In Overwatch 2, Ana is undoubtedly one of the most notable support heroes. Her legacy speaks for itself.
This retired sniper was the first hero to be added to Overwatch following its release in 2016 and, since then, she’s been a consistently prominent support hero. Her abilities are relatively simple yet deadly. Even in Overwatch 2, where the heroes are considerably more complicated to play against thanks to amped-up abilities and higher health stores, Ana can still turn the tide and help secure a win for her team.
Unfortunately, these benefits come with a price. Learning to play Ana may seem daunting at first, as aiming accurately is critical, but you’ll be taking down tanks in no time if you practice enough. Let’s look at what makes Ana a viable support hero and how to make the most of her skillful abilities.
Overwatch 2 Ana
Overwatch 2 Ana: story and background
Ana was one of the founding members of Overwatch and so is integral to the game’s lore. In her heyday, she was known as the greatest sniper in the world. However, this title and her eye were taken away in one fell swoop.
While trapped in a firefight against Talon operatives, Ana was pinned down by another well-known Overwatch hero, Widowmaker. Despite lining up the shot against Widowmaker, Ana could not fire against this spider-like sniper. For those who don’t know, Widowmaker was the fiance to Ana’s dead comrade, putting her in an awkward position when it came to pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, Widowmaker didn’t have the same trepidations. She quickly took Ana out, shooting her in the eye, and ultimately taking the mantle of the greatest sniper.
Despite common belief, Ana did manage to survive this grave injury, but as the world believed her dead, she thought it best to hide in the shadows. This camouflage meant she could travel the world and protect those she loved from a distance, including her beloved daughter Fareeha Amari, otherwise known as Pharah.
Overwatch 2 Ana: abilities
Primary Fire: Biotic Rifle
Description: Long-ranged rifle that heals allies and damages enemies
In Overwatch 2, Ana’s Biotic Rifle allows her to switch between healing and damaging efficiently. You don’t need to press a different button or swap out guns; you just need to aim at whoever you want to hit. Aim at a hero on your team to heal, and aim at an enemy hero to damage.
Despite looking like a sniper rifle, those days are behind Ana now. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to get any headshots with this as your weapon. Luckily, this shouldn’t be too much of a problem, especially as the latest patch notes have increased Ana’s damage and healing from 70 to 75. In Overwatch 2, Ana can take care of a DPS hero within two to three shots.
Some tips and tricks to note about this weapon:
- Although you have a scope, firing the biotic rifle unscoped as a projectile is excellent for messy close-quarters combat as it gives you a better field of vision.
- Shots pass through full-health allies.
Ability: Sleep Dart
Description: Fires a dart that puts an enemy to sleep.
Ana’s sleep dart is her greatest asset and one of the most important features in the game, especially right now. Many of the strongest heroes on the block can only be stopped by this skill. For example, in Overwatch 2, Ana is Roadhog's biggest weakness as he is such a massive Sleep Dart target, while a prick can immediately stop Ramattra’s destructive ultimate from this dart.
Some tips and tricks to note about this ability:
- Unfortunately, the cooldown for this ability is 14 seconds. Hence, you must save it, especially for ultimates or aggressive enemy attacks.
- You won’t be able to sleep an ulting Orisa, trust me, I’ve tried. So it’s best just to keep your distance.
- The new ping feature is your best friend. If you ping a sleeping enemy, it will alert the rest of your team so they can gang up on the snoozing hero.
- It is worth noting that slept enemies will wake up as soon as they are dealt damage. So don’t do anything until your cooldowns have finished.
Ability: Biotic Grenade
Description: A grenade that heals and increases healing on allies while damaging and preventing healing on enemies.
Like the Sleep Dart, this grenade can be a lifesaver for both yourself and your team. In Overwatch 2, Ana is still a consistent healer, although she can sometimes struggle to restore the health of her allies quickly. In this case, it’s best to whip out your Biotic Grenade as it will dramatically speed up the process and will affect everyone in a four-meter radius.
It is also an excellent way to help your team deal with damage. If you get a big hit on the enemy team, your allies will get four seconds to swoop in and finish the job, as the enemy healers won’t be able to heal their team at all.
Some tips and tricks to note about this ability:
- This ability pairs excellently with the Sleep Dart, especially on tanks. If you look to sleep a Roadhog and then use your Biotic Grenade, your team will be able to take him out in seconds.
- If you’re being attacked by a frustrating DPS hero who is too fast for your scope, like Genji or Tracer, then letting them get close and throwing the grenade on the floor will not only heal you but will hurt them and could well scare them off.
Ultimate: Nano Boost
Description: Increases an ally’s damage while reducing damage taken.
Nano Boost is a surprisingly offensive ultimate for the old sniper, but it goes to show you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. This ultimate helps any hero to up their offense and will make your average ultimate go from scary to deadly.
It doesn’t only up the damage of the target but will also reduce their damage taken by 50% while giving them more health in the process. Therefore, while you usually want to Nano the hero with the best ultimates, like Genji, Reinhart, or Reaper, you can also use a Nano to save a hero who is near death.
Some tips and tricks to note about this ability:
- Nano boost needs coordination. Tell your team when you have it and who you will give it to for the best effects.
- In the Deathmatch mode, Ana can use this ultimate on herself.
- Be aware that if you Nano is a hero who can change form, like D.Va or Echo, the Nano will disappear as soon as they shift.
Overwatch 2 Ana: gameplay breakdown
Like in the original, in Overwatch 2, Ana is an adept sniper; you can keep some distance between herself and everyone else, choosing to stay away from the main brawls and instead heal and damage from afar. Even when a frustrated DPS eventually tries to track you down, thanks to her Sleep Dart and Biotic Grenade abilities, she can effectively protect herself from most oncoming attacks. That is, as long as your aim is good enough.
But in Overwatch 2, Ana’s role isn’t to go one-on-one with DPS. In reality, the best way she can support her team is by doing a steady and consistent amount of healing and damage, with the occasional Biotic Grenade thrown in for good measure.
