Hey you, yes you. Lemme tell you my story and share some insigths of the ranks in OW2 that I made over the course of the year. And ofc, I am not Diamond 5 yet, and idk if I reach it within 2025, nonetheless do I think it is a great moment to end the year peacefully and give the community back that helped me over this year.

I started playing in September 2024, completely new to hero shooter and the only game I spammed beforehand was League of Legends and Hades. So my FPS knowledge was not rly there. And especially OW2 is such a fast pace game, that I basically had to relearn everything about the basic and fundamentals.

Basics: Honestly, in the beginning and also later on, have fun. Spam quick play with friends, or make friends within OW2. Be nice and play mostly 1, maybe 2 heroes more intensively. Ofc you can try new stuff out, and figure out what role and hero is more to your liking, but to actually learn, I honestly would recommend learning one hero, and test out your limits. What works, what doesnt. For me it was Mei, and I had a joy playing the gremlin style, as I believed I had no aim.

For Season 16 I started to play here and there some Competitive. Especially because I saw my friends playing it more often, but due to them being High Dia to Master, there was no chance of me to join. And I can tell you, the quick play games we had were hard. So hard in fact, that I often thought about giving up, because everyone in the lobby was dunking on me.

When I played solo, I basically wanted to see where I would get out, and it estimated a glorious Bronze 1 for me. After some VOD reviewing and QP, the consensus was, I might reach gold, but that would be the absolute max. Welp, to the surprise of everyone, myself included I was able to not just surprass but absolute demolish this estimation. But what happened? Here I shall breakdown what I learned and focussed on in each elo, and what I found out were the biggest "mistakes" I could abuse to steadily climb with till recently a 70% WR (now I am closer to 60%).

But before: Fix your DPI. For real, you dont need a fast mouse, quite the opposite. Overwatch is a fast game already, no need to make it any faster. I started once on 4.75 with 2400 DPI. And it was shaky, as I believed I have to move fast around. Trust me, even as Genji and Tracer, you dont. Find one sense, that fits you, feels comfortable and that you are able to track someone easily. Be it as support, tank or dps. Go into the practice range, and follow the walking bots from a safe distance. Best case, your view from left to right, is minimally more than their max left-right distance. This way, you can track dashes waaaay better. Nowadays, I am on 1200 DPI with 2.25 ingame and that since July and it pays off.

But now to the elo brackens:

Bronze: The weirdest Elo, and my biggest tip. Play hero that can self-sustain. Let's be real, even when I was there, I wasn't good. Neither is your tank, nor your supp, nor your dps, but also the enemy team. Everyone is lost, and everyone wanna go for that big gamedeciding play. And you know what? Let them. You don't have to go for the 5 man reaper ult, or the perfect Immortality Field. Honestly, play around that. Stay a bit back, and concentrate to not die while doing some solid damage. If you are a tank, dont forget, you can be as good as you want, you need your team with you. So even if you see an enemy supp out of position. Is it worth going for it? Not knowing, if your backline survives while you are gone. DPS, your job is not damaging. It is killing and protecting. Sounds weird? Well, if you play against tanks, they love to take damage, you know why? They get ult charge. And tank and supp ults are always stronger than yours. (few exceptions) So ask yourself the following:

Am I out of position and do nothing? If no, stay safe. Play with your support (if you have range), or with your tank if you play a char that cleans up the kills. If yes -> Can I damage someone out of position? If yes, do so. Otherwise -> Can I damage a support? If yes, do so safely! Otherwise -> Are my supporter protected? If no, play around them. If yes, nice good job and last question: Is there a shield? DESTROY! See shields give the enemy extra cover, and as long as you destroy them, the enemy tank doesnt get ult charge and you get rid of the resources of the enemy. Means, you then can together focus on the enemy team.

Only if there is no shield, if you are safe and your supporter too, damage the enemy tank. But basically to sum up my biggest tip in Bronze. Do not risk it for the biscuit. Play it safe. The biggest heroes are the quite ones.

Silver: Here I still only played Mei. And focussed especially in Season 17 in QuickPlay to learn a new hero. I decided on Soldier 76 for the basics, and also because I loved his movement ability in Stadium. And here as a note, play different modes to learn positioning, and have genuinely fun and don't overstress in comp. Stay positive, with a good mental. It is a game after all.

