Overwatch: How to Play Pharah

Pharah in Overwatch

“I will protect the innocent.”

Overwatch has a bunch of characters for you to try out and master. Have you been thinking of kicking butt as Pharah? Well, to start, Pharah is an offense-based character with a jetpack and rocket launcher. If you’re playing as her, you’ll want to focus on pushing the team forward by being right on top of the enemy and chasing down the objectives. You’re all about the offense, you’ll need to be first out in the lines.

You’ll want to take her jetpack abilities and use them to your advantage. She has the capacity (with Jump Jet) to fly high up over the battlefield. Now, not only is this useful for getting out of a tight situation, but is also great for unleashing your attacks. Fly up using Jump Jet, hover a bit using your hovering ability, and then unleash rockets down below. This is especially useful against, say, Reinhardt when he’s got a shield right up and is blocking all attacks in front of him. Just jump above or land behind and he won’t see it coming.

Also keep in mind that your Concussive Blast is great for crowd control. If there are too many enemies all packed together or maybe someone chasing you down, launch this and they’ll be blown right back. Especially useful near ledges.

Finally, keep in mind that while your Ultimate as Pharah is incredibly powerful, Overwatch is very fast-paced. You might think you’re in a good position using that Barrage up against a group of opponents shooting at you, but you can be killed in an instant right in the middle of the attack. You’ll need to make sure you’re safe before you active your ultimate. Try to get at least two enemies at once, it’s a big waste if you use it just against one enemy. And don’t shy from spraying the whole screen up, you can get wild with the aim while the rockets are flying out.

Pharah’s Abilities

Rocket Launcher – Left Mouse Button/Left Trigger

“Long-range explosive projectile weapon.”

Your standard attack. You have six rockets in your launcher before you’ll need to reload, luckily it doesn’t take that long to. Your rockets will blow up so you won’t need to take direct shots, however, you do way more damage if you manage to land the hits right on the heroes. Nonetheless, missing sucks. Thus, you’ll want to not risk it and hit the surrounding area, be it a wall next to your enemy or the ground beneath their feet.

Hover Jets – Space/A/X

“Hold to hover.”

Hover after using Jump Jet to stay above the battlefield or use this ability to your advantage and reach some tough to see spots where your rockets can do major damage from atop.

Jump Jet – Shift/Right Bumper/R1

“Fly rapidly upwards.”

Jump Jet is perfect for getting out of a tough situation. Have a crazy firefight going on around you? Get some space between you and the enemies by flying up in the sky and getting the hell out of there. Additionally, you can use this to launch an offensive attack from above. Activate Jump Jet, hover above all your enemies, and rain death. Oh, and definitely consider some rooftops for Pharah, if even to just get across the battlefield. Jump Jet allows you to reach any high up sniping spots.

Concussive Blast – E/Left Bumper/L1

“Launch an explosive blast to knock back enemies.”

Concussive Blast is a lot of fun to use as it launches anything near it back. Use it for crowd control against a group of enemies or clear an objective area of those pests. Also, for kicks, try to blast an opponent off a ledge. Or yourself. It works on you, too.

Barrage (Ultimate) – Q/Y/Triangle

“Launch a continuous volley of mini-rockets.”

Pharah’s ultimate allows you to unleash a ton of mini-rockets wherever you’re aiming. Don’t think you’re invincible during this time as you can be instantly killed and your ultimate will be wasted. Spray those rockets all over the place because they’ll rapidly fire and you’ll have full aim during this time. It’s perfect for a group of enemies (that aren’t already shooting at you).

Backstory in Overwatch

Here’s Pharah’s official Overwatch backstory and background information, straight from Blizzard.

• Real Name: Fareeha Amari, Age: 32
• Occupation: Security Chief
• Base of Operations: Giza, Egypt
• Affiliation: Helix Security International

Fareeha Amari’s commitment to duty runs in her blood. She comes from a long line of highly decorated soldiers and burns with the desire to serve with honor.

As a child, Fareeha dreamed of following in her mother’s footsteps and joining the global peacekeeping force, Overwatch. She enlisted in the Egyptian army, and her dogged persistence and tactical prowess caused her to rise up through the officer ranks. She was a courageous leader and earned the loyalty of all who served under her. With her exemplary record, Fareeha was well placed to join the ranks of Overwatch, but before she had that opportunity, Overwatch was disbanded.

After leaving the army with a commendation for distinguished service, she was offered employment with Helix Security International, a private security firm contracted to defend the artificial intelligence research facility beneath the Giza Plateau. The top-secret facility was touted as vital to the safety of not only the region but countries across the globe. Fareeha gladly accepted the choice assignment and received training in the Raptora Mark VI, an experimental combat suit designed for rapid mobility and devastating firepower.

Under the call sign “Pharah,” she works to safeguard the AI installation. Though she mourns Overwatch’s passing, she still dreams of fighting the good fight and making a difference on a global scale.