Junkrat brings unmatched chaos and volatility to Overwatch 2 matches. With his heavy arsenal of explosives, he excels at controlling territory, spamming chokepoints, and punching holes in the enemy frontline. Mastering this explosive icon takes dedication though – he features one of the highest skill ceilings in the damage class.
In this comprehensive 2000+ word guide, we‘ll break down everything you need to know to find success with one of the most iconic faces of Overwatch. From granular ability details to advanced tips from pro players, this is the definitive guide to dominating matches as the Ausie anarchist himself.
Junkrat‘s Abilities In-Depth
Let‘s dive into the specifics on each of Junkrat‘s unique abilities – how they work, vital stats, and specialized techniques the pros use:
Frag Launcher
Type: Primary Fire
Damage: 120 direct hit, 80 splash
Ammo: 5 grenades
Projectile Speed: 20m/s
Rate of Fire: 1.66/s
Junkrat‘s Frag Launcher lobs bouncing grenades that explode after a short delay. Mastering the arc and lead time of his indirect fire takes practice – but allows him to bombard foes behind barriers. Here‘s the key tips for wielding his explosive launcher:
- Aim high arcs to hit entrenched enemies around walls and terrain
- Lead targets to compensate for the grenades‘ travel time
- Use ricochets and bank shots to surprise trapped foes
- Spam tight chokes, objectives, and Shields to break formations
- Shoot where you anticipate targets moving to maximize damage
Advanced players utilize the launcher‘s splash damage and bouncing properties for creative techniques:
- Corner Shooting: Bounce grenades off walls for tricky angle kills
- Juggling: Knock airborne enemies back and forth between explosions
- Obstacle Spam: Consistently pepper the area around a payload or choke Exit to farm ult charge
Concussion Mine
Type: Secondary Ability
Damage: 120 direct hit, 30 fall-off
Blast Radius: 2 meters
Mine Count: Holds 2 Charges
Cooldown: 1 second per charge
This versatile mine sticks to any surface before Junkrat detonates it with a manual trigger. Beyond raw damage, it boasts knockback and mobility utilities:
- Secure environmental kills by blasting enemies off the map edges
- Peel dangerous threats off your backline supports with boops
- Use mines to reach unexpected off-angles and high ground perches
- Combine with other abilities like Steel Trap to layer CC
Next-level Concussion uses involve:
- Upwards Launch: Spring upwards before blasting yourself even higher with a perfectly-times secondary explosion
- 180 Disengages: Fling yourself backwards from losing duels
- Air Detonations: Blow up mid-flight to juke enemy shots
Steel Trap
Type: Secondary Ability
Damage: 80
Trigger Radius: 2 meters
Disable Duration: 3.5 seconds
Cooldown: 12 seconds
Steel Trap immobilizes the first enemy who steps within its trigger radius, making them an easy target. Clever trap placement separates decent Junkrat‘s from truly devious ones:
- Layer traps with nades/mines for devastating combos
- Hide them around tight corners/chokes to catch over-extenders
- Use high ground to drop traps on vulnerable targets
- Place them behind you when retreating from threats
Next-level tactics include:
- Zone Control: Form carpets of traps to cutoff enemy entry points
- Vertical Traps: Launch traps onto isolated platforms
- Chaining: String multiple traps together to cover more ground
RIP-Tire
Type: Ultimate Ability
Damage: 600 damage
Health: 100 HP
Move Speed: 13m/s
Time till detonates: 10 seconds
This deadly ultimate allows Junkrat to guide an explosive tire towards his foes. Finding inventive routes and timing charges leads to massive multi-kills. Here‘s pro tips for RIP-Tire success:
- Flank sides/use verticality to avoid enemy fire
- Wait out movement abilities before striking
- Hide around corners until targets cluster together
- Coordinate with allies to combine ultimates
Next-level RIP-Tiring involves:
- Zoning: Keep the tire spinning in contested areas to force the enemy off objectives
- Air Detonations: Blow up the tire mid-flight to hit tricky aerial targets like Pharahs
Comparing Junkrat to Other Damage Heroes
How does Junkrat‘s eccentric toolkit measure up against his damage peers? Let‘s contrast his capabilities versus a few popular DPS heroes:
Vs. Pharah
- Beats her: His indirect spam fire bypasses her air superiority
- Loses to: Barrage outclasses his ult, her mobility outpaces his
Vs. Soldier 76
- Beats him: Breaks through both Biotic Fields and Tactical Visors with unrelenting explosive pressure
- Loses to: Simply can‘t match Soldier‘s hitscan consistency in ranged duels
Vs. Hanzo
- Beats him: Can bank shots past his barriers and Storm Arrows
- Loses to: Gets outsniped at very long distances, less reliable shield break
As an area-denial and spam specialist, Junkrat overcomes challenges like vertical and barrier enemies. However, precise long-ranged hitscans can shutdown his explosive mayhem if he‘s not careful.
