Brigitte Abilities and Strategy

Table of Contents

• +Introduction
  • 1. Overview of Brigitte
  • 2. Brigitte's Strengths
  • 3. Brigitte's Weaknesses
  • 4. Brigitte Synergies
  • 5. Brigitte Counters
  • 6. Brigitte Is Strong Against
  • 7. Brigitte TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for Brigitte
  • 9. Changelog
• ×Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Brigitte TL;DR Tips
  • 2. Brigitte's Abilities
    • 2.1. Inspire
    • 2.2. Rocket Flail
    • 2.3. Whip Shot
    • 2.4. Repair Pack
    • 2.5. Barrier Shield
    • 2.6. Shield Bash
    • 2.7. Rally
  • 3. Changelog
• +Playstyle
  • 1. Introduction to Brigitte
  • 2. Offensive Combos for Brigitte
  • 3. Crowd Control for Brigitte
  • 4. Defensive Maneuvers for Brigitte
  • 5. Ultimate Usage for Brigitte
• +Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. Synergies for Brigitte
    • 1.1. Roadhog & Brigitte
    • 1.2. Moira & Brigitte
    • 1.3. Reaper & Brigitte
  • 2. Brigitte Counters
    • 2.1. Pharah & Brigitte
    • 2.2. Sombra & Brigitte
    • 2.3. Junkrat & Brigitte
  • 3. Brigitte Is Strong Against
    • 3.1. Tracer & Brigitte
    • 3.2. D.Va & Brigitte
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for Brigitte
    • 1.1. Brigitte on Temple of Anubis
    • 1.2. Brigitte on Hanamura
  • 2. Worst Map for Brigitte
    • 2.1. Brigitte on Watchpoint: Gibraltar

On this page, you will find a detailed overview of the abilities that Brigitte has access to. We also explain how to best use these abilities.

The other pages of our Brigitte guide can be accessed from the table of contents on the right.

• It is fun to use Rocket Flail like you are Reinhardt, but your true potential lies in healing your team with Inspire and looking for opportunities to Crowd Control opponents.
• Use Shield Bash to: cross gaps, jump in front of allies who need cover, and to duel enemies.
• Never use Rally when a powerful enemy ultimate is already in use. Rally takes time to assist allies, so it should be used proactively instead of reactively.
• If under fire, use Barrier Shield to hide while Inspire heals you over time. If you are close to death and Inspire is not trigged, try to Shield Bash an enemy, trigger Inspire by using Rocket Flail, then hide behind Barrier Shield.

Brigitte's Inspire is a Self-Sustain and Area of Effect (AoE) heal triggered by damage done by Brigitte's Rocket Flail. Her primary attack, Rocket Flail, and her highest damage-dealing ability Whip Shot both trigger Inspire's effects. Inspire is the only ability in the game that heals ally heroes, as opposed to healing oneself, by dealing damage.

Inspire is one of the strongest AoE healing abilities in the Overwatch universe alongside Moira's Biotic Grasp (LMB) and Lúcio's Crossfade boosted by Amp It Up. Inspire heals Brigitte and allies for 80 health over 5 seconds (or 16 health a second), but allies must be within 20 meters of Brigitte's position to receive the benefits of Inspire. It is important to note that Inspire only heals allies who are are in Line of Sight of Brigitte when Inspire is triggered. After an ally receives Inspire, the healing persists even when Brigitte is no longer in line of sight. Also, full health heroes who obtain an Inspire stack can be healed if they receive damage within the five second heal time.

The mechanics of Inspire are a little tricky to comprehend. Inspire is a passive ability, so Brigitte automatically uses Inspire when she strikes an enemy with Whip Shot or her Rocket Flail. Once Inspire is used, it is put on a hidden Cooldown for 1.5 seconds. If Brigitte strikes an enemy with Rocket Flail or Whip Shot immediately after the 1.5 seconds are up, the second inspire will take over the first Inspire. This in turn will result in 80 healing over 5 seconds as long as Brigitte is in the fray.

