The cyborg ninja Genji Shimada was one of the most popular heroes in the original Overwatch and it remains that way in Overwatch 2. However, don’t be deceived by his fame it isn’t an easy hero to master. It takes some time and practice to reach his full potential. And that’s where this how to play Genji guide will come in handy!
Genji is a damage Hero meaning he’s responsible for seeking out, engaging, and defeating the enemy using his varied tool abilities and play styles. It’s one of the flashiest and most popular roles in Overwatch 2. Compared to other damage heroes Genji can be quite challenging to get the hang of. You will need to be mindful of the battlefield and its opponents.
Genji’s Abilities
Let’s have a look at Genji’s abilities:
- Shuriken – Type: Primary Attack. Throws an accurate burst of 3 projectiles by left clicking. Throws a fan of 3 projectiles in an arc when right clicking.
- Deflect – Type: Ability. Deflects incoming projectiles towards the direction you are aiming and block melee attacks
- Swift Strike – Type: Ability. Rapidly dashes forward and inflicts damage on enemies. Eliminations reset the cooldown time.
- Dragonblade – Type: Ultimate. Unsheathe a deadly melee weapon.
- Cyber-Agility – Type: Passive Ability. Can climb on walls and double jump.
Genji’s Positioning
His positioning depends on his team and the enemy team’s status you must know when to attack and when to retreat.
When you’re in a close-range situation you can use the alternate fire to fan your Shuriken then dash towards the enemy with Swift Strike followed immediately by a second Shuriken fan or a quick melee attack. This combination will take most 200 health heroes to very low health. Make sure when using Swift Strike to angle it towards the ground to reduce the distance travelled by the dash or angled up in the air to quickly escape the enemy.
Due to Genji’s speed and close-range abilities flanking is a key component in Genji’s playstyle. You can use wall climbing and double jump abilities to swiftly move behind the enemy.
How to use Genji’s Deflect
You deflect has the capacity to save your team from strong Ultimate’s or abilities. While also giving your team the chance to quickly counterattack. However, it has a long cooldown meaning you need to think carefully about when to use it. Ideally, you want to save it to deflect an enemy ability or ultimate.
How to Cancel Animations
When you use certain abilities there’s an animation. Now you can cancel this animation by using wall climbing and Swift Strike abilities. You can use this to your advantage to quickly get back to attacking.
What’s Genji’s Achilles Heel
Genji has a hard time against Tanks. They have high health pools that can be quite tricky to burst down using Genji’s combinations. They also have the ability that can evade Deflect.
How to Use Dragonblade
Genji’s ultimate is quite powerful, but it takes a few seconds to activate leaving you vulnerable. You also need to get close to deal damage, so we recommend pairing up with a tank when using Dragonblade so, you can get closer to your targets without taking damage and safely retreat once the ultimate ends. When performed effectively Dragonblade deals a fair amount of damage with each swing and can quickly eliminate the enemy team.
We hope this article was helpful and now you can show off your Genji skills! Make sure to check out our other Overwatch 2 Articles if you liked this one!
