The support role is intense in Overwatch, even though you primarily support your team. One of the most exciting heroes to use in this role is Ana. She’s the most complex out of all the support heroes in the game, but if you master her, you’ll be quite the formidable support in Overwatch.
Ana is a unique support hero in Overwatch and gaming in general. She’s a support hero, but the catch is that she’s also a sniper. Whereas most support heals or gives buffs up close, Ana is different as she can stay in the backline. Don’t underestimate Ana, as she can be one of the best support heroes in your arsenal. Here’s a guide on using Ana in Overwatch.
Ana Abilities
Biotic Rifle
Ana’s main weapon of choice for healing and for dealing damage is her Biotic Rifle. It’s a sniper rifle that can damage enemies when you hit them and, inversely, can heal heroes if you target them. It’s a unique mechanic that allows Ana to go from support to attack mode instantly and easily. It’s very useful in tight situations as Ana can provide quick healing and damage.
One of the interesting facts about Ana’s heal is that the bullet will pass through your allies that are already in full health. That means you don’t have to worry about mistakenly healing allies who don’t need healing. If there’s another hero in front of them, the bullet will hit that hero instead. Ana is a squishy hero, so be mindful of where you are on the map. It’s (almost) always best to stay on the backline.
Sleep Dart
One of her best abilities is her Sleep Dart. It may be hard to hit, but once you hit a hero, you can render them vulnerable and useless for 5 seconds. Heroes put to sleep can be awoken if they are dealt any damage. Ana can easily cancel the ultimate abilities of enemy heroes if she times her Sleep Dart properly. It’s best to save this skill and use it to cancel other heroes.
Sleep Dart is a projectile-type skill with a travel rate, unlike a hitscan weapon that connects instantaneously. Master using this skill as it is Ana’s best asset other than her healing.
Biotic Grenade
Aside from Sleep Dart, Ana also comes equipped with a Biotic Grenade. When used, Ana throws a grenade that can damage or heal heroes in an area. This is a good ability to use when your allies are bundled up and are trying to recover from an enemy offensive attack.
Read: How to Play Tracer in Overwatch
When used on enemy heroes, Biotic Grenade damages heroes and prevents healing for a few seconds (you might hear this in-game as turning the enemy ‘purple’).
Ana can heal herself with Biotic Grenade, too, making it her primary sustaining ability.
Nano Boost
Ana’s ultimate ability is one of the most useful in the game, but if you’re the Ana user, you’ll just have to sit back and let your allies do the work. Nano Boost increases the target ally’s health, defense, and damage. Once you throw this ultimate, the only thing you have to do is to sustain the hero you used Nano Boost on. Luckily, Ana’s range makes this easier.
When To Use And Not To Use Ana
Ana works well with a lot of DPS and tank heroes. Her Nano Boost offers a lot of versatility. Most commonly, it is used for heroes like Genji, Reinhardt, Bastion, and Soldier 76, whose main purpose is to take out the enemy team with their ultimate abilities. Ideally, you’d want to avoid using Nano Boost on low-damage heroes like Sombra and Tracer and support characters.
Avoid using Ana if your team already has a pocket healer like Mercy or Zenyatta. She’s best partnered with an AoE healer like Moira or Lucio. If you use Ana with another pocket healer, your team won’t have enough sustain to last in team fights. Ana’s healing cannot be enough for the entire team, and it’s best she focuses on healing a few heroes.
Ana’s complexity as a hero is rewarding. She will always be a top-tier character in Overwatch because of her amazing healing and canceling abilities. Perhaps the best advice we can give you if you want to focus on using Ana is to utilize her range. Stay in the back and be the sniper that Ana is. Your teammates will thank you for it.