Niche Ultimate Combos
While RIP-Tire works decently standalone, combining it with ally ultimate reinforces its already deadly presence. Popular vocal point combos include:
Zarya‘s Graviton Surge
- Clusters the enemy team together prime for tire multi-kills
Mei‘s Blizzard
- Freezes enemies in place for an easy Tire target
Reinhardt‘s Earthshatter
- Knocks the enemy down then RIP-Tire finishes them off
Chaining just a single one of these common ultimates with RIP-Tire almost guarantees teamfight-winning devastation.
Playing Around Junkrat‘s Weaknesses
However, even veterans struggle on Junkrat at times. Let‘s break down the biggest weaknesses new Junkrat‘s demonstrate:
1. Getting Picked Off Early
His fragility forces Junkrat to stay at long range. But impatient players overextend trying to land direct grenades and quickly die. Respect your limits – stay back and use your indirect fire.
2. Wasting Key Cooldowns
Panicked novices will instantly Concussion Mine themselves away at the sight of any threat. Don‘t become predictable – save your Mine as an escape tool for only the most urgent threats.
3. Ulting into the Entire Enemy Team
RIP-Tire‘s speed makes it tempting to dive full suicide missions. But good opponents will quickly focus fire a poorly-driven tire. Wait for ideal isolated targets instead of fruitless hero ults.
Modifying these over-aggressive tendencies helps Junkrat players find more consistent success.
Junkrat By the Numbers
Aggregated gameplay data also showcases areas Junkrat thrives and struggles in. Let‘s examine his overall win rates alongside damage, deaths and eliminations amongst high-skill players:
Win Rate: 48%
In line with many damage heroes. Indicates he‘s reasonably balanced, not completely dominant or underpowered.
Hero Damage: 18,600
Excellent sustained damage output thanks to his no-reload grenade spam. Can pressure barriers and shields exceptionally well.
Deaths Per 10 Mins: 8.37
Extremely high, hinting newer Junkrat players are often caught out of position. Surviving longer helps your win rates.
Eliminations Per 10 Mins: 30.03
Superb elim count due to his spam damage tagging many targets. Getting final blows on critically-weakened enemies is essential though.
Best Maps
Junkrat‘s indirect spam and traps excel on certain close-quarters maps. Top tier picks include:
Hanamura
The tight initial gate choke and side routes amplify his spam and landmines to stall out attackers. Strong on Point A defense.
Volskaya Industries
Boasts numerous side flanks for surprise Rip-Tires after point captures. His traps also deny enemy rotations around the conveyor belt.
Rialto
Allows constant suppression onto the crowded central bridge, staircases and side streets. Easy to ransack with grenade barrages.
Conversely, wide angles on Circuit Royal and Junkertown inhibit his efficiency and make him an easier target against snipers.
Carrying Matches With The Explosive Aussie
The volatility baked into Junkrat‘s kit epitomizes high-risk, high-reward play. Few damage heroes boast his raw explosive power and elusiveness. But you have to embrace calculated gambles – not just blind mayhem – to dominate:
- Spam objs/chokepoints early to build RIP-Tire fast for first fight impact
- Respect deadly sightlines so you‘re not easily sniped
- Save vital cooldowns like Concussion Mines for escape tools
- Layer abilities for devastating combos that delete enemy HP bars
- Ult at the perfect time onto isolated targets for maximum value
Mastering these advanced tactics helps separate truly dangerous Junkrat players from those who merely cause indiscriminate destruction.
Through a mix of ability analysis, pro tips, stat checks, and matchup breakdowns, this guide brings together everything needed to excel with one of Overwatch‘s most iconic heroes. While challenging to wield, Junkrat enables game-changing outplays and momentum swings like no other. Now get out there, wreak havoc, and send enemies sky-high with concussion after concussion!
