How to Reaper: A Guide to Overwatch’s Coolest Character

Reaper is probably the coolest character in Overwatch. Just look at him — he looks like a total badass. He has a cool voice and says the darkest lines of any character. 

But Reaper is also one of the easiest characters to play, and if you play him right you can cause some major damage to the opposing team. Reaper is an offensive character that dual wields two powerful hellfire shotguns. His shotguns are best at short to medium range — but like all shotguns, do more damage the closer you are. 

Shadow Step

The best ability that Reaper has is his shadow step, allowing him to teleport to a location you mark. There are pros and cons to this move, however. The pros are that it allows you to sneak up on enemies from behind or bypass camping snipers/turrets — and if you’re fast enough can allow you to escape an enemy. The cons to the move are that it takes a moment before you teleport, and enemies can see where you are going to teleport, giving them the chance to attack you the moment you teleport (picture below). If you use this ability to teleport behind enemies, you can easily kill them in one shot if you get close enough.

Wraith Form

Reaper’s other ability is called wraith form. It basically turns him into a ghost. During the short time this ability lasts (about 5 seconds), Reaper will become invincible, but he will not be able to use his guns. The best way to use this ability is to use it to escape an enemy who is attacking you. When using wraith form, Reaper will also move just a little bit faster — making it easier to outrun enemies.  This ability can also be used with his ultimate move, but I’ll talk about that later. 

Death Blossom

Finally there’s Reaper’s ultimate move, Death Blossom. This ability has the potential to take out an entire team when used correctly and at just the right moment. When you use this ability, Reaper will spin around and shoot in every direction. This will not use any ammo.

During this move is it important to note that Reaper can still be killed. To wipe out the entire enemy team, it’s best to use Shadow Step to get behind the enemy (maybe they are at the objective or holding a point) then move in towards the middle of the team and quickly use Death Blossom. Just in case one of the enemies survives Death Blossom, quickly use Wraith Form to make your escape. If done right this move can change the course of the game, allowing you and your team to take the objective or take over a point. 

There you have it, my guide to playing the coolest guy around and in town. With these tips playing Reaper and kicking some major butt will seem as easy as 1, 2, 3. Good luck out there.