Our continually updated guide to winning more games on Overwatch's Dorado map.
Dorado is a map that’s absolutely stuffed to the brim with chokepoints, side alleys and sniping spots, and in many ways it reminds us of King’s Row, where danger seems to lurk around every blind corner. Set in Mexico, the map captures this city during a festival celebrating the end of the Omnic Crisis that preceded the game’s current-day setting. Expect lights, pinatas and plenty of pizzazz as you explore the winding streets with your friends.
Our next Overwatch map guide takes in this Payload battleground, and should provide a few handy tips to help you gain the upper hand from the very start. Things can get tricky fast on this map, whether you’re defending or attacking, so hopefully you should find something useful here.
We’ll be adding to this guide continually right up to launch and beyond, and will include plenty of team composition tips and general gameplay advice, once the community has worked out how to rinse every last drop of efficiency from it!
Editor’s note: December update – It’s been a while since we updated our Dorado map recommendations, but we’ve now tweaked the tables in this article to reflect the latest changes to the metagame.
A new Hero has just hit Overwatch! Check out our massive Moira guide for all the tips, tricks and strategy advice you need to master her.
Dorado tips
- The way the timers work on this map are pretty simple. When the game begins, the clock is set at five minutes and starts counting down. Once the Payload team reaches the first checkpoint, an extra three minutes are added to the clock, while hitting the second checkpoint adds another two minutes. All told, this means that a full match – not allowing for any Overtime periods – can last no longer than ten minutes.
- Just beyond the open plaza fountain/statue, to the right as you attack, is a wall that a number of characters can sneak over in the ultimate flanking manoeuvre. Genji, Pharah, Reaper, Hanzon, Junkrat, Widowmaker, D.Va, Winston and Mercy can all vault over it. Take a look at the video below for a better view of how to reach this shortcut.
- If you’re pushing the Payload, your offensive flankers should always be working through the many side passages on this map, pushing forwards and clearing the road ahead of any threats – particularly as you approach the first main courtyard after picking up the Payload. That first courtyard can be a killer if you let the defending team take control.
- There are balconies and sniping spots a-plenty on this map, and both teams would do well to have a well-positioned Widowmaker in their ranks, ready to pick off anyone who strays into her view. We’ll have a breakdown of all the best sniping spots on this map in a future update to this article.
More great Overwatch guides:
Dorado team comps and builds
Unless you’re trying any particularly outlandish offensives, the following characters can all be combined to make a powerful team. We’ve included multiple options in each category to ensure that some flexibility for personal prefence remains.
In random groups you typically want to field two Support, two Tanks and two Offense or Defense heroes. The Primary picks we’ve highlighted in our recommendations should be on every team, while the Secondary pick should be based on your personal skill level. In the Offense and Defense categories, you’ve a lot more freedom to go off-list and play to your own strengths.
For more team building tips in this map category, have a look at our round-up of the best Escort map team comps and builds – it’s updated regularly.
Attacking
| Hero | Role | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Reinhardt (Primary) | Tank | Reinhardt guide |
| Roadhog (Secondary) | Tank | Roadhog guide |
| D.Va (Secondary) | Tank | D.Va guide |
| Lucio (Primary) | Support | Lucio guide |
| Ana (Secondary) | Support | Ana guide |
| Mercy (Secondary) | Support | Mercy guide |
| Zenyatta (Secondary) | Support | Zenyatta guide |
| Genji (Skill Level) | Offense | Genji guide |
| McCree (Skill Level) | Offense | McCree guide |
| Reaper (Skill Level) | Offense | Reaper guide |
| Soldier: 76 (Skill Level) | Offense | Soldier: 76 guide |
Defending
| Hero | Role | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Reinhardt (Primary) | Tank | Reinhardt guide |
| Roadhog (Secondary) | Tank | Roadhog guide |
| Zarya (Secondary) | Tank | Zarya guide |
| Lucio (Primary) | Support | Lucio guide |
| Ana (Secondary) | Support | Ana guide |
| Mercy (Secondary) | Support | Mercy guide |
| Zenyatta (Secondary) | Support | Zenyatta guide |
| Hanzo (Skill Level) | Defense | Hanzo guide |
| Junkrat (Skill Level) | Defense | Junkrat guide |
| Mei (Skill Level) | Defense | Mei guide |
| McCree (Skill Level) | Offense | McCree guide |
Dorado Health Pack / Medikit locations
We’ll have a map overview of all the health packs that are available on Dorado in the near future, but for now you should carefully study the video below if you want to brush up on all of their locations. Knowing exactly where these all are can make a huge difference in a one-on-one duel, and we strongly recommend spending a little time – ideally in a custom game – making sure you always know where your next top-up is coming from.
