Overwatch 2 - Reaper Hero Guide (2024)

By James Carr on October 20, 2022 at 10:57AM PDT

Comments

Reaper is one of the many damage heroes returning in Overwatch 2. The sequel has taken over the place of the original Overwatch, bringing old and new players to the hero shooter. Overwatch brings new modes, new heroes, and new maps, but it also means new balance updates for the returning roster. Here's how to best utilize Reaper in Overwatch 2.

You can see how all heroes, including this one, stack up in our Overwatch 2 tank tier list, DPS tier list, and support tier list. Where did your favorite land?

Reaper overview

Armed with two short-range shotguns, Reaper has the capacity to drop other heroes in only a few shots. His abilities support his close-ranged nature, giving him the ability to teleport behind enemy lines. His Wraith Form can be used to either close the distance on enemies, or escape from a sticky situation. His passive heal is triggered when he deals damage, so Reaper has strong survivability when in the middle of combat. His ultimate ability deals a high amount of damage in a circle around him, which is great for clearing objectives.

Reaper abilities

Hellfire Shotguns: Short-range spread weapons.

Shadow Step: Teleport to a targeted location.

Wraith Form: Move faster and become invulnerable, but you cannot shoot. Reloads the Hellfire Shotguns.

Death Blossom ultimate: Fire the Hellfire Shotguns in a circle, dealing damage to all nearby enemies.

The Reaping passive: Dealing damage also heals you.

In the thick of it

Equipped with short-range shotguns, Reaper is all about close-range combat. Reaper does not have any abilities or attacks that are effective beyond close range, so you will need to get into the thick of combat. That makes Reaper an excellent pick for Control Point or Push game modes, where there is always a central objective where team fights take place. Reaper can be good on defense for Payload objectives, but you will need to be flanking and disrupting the enemy team. Since Reaper gains health from attacking and can use Wraith Form to become invulnerable, you have the tools to escape if things become too hot.

Self-reliant

Since Reaper requires you to be in the enemy team's faces, don't expect too much support from your healers. While they will certainly do your best, most of them won't want to follow you into the enemy's back line, since they could very easily get picked. It's on you to know where the health packs are and the escape routes in and out of areas. Your teleport can be used as a long distance escape as well, but keep in mind that there is a short animation at both the start of the teleport and the end of it where you can be shot.

Shields, stuns, and absorbs

Death Blossom is a powerful ultimate ability that can wipe out the entire enemy team if they are standing near each other. As for the right moment to pull it, the middle of any big team fight will do, but there are a few things to look out for. Reaper's ultimate ability can be completely nullified by a few different abilities, so it's important to look out for enemies with shields, stuns, or absorb abilities. Most of these are going to be coming from the tank, so it's important to look at the enemy tank, know what type of crowd control they have, and try to gauge if it's on cooldown at the moment. Support ultimates like Lucio can also cancel it out, so it's best to keep mental track of how recently the enemy team used their abilities.

Other Reaper tips

• For a quick reload, using Wraith Form will automatically reload your shotguns.
• Reaper's teleport has good range, but it makes an audible noise, so enemies might heal you.
• You are invulnerable while in Wraith Form, but enemies can still chase you down.
• Reaper's passive healing is good, but it likely won't keep you topped off.

Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com