Orisa Counter: The Best Ways to Counter Orisa

orisa counter, orisa guide, orisa overwatch

Updated:

23 Mar 2019

What are the best Orisa counters?

Built from parts of destroyed OR-15 robots by a child genius, Orisa is the new protector of the streets of Numbani. She also defends the frontlines of her team, a formidable opponent both offensively and defensively. Fortunately, even the strongest have their weaknesses. In this guide, we’ll go over how to best defeat this mobile tank as well who she plays best against.

Orisa has a wide range of abilities to control the frontlines of battle:

Fusion Driver: “Orisa’s automatic projectile cannon delivers sustained damage, but slows her movement while she fires it.”
Fortify: “Orisa temporarily reduces damage she takes, and cannot be affected by action-impairing effects.”
Halt!: “Orisa launches a graviton charge which she can detonate, slowing nearby enemies and pulling them towards the explosion.”
Protective Barrier: “Orisa throws out a stationary barrier that can protect her and her allies from enemy fire.”
Supercharger: “Orisa deploys a device to increase damage inflicted by allies within her line of sight.”

Heroes That Counter Orisa

Junkrat is an explosives-obsessed freak who lives to cause chaos and destruction.

Junkrat

Junkrat’s frag grenades are an excellent shield buster. He can destroy her shield quite quickly, hurling grenades from cover and preventing you from firing back. That leaves Orisa’s team without a barrier until her cooldown is over.
This twitchy Australian is highly mobile. If you snag him with Halt, take him down fast. Junk can make a quick escape using his concussion mine as a jump boost (and he can carry two at a time). A close range mine is going to give him distance on top on injuring Orisa.
His ultimate, Rip-tire, can come out of nowhere. This gives Orisa little warning of where he’s coming from, killing her, destroying the shield, and leaving her team without a shield. If Orisa does see the tire rolling toward her, she only has a little bit of time to destroy it. Swerving the tire left and right lowers her accuracy tremendously.

One of the world's most notorious hackers, Sombra uses information to manipulate those in power.

Sombra

Sombra’s hack is a huge counter to Orisa. It shuts down all of Orisa’s abilities, leaving her defenseless. The hacker’s invisibility lets her get close unseen, making a surprise hack a looming threat. Orisa has little to counter an SMG clip at close range. If Orisa’s team is behind a shield when she’s hacked, your team can target them.
Sombra is quick and nimble. Invisibility means Sombra can avoid projectiles and get the jump on Orisa. Even if spotted, Sombra’s translocator lets her jump out of danger instantly. I sometimes get a mocking voice line or emote before she teleports away from me.
Her EMP can combine with other ults like D.va’s bomb, exploiting Orisa’s lack of mobility. This leaves Orisa with no way to defend herself or her team, making her an easy kill.

Once a frontline combatant in the devastating Omnic Crisis, this curious Bastion unit now explores the world, fascinated by nature but wary of a fearful humanity.

Bastion

Almost always in turret mode, Bastion can destroy Orisa’s shield with only a few seconds of direct fire. This leaves her team without a barrier until her cooldown lets her put up a new shield. In that span of time, Bastion can get plenty of kills on lower HP characters or push payloads toward the next point.
Bastion’s long range makes Orisa’s abilities less effective. A good team will protect their Bastion, letting him exploit Orisa’s weaknesses. A Halt will usually only move him a few feet, letting him shred Orisa’s shield before he resets his position.
His ultimate, Configuration: Tank, will blow Orisa’s shield away in a couple of hits, leaving Orisa with little time to react, especially if Bastion is in close range already.

Heroes Orisa is Strong Against

Reinhardt Wilhelm styles himself as a champion of a bygone age, who lives by the knightly codes of valor, justice, and courage.

Reinhardt

Orisa’s shield has less health (800 vs. Rein’s 2000) but her shield has an 8 second cooldown. Her shield can survive well beyond the ability’s cooldown unless the opposing team is targeting the shield directly. Orisa also has more mobility with her shield, able to fire it at range. She’s good for staggered pushes. Rein’s shield takes time to recharge, leaving him vulnerable until it’s back up.
Halt can redirect a Reinhardt’s charge, making him miss and leaving him surrounded by your team. Easy kill. On certain maps like Gibraltar or Ilios Lighthouse, he might charge right off the map.
Orisa’s Fusion Driver lets her fire from a distance, forcing Rein to use his shield if he wants to close the gap. Reinhardt is super slow with his shield up, letting you fire plenty before he reaches you. Pulling him backward with Halt gives you even more time. A depleted shield leaves Rein defenseless at close range, leaving hammer swings his only option. Fortify will reduce incoming damage, letting you take down the German soldier before he smashes you to bits.

A guardian angel to those who come under her care, Dr. Angela Ziegler is a peerless healer, a brilliant scientist, and a staunch advocate for peace.

Mercy

Halt can yank Mercy away from her team. Without someone she can quickly glide to, the guardian angel has no mobility and is easily taken down. Robbing the enemy of heals makes them much more susceptible to damage.
Mercy’s Resurrect is a strong ability, but it leaves her vulnerable for nearly 2 seconds. Orisa can easily focus fire Mercy if she attempts to resurrect in Orisa’s line-of-sight. Halt can also pull Mercy out of range of a downed teammate, stopping the resurrect and wasting the ability.
The enemy team should be protecting healers like Mercy. Focusing on her will distract the team. While they focus on you (ideally behind your shield), your own team can flank the enemy, taking them by surprise.

Zenyatta is an omnic monk who wanders the world in search of spiritual enlightenment. It is said that those who cross his path are never the same again.

Zenyatta

Zenyatta has low mobility and slow speed. If he’s floating out in the open, Orisa can easily take him down. Halt is very useful for keeping him in view.
Halt is also great for pulling Zenyatta into environmental kills. Many maps offer an instant death if Zenyatta or most other characters are pulled into map edges (Ilios Lighthouse), bridges (Lijiang Garden), or holes (Ilios Well, Nepal Sanctum). Exploit them as often as possible and watch him fall.
The only DPS Zenyatta has are his orbs. Orisa’s shield easily blocks orb volleys, leaving Zenyatta ineffective.

How To Outsmart an Orisa Player

Halt is one of Orisa’s most flexible abilities. Bait it out to stop her from using it. For example, stand near map edges and move away once she fires it. Wasted Halt Stops Orisa from manipulating your team’s positioning. Be careful around environmental kill zones, however. She’ll have another one to launch before long.
Take the high ground. Orisa’s shield is most effective horizontally. Unlike Reinhardt, who can move his shield freely to block damage from anywhere, Orisa only gets one shield before cooldown. It’s completely open from above, giving your team an advantage from higher ground.
Exploit her lack of mobility. Orisa moves pretty slowly. Any highly mobile character (Tracer, Sombra, Genji) can distract and harass Orisa, letting your team take down her shield. She's at a huge advantage up close, so overwhelm her at point blank range to render most of her defense useless. D.va is great for going straight in and bullying Orisa.
Coordinate multiple angles of attack. Orisa’s shield is most effective in one direction against any number of opponents. This leaves her vulnerable on either side of and behind her. Attacking her from more than one side leaves her taking damage from at least one enemy she can’t protect against, making her easier to take down.

Tanks are the damage blockers of the team, so taking them down is a priority. With this guide, you’ll know just what to do to deal with any Orisa. Feel free to leave any questions or comments down below.