Bow down you Overwatch 2 nasties, Ramattra is here to be your new tank god! The Overwatch 2 Season 2 content dropped today and with a new battle pass and map also comes the game’s first “tempo tank,” the Omnic leader Ramattra! But, really: What does ‘tempo’ mean? How does the bot fare against the tanking competition? What Heroes does Ramattra beat soundly? Is Zenyatta his biggest weakness?
Let’s talk turkey so that you can get in the game and start dominating Quick Play!
Ramattra tank guide basics: The abilities
Ramattra’s basic kit abilities in Overwatch 2.
Here’s the deal with this whole tempo tank thing: Ramattra is able to shift between two forms. His base form is faster, long range, and able to set up fast-action barriers for movement from point to point. With 450 HP he’s right in line with Junker Queen in terms of health. This means he can push, but you don’t want him standing out in the open, lest a hitscan DPS player clicks on heads.
However, the game plan will change immediately when you shift into Nemesis Form. This hulking mode lasts eight seconds, turns Ramattra into a big ole’ target, And increases his overall health to 600, with 200 armor. While in this form he is slower and loses range on his basic attack, but gains a defensive ability that drastically reduces all damage and can be held for the duration of Nemesis Form.
You can read all the abilities above, but here’s some finer points on his kit:
Void Accelerator has infinite range and zero damage drop-off. This means Ram can contend with snipers and annoying in-air enemies, seeing as his attack is more of a beam than a projectile. Sorry Widowmaker!The barrier has 900 health, lasts for about five seconds, and sits at a 15-second cooldown. Don’t waste it! This isn’t a Sigma or old Orisa barrier.Ravenous Vortex activates as soon as you hit the button and doesn’t have a pre-aim vector, so remember this and learn its throw arc. While Pummel is extremely short-range, it pierces shields and does solid AOE damage. Go nuts!
Ramattra: How to play
Ramattra in his Nemesis form. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.
Here’s the explanation for playing a tempo: Ramattra is at his best when he can take advantage of enemy eliminations, out of position players, or badly timed enemy ultimates. His base form is the set-up and Nemesis Form is the punchline, used to finish off teams and take control of team fights.
Ramattra’s basic ability at work.
As mentioned, given that his base form has infinite range and does as much damage up-close as it does far away, he excels at handling distanced enemies without needing to leave his team. If on Control maps, your goal as a tank and team leader should be to shepherd your squad quickly onto points and high ground. Make smart use of your Barrier, as its short uptime and high cooldown means you won’t get a second chance to use it well in a fight.
Nemesis Form: Beast Mode
Ramattra in Overwatch 2. Image via Blizzard Entertainment.
Nemesis Mode gives your team a chance to punish overextension by the opposing team. Given his ability to pierce shields and lock down fliers, Ramattra’s transformation should be used to punish mistakes and take advantage of situations. Flubbed ultimates like a bad Reinhardt shatter gives Ramattra the chance to push the advantage and find eliminations.
The biggest risk of playing Ramattra will be in wanting to stand your ground too long or try and rely on Nemesis Form. He may be big, but Ram isn’t invincible and your cooldowns can and will work against your team. Find the opportunities to use your buttons in ways that give the most value.
These cooldowns will also allow you to punish slower opponents by getting in their face. Ramattra’s slow is significant, giving you time to strafe around bigger opponents like Wrecking Ball and Rein, forcing them to back up and lose ground.
The ultimate annoyance
Annihilation is a unique ultimate ability in Overwatch 2 given that it technically is unlimited. For as long as Ramattra is making contact with his nanoswarm the duration of the ultimate will never cease. This means that enemy Heroes within his range will constantly tick down damage. While this damage isn’t a lot, in a team fight with a tank bearing down on you it will feel insurmountable. Use this to your advantage, applying the ultimate as a counter to more annoying abilities like Genji’s Dragon Blade, a Nano’ed opponent, or Soldier 76’s Visor.
But on the flip side of all of this, the ultimate makes Ramattra a massive target. Be weary of slows and especially of Zenyatta’s Discord Orb, as it will make quick work of a tempo tank without cooldowns.
Go dominate the block
Season 2 of Overwatch 2 is just off to the races, so use this Raattra tank guide to get a quick start on the competition. And as always, remember to keep (Over)watch on esports.gg for more tips, tricks, and info!