5 best Overwatch 2 heroes to counter Reaper

Overwatch 2 continues to bring exciting 5v5 skirmishes to player's desktops and consoles. Blizzard Entertainment's latest hero shooter has something for everyone as far as its roster variety is concerned. These range from traditional assault heroes and snipers to more melee-centric characters and those capable of flight. Due to the game's competitive nature, certain heroes are more dangerous than others. One such character consistently topping the "priority list" is Reaper.

This dual-shotgun-wielding character can 1v1 most heroes with ease. This, coupled with his solid mobility abilities, makes him a menace on the field to deal with. Players are bound to find themselves at their wit's end when faced with an opponent Reaper. So read on to find out which among the couple dozen heroes are best suited to deal with him.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's views.

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5 Overwatch 2 heroes that can counter Reaper: Lucio, Echo, and more

The first thing to note about Reaper is his incredibly short range. Characters who can maintain medium- to long-range distance and deal with him before he can get close, or flee, are ideal.

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5) Lucio

A popular Support pick in Overwatch 2, Lucio dominates the competitive scene in his category. His main gimmick is his AoE (Area of Effect), which can either heal allies, or more importantly, boost their movement speed. The latter can be the key factor in changing the tide of an engagement. Furthermore, his Ultimate can grant a good amount of overhealth (i.e. temporary health) to allies.

This allows them a chance to survive Reaper's own deadly Death Blossom Ultimate, which fires at everyone in a 360 degree vicinity. Coupled with Lucio's ability to wall-run and knock away foes who get too close for comfort, and he can be a solid pick for swatting away a pesky Reaper trying to flank the team.

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4) Zarya

Zarya is a Tank class hero in Overwatch 2. While going head to head against a Reaper is a death sentence for many Tanks, Zarya has one unique trick up her sleeve: her Energy Barrier. She can grant a temporary shield either to herself or a targetted ally at the press of a button. What is more notable, however, is that any damage soaked up by the shield will add to her energy gauge, thus boosting her damage.

This can also allow vulnerable Supports like Ana to potentially survive Reaper's targetted assaults in Overwatch 2. Sure, Zarya's beam is somewhat middling against a Reaper. However, her grenade alt-fire can deal decent damage to a foe rushing towards the player. Her Graviton Surge Ultimate is also the cherry on top, pulling in any surrounding foes into a black hole at the target location, making them easy pickings.

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3) Echo

Since Reaper is pretty much useless at range, any hero who can drastically increase the gap between them get the thumbs up. Echo is one of the only few characters with manuverable flight.

To top it off, both her primary and seondary fire deal solid damage if players have good aim. Her Focusing Beam can also devastate foes with less than 50% health, allowing her to kill distracted Reapers with a surprise dive.

If players would rather give Reaper a taste of his own medicine, then her Duplicate Ultimate can allow her to temporarily assume his form with all his abilities. That includes the Death Blossom as well if the Ultimate gauge is charged up to full. But again, her non-conventional playstyle means some gamers will take some time to get used to her.

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2) Wiowmaker

A classic long-range DPS, Widowmaker is one of the strongest characters in Overwatch 2. However, she has a similarly high skill ceiling as well. Her gun can switch between a powerful sniper when scoped in and an assault rifle unscoped. Her ability to one-shot DPS and Dupports at full sniper charge makes her a solid counter to Reaper, especially when watching over allies from a vantage point.

Of course, there will be instances where an opponent Reaper will give chase after a Widowmaker, which is where her Grappling Hook factors in. This allows her a quick getaway from a pursuer.

While a strategically placed Venom Mine can also alert her to flankers, her Infra-Siight Ultimate can help her and allies see every opponent's location for a short duration. But once again, as with any sniper character in Overwatch 2, environmental awareness and game sense is incredibly crucial.

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1) Pharah

Pharah is the ultimate Reaper counter in Overwatch 2. She is the second and only other hero besides Echo capable of controllable flight. Furthermore, her primary fire lobs a powerful rocket at the target location, making her a deadly force to watch out for in the skies. Both these factors coupled together ensure that Reaper will be unable to touch her, espcially with a skilled player at the helm.

If one does manage to close the gap, then her Concussive Blast ability can knock them away. Her Barrage Ultimate is also incredibly powerful, capable of wiping out careless squads. But as always, be sure to utilize it from a range that Reaper cannot take advantage of - especially since it leaves her stationary, and thus vulnerable, in the air.

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Overwatch 2 is available as a free-to-play game on PC, PS4, XB1, PS5, XS X|S, and Nintendo Switch.