Tanking in Overwatch is one of the most important roles in the game, but for many, the concept doesn’t extend beyond the use of one’s shield. Luckily, a popular hero play making the rounds shows why that shouldn’t be the case.
Overwatch is based on teamwork. Despite the game preventing those in the highest SR thresholds from grouping with more than one other person, playing as a team is paramount to emerging victorious.
Whether it’s healing up your DPS, peeling for your supports, or securing kills, everyone on the team has a big part to play. This, of course, includes tanks. Even those without a shield.
For tanks, being able to protect their teammates from oncoming damage is critical and sometimes, doing so by any means necessary is what it takes to win out, just like you would in an MMO.
MMO tactics apply to Overwatch
A popular Reddit clip by user HouseThought is gaining attention on the site for all the right reasons. In it, the Orisa player shows exactly what tanks should be doing when their supports are in danger.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
While attacking on Temple of Anubis, the Orisa player’s Zenyatta is positioned behind their barrier while Discording targets. Unfortunately for the floating Omnic monk, a Wrecking Ball has him marked.
Even as the Zenyatta drops to 2 HP, meaning just about anything in the game would kill them, HouseThought dives in front of the support and uses Fortify to absorb oncoming damage, effectively body blocking.
The end result is a fight win all because the tank player recognized that even though their shield was on cooldown, there were other ways to protect the Zen.
Some users in the comments remarked how this tactic is very common in MMOs, but for whatever reason, Overwatch players tend to only defend with shields and nothing else.
Next time you’re playing tank, be sure to remember to body block effectively and you could end up winning due to your actions.