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The competitive Esports scene provides an environment for the best players in the world to come together and showcase their skills and abilities in specific video games. Esports are great for anyone looking to compete in a high-stakes setting and can be a great way to earn recognition for their talent, as well as earn some amazing prizes.
This article will focus on Overwatch, a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter developed by Blizzard Entertainment and first released in 2016. It’s a widely popular game, having a massive esports scene that millions of people around the world tune in to watch regularly.
If you’re unfamiliar with the game, we’ll do a quick rundown of how the game works. Firstly, players are split into two teams of six for standard matches. They can then select a hero to play as from a cast of 32 different ones that are split into 3 classes: Damage, Tank, and Support. Each of the heroes boasts their own unique playstyles and abilities that require both skill and a good understanding of the game’s mechanics to master.
Game objectives vary depending on the map, so sometimes you’ll be pushing a moving payload, and other times you’ll be trying to hold a particular map zone for as long as possible. There are also a bunch of arcade modes and special seasonal events, some of which focus on the main storyline behind the Overwatch organization and its history.
Anyway, let’s get back to talking about esports.
The most famous OW esports scene is, of course, the renowned Overwatch League for PC players. PC is the preferred platform for most, however, PS4 and Xbox users also have a wide range of esports tournaments they can enter.
If you’re interested in going pro in Overwatch and think you have what it takes, be sure to read on. There are plenty of ways to get involved and start earning some rewards and recognition for your skills.
How do you take part in Overwatch Esports?
The Overwatch esports scene is filled with tournaments for all sorts of players. Whether you’re looking to play in local tournaments or participate in high-intensity series that are cast live, there’s bound to be something for you. All you need is a team and the determination to win. There are plenty of rewards out there just waiting to be claimed.
One of the most recognized esports competitions around the world is the Overwatch League. Here, the most skilled players compete against each other on the world stage for the chance to win the coveted OWL trophy as well as millions of dollars in prize money! There is also the annual OW World Cup, where the best players fight for their respective countries – the finals for this tournament take place at Blizzcon in front of a crowd of thousands of people. It’s intense.
Think it’s impossible to reach the Overwatch League level? Well, you’d be wrong! Overwatch offers an Open Division on PC for all players looking to enter a competitive tournament. The top 4 teams from each region get invited to play in the Contenders Trials alongside other competitors. Contenders is only one stage below the highest tier, the Overwatch League! If you have the skills and are determined enough, you can earn your place at the top next to other Overwatch champions such as Profit, Sinatraa, or Jjonak.
The Overwatch League and the Contenders Trials are super competitive, but there are also plenty of lower-stakes tournaments that take place across the globe too. From university competitions to officially run series by groups like Battlefy, or even the Belong Arena clashes, there are lots of ways to get involved.
Learn from some of the best Overwatch players in the world
Knowing how to improve in competitive Overwatch can be tough. That’s why we’ve compiled some of the most important tips and info for anyone wishing to go into the competition scene and improve at the game.
Here we’ll teach you all the best strategies used by top OW players worldwide for each class of hero. We’ve also got guidance on general improvements you can make to your competitive gameplay to help you become a Top 500 player and ace every tournament.
Let’s dive into a quick rundown of all the classes in Overwatch and the best ways to improve in each one.
Damage
Heroes in the Damage class specialize in dealing damage, as you may have guessed. Damage heroes are often referred to as DPS, which stands for damage per second. As a DPS hero, you have to work hard to evade enemy attacks while also targeting their supports and backline.
Types of damage hero
There are generally two types of DPS. The first type is the hitscan heroes like McCree or Widowmaker, where the damage registers instantly when you press the fire button. Then you’ve got the projectile heroes like Pharah or Genji, where weapon projectiles have a travel delay, and damage will only register if someone gets hit.
All the damage-dealing heroes are different and often combine both hitscan and projectile abilities, so if you want to excel at Overwatch, you’ll need to get a good understanding of the various mechanics. Once you get the hang of things, you’ll be able to utilize each hero’s special abilities to the fullest and will be racking up wins in no time.
Playing as a hitscan hero
Snipers such as Hanzo, Ashe, or Widowmaker are some of the most popular heroes to play as in Overwatch. Many famous OW players such as Kephrii or Ans are renowned for being skilled in these heroes. As great as these heroes are, though, they are also extremely vulnerable if caught out in the open, especially since they’re usually separated from their team. If you want to become an expert sniper, Boosting Ground offers coaching services where you can hire a dedicated coach to help you with positioning and finding the best spots on every map to get a good angle against your enemy.
There are plenty of other resources out there too, with various aim training custom games and videos around. One of the most important things, though, is to practice lots, especially when it comes to getting better at aiming.
Well-known hitscan heroes include Soldier: 76, Bastion, and McCree. Some of them do have abilities that are projectile too though, such as Soldier’s helix rockets. Work towards mastering all your character abilities, and practice timings, so you don’t end up having your High Noon ultimate ability blocked by a D.Va. A great DPS player is a huge asset to any team.
