I'm a pretty huge Reaper fan.
He was the first character I have ever played in Overwatch and the character I have spent the longest time playing. I like the way he looks, shotguns are cool, black is always in style and there is something iconic about a hooded figure and a skull mask. He is the stereotypical "cool" character- exactly why I chose him out of anyone else. I was also still amped up over the Overwatch trailer (first revealed at BlizzCon 2014) so my decision was influenced even further by Reapers villainous bad-assery.
So I played tons of Reaper, bought the Reaper t-shirt, and talked to as many people about how he should best be played. Since then, my opinions have changed thanks to a handful of very recent conversations with Blizzard insiders and people who have been lucky enough to play the game extensively at Blizzard HQ.
There were the lessons learned from my quest for Reaper play tactics:?
- Reaper is great against large targets that absorb all the blasts of his shotguns. Against certain lineups, he plays a vital role as a tank destroyer, easily dodging their melee abilities with Wraith Form.
- Reaper is an ideal 1v1 character that excells when he can isolate single heroes and out DPS them in a straight gun fight.
- Wraith Form is your "get out of jail free card" that isn't very useful in wide open spaces. A Reaper that stays near escape routes is very hard to kill.
- Shadow Step is not a combat oriented ability and it's always always a bad idea to use it near an enemy. Instead, Shadow Step is a direct counter to defensive heroes like Bastion and Widowmaker. Simply Shadow step behind them and execute with Shotgun blasts to the back of the head.
- Reaper plays a similar roll to Tracer, but gets out maneuvered in a 1v1 scenario. Once an enemy Tracer catches on to your "stray away from the pack and pick off the weak squishies" strategy, it's difficult to get her off your back.
- When Reaper can't find an opening, he should stick with the allied tank and play a sort of close range bruiser. The goal is to get off an amazing close quarters Death Blossom
- If your enemy has an expert Hanzo player that is making life a nightmare, it's Reapers job to hunt him down with strategically placed Shadow Steps and aggressive maneuvers.
- Zarya and Reaper make an awesome "best-friends-forever" duo. The additional shields and disruption Zarya provides allows Reaper breathing room he needs to finish of kills and make a get away.
I can't wait to dive deeper into the heroes potential when the game is released and I know I'm not alone. Everyone loves shotguns, and Reapers provides a very independent playstyle that can quickly shift into a more team oriented one. I like specifically outplaying people, and Reaper has all the tools to make doing so feel really, really cool.
I'll continue my quest for Reaper info but, in the mean time, check out the time I met a fellow Reaper fan! Granted, while I am a passenger on the hype train, he must be the driving thing- considering how he hand made the entire costume him self. Incredible!
Happy Overwatch waiting Heroes!
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