The Ultimate Overwatch Widowmaker guide

Widowmaker has become the true villainess of Overwatch, but her sniper skills are hard to master. However, there are some tips and tricks to help you tame the deadly spider queen. 

French sniper Widowmaker has become one of Overwatch’s most iconic villains, but not only that, she’s become one of the most popular DPS picks in-game. Just because she pops up semi-frequently in our games, though, doesn’t mean that she’s easy to master.

This guide will help you utilize Widowmaker to her true potential, as well as give you some insight into her gameplay, abilities, lore, skins and more.

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• Overwatch Widowmaker Lore
• Widowmaker’s Weapon
• Widowmaker’s Abilities
• How to play Widowmaker: tips
• Widowmaker Skins
• Changes for Widowmaker in Overwatch 2

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Overwatch Widowmaker lore

While it’s hard to feel sympathetic for Talon’s living weapon, Widowmaker hasn’t always been the blue-skinned villain that we see in Overwatch.

Amélie Guillard was one of Paris’ most accomplished ballet dancers. Married to Gérard Lacroix, the Overwatch agent that was heavily involved in the battle against Talon, things quickly took a turn for the worst.

Kidnapped by Talon after several assassination attempts on her husband, the terrorist organization kidnapped Amélie, forcing her to undergo a series of brutal conditioning experiments that led to her becoming a sleeper agent. When she was finally rescued, the character murdered her husband two weeks later.

Returning to her newfound masters she underwent further training to become the perfect sniper, aided by Talon slowing her heart rate which, in turn, switched off her emotional side. She emerged back into the Overwatch fray as Widowmaker, the menace that we know today.

Widowmaker weapon

The Widow’s Kiss rifle is one of the most unique in the game. Able to switch between scoped and automatic mode, it’s equipped with a unique headshot multiplier of over 2x. So, it can be lethal in whatever form you choose to use it.

Widow’s Kiss

• 35 rounds per clip
• 1.5-second reload
• Primary fire: Automatic Mode
  • Rapid fire hitscan type
  • 6.5 – 13 damage per shot
  • 10 shots per second
  • 1 round per shot
  • 20 – 40 m range (subject to falloff decrease)
• Secondary fire: Scope Mode
  • Single shot hitscan type
  • 1.9 m/s movement speed
  • 6 – 12, 60 – 120 damage
  • 1 uncharged shot per 0.45 seconds – 1 fully charged shot per 1.4 seconds
  • 5 rounds per shot
  • 60 – 85 m range
  • 0.95 second charging, 0.45 second buffer, 0.33 second scope in/out (subject to falloff damage)

NOTE: Widowmaker’s versatile sniper rifle is ideal for scope-aimed shots at distant targets. Should targets close to medium range, the rifle can also be fired in fully-automatic mode.

Overwatch Widowmaker abilities

When it comes to Widowmaker’s abilities, everything centers around stealth. Between her mobility, traps, and her Widow’s Kiss rifle, she’s a force to be reckoned with.

• Grappling Hook
  • 40 m/s projectile speed
  • 20 m range
  • 16 m/s movement speed
  • 12 second cooldown

NOTE: Widowmaker launches a grappling hook towards the location she’s aiming at – when the hook connects with a scalable surface, she’s quickly drawn towards it, allowing her to expand her view of the battlefield and evade or flank targets.

• Venom Mine
  • 15 damage per second
  • Max 75 total damage
  • 5 HP
  • 20 m/s projectile speed
  • 3 m radius
  • Lasts until destroyed, 5 seconds
  • 15-second cooldown

NOTE: Widowmaker adheres a swiftly-arming venom mine to nearly any surface. When a target wanders within range of the mine’s motion trigger, it explodes, delivering poison gas to any enemies in the vicinity.

• Widowmaker Ultimate ability: Infra-Sight
  • Team-wide buff ability type
  • 0.5 sec cast
  • Lasts 15.5 seconds

NOTE: Widowmaker’s recon visor allows her to see the heat signatures of her targets through walls and objects for a moderate amount of time. This enhanced vision is shared with her allies.

How to play Widowmaker: Tips

As aforementioned, Widowmaker isn’t the type of character that will be tanking all of the damage on the front lines, or jumping straight into the fray like her arch-nemesis Tracer. Instead, the French sniper takes a lot of planning and patience, so is suited to less aggressive players.

The paramount thing to remember when playing Widow is that she’s very squishy. Make sure that you find a hidden alcove to pick off the enemy team from, and don’t make yourself an easy target while you’re searching for heads to pop down your scope.

Additionally, a well-placed Venom mine can make or break an enemy push. Dropping one in a tight spot behind your position will let you know if someone’s coming to get you, and placing them at entrances, exits, and choke points can slow enemy advances.

Of course, one of the best parts of her kit is her grapple, allowing you access to high points from which you can snipe enemies mid-air. Pair this with her Infra-Sight, and you’ll be able to see through objects and pick off sneaky players before they know it.

Overwatch Widowmaker skins

Overwatch 2 Widowmaker changes

Coming into Overwatch 2, DPS heroes have been given an overall buff that makes them run faster. As our favorite Parisian falls into that Damage category, she’ll be receiving this speed boost.

Additionally, there have been some cosmetic changes as well. Announced at Blizzconline, Widow’s traded her iconic straight ponytail for French pleat (ironic, right?) and now sports a more realistically designed outfit.

More changes may drop in the future, but until then we’ll be eagerly awaiting the chance to get our hands on this new look Widowmaker in the sequel.

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Fancy trying your hand at other epic heroes from Overwatch? We’ve got a whole host of guides to help you master their unique playstyles right here: Ana | Baptiste | D.Va | Genji | Lucio | Mei | Mercy | Moira | Reaper | Reinhardt | Sombra | Tracer