Check out these handy tips to improve your Reinhardt game with our latest Overwatch 2 hero guide!
Overwatch 2 became available almost a month ago, and it quickly became one of the go-to options for players worldwide. Unsurprisingly, the new game added a lot of hero changes, especially to tanks. Aside from the new passive ability, some Overwatch 2 lost their barriers, whereas others, such as Reinhardt, have weaker shields than before. Speaking of the devil, this Overwatch 2 Reinhardt guide will show you all of the things that you must be aware of before you start using this hero.
Reinhardt has always been one of the preferred options for every Overwatch player. The hero is relatively easy to play compared to other tanks. He is also exceptionally powerful, especially in some combos. However, the changes in Overwatch 2 had an effect on his play style. With that said, let’s learn more about how to play Reinhardt and what makes him such a popular option.
Overview
Despite the fact that Reinhardt plays the same as in Overwatch, there are a couple of new things that players have to consider. For starters, he no longer has his Steadfast passive ability because Blizzard decided to make it a general Overwatch 2 Tank passive.
Rein now has 300 base armor and 325 base HP, meaning he is tankier than before. However, this comes at a cost because his barrier is significantly weaker than before. It has 1200 Hp and 144 HP/sec regen instead of 1600 HP and 200 HP/sec regen. Hence, players have to be more careful when using it.
Reinhardt also received a buff to his Charge steering rate by 50%. This allows the hero to be much more flexible while charging. Unfortunately, Charge Pin does 225 damage instead of 300, meaning that some heroes survive the impact. The good news is that the ability has 8 secs cd instead of 10 secs.
Lastly, Rein’s Fire Strike now deals 90 damage instead of 100, but it has 2 charges.
Tip – Reinhardt is usually among the tanks who need some kind of support
One of the most significant Overwatch 2 changes is the fact that people play in a 5v5 format instead of a 6v6. Even though the situation in Open Queue is different, people who choose their roles know that there is only 1 tank in the game.
Rein definitely has what it takes to be a given team’s main tank. While it is true that he is solid and has a barrier, he is among the tanks that need support to be effective. Sure, Reinhardt can deal a lot of damage, but he is a melee hero, meaning that he can’t do anything against a ranged target.
Another disadvantage that Rein players have to keep in mind is that the hero can’t do damage while having his barrier up. In other words, Rein players rely on their teammates to do damage while he protects them with the barrier.
Tip – You really need to keep an eye on your barrier
As mentioned earlier in this Reinhardt Overwatch 2 guide, Blizzard’s latest game changed a lot of the barriers. Some heroes, such as Orisa, lost their ability, whereas others, like Sigma and Rein, received a significant nerf. These changes allow DPS heroes to be way more effective and deal substantially more damage.
Despite everything new, Reinhardt still has the best barrier in Overwatch 2. 1200 HP is a lot, which means that he can use it to defend his allies and push when needed. However, the only way to do that is if his barrier stays “alive”, meaning that players have to be really careful and know when to use it.
The fact that Rein and other tanks have more HP and armor makes them incredibly hard to kill, even when the enemy team focuses on them. So, if one of your team’s healers focuses on you, you should be able to survive the incoming damage, which will allow you to save your barrier.
You will have to practice a lot before learning how to use this ability properly in Overwatch 2. However, once you get the hang of it, your barrier will greatly impact you because it is the best tool to reduce your opponent’s damage.
Tip – Use Fire Strike to close the gap with your opponents
You don’t need an Overwatch 2 Reinhardt guide to see that this hero has a hammer, meaning he only deals melee damage. Even though a couple of swings are more than enough to kill a squishy, hitting enemy heroes is easier said than done. Every DPS/Support will do everything in his power to stay out of your range, meaning that you can’t do much to kill them.
Fortunately, the changes in Overwatch 2 gave Reinhardt an additional charge to his Fire Strike. Consequently, the hero can deal a total of 180 damage from a distance, which is enough to land a kill if someone else hits the target.
Speaking of Fire Strike, this is one of Rein’s best abilities to close the distance between him and his target. Even though the fire animation is not instant, once you learn how to use it, you will hit the majority of your shots.
Combos
Learning how to play Reinhardt means that you have to know which heroes to play with. We’ve already mentioned that this is among the few Overwatch 2 tanks that require support for his team, so there are a couple of heroes that can work well.
Starting with Ana, this is probably the best support you can have. Your shield allows her to stay alive much longer than usual, and your huge model means she can easily land her shots and heal you. Of course, we also have to mention Ana’s amazing ultimate that makes you unstoppable.
Kiriko is also an amazing support to have because of her ultimate. Rein’s ult allows him to stun multiple targets, and if he lands it and Kiriko uses hers, the team will kill every single hero in seconds.
Of course, we also have to mention Brigitte, the only support in Overwatch 2 with a shield. These two heroes can be a nightmare to play against, but they will only work in certain scenarios. After all, the two have a similar playstyle that is not that good against enemies that do tons of damage from a distance.