What Are Ultimates?

Ultimates are the most powerful abilities a hero has. These abilities are game-changing, allowing heroes to gain a great advantage over the enemy. However, not every hero has a game-changing ultimate. There are plenty of ultimates that are situational or straight-up useless.

 

10. Widowmaker - Infra-sight

Widowmaker activates her wall hacks

This ultimate unfortunately has to be on this list since there aren’t too many bad ultimates in Overwatch 2. Infra-sight isn’t too bad of an ult when used right. The issue is that it isn’t as powerful as most of the ults in this game. The utility it provides is very helpful, but again, only when used right.

Infra-sight is best when used at higher ranks. In lower ranks, it’s generally not as useful because the team doesn’t capitalize on it as much. In high ranks, this ult becomes deadly despite not doing any damage. For an ult that doesn’t do damage, it’s actually very impressive. This is far from the worst in the game, but it’s down there because it doesn’t have the same impacts as other ults do, not to mention it’s best used in high ranks.

Just because Infra-sight doesn’t do damage doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. It can definitely be a huge advantage when used right, so make sure you’re using it during team fights and pushes. It’s useless when you use it after the team fight has already been won; you won’t gain any advantage since the enemy is just regrouping. However, if you use it when you need to identify where the enemies are, then you’ll get great use out of it. Maybe you’ll find a flanking Genji or a stealthy Sombra.

Infra-sight Review

• Can provide good utility
• Only useful when used right
• Doesn’t impact the game too much
• Fits Widow’s kit well

Infra-sight Details

• Allows Widow and her allies to see through walls
• 15 second duration
• Area of effect is map-wide

 

9. Hanzo - Dragonstrike

Hanzo's dragons cover the point

Just like Widow, this ultimate isn’t awful; it just needs to be used right. It’s very situational and can be detrimental if used incorrectly. Since it goes in a straight line, you need to line it up just right while also dodging the abilities that can block it, like defense matrix. It’s difficult to land a successful Dragonstrike, but when you do, it can impact the game significantly.

This ult is lower than Widow’s because this one is harder to use correctly and consistently. To effectively use this ult, try using it to control space instead of getting kills. Use it to block off a path temporarily. Those few seconds can save you and your team. This ult is much better and far from the worst when it’s being used to control space, force enemies to relocate, and do crowd control.

Dragonstrike is also good when paired with Zarya’s Grav. The combo is deadly and impossible to escape from. If you have a Zarya on your team, pair with her. Make sure you have a fast reaction time and shoot your ultimate right as Zarya shoots hers.

Dragonstrike Review

• Great for crowd control
• When used right, it can get a lot of kills
• Hard to use right
• Only goes in a straight line

Dragonstrike Details

• Dragons do 150 damage per second, up to 993.6 damage on a stationary target
• Infinite travel distance
• Moves at 20 meters per second
• 4 meter area of effect radius

 

8. Tracer - Pulse Bomb

Tracer yeets her Pulse Bomb

Pulse Bomb is tricky territory. On one hand, it can be really good, and it charges fast. On the other hand, Tracer is not in the best spot right now thanks to her counters being trendy picks. Tracer can get killed by her own Pulse Bomb too, which adds another layer to consider when using Tracer.

Her Pulse Bomb is great for getting small, quick kills. The only issue is that it’s extremely easy to counter. Tracer is obnoxious. Every member of the team will want to pay attention to her because she’s loud and goes after the backline. Thanks to this, Tracer players have to worry about pretty much every enemy on the opposing team.

Kiriko can save any teammate from Pulse Bomb, D.Va can eat it; Reinhardt can block it; Orisa can fortify; Baptiste can use his immortality field; Moira can fade; Genji can deflect; and the list goes on and on. It feels like almost every hero can counter Pulse Bomb at this point. To use Pulse Bomb more effectively, use it unpredictably and after you know the enemy has used the abilities they’d need to counter it.

Pulse Bomb Review

• Good for quick kills
• Charges fast
• Is easy to counter

Pulse Bomb Details

• 70-350 explosive damage
• Explodes 1 second after stick
• Moves at 15 meters per second
• 5 meter explosion radius

 

7. Soldier 76 - Tactical Visor

Soldier uses his aim bot

I tend to play supports, like Ana and Mercy, that help Soldier have a great ultimate. So, this placement is more objective than subjective. From my personal experience, Tactical Visor is pretty useful since I normally pocket or nano the Soldier. However, it seems as though Soldier’s ultimate is only useful when combined with other abilities. I wouldn’t consider an ult that relies on a combo to be a great ult.

