Overwatch Tips: How to Counter Tracer

Chances are you’ve seen this hero a million times already. While Blizzard has made an effort to give all of the heroes their time to shine in the spotlight, there’s just something about this spunky offensive character that draws fans in. She’s fairly easy to use, making her a go-to for a lot of players. But, for those who have to go up against her, she’s a nightmare in the arena.

Tracer is best defined by one trait: speed. She is incredibly fast, and that’s bolstered by her Blink and Recall abilities. Blink allows her to make a short teleportation dash in a straight line up to three times in a row. One second she’s across the room, next she’s right in your face dumping plasma rounds into your gaping maw. That ability to quickly appear and escape makes her a tough one to pin down.

If you do manage to get the drop on her, her Recall ability lets her teleport to wherever she was three seconds ago, with the same health and ammo she had at that time. Managed to pop in behind her? She can rewind and end up directly behind you in a flash as she proceeds to plant a Pulse Bomb on your back.

The unpredictable nature of a character such as Tracer can be pretty intimidating, but if you know how to approach her, you can pick her off with ease.

Countering Tracer

Range and Defense

Tracer is fast, and that may cause you to panic, but if you remember that she’s most effective at close to mid range you’ll do just fine. Seeing her across the room isn’t a big deal, and if she spots you, there is no reason to run. She has a very small pool of health that she relies on, and she has to come in relatively close to take you down. If you’re a powerful character like a Defender, you can hold your own in a one on one as long as you keep an eye on her. She’ll use her speed to keep changing distance or lose you so she can sneak up close. Keep your defensive skill (shields, walls, healing) at the ready, just in case.

Count Her Blinks

Tracer can only use three Blinks back to back. She doesn’t have to, but it takes a few seconds for a new Blink to charge up. If you encounter a Tracer who overreaches and uses all of them to get to you, punish her before it recharges. As mentioned, she doesn’t have much health, so she’ll die rather quickly.

Try to Remember Her Placement

It’s possible to easily predict where her Recall ability will take her if you keep a cool head and pay attention. Recall will take her three seconds into the past. So if you pin her down and she panics, you can get her to teleport to exactly where she’s standing. On top of that, if you catch her in a run, you can lead your shot to get her where the run began. It’s tricky, but far from impossible.

It All Comes Down to Understanding

Above all, if you understand Tracer to the point where you can use her well, you can easily defeat her. She’s not especially powerful, so understanding that she has to get around to win will help you plan your way of dealing with her.

For more guides, tips and tricks, check out our ever-expanding Overwatch Wiki.