Overwatch: 10 Tips to Get Started | Mercy Hero Guide

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Get the low-down on Mercy, the premier Overwatch healer, with our quick character guide breaking down ten reasons why you’ll want to give this angelic medicine woman a spin competitively. Like Widowmaker and Soldier 76, Mercy is one of the most popular Open Beta selections, topping the list of support heroes thanks to her easy-to-understand gameplay style.

Even if you’re completely fresh to the world of online-FPS, Mercy is a great starter character that can do no wrong for a struggling team. Of course, you won’t want a team filled with supports, but if your allies keep dropping at chokepoints, Mercy is an invaluable asset for keeping the momentum on strong objective play. Here you’ll find extended pointers and suggestions to help get the most out of Mercy, from swapping her control scheme to using the HUD to garner the most battlefield information before launching your revives. There are plenty of nuances to Mercy beyond gluing yourself to the closest tank.

Support your team as the healer/buffer Mercy these ten quick tips to get you started.

10 Tips to Get Started | Mercy Hero Guide

No good at shooting games? No problem! Mercy is a support hero that can hang-back and heal all day, swapping between two helpful effects — healing or damage boosting.

Mercy, Medicine Woman – Healing is what Mercy does best. She is all about keeping heroes in the fight, and is the only hero that can revive downed allies. Her Healing Beam should be your primary tool of support, and once a beam is “attached” to a hero, it will not leave as long as you’re keeping the Staff activated. Breaking line-of-sight will remove the beam, but you have a brief moment to reconnect.
Live, Dammit, Live – In almost every situation, prioritize keeping your allies alive over topping-up the armor on tanks. Swap your healing beam to ailing heroes on their last legs and try to keep everyone in your vicinity alive instead of sticking to one particular ally.
Fully Charged – If no one is in danger, the healing beam will also recharge armor points and shields to make your tanks even more effective. Use the beam to really boost your toughest players after a grueling fight to help keep the push going.
Do No Harm – Mercy’s blaster is rated one of the worst, if not the worst, weapon in Overwatch. It is strictly for defensive purposes, and only effective if you have teammates nearby. And if you do have teammates, it’s almost always better to heal or damage boost them to deal with problems. The blaster is good for destroying Widowmaker or Junkrat mines, or blasting a left-over Symmetra turret.
Toggle the Streams – If you’re new to team-healing and want an easier input method, go to the settings and change Mercy’s primary-fire healing/damage buffing beam and turn it into a toggle. For master healers, this is a slightly less efficient model, but for newbies learning the ropes for Mercy’s movement, it is very helpful.
First Responder – Mercy’s wings allow her to quickly reach allies — she can also hover in place to deliver healing or damage boosting from above. These extra mobility options help Mercy follow D.va, Pharah, or any other heroes that can fly or traverse the environment freely.
Resurrection Party – Mercy’s Resurrection Ultimate revives all fallen allies in range that were defeated in the last 10 seconds. Using Resurrection can instantly turn the tide of a match, especially if used to counter dangerous Ultimate attacks like Zarya’s Graviton Surge. All revived heroes return with full health and are temporarily invulnerable until the revive animation is complete.
Hold Onto That Ultimate – Resurrection is too useful to waste. Don’t use it on a single hero if you can use it to revive multiple heroes, and don’t revive in a heavily guarded area where you’re hopelessly outgunned — that’ll just lead to a second death.
Know Your Surroundings – Before popping Resurrection, always try to make a few mental notes; check the Kill Feed to see who is dying, check the spot where the hero died on the map so you’ll know where they will revive, and watch the counter on your HUD to see how many heroes will be revived before using your ultimate.
You’ll Do More Damage That Way – Healing should be your primary focus, but using damage boost can change the flow of a battle if you pick your partners. Try to damage boost only heroes that, well, do lots of damage. Heroes like; Soldier 76, Pharah, Bastion, Junkrat, and McCree. Solid front-line fighters that don’t rely too hard on flanking tactics are your best bets.