Tips and tricks for coming out on top in Overwatch's 1 v 1 combat mode.
Mystery Duel is Overwatch’s first proper in-game system for handling 1v1 combat and will certainly test your knowledge of the game’s wider collection of heroes. Got a main you doggedly refuse to switch from? You are going to hate this new addition to the game, offering as it does a quick-fire, round-based dance between every hero in the game.
To say that this mode is – like its 3v3 equivalent – a pretty tense affair is to put it very mildly indeed. Despite the casual nature of Arcade Mode, you really want to bring nothing less than your A game here, as losing your concentration can quickly lose you the encounter overall.
At the time of first writing our guide to Mystery Duel, the content had only been live on the test servers for a few hours, and so you can expect this article to expand considerably over time. Certainly by the time it hits the live servers we hope to provide you with a truly indispensable resource for this exciting new area of the game!
Got any tips of your own? Let us know in the comments and we’ll add them in when we next update the guide.
Rules
While this is a pretty simple 1v1 offering, there are some rules at play behind the scene. Here’s what makes this particular match-up special.
- Players: 2
- Map: Ecopoint Antarctica
- Random Hero
- Mirrored Hero
- Unavailable Hero: Lucio
- Unavailable Hero: Mercy
- Victory: Defeat your opponent five times
So, short version is that this is a one on one fight on Ecopoint Antarctica with randomly selected identical heroes. First to five kills wins and you can’t play as Lucio or Mercy. Good luck…
(Oh, and if you were hoping to be able to challenge friends to 1 v 1 duels directly, Blizzard is apparently working on this feature right now.)
More Arcade Mode guides:
Tips
We’re still wrapping our heads around some of the finer points of play here, although it goes without saying that the broader your understanding of the game’s roster of heroes is, the better you’re going to perform. (Warning: be prepared to find out just how bad you may actually be at playing some of your favourite characters…)
The patch has only just gone live at the time of writing this first edition of the guide, and so expect this section to be expanded fast. Here’s a heads-up on a couple of important things we’ve discovered so far though:
- Hiding won’t get you very far at all. After a few minutes have passed, both heroes are gifted a reveal effect similar to Widowmaker’s Ultimate. If no-one dies during that time, the round counts as a draw.
- The hero you’re both allocated is rotated out between rounds and you get very little time to react to your new Hero before the match starts. Don’t switch off for a minute, and do be ready to hit the info key if you’re rusty on any abilities.
- Ecopoint Antarctica provides plenty of structural scope for ground-based combat, as well as combat at different elevations. A Junkrat at height has an advantage over one below – in very general terms – as does Pharah against her mirror.
- If the hero has any kind of self-sustain such as health regeneration or shielding, use it judiciously and do not waste it – it will likely be the deciding factor during intense combat.
A little further down the page you’ll find links to all of our hero guides. If you know you have weaknesses anywhere in that roster, it’s time to grab yourself a cup of coffee and start brushing up on at least the basics. In certain cases you’ll also be able to access some more advanced guide content straight from these hero hubs.
Map knowledge will also be key here and so you’ll want to read up on our Ecopoint Antarctica guide while you’re at it. Again, if you’re reading this feature around the time of the PTR launch, we’re still in the process of updating all of our related guide content as we learn more – check back regularly as there will be updates to all areas on a daily basis.
Overwatch Hero guides
| Offense | Defense | Tank | Support |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genji | Bastion | D.Va | Ana |
| McCree | Junkrat | Reinhardt | Mercy |
| Pharah | Mei | Roadhog | Symmetra |
| Reaper | Widowmaker | Winston | Zenyatta |
| Sombra | Hanzo | Zarya | Lucio |
| Soldier: 76 | Torbjorn | – | – |
| Tracer | – | – | – |
Overwatch Hero Tier List:
Rewards
The first time you win Mystery Duel you’ll receive a Loot Box. Note that this win also counts towards your tally of weekly Loot Box wins as well.
