Overwatch Hero Guide – How to Play Reaper

Reaper is one of the more offensive characters in Overwatch, and this Hero Guide will give you tips on how to make the most of our Reaper’s various abilities. He has more mobility options than most other characters and thrives in close-range combat. He can also escape sticky situations when he needs to get away from a group of enemies. If you’re looking for a character who can aggressively go after the enemy team, Reaper could be just the hero for you.

Hellfire Shotguns

As his primary form of attack, Reaper uses two shotguns that fire in a spread directly in front of him. The closer you are to your target, the more damage they’ll take from your shots. If you’re at a moderate distance, you may still hit your target, but the damage inflicted will be significantly less.

In addition, instead of a normal reload animation, Reaper tosses his guns to the ground and materializes a new pair. To speed up this process ever so slightly, you can use a melee attack immediately after reloading. It’s not a huge difference, but every second counts. If you’re close enough to your target, you may even connect with the melee attack for additional damage.

Shadow Step

Shadow Step is Reaper’s teleportation ability. After a short charge time, Reaper can teleport a moderate distance. This includes moving up to a rooftop or down to the ground if you’re already running around above. It’s generally best to use this ability to quickly move across a map or to engage the enemy team’s back line. The shot charge time makes it less useful for escaping an enemy as they’ll have time to light you up while you’re not moving in preparation for the teleport.

Wraith Form

Reaper’s ace in the hole is his Wraith Form. Once activated, Reaper becomes invulnerable for a short time, and receives a slight speed boost. While the Shadow Step is best used as an offensive mobility option to move you into an attack position, the Wraith Form is best used as a defensive mobility option. Move in to attack, then when it gets a little sticky or you see the enemy team using ultimate ability or other powerful attacks, quickly activate Wraith Form to get away unharmed. There’s a moderate cooldown, so wait until it’s up and ready to use before you engage a group of enemies.

The Reaping

A small addition to Reaper’s abilities is The Reaping, which allows Reaper to replenish a small amount of health. Every time you kill an enemy as Reaper, a small orb appears over their body. If you collect the orb you’ll regain a small amount of health. While you should always collect an orb if you aren’t already at full health, the low amount of healing generally won’t make a significant difference in how you play. Reaper works best with a support (preferably Mercy) running alongside him, but these orbs can help in some situations.

Death Blossom

Reaper’s ultimate ability is Death Blossom. He spins around in a circle, firing off rounds from his shotguns in rapid succession. If you can position yourself in the middle of a group of enemies, there’s a high probability Death Blossom will kill them all. Keep in mind, Reaper can be stunned out of Death Blossom, and he can also be attacked while Death Blossom is active. If you have low health or no support to heal you, a smart team will take you down before you can do any real damage. Communicate with your team and let your support know you’re about to use Death Blossom so they’re ready to keep you alive throughout the duration of the attack.

If Reaper isn’t quite your style, you can check out our tips for playing Genji, Tracer or other offensive characters in our Overwatch Hero Guide.