Everything you need to know about one of Overwatch’s most popular heroes; Tracer.
Similar to Hanzo and Genji, Tracer is often considered to be one of the most iconic heroes in Overwatch. She is one of the most mobile heroes in the game and can be devastating if you learn how to utilize her potential. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done because Tracer has the lowest HP in the game. This makes her very susceptible to damage.
Some people might not agree, but many Overwatch players consider Tracer to be one of the hardest heroes to master. You can often see her among lower-MMR games, but most players have no clue what to do. Hence, this guide will try to provide an overall idea of the hero and a few things you should do when you decide to give her a shot.
Tracer relies heavily on her cooldowns
One of the first things you will mention if you decide to pick Tracer while playing is that the hero is very squishy. Unlike other DPS, Tracer only has 150 HP, making her one of the preferred targets for opponents.
Despite being squishy, Tracer’s abilities allow the hero to survive in tricky situations. Speaking of the devil, the hero has Blink and Recall. The first ability allows her to blink in a given direction and it has three charges. Each one takes 3 seconds to recharge.
When it comes down to Recall, this ability allows the hero to “go back in time”, which will restore her HP to the state it was three seconds earlier. In other words, this is the hero’s “panic button”, which allows her to go back to full HP. Recall has 12 seconds cooldown.
As you can see, these abilities are very important for the hero’s survivability. You need to learn how to play around them and know when you should play aggressively. For example, it is never a good idea to waste your Blink charges for no reason because you may not be able to escape a few seconds after that. The same applies to using Recall – you should only do it if you really need it.
Learning how to use Pulse Bomb is not easy
Although some heroes in Overwatch have ultimates that people respect and know how to use, others are not that popular. Pulse Bomb falls into the second category because players often underestimate it. In reality, this ult can be game-changing, as long as you use it properly.
Like most ultimates in the game, Pulse Bomb works better if you combine it with other abilities. There are several good examples, such as Zarya’s Graviton Surge, which allows you to hit multiple enemies with your ultimate. Pulse Bomb deals between 70 and 350 damage, depending on the range.
There are different things you can do to use this ultimate. Some people prefer to save their blink charges and use them after placing the bomb. However, others use their blink charge to get into a better position and catch their opponents off guard. Needless to say, this tactic provides better results because your opponents won’t know what hit them.
Matchups to be aware of
When playing with Tracer, the biggest problem you have to be aware of is the hero’s low base HP. As expected, she is often the first hero that opponents focus on because a good headshot can bring her down in seconds.
Although Tracer is usually the go-to target, there are certain matchups where this hero can do really well. With that being said, she should be careful when facing heroes that do high base damage, such as Pharah.
Another hero that is often really difficult to play against is Torbjörn. He might not look that dangerous, but the hero has high armor and can kill Tracer really fast. That’s why most Overwatch players who know what they’re doing often pick this hero to counter the pesky DPS.
Of course, Tracer is also not that good against some tanks and supports. Heroes like Wrecking Ball and Brigitte can be extremely difficult to kill. What’s even more annoying is that they also do a lot of damage, which means they can kill you in seconds.
Although Tracer is usually good against snipers, Widow can kill her with a single shot, even if it is not fully charged. So, if you have to play against this hero, you have to make sure that you are not in her LOS.
Speaking of LOS, be careful when playing against Junkrat because the hero has traps. Once you get caught, it is just a matter of time before someone kills you.
Your position in the game
Although every damage dealer in Overwatch should try to kill as many heroes as possible, each one has his specifics. Unlike Reaper, who can fight multiple opponents at once and don’t die, Tracer needs to be smart and active.
Due to the hero’s mobility, Tracer is one of the best flankers in the game and a real nightmare to deal with. The hero can easily pick off the enemy team’s supports and even peel for her healers when needed.
Every map in OW is different, and some are better for Tracer than others. Like most DPS, you should try to use the map to your advantage, especially if there are high grounds and other things.
One of the things about flanking that some people don’t get is that you don’t necessarily have to kill your opponents to be useful. Heroes like Tracer are amazing at gaining their opponents’ attention. This gives their team more time and space to work with, which is often enough to score kills.
When it comes down to the maps, Tracer can do well in many situations, but the hero excels when she gets the chance to use numerous hiding places. Thanks to the element of surprise, the other team will always be on the lookout and won’t be able to concentrate on the big team fight. This gives Tracer’s team a huge advantage.