Overwatch 2 Reaper guide: lore, abilities, and gameplay (2024)

In Overwatch 2, Reaper has quickly become a fan favorite for new and veteran players alike. With the help of his trusty shotguns, this DPS hero is a reliable choice for those who like to get up close and personal.

This black-robed terrorist has cemented himself as one of the most viable choices in Overwatch 2, partly thanks to his ability to counter almost any tank that dares face him. Reaper is self-sufficient in offense and defense, which relieves pressure on teammates and provides a deadly consequence for the enemy team.

What to know how to take this simple but deadly DPS hero to the next level? Read on for the complete guide to Reaper’s lore, abilities, and gameplay.

Overwatch 2 Reaper

Overwatch 2 Reaper guide: story and background

In Overwatch 2, Reaper, or Gabriel Reyes, is somewhat of a fallen angel. Once an esteemed member of the Overwatch task force as its first strike commander and the subsequent leader of Blackwatch, a covert ops which housed heroes such as Genji, Moira, and Cassidy, Gabriel, Reaper has since left the hero organization in disgrace.

Frustrated with Overwatch's bureaucracy and red tape that prevented him from seeking true Justice after the capture of Doomfist, Reaper was persuaded to join the terrorist organization known as Talon.

Believed dead after an attack on Overwatch’s Swiss Headquarters, Reaper now travels the globe hunting down Overwatch operatives. This journey even brought him to cross paths with his former teammates Ana and Soldier 76; while everyone walked away from this fight, there is no telling what this mercenary will do in the future.

For more information on Reaper’s story and fall from grace, check out the short story Code of Violence.

Overwatch 2 Reaper guide: abilities breakdown

Primary Weapon: Hellfire Shotguns

Description: Short-range spread weapons

In Overwatch 2, Reaper’s Hellfire Shotguns is one of the deadliest short-range weapons, besides Roadhog’s Scrap Gun and Junker Queen’s Scattergun. Dealing up to 108 damage per shot, Reaper can eliminate DPS and Support heroes within two hits. However, the fall-off range for these guns is 10 to 20 meters, so the closer, the better.

Some tips and tricks for this weapon:

• You’re most vulnerable when reloading due to the 1.5-second animation, so time this well.
• You can secure a headshot with this weapon.

Ability: Shadow Step

Description: Teleport to a targeted location

Shadow Step is the only way Reaper can scale heights quickly (unless stairs are lying about). As Overwatch 2 has a ton of verticality, this ability will come in handy when chasing down enemy heroes or picking a spot to hide and surprise attack the opposing team.

The max range on Shadow Step is 35 meters, so you can get to some exciting and creative spots if you try hard enough.

Some tips and tricks for this ability:

• You aren’t invulnerable while using this ability, and thanks to the 2 seconds casting time, enemy heroes may be able to target you while you’re teleporting.
• Your chosen location is marked with black smoke, giving enemy heroes enough time to line up a headshot, so use Shadow Step at your discretion.
• Shadow Step can be used mid-air, significantly reducing Reaper’s fall speed.

Ability: Wraith Form

Description: Move faster and become invulnerable

Wraith Form Reaper can travel up to 24.75 meters for up to 3 seconds with a 50% speed buff. This power gives Reaper good horizontal mobility. As the cooldown for this ability is 8 seconds, you should time Wraith Form well, as you won’t always be able to rely on it.

Some tips and tricks for this ability:

• Wraith Form is the perfect way to close the distance between Reaper and enemy DPS and support heroes.
• Reaper is cleansed of all status effects, such as Mei’s ultimate Blizzard or Ana’s Biotic Grenade.
• Shifting to Wraith Form automatically reloads the Hellfire Shotguns to full ammo.

Passive Ability: The Reaping

Description: Dealing damage to enemy heroes heals you

In Overwatch 2, Reaper is one of the few non-support heroes that can heal himself, the others being Roadhog, Soldier 76, Tracer, Mei, and Junker Queen. This passive ability counts any damage Reaper inflicts, whether with a weapon or a melee and heals 35% of the total damage dealt.

Some tips and tricks for this passive ability:

• As The Reaping is a passive ability, it happens automatically.
• Self-healing does not generate ultimate charge.

Ultimate: Death Blossom

Description: While spinning, Reaper unloads both Hellfire Shotguns damaging all nearby enemies.

Death Blossom deals 170 damage a second per target, with a duration of 3 seconds. This ultimate has the potential to wipe out the entire enemy team. However, timing and location are vital to securing that team kill.

The area of effect is 8 meters, so you’ll have to wait until the opposition is grouped tightly together. Mitigating this ultimate is possible thanks to abilities like Kiriko’s Suzu and D.Va’s Defense Matrix. Therefore, your safest bet is to wait until you see these heroes dish out their abilities and then immediately go for the kill.

Some tips and tricks for this ultimate:

• Use Shadow Step to get a good vantage point to launch your ultimate attack.
• Death Blossom gives Reaper 59.5 healing a second per enemy, with a potential of 297.5 total healing every second when you catch all five enemies in one place.
• After Death Blossom, the Hellfire Shotguns are automatically reloaded.

Overwatch 2 Reaper guide: gameplay breakdown

In Overwatch 2, Reaper thrives in close combat, especially when he’s up against tanks. Due to his passive ability, The Reaping, he can slowly seep health away from enemies meaning that the bigger the target’s health bar, the more health he can steal. Therefore, if Reaper has a tank like a Roadhog, he can live much longer in a fight than your average DPS hero.

This ability speaks to Reaper’s purpose in every fight. Instead of a cautious long-range hero like Widowmaker or Ashe, whose purpose is to cover sightlines, Reaper is best used on the front lines supporting his tank.

This way, Reaper can whittle down the opposing tank’s health to nothing while the other DPS is targeting the backlines of the enemy team. However, while Reaper can happily go up against any tank, fighting fellow DPS heroes is paradoxically more challenging. This is thanks to DPS heroes having less health and access to ranged attacks; the same goes for Support heroes with good mobility. If you can distance yourself from an attacking Reaper, then the masked terrorist will be at a disadvantage.

So really, the key to Reaper is to be relentless in chasing down your enemies, and never let them get away.

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