It is vital to note that, currently, Inspire has a weird relationship with multi-level buildings. Since allies must be in line of sight to receive Inspire, obstacles can get in the way. However, multi-level buildings can negate Inspire's reach even though allies appear to be in line of sight. As can be seen in the following clip, Brigitte must position herself right on the edge of an upper-story pathway to hit her her allies with Inspire's effects.

Brigitte's Rocket Flail is very similar to Reinhardt's Rocket Hammer as they are both extended melee attacks. However, there are a few key differences between Rocket Flail and Rocket Hammer. Rocket Flail has a farther reach (5 meters) than Rocket Hammer, which means Brigitte does not have to stand close to her target to deal damage. Speaking of damage, Brigitte's flail only deals 35, less than half of Rocket Hammer's 75 damage. The execution of the attacks are almost identical, as both weapons sweep in front of the player in a short arc, the first attack sweeping from right to left, and every attack after that alternating left to right and right to left. To deal effective damage with Brigitte, it is important that players learn the flail's travel patterns as Brigitte's Point of View has an affect on its arc.

The main difference between Reinhardt's Rocket Hammer and Brigitte's Rocket Flail is the flail's ability to trigger Brigitte's Inspire ability. Due to Inspire, the flail contains healing properties which gives Brigitte Self-Sustain and casts an Area of Effect heal which affects teammates within a 20 meter radius, healing all allies for 80 health over five seconds.

Brigitte's Whip Shot is her only other damage-dealing ability aside from Rocket Flail. When used, Brigitte whips her flail, sending it up to 20 meters away from her in whichever direction she is currently looking, much like Roadhog's Chain Hook. If Brigitte manages to strike an enemy, her flail will deal 70 damage while simultaneously (if not on cooldown) triggering Inspire at Brigitte's location. Once Brigitte strikes an enemy or wall, the flail will then return her. The ability has a four second Cooldown from whenever Brigitte receives her flail.

The flail is blocked by all shields, and Inspire will not be triggered if her Whip Shot does not deal damage. The shot moves quickly but in order to land a hit on a target at near maximum range, Brigitte will need to place it in front of the target.

While Whip shot is a good source of damage, its real power lies in its ability to displace enemies from their positions. When an enemy is struck by Whip Shot, he or she will be "booped" from their place on the map in a manner similar to the Crowd Control capabilities of Lúcio's Sound Wave. When the flail makes contact, it pushes its target in a direct path from point of impact about 8 meters away. Therefore, Whip Shot can be used to send enemies into pits if they are not careful. Also, Whip Shot can be used to Peel for allies who need a breather from an assailant. It should be noted that if an enemy is killed by Whip Shot's displacement, the death of the enemy will trigger Inspire. See video below.

Repair Pack is a straightforward instant-cast heal that targets an ally from a distance. Repair Pack is the only long range ability that Brigitte has, but its super effective due to its high healing output and simple utilization. Once cast, Brigitte automatically throws a Repair Pack to her ally, healing the teammate for 150 Regular Health.

If an ally is damaged for less than 150 health and Brigitte uses her Repair Pack on them, any "overhealing" will add Armor to their health total. A teammate can only be "over healed" for up to 75 armor, so if Brigitte uses her Repair Pack on a full health ally, they will only receive 75 armor. Any armor awarded to an ally will automatically dissipate after five seconds. Therefore, Repair Pack over healing is only helpful when the ally is in the middle of a fight. In fact, the best use of Repair Pack is when an ally is injured for 75 damage and still engaging the enemy. If an ally is injured for 75 damage, the Repair Pack will heal the ally to full health, and award the ally with 75 "over armor" to attack with. As a side note, if Repair Pack is used on an ally who dies before the pack reaches them, the pack is lost and goes on cooldown. However, if an ally moves out of Brigitte's Line of Sight before a Repair Pack reaches them, the ability is refunded.

The following videos show some of the intricacies of Repair Pack.

