Soldier: 76 is arguably the safest Hero to play in Overwatch. He excels at nothing but can quite comfortably fit into any composition and perform well. Unsurprisingly and because of that he’s officially the gateway Hero for Overwatch for players who are more familiar with games such as Call of Duty or Battlefield. The idea being that they’ll not only take to the use of his rifle easily, but also be familiar with his ability to sprint and look after himself.

Being a flexible Hero allows Soldier: 76 to adapt to most team compositions and he can comfortably kill most enemy Heroes if he plays well. The fact he can heal himself combined with his sprint, his burst alternative fire and an Ultimate ability that’s literally an aim bot makes him a forgiving and powerful Hero. It’s genuinely hard to play badly with Soldier: 76 and for that reason alone, he’s incredibly popular.

Lore

At eighteen, Morrison packed his bags and joined the military. He had planned to serve a brief stint in the armed forces and then return home to the family farm, but his work ethic and courage caught the eye of the military brass. Before long, he earned a coveted position in the government's controversial and still-classified (but widely acknowledged) "soldier enhancement program." Military scientists shaped Morrison and other inductees into the perfect soldiers, blessed with superhuman speed, strength, and agility.

Morrison and his fellow augmented soldiers would soon put their abilities to use with the advent of the Omnic Crisis. As governments tried and failed to neutralize the omnics, the United Nations was busy forming an international task force called Overwatch. This small, experimental group would bring together the best and brightest from around the world to wage asymmetrical warfare against the robots. Overwatch's short list of prospective agents included two members of the soldier enhancement program: Morrison and Gabriel Reyes, a senior officer. Reyes and Morrison became fast friends, despite their different backgrounds, and decided to join Overwatch together. Leadership of Overwatch fell to Reyes, but Morrison would have a greater impact on the group in the long term. He brought out the best in the people around him and helped mold Overwatch's diverse (and sometimes conflicting) agents into a cohesive fighting force. In unity, they found the strength to defeat the robots and end the Omnic Crisis.

Abilities

Heavy Pulse Rifle (LMB) - Soldier: 76’s base weapon allows him to fire a stream of hitscan bullets and like any rifle, decreases in accuracy the longer you fire it. Upon releasing your fire, your spread will return to normal, giving you full accuracy again. Due to the nature of the rifle, it’s important that you fire in short bursts rather than full auto. I will add however that if you’re against a large target in close quarters, going fully automatic against them is viable: especially if they’re impossible to miss (Roadhog/Reinhardt).

Helix Rocket (RMB) - On an 8 second cooldown Helix Rocket allows Soldier: 76 to fire 3 missiles at his target location. Launched out from his Heavy Pulse Rifle, they’ll fly straight forwards and explode on the first target hit. Acting as a single projectile, the impact of the rockets deals more damage than their blast so it’s important you try to hit players directly, rather than splash them. You should also be aware that Helix Rocket can damage Soldier: 76 so it’s wise not to use it at close range if you’re low health.

Sprint - Allowing Soldier: 76 to run quickly, Sprint is invaluable for advancing forwards or retreating. Using any other action while sprinting, or using Sprint again will end the skill. Use it for finding cover or picking up a health pack when in need.

Biotic Field - Key to Soldier: 76’s flexibility and solo nature is his Biotic Field. Providing healing to him and anyone in its radius, Biotic Field will be created at his feet on use. Lasting for 5 seconds, it heals all those in its field for 40 health per second, more than enough to fully heal Heroes who have low health pools. 

Tactical Visor (Ultimate) - Probably one of the strongest Ultimate abilities in the game, simply because it allows Soldier: 76 to become a walking aimbot. Tactical Visor grants a special reticle that will allow any shots made by Soldier: 76 - as long as they’re within that reticle - will land with 100% accuracy. Considering the size of said reticle, it’s incredibly easy to hit all of your targets one at a time. The only downside to using this Ultimate is Reinhardt and D.Va can eat up all your shots. It's best used when they aren't expecting it. 

Strategy

When it comes to strategy, Soldier: 76 can pretty much fulfil any role. Whether it’s escorting a Payload or holding a Capture Point. Despite his flexibility, he doesn’t excel in any one role. The fact that he is a jack of all trades allows him to help out his allies where they need him. Enemy Pharah who isn't dying fast enough? Add Soldier: 76's damage and she will surely die. He does a great job of softening up enemies. He is unlikely to kill anyone himself but he can lower enemy health to the point that your allies can finish the job.

