’s almost like two different heroes with speed and healing on tap, and offers a lot of versatility at the same time.
Wall Ride (passive)
- To begin a Wall Ride, jump at a nearby wall and keep holding the Jump key. Lúcio will attempt to Wall Ride as long as it is held.
- The option “Allow Backwards Wall Ride” needs to be enabled to allow Lúcio to start a Wall Ride midair without needing to look at the wall or needing to move prior to Wall Riding. *Enabling this is highly recommended!*
- Lúcio receives a speed boost when coming off a wall and preserves some of his momentum.
NOTE: Wallriding allows Lucio to stay and heal his team during fights while keeping him out of the main line of fire. Once you get the hang of things, it also improves your speed getting around the map, thanks to the speed boost when switching surfaces.
Soundwave (Sonic Amplifier Secondary Fire)
- Creates a short-range blast wave to knock enemies away from you.
- 4 second cooldown
- Max range: 8 meters
- Deals 25 damage with knockback.
NOTE: In addition to keeping Reapers and other DPS a safe distance away from your fellow healers and out in front of your tanks, it can also produce some epic environmental kills. Maps like Ilios Lighthouse & Well seem tailor-made for these kinds of plays, but there are spots on almost every map where boop eliminations are possible.
Crossfade
- Lúcio continuously energizes himself — and nearby teammates — with music. He can switch between two songs: one amplifies movement speed, while the other regenerates health.
- Area of effect: 12 meter radius.
- Casting time: 0.8 seconds.
- Cooldown: None.
- Allies: 16 per second
- Self: ~12.3 per second
- 25% buff
NOTES:
- Both songs require line of sight and do not affect allies behind enemy barriers.
- If a teammate leaves the area of effect, the current song effect lingers for 1 second, unless the song is switched.
- Can be done while reloading.
Amp it Up
- Lúcio increases the volume on his speakers, boosting the effects of his songs.
- Casting time: instant
- Area of effect: 12 meter radius
- Duration: 3 seconds
- Cooldown: 12 seconds
- Allies: 52 per second
- Self: 40 per second
- 60% buff
NOTE: While it is tempting to Amp Up your speed boost right out of spawn to get back in the fight quickly, the long cooldown time means you won’t be able to provide the healing as your team needs when you catch up with them, so always try and save it for when others are around.
Lucio Ultimate ability: Sound Barrier
- Provides 750 temporary shields to nearby allies that quickly decays.
- Area of effect: 30 meter radius.
- Casting time: 0.72 seconds on flat ground.
- Duration: 7 seconds
NOTE: It is possible to easily shorten the casting time for Lucio’s ultimate. While dropping the beat he leaps up in the air, so if you come down on a surface higher than where you originally started (like the payload or up some stairs) it can actually shave a bit of time and get the shields out even faster.
How to play Lucio: Tips
Lucio’s healing and speed auras are both based on the same area of effect around the hero, which means you’ll need to stick close to your frontline tanks who are hopefully soaking up most of the damage from the other team. Passive players will be just fine hanging back, but there’s plenty here for more aggressive player as well.
For a healer/support with just 200 HP, Lucio’s self-healing makes him surprisingly durable in a fight. So don’t back down when you catch an enemy DPS flanking as you can hop around and quickly make them pay with a few choice shots.
What’s a good way to stay close to your team without getting in harm’s way? Like we mentioned earlier: the Wallride. Really, you should try not to touch the ground unless there are no walls or other surfaces around, or an enemy DPS has your number every time.
Riding on top of the action will also show you how many Overwatch players apparently don’t think to look above them during fights. You will be amazed at how long you can survive and heal your team just by staying out of the usual lines of sight.
Healing is definitely the main draw of Lucio but it’s important not to forget about his Speed Boost either, like even a lot of veteran players do. There are some times when a 25% movement speed buff can be more valuable than healing, especially just after a mid-fight Sound Barrier.
Overwatch Lucio Skins
Overwatch 2 Lucio Changes
Lucio is one of the few heroes whose Overwatch 2 changes we’ve seen from Blizzard already. His dreads will now be glow in the dark, and he seems to be rocking a bit more armor than before.
Additionally, he’ll be getting a full, upgradeable Talent Tree for the new PvE portion of the new game, which we saw some of previewed all the way back during the BlizzCon 2019 demo.
More changes, and skins, for Lucio will certainly come out in the future as we head into Overwatch 2, and until then we’ll be eagerly awaiting the chance to actually try out the healer in the much-anticipated sequel.
Fancy trying your hand at other epic heroes from Overwatch? We’ve got a whole host of guides to help you master their unique playstyles right here: Ana | D.Va | Genji | Mei | Mercy | Moira | Reaper | Reinhardt | Sombra | Tracer | Widowmaker