Silver is quite similar to Bronze with one big difference. People in silver have a grasp how their character work, and what their limits are to a degree. But are overreliant on healing and shielding, out of one simple reason: Positioning.

Yes Positioning is difficult. And the higher your climb the more you learn. But genuinely, my biggest tip in Silver. Find a youtuber that you like, and learn how the game works. For me it was Ocie, a wonderful analyst and caster of the OW esport scene. And please keep in mind, Esport and comp are different, but some concepts are the same. Just look where heroes are standing, and try to understand why?

My biggest issue in and during Silver, I did the "Xantares Peak" (csgo esport team), means I hugged a corner, and did a very wide swing. The problem, if you swing and dont have cover, you die. And not team member owes you cover. AND THE SUPPORT CANNOT OUTHEAL DAMAGE IN THE OPEN.

Means, my biggest tip to climb in Silver is cover and learning maps, just so that your crosshair placement is somewhat where enemy heroes could be. As tank, keep line of sight in mind, but also feel free to push forward, while having at least one corner of cover. Only fight in the open, in a chaos everyone ult fight. And even there, try to find a safe place/have it in mind as escape route. For supporter, heal the ppl actively fighting who are fighting on objective. If someone of your team is flanking and gets low, it is their job to get to you, not the other way around.

So yeah for Silver: Play in cover, move constantly (never stand still), and learn basics (again doesnt need to be perfect) crosshair placement.

Gold: Here I had 2 Heroes. Mei and Soldier, and I noticed 2 things. It was for me the easiest elo to climb personally, while also having way too many people in it with a high ego, who threw slurs the hardest. So literally I won 50% of my games there of being a teamplayer, and writing in chat some positive messages and keep my and the team mentals in check. You ofc, dont have to do the extra mile and cheer your team up, but a thank you, a compliment, or a mb is enough to ease tension between you and help to walk the extra mile needed to win.

The other tip: Downtime. In Bronze and Silver you kinda do not have to worry about it really. But every flank you do, every rotation to a new angle, especially during a fight is time, where you dont contribute anything. Yes, it can be big and a high reward, but you also can die alone, and worst case, the team tries to help you and you lose your life and another team member for a flank attempt. I am not saying flanking is bad, but you know what works so much better in this elo specifically? Off-Angling. Play with your team, stay with your team, but while they are on the left corner, you are either on the right corner, or on an elevated position above or below your tank (but generally, highground is better). This way, your support can see and heal you. You can fight more freely and do more active things and your damage and elim numbers go higher. Or you play with the tank and dive together, but always surround enemies together and have an exit plan.

Basically in Gold most people have hands and aim. What they don't have is decisionmaking. I had so many Reaper or Genji, that flanked for eternities. Waiting for the right moment, just to be found and dying, or having to leave. Or that used all their cooldowns to get in. If you do that, what then? You are then close on the enemy, blasted everything and only maybe got sth in return.

So yeah, in Gold: Think actively what you do and why you do, and how you can make it more efficient. Also Mental. And again, Off-Angle: Yes. Flank: No.

Platin: The weirdest elo of them all. And the first one I hit a blocker. Especially in high Platin. People have hands, and they know what they do sometimes. What they dont have, is consistency. And in addition, most of the times they are one trick ponies. With 1 hero or 2 you might get far, and maybe if you have the right meta, and are a better player than me, you can achieve with only 1 hero Dia+. But in my experience, in Platin you need versatility. Focus on 3-4 heroes, and make sure they fill different niches and combos.

OW2 is a big rock, paper, scissor game. Yes, scissor can beat rock, if the scissor is mechanically way better. But just in theory rock has the advantage. There will be times, you find enemies, that are equal to you or better and know how play the counter match up. And here you need to know what you can do against it.

For DPS my advice: (those 2 categories you should have at least one hero from) 1 The Anti-Diver. Yes I know people don't like dive. But most say that because they are too stubborn to learn the right hero. Cassidy, Venture, Junkrat, Bastion, Sombra. Basically enemy jumps in, you interrupt/burst them down together with your support. Especially if you don't have a Lucio, Brig or Wuyang in your team, it is more than just adviced to pick up one of those. Use your crowd control/burst reactive, and make them work to kill you.

