Tips & Tricks to keep your Junkrat top of his game.
Despite not being as popular as Hanzo or Genji, Junkrat is one of the strongest DPS heroes in Overwatch. Hence, the hero often appears in numerous professional games and is one of the fan-favorite heroes in OW.
With that being said, this hero is completely different when compared to other DPS. Instead of relying on pinpoint precision, this hero is all about doing as much AoE damage as possible. This makes him ideal in many matchups and combos.
Despite his uniqueness, Junkrat is often underestimated, especially by people who are new to Overwatch. He may not be as fun to play as Genji, but his skills allow him to shine in many scenarios. Let’s take a look at a couple of tips and tricks that will help you use Junkrat more efficiently.
Junkrat is more mobile than you think
One of the things that some people don’t like about Junkrat is the fact that he is not fast enough. The hero lacks Tracer’s ability to move around quickly, he can’t fly, nor climb walls like Hanzo. However, Junkrat has one big advantage, and it is called Concussion Mine. This is one of his abilities that throws a mine that deals up to 120 damage Aside from using it offensively, the hero can use it as an escape tool or something that will help him catch an enemy hero.
In order to use this ability to its full potential, you have to use the mine and blow it up while moving over it. This will allow you to “jump” in the air and go to places, such as rooftops, terraces, and more.
Using this ability will take some time, but it’s worth it because you will learn that Junkrat is a lot more mobile than inexperienced Overwatch players think.
The classic Steel Trap + Concussion Mine combo
You don’t need to have to be an Overwatch expert to see that these two abilities work really well together. Steel Trap is one of the underrated spells in the game and many people don’t use it correctly. While it is true that your opponents will destroy it, this usually doesn’t happen in the lower MMR brackets. As a result, you can secure loads of kills or at least damage your opponents by using it correctly.
Speaking of its usage, you can always combine the trap with your Concussion Mine. By doing this, you will almost always kill your target (unless it is a full HP tank). To use these two abilities to their full potential, try to place them somewhere where your opponents won’t expect them. Needless to say, using them in the middle of the road is usually not a good idea.
Always destroy shields
One of the things we’ve mentioned earlier is that Junkrati s an amazing hero when it comes down to doing AoE damage. Even though you can’t land headshots, the hero is one of the best when it comes down to destroying shields. That’s why pro players often pick him against things like Reinhardt and Orisa.
Besides using your mines, simply fire at the shield as much as possible, and you will bring it down in no time. This will allow your allies to do a lot more damage, especially if you play alongside heroes like Hanzo or Widow.
Despite dealing a lot of damage, Junkrat is a hero who can also die quickly, especially if he stays in the option. Therefore, it is advisable to secure a good position if you plan on spamming your opponents. As mentioned, you can easily go there by using your mines as a way to jump over different objectives.
The ultimate is deadly
After pointing out several important things about Junkrat, it is time ot address the elephant in the room – his ultimate. Junkrat is a hero that can charge his ultimate in no time, which allows him to be a lot more active.
Speaking of ultimates, RIP-Tire can easily kill any hero in the game because it deals up to 600 damage. This ultimate is specific and you need to learn how to use it if you want to make the most of out.
Once you press it, your hero will become inactive until the RIP-Tire explodes or the ult’s duration is over. This means that you need to hide somewhere where your opponents won’t kill you.
Another thing to keep in mind about this ultimate is that your opponents can kill it rather easily. Therefore, you need to be careful when using it and try to avoid heroes like Soldiers.
Since Junkrat can charge his ultimate fast, he is strong in every team fight. In fact, he can often carry his team two fights in a row.
A great passive for close range
Aside from the abilities mentioned so far, Junkrat has another trick up his sleeve called Total Mayhem. This is not an ability you can use whenever you want because it becomes available once you die. The passive skill releases six grenades that deal 50 damage each, which means you can kill any squishy hero in the game.
Of course, no one suicides with Junkrat so take advantage of this ability, so using it is tricky. With that being said, it can work well against DPS heroes that have to fight you from a close range. Trace and Doomfist are the two names that stand out, but the ability can kill a lot of heroes once you die.
With that being said, the detonation time of this ability is 0.7 seconds. This means your opponents can dodge it, as long as they are quick.
Position near chokepoints for maximum damage
Junkrat is one of the heroes that deal the most damage in the game. To make the most of it, you have to have good positioning. Some maps are more favorable for Junkrat than others because they have chokepoints. The latter is the only way where the enemy team has to go through. This means that Junkrat players can spam tons of damage and even kill a couple of heroes.
Once you build enough charges to get your ultimate, you should be able to kill the remaining heroes and defend the point. Speaking of ultimates, once RIP-Tire is ready and used, your weapon will be automatically reloaded, which will allow you to use it right away.