Blizzard Entertainment’s Overwatch is perhaps one of the most popular team-based first-person shooters in the industry right now. Similar to other first-person shooters like Valorant or Apex Legends, Overwatch also has a wide array of heroes to choose from. Each of these heroes has their own abilities that make them stand out from the others. As such, it may get confusing and overwhelming to learn about each one.
Fortunately, we’re here with a quick character guide to give you a headstart. The hero we’ll be discussing in-depth for now is Junkrat, a top-tier damage dealer from Junkertown a.k.a Australia.
If you’re new to Overwatch, Junkrat is one of the many heroes available in the game. Each hero is separated into three different categories, namely damage, support, or tank. Given the fact that Junkrat is always causing havoc and explosive damage, it makes sense for him to be in the damage category.
More specifically, he’s a great hero to use if you want someone who can deal area of effect (AoE) damage. When done correctly, you can cause some incredible damage to the enemy team.
Abilities
As you may have already inferred by now, Junkrat is especially fond of explosives. As such, most of his abilities feature explosives to some degree. Keep reading to learn more about Junkrat’s specialties along with some tips and tricks to using this havoc-wreaking hero.
Frag Launcher
The Frag Launcher is Junkrat’s main weapon, and it’s capable of dealing some serious damage to the enemy team. When activated, the Frag Launcher throws out grenades that head towards an enemy target. It will then explode shortly after. However, there’s a disadvantage to the Frag Launcher that you’ll need to take note of.
Specifically, there’s a chance that enemies can easily avoid the grenades you launch. This is because each round has a slow velocity after launch. If you take this fact, along with the high arc with which the grenades are launched, chances are high that enemies will be able to dodge direct attacks.
On the bright side, there’s still a chance for you to deal damage, even if the target was able to successfully dodge. The Frag Launcher is capable of bombarding a particular area with these grenades, while each one can deal AoE damage.
Concussion Mine
If you want to enhance Junkrat’s speed and mobility, then the Concussion Mine ability is the way to go. Once you fling a mine towards your preferred direction, you’ll be able to detonate it whenever you want. Not only is it great for warding off enemies, it offers another useful trick that you may want to keep and mind and use if or when you’re a Junkrat main.
Specifically, Junkrat can step on the mine and detonate it manually without receiving any damage. What’s more, Junkrat will be sent flying through the air once the mine explodes. When done correctly, you can use this to your advantage by raining grenades onto your enemies once you’re up in the air. It can also be useful if you need to get out of a tricky situation as quickly as possible.
Steel Trap
Junkrat’s Steel Trap ability is pretty uncomplicated. With it, you can set a huge trap wherever you see fit. If or when an enemy gets caught in the trap, they’ll be temporarily rooted in place. This is already a sufficient period of time where you can barrage the caught enemy with attacks. What’s great about this ability is that the game itself lets you know when someone stepped on the trap.
For an even more powerful strategy, you can place Junkrat’s concussive mine near the steel trap. Once the game alerts you that the trap has been triggered by another player, you can then proceed to detonate the mine. This is an excellent and easy-to-do combo that can deal incredible damage.
RIP-Tire
Here we have Junkrat’s Ultimate ability—each and everyone of Overwatch’s heroes have such an ability. These Ultimate abilities are special because you can only activate them once you’ve accumulated a sufficient amount of ultimate power. You’ll be able to obtain ultimate power by successfully ticking off tasks in-game. Other than that, it regenerates eventually as well.
When activating RIP-Tire, Junkrat lets loose what could be best described as a “motorized tire bomb.” You will then follow the tire’s point of view and control it, steering it to wherever the nearby enemy players are.
Keep in mind that RIP-Tire can do serious damage, so try to include as many enemies as possible for the AoE damage. Although, it’s worth mentioning that the RIP-Tire creates a noise that alerts enemy players that you’re on the way. What’s more, enemies will be able to shoot the tire if they want to stop the ultimate.
Total Mayhem
Junkrat has a really nifty passive ability called Total Mayhem. When he dies, the hero will release all the explosive he has been holding on to. As you can imagine, a powerful blast will follow after his death. When you’re playing as Junkrat and you think that you’re very close to dying, it’s recommended that you get as close as possible to the enemy team so that you can still inflict some damage before getting eliminated.
Tips & Strategies
Now to you have a better idea of what Junkrat’s abilities are and how to use them, here are some extra tips and strategies you can keep in mind if you want to make the most out of this anarchist hero.
- Utilize the Frag Launcher as much as and as quickly as you can. This ability has a fairly quick reload time, so you can keep firing the explosives round after round. What’s more, you can even bounce the grenades off the walls or ceilings if you want the battlefield to get even more chaotic.
- Avoid direct exchanges as much as possible, since Junkrat would be rendered vulnerable in these instances. The hero’s accuracy isn’t the incredible, so it’s best if you stay behind your comrades and fire with your Frag Launcher from the very back.
The next time you play Overwatch and use Junkrat, remember to keep our guide in mind. Apply what you’ve learned throughout your game and you’ll be a Junkrat master in no time.
