I can’t say I’m surprised. He’s everything a good tank should be — he’s massive, covered in armor, and can create a shield (besides his giant body) to protect his allies.
Plus, he has a rocket-powered hammer. You don’t see that every day.
Basic Info
As a tank, Reinhardt’s job is to soak up damage so his more fragile teammates can live an extra few seconds. He can do decent damage on his own, but he’s basically trying to keep his higher-damage teammates alive so they can take out the enemy.
His hammer has only one form of attack… but it’s enough. It swings in a wide arc and can deal some serious damage. Unfortunately it’s limited to melee range, so be ready to charge in often.
Like this:
Abilities
Reinhardt’s abilities, like those of all tanks, cater well to both offense and defense. He’s best known for his giant Barrier Field, although what separates the pros from the amateurs is how his other abilities are used.
Barrier Field - Reinhardt creates a giant barrier in front of himself to shield his team. He can walk and turn with it, although he can’t attack or use any abilities while it’s up.
Charge- The big guy ducks his head and charges forward like a football player. If he hits any enemies along the way, he grabs ’em and takes them for a ride. If he hits a wall while holding an enemy, they get smashed between two immovable objects. Ouch.
Fire Strike- Reinhardt swings his hammer hard, shooting a small column of fire that damages enemies.
Earthshatter (Ultimate) - Slamming a giant, rocket-propelled hammer has consequences. When Reinhardt does it, a giant shockwave is created in front of him that stuns and damages enemies.
Combat Tips
People love playing as (or with) Reinhardt because of his Barrier Field. Letting Bastion or Torbjörn’s turret sit behind it and go to down is an easy way to mow down a few attackers, for example.
But there’s a lot more to him than that.
Turn the payload into a moving fortress – Want to piss off your enemies? Stand on the payload holding up the Barrier Field – whether you’re on offense or defense. On offense, this lets you keep the payload moving while also protecting your buddies walking with it (or sitting on it, like the picture below). On defense, this lets your team set up a strong defense position that is difficult to break through.
Barrier Field > Fire Strike > Charge – That’s the basic combo to master. Once your shield goes down, launch a Fire Strike to weaken your enemies from afar. Then it’s time to play bullet sponge and Charge in to knock a few heads and scare the sh*t out of your enemies.
Don’t get too cocky – I don’t normally play tanks, so when I do I tend to feel a little more invincible than I actually am. Avoid rushing into a fight unless you know your team has your back. Reinhardt is a beast, but you won’t last long by yourself.
Combo your ultimate – Some ultimate abilities in this game work just fine by themselves. Reinhardt’s, however, tends to work best when a teammate can follow up yours with another. For example, let Pharah know when you’re about to ult, giving her a chance to launch into the air and set up for Barrage, or let Tracer prepare a game-winning Pulse Bomb.
Take your time with your hammer swing – Again, since I normally play ranged characters, I’m not great with melee. I tend to get in the thick of things and just start swinging without paying attention to what I’m doing. Reinhardt’s swings take a lot of time though, so take the 1/2 second to make sure you’ll actually smack an enemy in the face instead of just swinging blindly.
Good luck in your next match in Overwatch as Reinhardt! I hope these tips have the fun of going Leeroy Jenkins style without getting the whole team eliminated.
