Overwatch Hero Guide – How to Play Reinhardt

Reinhardt is a tank character in Overwatch, and this hero guide full of tips will give you a basic rundown of how he plays. If you’re looking for a more aggressive tank, you should probably check out Winston as he’s very aggressive in his play style. While Reinhardt can be aggressive in his own right, he’s more of a traditional tank compared to some of the other heroes.

Rocket Hammer

As one of the only characters in Overwatch who doesn’t have much in the way of ranged attack options (aside from Fire Strike), you’ll be relying on the Rocket Hammer for a bulk of your damage. It has a decent amount of range and will hit any enemies within its wide attack arc. In addition, the Rocket Hammer knocks enemies back, which means it can knock them off the stage in certain areas, or simply out of the objective so they can no longer contest.

Barrier Field

The Barrier Field is Reinhardt’s primary defensive ability. It creates a large shield that blocking incoming attacks, while allows your teammates to shoot through it without issue. While the Barrier Field can take a decent amount of damage, it will only regenerate when it’s not in use. If the opposing team destroys the shield you won’t be able to use it effectively until it’s regenerated a bit. Keep this in mind when you’re pushing toward an objective.

While the Barrier Field is active, Reinhardt cannot attack and his movement is slowed. In addition, he’s left fairly open to attacks from the side or back. You can turn to stop these attacks, but it’s best to use the Barrier Field when your team is protecting your back and sides, or in a narrow corridor that makes it difficult for opposing players to come at Reinhardt from the back or side.

Fire Strike

The only ranged attack in Reinhardt’s arsenal is very useful. It can hit multiple enemies at once and works very well against enemies who think they’re save from a distance or above Reinhardt. It probably won’t be your primary form of attack, but it’s great to remind your opponents that they aren’t safe flying above Reinhardt or keeping their distance.

Charge

Adding to Reinhardt’s mobility is the Charge attack. Reinhardt quickly dashes forward and attacks any enemies who happen to get in his way. If you catch an enemy during Charge, Reinhardt can pin them against the wall for a near instant kill. This works especially well from maximum range when an enemy is close to a wall trying to capture an objective or possibly thinking they’re out of Reinhardt’s range. Surprise them with Charge and take them down in a single shot.

You can also use Charge to move Reinhardt into a better position. He moves slowly when you have Barrier Field active, but if you need to move quickly you can drop Barrier Field, Charge forward, then put the Barrier Field back up. A lot of opponent’s won’t see this coming, and if you communicate with your team, they can be ready to dash forward with you, pressing the attack.

Earthshatter

Reinhardt’s ultimate ability is meant to setup the enemy team so your teammates can quickly and efficiently take them out. Reinhardt strikes the ground with his hammer, causing enemies in front of him with get stunned and knocked over. This gives your teammates time to unleash devastating attacks that can easily wipe out an entire team if you have good coordination. Let your teammates know when you’re about to unleash Earthshatter and watch the opposing team wither away as they’re stunned and helpless.

Don’t forget to check out the other heroes in Overwatch, including Widowmaker, Hanzo, Tracer and more!