Overwatch 2: How To Properly Use Ashe's Abilities

"Overwatch 2" is here, despite its seriously rocky start, and being free-to-play makes it a fantastic time for new users to hop in on the fun. If one does happen to be a new user, there's a system in place that Blizzard has aptly titled its First Time User Experience that requires newcomers to play a specific number of games to unlock the majority of the enormous character roster.

After participating in fifty matches, or even fewer considering that winning matches will count as two, new players will have access to the notorious outlaw Ashe and her robotic sidekick B.O.B. While she hasn't changed much between her appearances in "Overwatch" and "Overwatch 2", she has a unique combination of abilities and weapons that can take some time to master. However, played just right, Ashe is a particularly versatile character that works well in just about every game mode and on each map that "Overwatch 2" has to offer. Here's how to best use her abilities.

In the lore of "Overwatch," Ashe, real name Elizabeth Caledonia, is the leader of the gunslinging Deadlock Gang. She's fierce, commanding, and has a bit of an explosive personality. This is reflected in her gameplay style thanks to her semi-automatic rifle The Viper, her Coach Gun, her bundles of Dynamite, and, of course, B.O.B.

Ashe is a hit-scan hero, so she's able to pile damage on her enemies fairly quickly. Thanks to The Viper, she can do this from a longer range as well. Without sighting in, The Viper shoots almost as fast as one can pull the trigger, and it's very accurate. However, aiming down the sights will sharply increase said accuracy, and each shot's damage will increase too. Of course, the rate of fire decreases, but it's a great way to finish off heroes that are running away.

With her specialization in mid-to-long range combat, Ashe isn't the best at winning fights up close. Thankfully, her Coach Gun can even things out for her. It barely does any damage, but it does knock opponents further away from her while simultaneously blasting Ashe back as well. The Coach Gun can also be used to move Ashe onto higher vantage points or simply to escape aggressive foes. Aiming the Coach Gun toward the ground blasts Ashe upward, and she has a decent amount of mobility before hitting the ground again.

Finally, the Coach Gun, in specific situations, could be used to snag some environmental kills on enemies that venture too closely to ledges. A nice, little push will send them plummeting to their demise, and Ashe can continue blasting away.

Sometimes, The Viper and Coach Gun aren't enough to come out on top which is where Ashe's Dynamite comes in handy. Activating this ability causes Ashe to throw out a bundle of Dynamite which, if left alone, will explode after a short time and set all foes within range on fire. 

It's a powerful ability, but, unfortunately, the ticking sound on the Dynamite can tip enemies off to its presence. This is why it's often best to throw it out and shoot it before enemies have a chance to run away. Shooting the Dynamite can mean taking aim from a distance and blasting it when it's surrounded by foes, but, it's best to learn how to shoot it while its soaring through the air toward enemies. That sounds tricky, but there's a nice trick that can easily be learned. If one doesn't adjust their aim, shooting The Viper immediately after throwing out Dynamite will cause the explosive bundle to ignite every time.

It wouldn't be "Overwatch" without ultimate abilities, and Ashe's is none other than her faithful, right-hand robot B.O.B.. When her ultimate is activated, B.O.B. appears and runs in a straight line from Ashe's location until he hits a wall. Any foes struck along this path are flung into the air and made easy pickings for Ashe and The Viper. Upon hitting a wall, B.O.B. stops in his tracks and becomes an enormous turret with 1000 health that will deal enormous damage to any foe he fancies. It's hard to use B.O.B. at the wrong time thanks to his enormous potential for damage output, but making sure he won't run off of a cliffside is always good to keep in mind. B.O.B. would likely appreciate it as well.