If you use combos, Tactical Visor can get you a team wipe. The problem is, you have to waste a support’s time in order to get a team wipe. It’s a high-risk, high-reward system. If Ana uses nano on you, you better hope you get at least two kills. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth giving you the nano over the tank that’s constantly in the enemies faces.

To use Tactical Visor more effectively, try flanking. Soldier has a sprint that allows him to get to high ground and flank fast. Use his entire kit to maximize the efficiency of his ultimate. You can also ask your Mercy to follow you so she can damage boost you. This is the best system since a damage boost is automatic, but other abilities like Nano Boost take time to charge. By using Mercy, you aren’t wasting any other ults or time.

Tactical Visor Review

• Can be strong when used right
• Is strong with support assistance
• Can be easily blocked and countered

Tactical Visor Details

• 0.65 second reload time
• 1.2 second cast time
• 6 second duration

 

6. Bastion - Configuration: Artillery

Bastion leaves himself out in the open while ulting

Bastion is a strong hero right now, but his ultimate needs some work. Even if you line up your shots in a straight line, it’s hard to secure kills. I have never once died to a Bastion ult. When I hear that ultimate voice line, I just shrug it off and barely adapt my playing style since it’s easy to avoid. To tanks, it doesn’t pose a threat at all, and most DPS and supports have abilities to flee from the scene, making Artillery not very useful.

It’s better when used as point control. It can provide some clutch moments if you spray the artillery shots on the objective. This will bait the players to get off the point. Bastion’s ult is good at forcing enemies to move but bad at securing kills. With how high the damage is, it seems as though Blizzard is implying you should be using it to land kills.

To increase the effectiveness of this ult, try using it as crowd control. When you use it like that, it becomes a much better ult. Also, always use it in a straight line instead of spreading it out. That way, you can box enemies in and increase your chances of getting a kill.

Configuration: Artillery Review

• Good for crowd control
• Can perform clutch plays
• Easy to avoid
• Tanks are practically impossible to kill with this ult

Configuration: Artillery Details

• 550 damage center ring, 200-250 inner ring, 30-200 outer ring
• 3 ammo
• 8 second duration
• 6.5 overall area of effect

 

5. Mercy - Valkyrie

Mercy zips around while using Valkyrie

Back in the day, I used to love playing Mercy. Nowadays, she feels like a stressful spectator. Valkyrie only amplifies that feeling. You feel more like a spectator doing what Lucio can do, except not as efficiently. Valkyrie is a boring, uninspired ult that makes little impact on the game. Now that Mercy has a new regeneration ability, Valkyrie is actually worse.

Thanks to the new regen method, Mercy is easier to kill in Valkyrie. Many players speculate this is a bug and will be changed soon, but Mercy no longer regenerates health instantly. Seeing as a huge benefit to Valk was making Mercy harder to kill, it means Valk is a lot weaker and really does just feel like a glorified Lucio.

To increase the effectiveness of Valkyrie, use it whenever you get it. Obviously, don’t use it for no reason, but Valkyrie charges so fast that you can get it every time a team fights. If the fight is long, you can get it multiple times in a fight. It helps with your survivability and gives your team a boost, so there’s no reason to hold it.

Valkyrie Review

• Chain-healing/damage is useful for team fights
• Feels uninspired and boring
• Feels like a lamer version of Lucio

Valkyrie Details

• 15 second duration
• Chain-healing/damage
• 30% damage boost per target, 60 HP/s per target
• Infinite blaster ammo
• 10 meter max range for chain-healing/damage
• 100 meter per second blaster projectile speed
• +100% range for Mercy’s fly and staff

 

4. Brigitte - Rally

Brig protects her teammates with Rally

I really want to like Brigitte, but unfortunately, she’s not in a good place right now. She has an interesting kit that can be a lot of fun. Rally is not that great. In fact, it’s the worst support ult. I don’t think Rally is a terrible ult; it’s just the weakest of the supports, therefore it needs a spot on this list.

Rally does have some benefits. For starters, it helps make the gameplay flow more smoothly, along with initiating pushes. It can convince your team to move in and fight. For that reason, it actually does have some perks you should use. Try to use it to initiate or finish team fights; that way you can get the most use out of it.

