Reaper Guide “Things are looking grim.”

Table of Contents

• ×Introduction
  • 1. Reaper (Gabriel Reyes) Guide Overview
  • 2. Reaper's Strengths
  • 3. Reaper's Weaknesses
  • 4. Reaper Synergies
  • 5. Reaper Counters
  • 6. Reaper Is Strong Against
  • 7. Reaper TL;DR Tips
  • 8. Reading Further for Reaper
  • 9. Changelog
• +Abilities and Strategy
  • 1. Reaper TL;DR Tips
  • 2. Reaper's Abilities
    • 2.1. The Reaping
    • 2.2. Hellfire Shotguns
    • 2.3. Wraith Form
    • 2.4. Shadow Step
    • 2.5. Death Blossom
• +Playstyle
  • 1. Reaper Playstyle Introduction
  • 2. Reaper's Positioning
  • 3. Reaper's Abilities
  • 4. Reaper's Targets
  • 5. How to Use Death Blossom
• +Synergies and Matchups
  • 1. Reaper Synergies
    • 1.1. Reinhardt & Reaper
    • 1.2. McCree & Reaper
    • 1.3. Brigitte & Reaper
  • 2. Reaper Counters
    • 2.1. Widowmaker & Reaper
    • 2.2. Hanzo & Reaper
    • 2.3. Zarya & Reaper
    • 2.4. Brigitte & Reaper
    • 2.5. Pharah & Reaper
  • 3. Reaper Is Strong Against
    • 3.1. Winston & Reaper
    • 3.2. Bastion & Reaper
• +Maps
  • 1. Best Maps for Reaper
    • 1.1. Reaper on Temple of Anubis
    • 1.2. Reaper on Volskaya Industries
  • 2. Worst Map for Reaper
    • 2.1. Watchpoint: Gibraltar

Reaper is the main antagonist in the Overwatch universe. In the game, Reaper is an offensive hero who uses his trusty Hellfire Shotguns to deal large amounts of sustained close-range damage.

While success with Reaper is heavily dependent on the proper use of his shotguns, his other abilities greatly assist Reaper in obtaining proper positioning when flanking enemies.

Reaper's Shadow Step is a far-reaching teleportation ability that allows Reaper to get from one area of the map to another. Typically speaking, the ability is used to gain high ground, but players should always be careful about using Shadow Step when enemies are nearby, as the ability has quite a long channel time.

A mobility ability more primed for combat, Wraith Form is a move that takes Reaper's character off of the map, turning his human-like form into that of a ghost. During this time, Reaper's "mist" has increased movement speed, and he is completely invincible to all enemy attacks.

His trusty primary weapon, Hellfire Shotguns, lets Reaper reduce enemy tanks into pulp when used up close. These shotguns have some of the highest burst damage potential in the game, and when fired at an enemy's head at point-blank range, few can stand up to them.

Reaper's passive is called The Reaping. Essentially, The Reaping is a vampiric ability that restores Reaper's health at a rate of 20% of the damage he deals, giving Reaper a much needed self sustain trait.

Reaper's ultimate is called Death Blossom. During this "blossom", Reaper opens up his stance and spins in a circle while rapidly firing his Hellfire Shotguns. Any enemy caught in his blossom suffers massive dps.

• Can deal extremely high damage, especially when close to enemies
• Is one of the few tank-busters in the game
• Is typically self-reliant when flanking enemies
• Has an extremely powerful ultimate that is easy to use
• Can defend points rather easily

• Huge damage drop off at medium range
• Once spotted, Reaper's movements are highly predictable
• Death Blossom (and Reaper himself) is easily countered by crowd control abilities
• Can be heavily dependent on team composition
• Typically nonthreatening to heroes with high mobility

Reaper works best with allies who can team up and run in with him. Therefore, Brigitte is the best healer for Reaper as her kit allows her to stay alive and support Reaper up close. Reinhardt is a great pick for Reaper, as his Barrier Field helps Reaper get close to the enemy without using abilities or taking damage. Reaper's biggest weak spot is his lack of ranged damage, which means he needs a solid hitscan dps hero to team up to round out the team, which is why his last synergy is McCree.

Reaper is countered by high-damage long-range heroes and heroes who can deny his damage. In the first category, Hanzo, Widowmaker, and Pharah all counter Reaper as their abilities can deal massive amounts of damage with little to worry about from Hellfire Shotguns. Zarya and Brigitte counter Reaper as they deny Reaper's burst damage through various abilities and can take a few shots from Reaper and still stand tall.

Reaper is strong against heroes who are have a lack of mobility mixed with big headshot targets. Winston must avoid Reaper at all costs, as a Winston without Jump Pack is easy prey for Hellfire Shotguns. Reaper can outmaneuver a positioned Bastion, and has enough firepower to possibly take him out should be focus on other enemies for too long.

• When playing Reaper as a flanker, you should wait to shoot enemies at the last second. If you fire shots too early, you will reveal yourself before you can secure the kill.
• Death Blossom can be started in mid-air, which means you can take enemies by surprise by initiating your ultimate before you hit the ground.
• Use Wraith Form to dodge enemy crowd control abilities like McCree's Flashbang.
• When flanking, look to kill enemy supports and damage dealers; when playing on the frontline, focus enemy barriers and tanks.
• Do not use Shadow Step onto positions that are in line of sight of enemies, as they can easily hit you with headshots.

See our Abilities page for further information

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.

To take things further, we have 4 more pages that you can read:

• Abilities and Strategy: an overview of your hero's abilities and how to use them;
• Playstyle: a detailed explanation on how to play your hero;
• Maps: how to make the best use of your hero on each map;
• Synergies and Matchups: where we detail your synergies, your counters, and the heroes you work well against.

• 31 Jul. 2018 (this page): Guide updated and moved to new format.
• 06 Jul. 2016 (this page): Fixed the guide to correctly state that passing over Junkrat's Steel Trap while in Wraith Form does not trigger it, and not that using Wraith Form while trapped allows you to escape.
• 20 May 2016 (this page): Updated the guide following NiCO's review.
  • Added a mention that Reaper can one-shot Tracer in close range with a headshot.
  • Added several suggested combinations that allow Reaper to cast devastating Death Blossoms (such as combined with Zarya's Projected Barrier and/or Lúcio's Crossfade (Speed Boost).
  • Added a mention that Wraith Form can also gain Reaper's team extra time contesting a Point/Payload.
• 29 Apr. 2016 (this page): Guide added.

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