Overwatch: Control Tips and Tricks

Don’t Be Too Eager

One of the easiest mistakes to be susceptible to when starting a match of Control is to head straight in for the control point. While you should definitely start making your way over toward it, don’t go sitting right in the middle of the point because you’re not going to do your team or yourself any favors. For the first 30 seconds of the game, the control point remains locked, meaning that you won’t be able to begin capturing or earning your team any points. Therefore, it’s best to take this time to set yourself up in a good position and try and pick off some of your opponents from a distance.

Thinning out the opposing team during these first 30 seconds can make acquiring the capture point much easier, and is more often than not the most significant point in a match of Control. Don’t set yourself to be shot down and miss out on the big rush once the control point unlocks by running in preemptively.

Remember It’s Objective-Based

We mentioned it in our Overwatch Escort tips and tricks and it applies in Control, too. Don’t forget that Control is all about capturing the objective point and not about how many kills you get. An effective Control player will know supporting the rest of their team is far more important and will play a larger part in the success of the team than being the player with the most kills at the end of the game.

Take a look at what Heroes your team has chosen, pick one that will fit in with the dynamic of the team and focus on the capture point and less about the enemies. Kills will come naturally if you’re defending or attacking effectively. Victory, however, won’t come naturally to players who are more focused on kills than the whole point of the game mode.

Communicate

When bullets start flying and the control point is being hotly contested between both teams, it’s understandable that you’ll get sidetracked and want to go all Rambo on your own and gun down your enemies. This, however, will see you dying far more often and becoming a burden to your Overwatch teammates.

Take the time to at least attempt to communicate with your team. Tell your team when the control point is clear by using the emote to ‘Group Up’ or ask to be healed when you’re battered and bruised after a shoot-out. You’ll be surprised by the number of players who will respond, even if it’s not a verbal response.

Adapt to the Circumstances

Depending on whether your team finds itself attempting to capture the control point off the opposing team or defending it from them, you’ll need to adapt to the circumstances appropriately. This is done largely by changing your Hero when you get the chance. If for example, you’re using an Offensive character when trying to defend the control point, you may find yourself in a bit of a struggle. That’s not to say that you can’t be effective, but the smaller HP bar of some Offensive Heroes could see you dying a little more than you’d like when things are getting a bit chaotic.

Alternatively, if you’re trying to capture the control point, you’ll want to make use of a combination of Support and Tank characters if you can communicate this with your team. A Support Hero buffing a Tank is a lethal combo and one that can make light work of a much less organized team. Think before you just run in with your regular main.

Save Your Ultimate for the Perfect Moment

Using your Ultimate is a pretty awesome feeling in Overwatch. Unleashing an incredibly powerful ability that, if used correctly, can change the momentum of a match is satisfying. With that in mind, you don’t want to waste it because you used it at the wrong time.

Save your Ultimate for when the perfect opportunity presents itself. The enemy is all bunched up around the control point and you’ve just sneaked in with Reaper? Then let the bullets fly and wipe ’em out. But using it on one enemy Hero you bump into on the way would be a waste. Ultimates are named so for a reason, don’t waste their power.

For more tips, tricks, and guides, be sure to check out our Overwatch wiki.