Otherwise, the ult is pretty boring and doesn’t do much to impact the game. The overhealth disappears after only 30 seconds, meaning it doesn’t stay around long enough to aid your teammates for more than one quick fight. It’s great as a panic button, but as a strategic ult, it’s not nearly as strong as the other support ults.

Rally Review

• Helps gameplay flow smoothly
• Can help teammates stay alive
• Doesn’t do much to impact the game

Rally Details

• 15 overhealth per 0.5 seconds, up to 100 overhealth on self and allies
• 8.5 meter area of effect
• 10 second duration, overhealth lasts 30 seconds
• +30% movement speed

 

3. Pharah - Barrage

Pharah unleashes her Barrage

I really, really, really dislike this ult. Cassidy said it once, so I’ll say it again: Pharah just... hovers! All she does is hover there, vulnerable. She’s so easy to counter and kill during her ult that it’s honestly laughable at best. Sure, it does a lot of damage, but not when D.Va is one of the most played tanks right now.

This ult makes me genuinely angry because I want to like playing Pharah. Instead, I groan when I see my ultimate is fully charged and wonder how I can use it. The best way to use it is to first choose a skin that helps you blend in with your environment. That will make you harder to see. Consider the map you’re on and change your skin according to the sky or interior design of the area.

Another thing you can try is flanking. Since Barrage happens so fast, if you flank, you give yourself a higher chance of not being spotted. Using it right in front of the enemy allows them to predict your moves and counter them. Don’t let the enemy counter you, and be sure to flank, blend in, and play unpredictably.

Barrage Review

• Does high damage
• Shreds through barriers
• Leaves Pharah vulnerable

Barrage Details

• 40 damage direct hit, 9-30 splash, 4.5-15 self
• Immobilizes Pharah
• 30 rockets per second
• 2.5 second duration
• Projectiles move at 45 meters per second

 

2. Cassidy - Deadeye

A tumbleweed passes by Cassidy as he ults

Deadeye is pretty much a joke in the Overwatch community. Most Cassidy players use it as a quicker way to get their ammo back. Most of the time, Deadeye is pretty useless. You have to have amazing positioning and timing to get good use out of Deadeye. Unfortunately, that’s hard to do consistently and even harder to do at a lower skill level.

Deadeye takes too long to charge up, and it’s too easy to counter. D.Va is a very popular tank, and she’s a direct counter to Deadeye. Although Deadeye can get a pick or two on an out-of-position support, the chances of this happening go down the higher up the skill ladder you go. Due to this, Deadeye is not well-rounded and cannot adapt to different situations.

To use Deadeye more effectively, try flanking with it. Flanking gives the enemy less time to react. Also try blending in, like with Pharah. Choose your skin based on the map you’re on; that way, it’s harder to see you. Try hiding near corners and in the back so it becomes even harder to see you.

Deadeye Review

• Gives Cassidy ammo back fast
• Leaves him slow and vulnerable
• Easy to counter

Deadeye Details

• 130 dps for the first 2 seconds
• 260 dps for the remaining duration
• -70% movement speed
• 40% damage reduction
• 200 meter max range
• 1 ammo per target
• 1 shot per 0.112 seconds
• 7 second max duration

 

1. Doomfist - Meteor Strike

Doomfist smashes into the earth with his ult

I have mixed feelings about this ultimate. As a support player, it can be deadly to me. However, most Overwatch players agree this is one of, if not the worst, ultimates in the game. It doesn’t do a lot of damage even if you’re in the inner ring, meaning no tanks will die to this ult. Not to mention it’s easy to predict and move to avoid, especially at higher skill levels.

Since it’s a mild inconvenience at best to tank players, Meteor Strike isn’t in a good spot. It’s supposed to be an ult for doing damage and moving fast, yet it really only accomplishes the moving fast part. However, it is good at making Doomfist mobile, and it’s great for stalling when Overtime occurs.

Otherwise, it doesn’t have the same power as the other tank ults. To use Meteor Strike more effectively, wait out the enemy's abilities. For example, if you want to target Moira, wait until you know her Fade is done, then strike. Avoid enemy abilities that make it even harder for you to secure kills with your ult, then use it to increase its effectiveness.

Meteor Strike Review

• Makes Doomfist mobile
• Easy to avoid
• Easy to predict

Meteor Strike Details

• Inner ring does 300 damage, outer ring does 15-100
• 2-8 meter falloff range
• 16.5 meter per second movement speed while selecting
• Gives enemies in radius -50% movement speed for 3 seconds
• Up to 4 second duration for select area

 

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