Junkrat guide – 2017 – Overwatch

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Junkrat’s abilities and strategy tips

Junkrat is Overwatch’s master of mechanical mayhem, and you should expect an explosive experience with this character. Here’s a look at all of his abilities, and how you should best utilise them on the battlefield.

Frag Launcher [LMB] – The bad news about Junkrat’s Frag Launcher is that it’s very hard to hit a particular target with its bouncing bombs. You can turn that lack of precision into a virtue, however, by spamming those grenades around a particular area, and making it extremely dangerous for the enemy to linger around in one place. Stick to ground-based opponents when you can, as it’s very hard to hit aerial heroes with this weapon. Gravity will also help you rain hell down on any attacking team.

Concussion Mine [LSHIFT] – There are a couple of uses for Junkrat’s Concussion Mine. First of all, you can – of course – simply leave it around for an enemy to wander into and that’ll cause them some serious pain. Alternatively, you can actually use it to gain height. Run into the mine and detonate it and you’ll take off, receiving absolutely no damage in the process. Use this move to either gain height and then rain grenades down on your enemies, or as a way to zip across the map faster when you need to get back into the fight.

Steel Trap [E] – If an enemy wanders into your Steel Trap then they’ll be held in position for one second, giving your friends the perfect opportunity to finish them off. Alternatively, you can combo this ability with Concussion Mine. When the UI informs you that an opponent has been trapped, detonate the mine to do a very satisfying dollop of damage to them. When it comes to Overwatch’s squishiest characters, this will almost certainly spell their doom. Try to place your trap in chokepoints that lead towards an objective, so that you increase your odds of bagging a victim.

RIP-Tire [Q] – Junkrat’s Ultimate does an incredible amount of damage when it’s detonated, and the noise of it being revved up is sure to put the fear of God into the enemy team – it will also warn them at the same time, of course Steer it towards your target (referencing our tips section below for extra advantage), then tap the left mouse button when you wish to blow it up. Enemies can shoot the tire before it explodes, but note that Torbjorn’s turrets will not automatically target this wheel of death. This can be a great way of dealing with annoying defensive threats represented by this hero and others.

Total Mayhem [PASSIVE] – Given Junkrat’s relatively low damage output, it’s only fitting that he should at least go out with a massive bang – and have a good crack at taking everyone else out with him in the process. There’s not much to say about this ability – it’s passively cast, after all – although you should try to take a target or two down with you if you know you’re about to croak! If you know the fight is going to end badly, might as well go all in and get close to your killer…

Here are some tried and tested Junkrat tips that will improve your play with this character a huge amount. A little further down the page, you’ll find some very useful strategy tips for individual maps in the game – we’re expanding on this section regularly.

• Range is very much your friend when it comes to playing Junkrat. Place your mines and traps in the likely path of the enemy’s approach, then move back and dish out your damage from a distance.
• Spam that grenade launcher like it’s going out of fashion, and try to spread your damage around if you’re not completely sure of the other team’s precise location. You should be bouncing this ability off walls, floors, ceilings and doors in order to create a pathway of absolute chaos for the enemy.
• Be very wary of characters like Pharah who typically maintain a height advantage. Junkrat’s weapons are all subject to arc and gravity, which do not play nicely with enemies who are positioned higher on the map than you are. The best place for a Junkrat is near some kind of cover, where he can fire out in relative peace.
• Until you have a lot of experience under your belt, you’re not likely to have much fun trying to land grenades directly upon an enemy target, so instead focus on spreading damage around in a specific area. This will cause plenty of chaos and confusion for the enemy team, and leave them with no safe space to run to. It’s also good for splitting up enemy teams when they’re pushing the Payload.
• Most Junkrat players will re-mine an area they’ve had success with, so make sure you change your path of approach if you’re trying to bust through his defenses! At the very least you should try to make him work harder for his kills!
• The noise of your RIP-Tire can be a real giveaway, but it only makes a great deal of noise when it’s travelling. If it’s driving into a wall, you can use the element of surprise to catch the enemy team off-guard. Just keep in mind you have a ticking clock with this ability.
• If you know you’re going to die as Junkrat, it can be worth getting closer to the enemy rather than further away – particularly if they themselves are at low health. The damage from your death may be enough to finish off the job, and hey – you might as well take someone with you.
• If you just let your RIP-Tire roll towards your target in a straight line, they’ve a very good chance of them simply shooting it down or dodging it altogether. Instead, consider flanking around them through a side corridor or alleyway in order to add an extra layer of confusion.
• Junkrat synergises well with heroes like Widowmaker or Hanzo, who can provide vital extra intelligence on the location of the enemy team. Once spotted, all you need to worry about is hurling death and destruction their way.
• You are incredibly vulnerable to being picked off while you’re playing around with RIP-Tire, so make sure you’ve chosen a solid hiding spot before letting rip. If anyone’s spotted you when the sound revs, they will take the opportunity to rush your position and pick you off. You might consider dropping a Steel Trap nearby before you fire off RIP-Tire, just to buy yourself a little more breathing space for your explosive wheel to get its job done.

Map-specific advice for Junkrat

Here’s a little extra guidance for playing Junkrat on specific map types:

Junkrat: Assault tips

Junkrat’s probably not your first choice on maps where you’re attacking a control point, but if you stay behind a Reinhardt shield you can push a surprising amount of offensive damage. Alternatively, look for high vantage points you can use to dish out damage the defenders will find tricky to control.

When defending Assault maps, look for likely flanking routes where you can plant a trap and catch any sneaky attackers off-guard. Otherwise, stay mobile and focus on delivering a steady stream of disruptive damage towards whether the enemy is clustering in their push.

Junkrat: Control tips

Again, use your traps to block off flanking access. This becomes particularly important when you have a team well held back and at a stalemate. At this point it becomes increasingly likely that one of the enemy team will switch and try to disrupt your team from a different approach.

Junkrat: Escort tips

Coming soon!

Junkrat: Hybrid tips

Coming soon!

Unit Lost’s Junkrat guide

For some useful Junkrat tips and tricks in video form, check our Unit Lost’s guide to the hero.

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Junkrat counters and match-ups

Here’s how things stack up for Junkrat in the current metagame.

If a hero makes use of shields, then Junkrat’s spammy damage is great for wearing them down while also delivering splash damage to any nearby enemies. Very slow characters in this category include Reinhardt – especially as his friends are likely cowering behind that shield. We also feel Junkrat is great against Support characters and tanks in general thanks to RIP-Tire – if you manage to master landing your target, of course…

Any hero that specialises in sneaking in to bother the backlines represents a threat to Junkrat. In addition to the characters mentioned in our top three round-up, you also need to watch out for beefy characters like Winston, who can come bounding in to dish out a pummeling. Then there are characters who can flank behind Junkrat like Reaper and Tracer – you’ll rarely win an even duel in this scenario.

For help with other heroes, make sure you check out our complete Overwatch: Counters guide.

Junkrat’s Skins, Victory Poses, Emotes and Voice Lines

At this stage of Overwatch’s pre-release life, Junkrat doesn’t seem to have all that many customisation options. Expect this to change as we approach launch – we’ll update this section the next time we revisit our Junkrat guide.