Reaper Abilities and Strategy (2024)

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Reaper (Gabriel Reyes) Guide Overview
  • 2. Reaper's Strengths
  • 3. Reaper's Weaknesses
  • 4. Reaper Synergies
  • 5. Reaper Counters
  • 6. Reaper Is Strong Against
  • 7. Reaper TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for Reaper
  • 9. Changelog
• ×Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Reaper TL;DR Tips
  • 2. Reaper's Abilities
    • 2.1. The Reaping
    • 2.2. Hellfire Shotguns
    • 2.3. Wraith Form
    • 2.4. Shadow Step
    • 2.5. Death Blossom
• +Playstyle
  • 1. Reaper Playstyle Introduction
  • 2. Reaper's Positioning
  • 3. Reaper's Abilities
  • 4. Reaper's Targets
  • 5. How to Use Death Blossom
• +Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. Reaper Synergies
  • 2. Reaper Counters
  • 3. Reaper Is Strong Against
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for Reaper
    • 1.1. Reaper on Temple of Anubis
    • 1.2. Reaper on Volskaya Industries
  • 2. Worst Map for Reaper
    • 2.1. Watchpoint: Gibraltar

On this page, you will find a detailed overview of the abilitiesthat Reaper has access to. We also explain how to bestuse these abilities.

The other pages of our Reaper guide can be accessedfrom the table of contents on the right.

• When playing Reaper as a flanker, you should wait to shoot enemies at the last second. If you fire shots too early, you will reveal yourself before you can secure the kill.
• Death Blossom can be started in mid-air, which means you can take enemies by surprise by initiating your ultimate before you hit the ground.
• Use Wraith Form to dodge enemy crowd control abilities like McCree's Flashbang.
• When flanking, look to kill enemy supports and damage dealers; when playing on the frontline, focus enemy barriers and tanks.
• Do not use Shadow Step onto positions that are in line of sight of enemies, as they can easily hit you with headshots.

As the name suggests, The Reaping is a passivethat works off of Reaper's actions. The Reaping is aself sustain ability that heals Reaper based on hisdamage output. The Reaping heals Reaper for 20% of his dealt damage, regardlessof the damage's source ( Hellfire Shotguns, Death Blossom, andmelee attacks all trigger The Reaping). Therefore, ifReaper deals 100 damage, he simultaneously heals himself for 20 health.

The Reaping is affected by all healing boosts and all healingdebuffs. As a result, a friendly Ana's Biotic Grenade will increase the healing of The Reaping to 30%, while anenemy Ana's Biotic Grenade will deny the healing of The Reaping.

Hellfire Shotguns are Reaper'sprimary weapon and the only form of damage outside ofhis ultimate. While the shotguns are the only weaponsReaper has, that does not negate their effectiveness. The shotguns release 20pellets per shot, and each pellet can deal anywhere from 2 to 7 damage dependingon Reaper's distance to his target. Anything under 10 meters away will deal 7damage, anything at or over 20 meters will deal 2 damage. Therefore, Reaper'sshotguns are unsurprisingly better at close range.

Hellfire Shotguns other mechanics include

• Spread of 20.1 degrees with every shot;
• 8 rounds;
• Reload time of 1.5 seconds;
• No secondary fire.

Wraith Form is one of two of Reaper'smobility abilities, but this one offers extrautility when compared to Shadow Step. Wraith Formallows Reaper to enter the world of shadows for 3 seconds, becoming imperviousto damage and enemy abilities. Wraith Form allows Reaper to move up on hisenemies without taking damage, or to escape from enemies without having toworry about dying.

In addition to Reaper's invincibility, Wraith Form increase Reaper's movementspeed by 50%. Therefore, Reaper can use Wraith Form to quicklygap close on enemy healers orto disengage from a lost fight.

The other mechanics of Wraith Form include

• It has an 8-second cooldown from the end of Wraith Form'susage.
• It is unusable when Reaper is stunned by abilities like McCree's Flashbang.
• Can be used to dodge stun abilities like Flashbang or Junkrat's Steel Trap.
• The ability automatically reloads Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns.
• Players can prematurely cancel the ability at any time.
• Wraith Form will drop enemy debuffs like Tracer's Pulse Bomband Zenyatta's Orb of Discord.

Shadow Step is Reaper's other mobilityability, but this one is actually used while Reaper stands still. When ShadowStep is used, Reaper will channel for 2.5seconds, after which he will travel from his current destination to the onethe player has marked with the ability. This means the ability can be used toreach high ground or to flankthe enemy team.

The mechanics of Shadow Step include

• The ability to teleport on any play area within 35 meters of Reaper'scurrent location;
• A 2-second duration;
• A 10-second cooldown from the end of the ability.

One of the foundational moves of the Overwatch universe, Death Blossom is a damage-dealingarea of effect ultimate.

When used, the camera angle of the game will go from first-person tothird-person, and Reaper will rapidly shoot his shotguns in a circle for3 seconds. The ability damages any enemies caught within an 8 meter radius ofReaper's position for 170 damage a second. During this time, Reaper's movementspeed is greatly reduced, leaving him with the ability to move at 3 meters asecond. Once the ability is finished, Reaper's Hellfire Shotguns willautomatically reload.

It should be noted that Death Blossom can be interrupted by enemy abilitiessuch as McCree's Flashbang, Ana's Sleep Dart, andRoadhog's Chain Hook. Therefore, Reaper should be weary of enemieswho can interrupt his damage. Additionally, players should know that Reaper canbegin his Death Blossom in mid-air, which means Reaper can drop onto enemiesfrom above to unleash hell.

About our Author

Mournflakes is a flex Grandmaster Overwatch player who boasts a career high SRrating of 4433. His favorite heroes are Roadhog, Soldier: 76, and Ana. He hasplayed Overwatch since its initial release, and has put over 700 hours intocompetitive play. When not writing guides, you can catch Mournflakes streamingon his Twitch channel.