Lifeweaver, a.k.a. Niran Pruksamanee, is the latest support hero to be added in Overwatch 2. Though he has many life-saving abilities, he’s considered one of the more difficult heroes. That is because of his ability to either help or hinder his team.
In this guide, we look at Lifeweaver’s kit and how to use him effectively in Overwatch 2.
Who is Lifeweaver?
Considered to be the game’s anti-Symmetra, Lifeweaver uses his invention, ‘biolight,’ to help teammates. Symmetra’s hard-light, on the other hand, deals with precise shapes and constructs.
Lifeweaver was a student at Symmetra’s Vishkar Corporation in the lore but found their practices too rigid and boring. Hence the discovery of biolight—a product that Vishkar believes to be theirs, has resulted in Niran being wanted in several countries for his refusal to give up the biolight tech to another giant corporation.
In-game, Lifeweaver’s moves are all about using his biolight constructs to move players in and out of advantageous spots. Not only can he move teammates, but he can also alter the positions of enemy players.
Make It or Break It
Lifeweaver’s kit comprises five abilities: Healing Blossom, Thorn Volley, Petal Platform, Rejuvenating Dash, and Life Grip. He also has his ultimate: The Tree of Life.
Though players think Lifeweaver needs a considerable buff in his offensive abilities, he’s undoubtedly useful when moving other players with his Petal Platform and Life Grip. Though these abilities are useful, an inexperienced Lifeweaver can end up causing more trouble for his teammates rather than helping.
Sometimes, an LW that Life Grips a Tracer keeps them from their job of being an enemy flanker, and a poorly placed Platform can severely distract players who aren’t careful.
When used effectively, though, a Platform can help some players reach some hard-to-access high spots on the map. You can also use Life Grip to move a recently respawned teammate back to the objective quickly.
Play Like Zen
With Zenyatta, it’s always advised that he stay behind the team, and the same goes for Lifeweaver. Since he’s no good in offense, laying back and watching his teammates is usually best. His dash is also pretty limited, so don’t expect to flit around like Tracer or Moira.
Best to keep Lifeweaver in a place where he can easily escape and wait for his team to recuperate. That being said…
Place Your Petals Pre-Skirmish
Though Petal is said to be useful for stopping certain ultimates (like with Orisa and Reaper), pro-LW players advise keeping the Petal ready for self-use and placing them before your team clashes with the enemy.
Read: How To Play Genji in Overwatch 2
Usually, you can place them around corners and use them as quick escapes should things go south. You can also jump on them early to have a good vantage point for your entire team and heal them from there. It’s also a safe point for Life Grip teammates in trouble.
Know When to Charge Your Heal Fully
Some players complain about LW: you need to charge his heals in the game, but some advise that you don’t always have to dole out fully-charged healing blossoms.
Depending on the situation, giving a player short bursts of healing is better than waiting for your blossom to charge fully. In a pinch, you can just do the quickfire heals, then when your teammate has a good amount of health, you can hold off and charge your blossoms.
“Life Protects Life!”
As for Lifeweaver’s ultimate, it’s advised to put Tree of Life up as much as possible during a match, seeing that its ultimate build-up is pretty quick. It is a useful healing beacon for your team, but you can also use it as an obstacle for enemies to block damage and close pathways.
The tree isn’t completely impervious; enemies can still destroy it if they focus all their fire on it. It’s also worth noting that while Sombra can’t hack the tree, her EMP ultimate destroys it.
“Spend Every Moment Growing Into Who You Truly Are.”
For now, players are still trying out the best way to play Lifeweaver, and the recent buff for the character gives him more offensive capability for faraway enemies, which makes sense because it’s advised he stay as far from the enemy as possible.
We should probably expect more changes for Niran. However, players are still trying to find that balance that would make Lifeweaver an irreplaceable member of any team composition.
In the meantime, you should just keep practicing with him.
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