More on projectile heroes
Some of the most famous Overwatch League plays come from projectile heroes. Notable moments in recent history include a fantastic Genji nanoblade by Fleta (2020 OWL MVP), Birdring getting a triple kill on Junkrat, or Profit popping off as Pharah in the air. Although these heroes can be a bit trickier to learn given their playstyles are much different from those of conventional hitscan characters, they can be used to great effect once you learn how to use them properly.
If you watch tutorials and practice lots, soon you will be able to get huge team wipes just like the pros.
Tank
Tank players are the core basis of any Overwatch team and a lot can be learned from watching gameplay from some of the best tank players in the world like Choihyobin, the 2019 OWL MVP.
The types of tank in Overwatch
There are two classes of tanks in the game. Main tanks such as Reinhardt have shield abilities and are generally quite stationary, preferring to stand with their team. Offensive or dive tanks such as D.Va, on the other hand, are used for charging into enemy backlines to deal damage or hanging back to protect healers.
Try different tank heroes out and see which playstyle suits you more. However, remember that in Overwatch flexibility is key. It can be very useful to learn how to play heroes outside of your comfort zone when your preferred style is not as effective in a given situation!
The slow but powerful main tanks
The main tank roster is made up of Reinhardt, Orisa, and Sigma, who are generally much slower tanks than their dive counterparts. Effective use of these heroes relies upon good shield placement/usage and being able to outsmart the enemy tanks, particularly when it comes to using ultimate abilities like Reinhardt’s Earthshatter or Sigma’s Gravitic Flux.
Speaking of ultimates, great combos are everything and can wipe out the entire enemy team easily if done right. Some good examples include using Zarya’s Graviton Surge in conjunction with Junkrat’s Rip-tire or timing a Gravitic Flux as Sigma down into Hanzo’s Dragonstrike.
Offensive tanks and diving the backlines
Dive and offensive tanks make up the rest of Overwatch’s tank hero class, and they’re all different in their own unique way. Roadhog and Zarya are slower in terms of movement, but still deal lots of damage (take a look at Sinatraa’s Zarya gameplay for some examples). Conversely, D.Va, Winston, and Wrecking Ball are very fast tanks and make for a perfect dive line up if you’re planning on being extremely aggressive in how you play against the enemy.
Learn how to dive in and who to target in each team and you’ll be the best offensive tank around. Familiarise yourself with specific tricks for each hero too, like ways to knock people off the map as Wrecking Ball.
Support
The support class is a difficult group to master as you have to provide vital healing to the rest of your team while outmaneuvering enemy DPS and dive tanks who will be focusing you. Playing a support hero in Overwatch is challenging but immensely rewarding too.
Types of support hero
The support category is made up of 3 main supports: Baptiste, Mercy, and Ana. Their primary focus during games is to provide great outbursts of healing to their team. The flex support group, on the other hand, includes heroes like Zenyatta, Brigitte, and Lucio who have to focus on dealing damage to enemies as well as healing their allies.
The importance of main healers
Main healers are well-loved in the community for their important role in keeping the rest of the team alive. Baptiste’s immortality field and Ana’s biotic grenade are two of the best abilities in the game that save players from the brink of death.
When it comes to playing Baptiste and Ana, having good aim is vital. There are various tutorials around that you can watch on how to get better. It’s also crucial when playing as these healers to know whether to prioritize damage or healing in a given situation.
If you’re looking to stand out above the rest of the players in Overwatch, there are a few advanced technical tricks that you can learn too, such as Ana’s quick scoping as shown by mL7 in his gameplay videos. Quick scoping can be incredibly useful in a fast battle when you need to do lots of healing quickly.
Mercy, the third main healer, isn’t great for doing damage, but she excels in healing and damage boosting her allies. For her, you’ll want to take a look at some pocketing guides and learn how to super jump so you can easily evade the enemy DPS who will be trying to focus you.
Flex supports – combining damage and healing into one
Flex supports can create big plays as well as provide all-important heals to teammates. Zenyatta, made popular by Jjonak’s aggressive playstyle (2018 OWL MVP), is one of the best support heroes in this sub-group.
Each flex support in Overwatch works differently, and they all have very different playstyles. Zen has his discord orb to help focus down enemy players and a harmony orb to heal allies (similar to Moira’s abilities). Brigitte rallies her team onwards mid-fight and has great survivability, while Lucio’s speed boost can help your team reach the point before the enemy or track down the last enemy in a team fight.
The added damage output from playing a flex support is great for any team, but be sure not to neglect your healing duty, especially during a competitive match!
Some other last-minute Overwatch tips
As well as the specific role advice above, we’ve got a few general game tips that will help you with playing better!
First, you should look into choosing the perfect reticle to help with your aim. It may sound silly, but particular reticles often make it easier to aim! The right one can substantially improve your accuracy, particularly when it comes to hitting critical headshots against enemy players.