The main thing you have to remember is that your utility stems from your Biotic Field (which most of your team will happily enjoy) and Sprint. Sprint allows you to travel distances very quickly to always be in the fight and your Biotic Field allows you to sustain yourself and nearby allies. Your strength in combat is your ability to deal sustained damage from afar. Considering your Heavy Pulse Rifle fires ten rounds per second, dealing 5-17 damage, there are few Heroes that can survive against it without being executed by an ally. Due to the low size of his magazine (only 25 bullets) there is some downtime for Soldier: 76, especially when you factor in the 8 second cooldown on his Helix Missile.

Your Ultimate ability is key to your value as a Hero. It can comfortably wipe an entire team if you position yourself right but it doesn’t deal additional damage and for that reason, it’s best used against enemies that are unaware of where you are, or those that are already low health. This will allow you to quickly cut them down before switching targets.

Matchups

Heroes listed here are particularly challenging for Soldier: 76. While those listed can still be killed, they pose a particularly difficult challenge for him so be sure to take extra care. 

Tips

This list of tips and tricks are just a handful of things we think will help your Soldier: 76 play. We'll continue to add to the list as required and if you have any tips you'd like to share, let us know in the comments below and we'll place them here. 

1. Soldier: 76 doesn't excel at anything, but can comfortably fit into any composition. Remember your limitations and that there's always one Hero who can do a role better than you. 

2. Your primary fire allows for high, reasonably accurate, long range attacks. Just be aware that the longer you fire, the worse your aim becomes. 

3. Always try to burst fire when attacking from afar. It's more accurate and allows you to land much more shots. 

4. Always try to hit a target with your Helix Missile but if you can't, aim for their feet. They'll still take splash damage and it's sometimes easier. 

5. Don't waste your Helix Missile to poke. It's on an 8 second cooldown - far too long to fire blindly. 

6. Your Ultimate ability works best against low health Heroes: Zenyatta, Mercy, Tracer, Lucio - save it for them. 

7. The targeting reticle on your Ultimate is large, taking up a wide section of the central screen. It's near impossible not to hit players with it. 

8. Against high health Heroes such as Roadhog or Reinhardt, you can go full auto with your primary fire. It's near impossible to miss against them. 

9. You should Sprint everywhere as and when it's available. It grants some much needed mobility and can allow you to reach the frontline much quicker after death.

10. Your job as Soldier is to control space, give your healer an escape and apply, sustained, constant pressure.  Your job is rarely to flank and be a nuisance in the enemy back lines.   

11. Your damage falloff starts at 30m.   Roadhog's hook and  Reinhardt's Earthshatter are 20m abilities.  Stay outside of their range. 

12. You don't need to burst-fire Heroes bigger than Zarya.  Just let 'er rip.  Their hitboxes are large enough.  

13. Once Soldier slaps the top of his gun your ammo is full.  You can animation cancel at this point by using any other ability or melee. 

14. When on "Pharah Duty" regularly call out if she is hiding, moving dead, etc.    Not only will it help your team with positioning, but it will let them know that you are aware and keeping her at bay. 

15. Your Helix Rockets will help wear down a Reinhardt shield, but are usually better used once the shield is down and the enemy is in a Graviton Surge or downed by an Earthshatter. 

16. Nano-Visor is an incredible combo.  Ana+Soldier Ultimates.   It does 300 DPS.

17. Tactical Visor is a hard counter to Genji's ultimate.  

18. Reloading is faster while Tactical Visor is up.   Reload right before it ends if possible. 

19. Using Tactical Visor will auto-fill your ammo.  

20. The blast from Helix Rocket can allow Soldier: 76 to scale out of reach locations. Simply aim the rocket at your feet and jump at the point of impact. It’s great for scaling ledges or climbing balconies.

21. You can attach Biotic Field to the Payload, allowing it to travel and heal those around it.

22. Tactical Visor is incredible against Tracer. As long as you can see her and regardless of her speed, every shot will land.

23. Tactical Visor will always aim for a players body, not their head. It’s much more useful against low health Heroes due to your ability to gun them down quickly.

Skins, Emotes, Victory Poses and Voice Lines

Extra Learning

Backdoor Point B on Volkskaya

Aim Tutorial by Overwatchdojo

Avoid Bad Aiming Habits

Highground Tactics with Soldier: 76

Soldier: 76 Trick on Watchpoint Gibraltar

How To Position Like A Pro

Soldier: 76 Decision Making Guide - Class Format

Aiming and Warmup Guide by Bourne

How to Position as Soldier

More Soldier Positioning - Faulty Lid Gaming

Animation and Reloading Cancelling