1 The Hit Scanner. Ashe, Widow, Cassidy, Hanzo, Sojourn, Frejya "Soldier" (tho Soujourn is better in everything beside the self heal), Bastion, and Torb turret (but the other heroes are better). You can take out fliers, do damage long range, and as soon as you learn one, it is quite easy to play the other, as their core principle is hitting hitscan projectiles. If you dont know what the right pick is (and unless you pick Hanzo or Widow, as they are too aim reliant), starting on one of the heroes is never the wrong choice.

(Also of those, either Ashe, Soujourn, Widow, Hanzo or Freija on top on Maps that are longer like Circuit Royale or Junker Town. As Cassidy, Soldier, Bastion are weaker there. On Nepal in the temple, they are stronger than the other.)

Min. 1 category on top of that:

1 Brawler. A character that can fight for extendended period of times, between the supporter and tank. Mei, Symmetra, Venture, Reaper, Vendetta, Torbjörn would be some examples. Perfect to play with a Junkerqueen or against a high sustain comb, where you need to damage over time while playing somewhat of a "second tank"....don't forget you are not a tank, only pretending to save your supps. (Classic front to back fight)

1 The Diver. Important, you dive with the tank, and your job is to clean up kills. Not to 1 v 500 everything. Be a nuisance, but the best nuisance is the one that survives. Vendetta, Genji, Tracer, Sombra, Venture, Reaper, Echo and Pharah come to mind. Fast in, fast out. If you flank, ask yourself why. Is there a support that is staggered, someone out of position, or do you know that you have ult advantage? Only then, go for those plays and manage your cooldowns in your way that you can at least use one always to get out. (Important to note: Currently even though I play Reaper, I only play him against high poke combs or winston combs, as I like to play Cassidy or Ashe more.)

1 The Specialist. Heroes, that change the complete flow of a match by just existing. Be it a Vendetta currently, a Symmetra with a beam that counters DVA, a Mei that also can do that and block Rein or Mauga charges with good walls, Junkrat or Pharah that spam corners with AoE explosives and can displace enemies, Venture who basically plays hide and seek to find positions to prey on enemies in their backlines, without using their abilites, Genji who can deflect, or Widow that shuts down complete areas with just her presence. Yes, every hero in OW2 changes the game a bit. But some do so more than other. And the crux is, beside Vendetta currently, most ppl don't play enough against a Mei/Junkrat/Symmetra/Pharah/Venture to know the Cooldowns nor the Limits. And if you know how to play the limits on said heroes, you can turn games completely on your own. But, because they are so special in excel in specific areas, also means they have strong weaknesses you have to cover with your mechanical skill on said char. Because otherwise a basic hitscan hero will win with the power of fundamentals.

Otherwise, in Platin people learn to become good. Their biggest enemy is often themselves. Either mentally because the ego is more inflated than Gold players, or because they overforce. In Platin it is soooo important to not stand too long on the same spot, to not repeak multiple times the same angle. People there expect that. On top, you have to manage your ult cooldowns. Do not waste your ult on losing fights, unless you know 100% you can clutch it. Because if you do, you dont lose just this fight, but also the next one. Also ultra important, till Platin you can get far by studying the textbook, and doing plays like they should be made. In Platin you have to learn how to use those skills situational, and if the right play is to do the right play, or to do a wrong play that is the right one in the moment.

Remember me telling you, not use all Cooldowns to get into a fight, or not to flank. Sometimes there will be the exception, and doing the wrong play and actively not following the rules, is the right play. Basically you have to learn to play by heart and not by brain. But to do so, you need to understand the theory first.

Platin: Learn the game, and how it is played mechanically and strategically.

Diamond Gosh, I am not even Diamond yet. And still write something about it. Most of my played lobbies in the recent 3 weeks are in Platin 2 - Diamond 3. And it is easy to spot out the enemy Diamond players. Remember what I told you between Silver and Gold. That in Gold you learn to play more efficient and with less Downtime.

Diamond players have that. The higher they are, you see how positioning is nothing they actively have to think about most of the time. They have a intuitive plan for what to do, when they get victim of a dive, or when they have to play more aggresive. Basically you will not find a cheesy way or play to surprise them offguard. (unless you are a venture player) They are consistent, and if you play against multiple in different roles, especially on defense, you only have short windows of times where they damage you, where you can damage them. Till here, you can play a bit more reactive, wait for enemies to make mistakes.