Barrier Shield is a personal protective barrier similar to Reinhardt's Barrier Field, but much smaller in size. In fact, Barrier Shield only blocks incoming damage traveling directly at Brigitte. Her shield is so small that Pharah can use her Rocket Launcher's Splash Damage to hurt Brigitte while she uses her shield. Adding to the shield's weaknesses, it only blocks up to 500 damage, a far cry from Barrier Field's 2000 health. When Brigitte puts away a damaged Barrier Shield, it begins to regain strength after two seconds at a rate of 75 health per second. When Brigitte's Shield Barrier is destroyed, the shield takes 3 seconds to recombine, and then heals at a rate 75 health a second.

Despite its weaknesses, Barrier Shield is an extremely useful tool for Brigitte. The shield can help Brigitte protect herself against Flankers, help her move in on a Point, and protect allies who need a safe space in a pinch.

The shield does have some impact issues in regards to blocking shots. It can appear that the shield is blocking damage, but the shots will actually travel through the shield. Therefore, Brigitte needs to make sure to stand directly in front of allies to ensure their safety from enemy attacks. A video displaying this is shown below.

Shield Bash is an ability that is only available to Brigitte when she is holding up her Barrier Shield. Therefore, Shield Bash cannot be used when Brigitte's Shield Barrier is destroyed. Shield Bash is a movement ability where Brigitte propels herself forwards shield-first. Brigitte can travel about 6 meters using Shield Bash, allowing her to jump in front of allies to block incoming damage.

If Brigitte strikes an enemy with Shield Bash, there are a number of consequences: the enemy will receive 50 damage, the enemy will be stunned for 1 second, and the enemy will be launched about 3 meters from their position. Therefore, Shield Bash can be used to knock enemies into pits, to deal a lethal amount of damage, or to interrupt an enemy's channeled ability such as McCree's Deadeye, Roadhog's Take A Breather and Whole Hog, and Moira's Coalescence. Brigitte can interrupt her shield bash with her Whip Shot and Repair Pack abilities. The ability has a 6 second cooldown.

Shield Bash can also be used to cross various gaps in the Overwatch universe. When Brigitte jumps and uses Shield Bash in mid-air, Brigitte can crossover smaller gaps. A video example can be found below.

It should be mentioned that Shield Bash has a strict line concerning its end distance. Players who use Shield Bash at the tip of its distance may feel like the hit box is inconsistent. An example can be seen below.

Rally is Brigitte's Ultimate. Rally does a two things: first, it gives Brigitte better Mobility by increasing her movement speed; second, it unleashes an Area of Effect buff that grants allies, including Brigitte, Armor over time. For each second within Rally's 8 meter range, an ally will receive 30 armor. Rally is able to dish out 300 armor over 10 seconds, but allies, including Brigitte, are capped at a maximum of 100 armor per person. If an ally is untouched by an enemy, he or she will gain their full armor capabilities in 5 seconds.

Due to Rally's armor cap, in order to get the most out of it, Brigitte should use Rally when entering a fight with the enemy team. As allies are injured in the fight, Brigitte is able to replenish their armor while her ultimate is on. This makes Rally one of the best ultimates for Pushing onto Points or getting through dangerous Choke Points. On defense, Rally can be used to chase away Dive team attacks or ultimates like Soldier: 76's Tactical Visor.

Rally has a number of limits aside from its 8 meter range. Rally, similar to Inspire, will not reach allies through walls. If an ally needs armor, they need to be within 8 meters of Brigitte and they need to be in Brigitte's Line of Sight. Additionally, Rally only aids heroes who are on the same plane as Brigitte. If Pharah or Mercy are hovering above Brigitte, they will not receive Brigitte's armor. If Brigitte is above allies on another level, her team below will not receive armor. Watch the following video for a demonstration.

About our Author

Mournflakes is a flex Grandmaster Overwatch player who boasts a career high SR rating of 4433. His favorite heroes are Roadhog, Soldier: 76, and Ana. He has played Overwatch since its initial release, and has put over 700 hours into competitive play. When not writing guides, you can catch Mournflakes streaming on his Twitch channel.

• 10 Oct. 2018: Updated Barrier Shield's health from 600 to 500.
• 23 Mar. 2018: Updated Inspire section to reflect changes in patch 1.24.

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