Computer specifications are another thing to bear in mind when it comes to getting the most out of your game. You’ve got to carefully decide what the best settings to run the game at are to have a smooth and lag-free gameplay experience. This is useful for all heroes, but especially important if you are thinking of playing snipers like Widowmaker, Hanzo, or Ana, as every millisecond counts!
How does the Overwatch competitive scene work?
For those of you unsure as to how the Overwatch competitive scene operates, here’s a quick rundown of all the different game modes Overwatch provides as well as how tournaments are generally run.
Quick Play
Quick play is Overwatch’s casual game mode. If you’re looking for a quick and chill game with no consequences for losing but still want the full Overwatch game experience, this is the mode for you.
Games in quick play are great fun and offer the perfect opportunity to test out techniques before moving onto competitive. Recognizing all 32 heroes’ different ultimate and general abilities isn’t easy at first, but playing a lot of quick play games can help and will improve your overall performance in the game.
Also, unlike competitive, all of the 21 main maps are playable in quick play. This allows you to practice positioning on any of the main maps rather than just a select few generally seen in competitive.
Competitive
Competitive is the main feature of Overwatch for those looking for more organized and difficult gameplay. You need to be at least Level 25 before you’re allowed to participate, giving you time to practice and understand the game a bit first.
Skill ratings
When you play competitive games, Overwatch determines and gives you a skill rating based on how good you are. This rating is used to match you against other players of similar skill levels. Ratings correspond to ranks which are separated into 7 different tiers as shown below:
- Bronze: 1 to 1499 SR
- Silver: 1,500 to 1,999 SR
- Gold: 2,000 to 2,499 SR
- Platinum: 2,500 to 2,999 SR
- Diamond: 3,000 to 3,499 SR
- Master: 3,500 to 3,999 SR
- Grandmaster: 4,000+ SR
- Top 500: Top 500 players at each role in each region (NA, EU, Asia), usually 4200+ SR
Climbing the rank ladder can be really tough but there are a few Overwatch boosting services around that you can take advantage of to make things a lot easier. Boosting Ground is a great company that offers these services and there’s more information about them at the bottom of the article, so be sure to read to the end.
Role queue vs. open queue
There are two different types of queueing systems in competitive Overwatch.
Role queue is the first one and requires you to select either DPS, Tank, or Support. Once you choose one, the game locks you into this role, meaning you cannot switch to another position once you are in the game. You get given separate SR ratings for each role.
The other type is open queue, where you are allowed to play whatever hero you wish to, and there are no role caps. Although open queue can be useful for players who enjoy playing different roles, it’s often a good idea to focus on role queue so you can develop mastery over a specific hero pool.
Competitive seasons and game structure
Overwatch has competitive seasons, which last around two months before resetting. Each season has its own specific map pool meaning only a certain number of maps will be available to play on during the designated period.
All competitive games last at least two rounds, giving each team a chance at attacking and defending. Getting used to this format is particularly important if you are interested in getting involved in the Overwatch esports scene, as all tournament games follow the same style.
Arcade
Arcade offers various interesting minigames and alternative Overwatch game modes such as deathmatch and capture the flag.
Deathmatch is a useful mode for practicing quick reaction times and aiming as it’s a free-for-all with players hiding around every corner. When you enter a deathmatch game, you’re spawned onto one of 7 unique maps and have to compete with other players to score the highest number of eliminations in a certain amount of time.
Mystery Heroes is another arcade game mode and is a great way for new players to discover what other heroes they might enjoy playing. You get assigned a random hero every time you die, so it’s a fun way to add to your playable hero pool without the pressure of needing to play well.
Custom Games
Finally, you’ve got custom games where you can mess around with friends or even practice various in-game techniques by yourself. You can practice almost anything, including Mercy super jumps, Ana sleep darts, and D.Va bomb drops. There are also games called Aim Arenas where you can fight against custom generated NPCs that will try to dodge your shots and fire back at you.
Have a browse through all the available custom games next time you’re online. Maybe you’ll find one you really like, or even make one yourself!
Overwatch boosting services
Pushing through the ranks in competitive Overwatch can be quite a struggle at times but fear not as there are a few different things that can help. Overwatch boosting services are available online and aren’t too expensive, so you can improve your rank even if you’re on a budget.
Boosting Ground is a company that offers these kinds of services and has a lot of positive reviews, so it’s clear that they’re reliable and good at what they do. No-one likes being stuck in a low competitive rank tier, that’s for sure, and there’s no shame in enlisting the help of a professional to help you get out.
There’s a whole host of Overwatch boosting services on their website, so be sure to check them out if you need any help. If you’re looking to improve your skills on your own and don’t want someone else to do the work for you, make sure you follow the tips outlined in the article above. Ultimately if you put the effort in, you’ll get better and better over time and will be able to boost your SR rating with ease. Boosting Ground has coaching services available too if you want a top-tier mentor to help guide you through your skill progression.
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