The fact that the support role is not that popular in Overwatch among lower-ranked players shouldn’t come as a surprise. Get to know the role better in our Overwatch Support Guide.
Most people want to do damage and be the “hero” for their teams. Although the support role is usually the thing that makes a given team win, people who play rarely receive the needed appreciation. Of course, people with more experience know that this role is one of the easiest ways of gaining more ratings. Hence, they focus on it and pick heroes such as Mercy, Moira, Lucio, and more.
Every role in Overwatch has some specifics that players need to be aware of, and this one is not an exception. Since some of you may not be aware of what a support player has to do, we’ve decided to write this in-depth guide. Make sure you read it until the end if you want to find out the most critical aspects of the support role.
More than just a healer
One of the biggest misconceptions among Overwatch players is the fact that they think they are healing bots. Some of them stay in the backlines and spam heals without doing anything else. Although there might be some situations where you may have to do this, usually, there are all sorts of other things you have to participate in.
For example, many people forget that the support heroes can also deal a lot of damage. Heroes like Zenyatta and Baptiste easily solo kill most DPS in the game, as long as their aim is on point.
Aside from doing damage, support heroes can also help with pushes, give vision, lure enemy flankers, and much more. It all depends on the map, setup, and specific situation.
Watch your step
One of the first and most important things when playing support is your positioning. Just like the tanks that need to be upfront and soak up the damage, supports need to know where to go in order to survive for as long as possible.
Generally speaking, most support heroes have to stay near or behind their tank. This should save them from the incoming damage and allow them to heal their allies. With that being said, every support player should be aware of his surroundings and change position when needed.
Although staying behind the tank is usually a good idea, this position allows aggressive heroes like Winston and Genji to “swarm” you. The same applies to all flankers because their first job will be to kill you.
Whatever you do, try not to stay out in the open. Doing this allows your enemies to kill you much quicker. Once you are dead, it is just a matter of time before your tank dies, and this will cause the enemy team to push.
Another thing you need to remember about positioning is that you will be the go-to target for every Sniper. Heroes like Widowmaker and Hanzo can one-shot you, so make sure they don’t have direct access to you.
Differences between the support heroes
Even though your job as a support player is to help your team in various ways, the main thing you need to do is heal them. There are different kinds of setups and combos you can put to the test, but the classic ones have two healers.
Some teams prefer to use two main healers, but usually, it is better to have at least one person in the “off heal”. The main healer focuses only on keeping his teammates alive, whereas the other one typically does a lot of damage. One of the best examples here is Moira because this hero can do even more damage than some DPS.
Although main healers rarely do any damage, there are cases where they will need to play aggressively. As mentioned earlier, it all depends on the situation because some scenarios require every hero to do as much damage as possible. Don’t forget that most fights in Overwatch are won by the team that outlives the other one.
Supports are also great counters
Overwatch is a game where every hero has a different ultimate. Some do a lot of damage, whereas others provide the team with utility loads. Although most support heroes can provide their team with more damage or extra healing, there are cases where the support can save the entire team from some abilities.
For example, heroes like Reaper are notorious for their insane damage output and the fact that they can kill anyone in seconds. However, thanks to heroes like Zenyatta and Lucio and their ultimates, Reaper’s ult becomes less effective. There are loads of other examples, so always think about the potential counters.
The go-to support heroes
Every support in Overwatch is fantastic and can help the team in certain situations. However, a couple of heroes are more popular because of their abilities. The first name that comes to mind is Mercy because she has amazing skills.
Mercy Can be used in various situations. She’s incredible at helping certain heroes, such as Pharah and Echo. Besides the bonus damage, this year also provides a lot of healing. In fact, she can become one of the most potent healers in the game when she gets her ultimate.
Another healer that often stands out is Moira. As mentioned earlier, this is one of the supports that can deal a lot of damage in all sorts of situations. What’s even more impressive is that Moira is the best hero for healing multiple grouped allies. As a result, she shines in the so-called “deathball comps” because she can heal everyone. Of course, Moira also has a lot of weaknesses, such as the fact that she is not good with high mobility heroes.
The last hero that is becoming extremely popular is Baptiste. At the time of writing this, he is one of the game’s newest and most successful supports. Unlike any other hero, this one can prevent his team from dying, thanks to his Immortality Field. The latter is one of the best abilities in the game if the hero uses it correctly.
Baptiste also has high mobility, something that not many other support heroes offer.