Illari’s arrival into the Overwatch 2 meta means another hero to learn from scratch, but her entry has been made that much easier for players thanks to a few tips straight from Blizzard themselves.
OW2 hero designer Pedro Herrera gave a few pointers to players who are eager to get their hands on the new support. He also shed some light on how to effectively use her kit so players can jump right into the action.
Every half an hour for six hours on Aug. 10, the hero designer provided a new Illari tip via a Twitter thread—and they’re definitely worth writing down if you’re looking to try the new hero early.
Illari was only released today, and it looks like there’s already a deep meta for support mains to get the hang of. Odds are OW2 players will see Illari gamers using several sneaky combos effectively positioning themselves, thanks to Herrera.
10 developer tips for using Illari in Overwatch 2
Players using Illari should “take full advantage of your auto-charging Primary Fire” according to Herrera, as the charging feature allows players to use her various abilities to seamlessly maneuver around the map.
Her ultimate thrusts her into the air, providing ample room to surprise enemies from above. Illari’s Captive Sun ultimate slows enemies down and provides significant damage, which Herrera believes is perfect for flanking.
Herrera also pointed out that her ultimate ability would force players to spread out as they avoid its impact, which clears the payload in those do-or-die moments.
Illari’s Healing Pylon can be incredibly effective for holding an area. Placing the healing ability in a hard-to-destroy area can keep teammates alive for a significant amount of time.
Pairing her Healing Pylon with her secondary-fire healing is more than enough to keep your teammates alive, according to Herrera.
Using it as cover was also one of Herrera’s suggestions, but keeping it alive is also integral to your survival.
Illari’s primary fire is enough to take on a few heroes according to Herrera. Using your Healing Pylon gives you a sufficient health boost when taking on a damage hero who just won’t go away.
Developers introduced a feature for Illari to give players more control over some of her abilities. “You can either Press & Hold or just Hold Jump while activating the ability to go higher” while using Outburst.
Illari was initially meant to be the “anti-dive” support hero, according to Herrera. However, as time went on, she became less and less of a counter to that specific meta. Fear not, she still has some remnants of anti-dive.
If you find yourself in a sticky situation, use your Outburst to escape.
Players can trigger Illari’s Captive Sun ultimate after landing a fully-charged headshot with her primary fire. Herrera recommended waiting until it’s completely charged, instead of spamming.
Adding primary-fire potshots in between your secondary-fire healing ability can be the difference when charging it. Mixing it up and tagging some enemies will give you time to recharge your secondary fire.
To top off the list of must-know tips for the new hero, Herrera shared an insightful clip from former Overwatch League pro-turned-streamer emongg, who showed off a few Illari hero combos and particular ability interactions, such as the ultimate’s ability to bypass shields.
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Now that you’re all caught up, you should be able to dominate in your Overwatch 2 matches. Watch out though as the meta is sure to adapt, so enjoy it while it lasts.
