When it comes down to it, Overwatch is a game of ultimates. They are powerful abilities that can change the course of a game entirely. A well-placed Self-Destruct or a clutch timed Transcendence can push your team towards the win. The most important thing when it comes to ultimates in Overwatch is learning when to use them correctly.

The Dos and Don'ts of Ultimates

Dos

One of the greatest assets you can have as a player in Overwatch is patience with your ultimate. Understand that not every fight needs an ultimate for you to win. Sometimes the fight is won just by picks and a couple of nice shots, popping an ultimate to clean up some stragglers or to heal your team won't do much since the battle was already won. So make sure to be patient with your ultimate.

Don'ts

There are a few things that you should almost never do with your ultimate. One of these things is what I call the "Rambo Ult". You unleash your inner Sylvester Stallone but instead of taking down a whole army of enemies, the credits roll. This is when you are all alone at the end of a teamfight and you decide that it is up to you to win the battle for your team. You press Q and then since the rest of your team is dead, the enemy team jumps on you. In almost all circumstances it would have been better for you, as well as your team, that you kept that ultimate until the next fight.

The Art of the Combo

With the number of ultimates in Overwatch, it leads to a wide variety of ultimate combos you can pull off with your teammates. While these do require some semblance of cooperation and coordination from your teammates for these combos, they will be extremely worth it in the long run if pulled off correctly. There are a few ultimates that combo with almost anything and we will talk about those today.

Graviton Surge

This is the ult with the biggest combo potential in the game. It can be combo'd into almost any offensive ultimate. The most important thing when it comes to using your Zarya ultimate is making sure you have follow-up. Make sure that you are either very high charge so that you can pump out the damage you need to take out the enemies in your Graviton or you have an offensive ultimate to combo with it such as Dragonblade or Pulse Bomb. The biggest counter to your ultimate as Zarya is D.Va as she can eat your ultimate with Defense Matrix.

So make sure that when you are going to use Graviton you de-mech the D.Va first or you try and not telegraph to the D.Va you are going to use it. Another thing you should be wary of is Transcendence coming out of a Zenyatta. It will completely mitigate any damage to anyone caught in your ultimate. If possible have one of your other teammates try to bait out the Transcendence before you all pop your ultimates to try and win the fight.

Earthshatter

Reinhardt's Earthshatter is another ultimate that you can easily combo with other ultimates from the rest of your team. If you are able to hit the rare "fatty shatty" and get more than half of their team in it, you and your teammates will be able to most likely wipe out the enemy team. Reinhardt's ultimate has a rather high charge rate if you are playing aggressive and are able to land your fire strikes. The best thing about Earthshatter is that the enemies caught in it are knocked down and stunned, leaving them at you and your teammates' mercy. That means no ability to counter ult like they have the possibility of doing so when caught in something like Graviton Surge.

If you are playing Reinhardt you will want to target the enemy supports with your ultimate above all else. The only issue you will run into with Earthshatter is it being blocked. Earthshatter can be blocked by an opposing Reindhardt shield, Zarya's bubble, Winston's bubble, Brigitte shield, and Mei's ice wall and ice block. Make sure to keep track of cooldowns or communicate with your team to break enemy shield so you can use your Earthshatter.

Nano Boost

We all remember Season 3 of Overwatch where the Beyblade Meta was king. Nano Boost would go onto Reaper and he would use his Death Blossom to wipe the enemy team. Ana's Nano Boost does not give a movement speed buff anymore but it can still be used to combo with a few ultimates. The biggest one that we see Nano Boost combo'd with nowadays is Genji's Dragon Blade making it what we call a Nano Blade. If the Genji is able to land his slashes and dashes on the enemy team, he can take out squishy targets even through Zenyatta's Transcendence. Another good option to combo your Nano Boost with is Soldier 76's Tactical Visor, usually called the Nano Visor. Since Tactical Visor is almost always going to be hitting targets if used correctly, the damage boost from the Nano will gain a lot of value usually resulting in a few kills. When it comes to using your Nano Boost, you will want to make sure that you save your Nano Boost for the right time since charging it takes a while. Make sure that you and the person you are going to Nano are on the same page. Communication is key.

Conclusion

The most important advice I can give you when it comes to using your ultimates is that communication with your teammates is key. Let them know when you have ult and what you are planning to do with it. That way your teammates aren't scrambling and panicked trying to figure out how best to help you. Make sure that everyone is relatively on the same page with their ultimate economy. The team that communicates together, wins together.

Also, don't forget your Q key is right next to your W. Until next time!

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