One of the newer additions to the game's roster, some Overwatch Ashe tips will help you make the most of this hitscan Damage hero with a proficiency for bolt-action rifles and dynamite. Like many of the post-launch additions to Overwatch, Ashe has a high skill ceiling and is quite difficult to play, mostly due to her limited mobility and complex mechanics. However, if you play Ashe correctly, you’ll be able to lay a ton of damage down on the enemy team.
Overwatch Ashe abilities and ultimate
Ashe’s Dynamite is a multi-purpose ability that’s good for a lot more than exploding in Junkrat’s face. Although Dynamite has the potential to deal lots of damage, it’s perhaps best used as a way to move enemies out of their current position. If an Orisa is holed up with her team behind a shield, tossing Dynamite into the fray will force them to frantically scatter, exposing themselves to you and your patiently-waiting teammates. In fact, the mere sound of “Fire in the hole!” is usually enough to send the enemy team into a state of utter panic. That's not to say Dynamite is only effective in terms of area control, though. It’s also particularly effective against armored enemies. Like Torbjorn’s Molten Core, Dynamite deals burn damage, which is super-effective against armor. So if you see a Reinhardt or a Brigitte wandering around, be sure to send a stick of Dynamite their way for maximum damage potential.
Ashe also has access to the Coach Gun, which is a type of shotgun that deals damage while simultaneously propelling Ashe backwards. Ashe is next to completely useless at close range, so Coach Gun allows her to get out of close-combat knocks with heroes like Reaper and Brigitte and gain the upper hand with her mid-range Viper rifle. So although Coach Gun deals a decent amount of damage, it’s primary function is to afford Ashe increased mobility, as she is slow and has no other way to cover ground quickly. Always ensure this ability is off cooldown before you engage the enemy team, and remember to follow-up on a backward propulsion with a barrage of shells from your trusty Viper.
Ashe’s Ultimate is B.O.B., whom she affectionately (kind of) refers to as “Bob.” B.O.B. is a totally unique Ultimate in that it temporarily affords your team a seventh member, who happens to be a massive, 1,200-HP robot with machine gun fists and a top hat. B.O.B. is best used at the start of a team fight, as he can ride at the vanguard instead of your main tank. This usually distracts the enemy team, allowing you to push in from behind with massive momentum while they're preoccupied. By focusing on the same targets as B.O.B., Ashe and her teammates can make quick work of low-HP foes, shifting team fights irrevocably in their favor. It’s also important to note that B.O.B. can contest points, so if you think you might not make it before the overtime wick burns out, send Bob hurtling in to hold down the fort.
Overwatch Ashe tips and tricks
Know how to manage The Viper: Ashe’s rifle is more than just a gun with a cool name. Like Baptiste’s and Mei’s guns, The Viper has two settings: ADS (aim-down-sight) and hipfire. ADS is obviously far more accurate, which makes it much better suited to long-range shooting. It also does a lot more damage, especially if you can reliably pull off headshots. However, Ashe’s hipfire can get you out of a tight spot should you find yourself in one. Unlike the bolt-action ADS, hipfire is semi-automatic, allowing you to spray shells toward a nearby target as a last-ditch attempt at survival - kind of like what Barrett .50 cal users used to do in Modern Warfare 2 sniper battles. The main thing to remember either way is that Ashe’s Viper has a 4.1 second reload time, so it’s important that you use your bullets sparingly and only reload when you know it’s safe.
Know who counters Ashe: Ashe’s hard counters are the heroes who can outperform her at range like Widowmaker and Hanzo. Although Ashe can be devastating at long-range, other snipers are more accurate and their long-range specialty affords them greater damage output per shot. Ashe should always be on the lookout for snipers, as they’ll inevitably be on the lookout for her. Ashe is also vulnerable to high-mobility heroes like Winston and D.Va, who can exploit her limited movement and trap her in unwinnable fights. It’s times like these that the Coach Gun becomes a staple of Ashe’s kit, although sometimes even that isn’t enough. High-mobility DPS like Genji, Tracer, and Sombra can also give her a hard time if they force her into a reload animation, so always try to make sure you're not isolated from the rest of your team.
Best strategies for Ashe: In order to make the most of playing as Ashe, you’ll need to dominate the high ground. Ashe’s Viper is quite forgiving in terms of its spread, which means that it’s relatively easy to land headshots on most targets. However, due to the counters mentioned above, it’s necessary to be careful in your approach to team fights. Try to remain unseen until you’re ready to assert your presence, and then introduce yourself to the fight in conjunction with your team. If necessary, drop down and join the fight at close-range, using her Coach Gun to instantly create distance between you and your foe before lining up a shot on them and finishing them off. If you’ve got B.O.B. ready, make sure to plan an all-out-attack with the rest of your team before engaging the enemy, and press forward aggressively as soon as B.O.B. hits his stride.
Heroes with the best synergy with Ashe: Ashe is best-suited as a backline DPS for rush teams. While her teammates are in the thick of battle, Ashe can gradually pick off enemies one-by-one from the safety of a faraway high-ground location. As a result, she’s good on linear maps like Ilios: Ruins and Watchpoint: Gibraltar, and synergizes well with tank-heavy compositions that can distract the enemy team. Nuisance tanks like Winston and Roadhog are probably best-suited for an Ashe-centric team, but she can also make use of Reinhardt’s shield. Ashe works particularly well with a DPS counterpart like Genji or Tracer, who can bait an enemy into turning around in the same spot over and over again without actually moving anywhere, making their head an easy target. As soon as you get the first pick in the team fight, it's time to get aggressive and push forward with the rest of your team.
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