Against diamond players, 2 things are important. Reduce your mistakes (aka die less, but also every situation you are forced to take an ability defensively), and force mistakes out of your enemies. What does that mean? If you are Cassidy, and stand wrong to receive a shot to drop low, where you have to either panic roll/ normal roll away to get to cover. You lose your ability to defend yourself from a jumping monkey and to burst him with 2 back2back "Fend the Hammer", or you simply cannot handdiff the enemy, because for the aggresive trait where you push, you need to have said roll as fast reload and reposition to favour you in said trait. If the enemy knows you dont have it, you are a sitting duck.

Basically, to climb in Diamond to Masters, my estimation is actually: Git gud. You need to understand, what your role in the team is, and get the most out of your hero kits within the short window of trait, or actively force mistakes/hand diff, because it is unlikely for enemies to make multiple mistakes.

2025 was an insane year. I honestly, even tho I declared in a dream way, that by the end of the year I could play competitive with them, I didnt thought I would get that fast that far. And here I am, being able to carry some games with them even, and mostly carry my own weight (aka do what is needed of me without flashy extra plays). I am enormously proud of myself and the growth and the friends are quite perplex about the fast learning rate. But I was also lucky to have friends that had tons of fun playing QP/Stadium and explaining the game to me. Finding someone like Ocie! And also having the time for it, as this year was a vacation/sabatical year for me, where I just worked fulltime with no academical goals between the stages of finishing an apprenticeship in 2024, and starting my university degree in a different country in 2026. If you read till here, I thank you for your attention and hope to get some feedback and are also happy to answer some questions, and share some tip and tricks for specific matchups. As soon as I hit Dia and when uni starts I will play less and focus more irl and uni stuff, but it was an amazing journey till here.

Tl:dr: You need to learn following skills to get out of following elos. Yes theory and watching guides and VODS is helpful, especially when you hit a roadblock and feel stuck. Personally I think it is mostly important to have from Platin and above.

Bronze: Figure out your peripherals. Play one self-sustaining hero, that is not overreliant of support and can deal good constant damage. Focus on playing safe, around cover. And try to play consistent, maybe even a bit passive. Because frankly, all the other will try to go for a hero play. Your best bet, be the quiet unsung hero who does what is needed most.

Silver: Use cover, and dont wide swing. Walls are your friend, use them. Never stand still, unless you wanna be a sitting duck who easily gets headshotted. And learn basic crosshair placements on all maps. Doesnt need to be perfect, just roughly so you know where potential enemy usually appear. (the ground is even for venture not a valid answer)

Gold: Think actively what you do. Add a second hero to your roster who does a different job than your first. Try to always do actively sth with your team. Means, every time you walk without doing damage, or being around your team to control an area is dead time, and you dont want to have dead time. Also means: Flanking is completely forbidden, instead use Off-Angles to maximise angles, damage output and make the life of your supporter easier. Basically everything you learned in Silver and Gold, and make it more efficient.

Platin: Find a youtuber, or someone better than you, and learn the theory of this game. Play textbook, keep a good mental and your ego in check. And learn at least 3 heroes with different roles to be able to adjust midgame if needed.

Higher Platinum (P2-P1): All the theory you learned from Platin you now have to use practically in game and more intuivetly. Sometimes the right play, is to not follow the textbook, but you have to learn that through a lot of try-and-error. (Also learn how to aim and crosshair place)

Diamond: Actually learn how to play the game from macro to mechanical. Reduce mistakes to the minimum, and learn how to get the maximum out of your hero to force enemies to make mistakes. Also, CONSISTENCY.

Hello all, been playing this game for 10+ years and have finally climbed out of bronze. (i know, i know....) anyways, people say to ask for help to get better so here I am. I feel this was a really good game i played but still got yelled at by my team mates of course. I guess I struggle on offense and hitting my rocks. any help would be appreciated. THanks in avance.

Replay - 8JF8XK

I'm the Sigma Tank.

It is just much more fun to play many different characters in one short go than being forced to play as tank three times because nobody wants to play that role

(By this I also mean have a high skill ceiling)

I think Tracer is the best one here, but she requires too much skill of every type of skill. Have been trying to get her to work but nah.

Echo is another that takes high skill but I feel like she might be map dependant and also if enemies go hitscan then you are much less effective.

I wanna learn someone that takes skill and that I don't need to swap everytime the enemies pick x or we get map y.

I was wondering which are like the top 10 that fit that description, so I can pick a main.