Overwatch 2 Symmetra guide: Abilities, tips & how to unlock
Symmetra used to be a support but now she's a damage-type hero in Overwatch 2. Here's an explanation of all her abilities and our best tips for the character.
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The Indian hero Symmetra is an unconventional damage-type hero in Overwatch 2, but she can certainly be an asset to her team. Her turrets can cause a ton of damage in no time, and her ultimate can protect her entire squad from devastation.
Here's a rundown of her abilities as well as some tips to help you master her.
Abilites explained
| Name | Type | Effect |
| Photon Projector | Primary Fire | Short-range beam weapon with increasing damage |
| Photon Projector Alt Fire | Secondary Fire | Hold to charge, release to fire explosive orb |
| Sentry Turret | Ability | Deploy a small turret that damages and slows enemies |
| Teleporter | Ability | Create two temporary teleporters that enable instance travel between them |
| Photon Barrier | Ultimate | Deploy a massive energy barrier |
| Role: Damage | Role Passive | Damaging an enemy temporarily reduces their healing received |
Tips for playing Symmetra
One thing to know about Symmetra straight off the bat is that she's not a DPS-heavy character like Soldier 76 or Reaper. Instead, she plays a great strategic foil for the enemy team.
Her beam can be powerful if used correctly. The beam will gain power the longer that Symmetra is at play. If she manages to survive the scrap between an enemy team and yours, the beam can tear up foes left, right, and centre.
Her primary attack is also fantastic with Kiriko's ultimate The Kitsune Rush because her beam is two times faster. We were able to tear through an enemy team while this ultimate is active, so make use of it if you're in that situation as Symmetra.
To successfully protect a point, placing Symmetra's turrets in a correct manner is key to success. Place them around unexpected corners or tight areas in which the beams will damage your foes faster.
Try to get your turrets around critical pathways for the most success. Make the turrets hard to access as well, rather than having them directly on the path or on the ground.
The turrets serve to distract enemies as well, forcing them to destroy the turret and be open elsewhere, or continue their push/attack while taking damage.
With the teleport ability, you'll want to use it to get your team into the action faster. Placing one at spawn and the other just before a choke point on the attack, or before the objective you're defending, is key to getting everyone to the frontline fast. You can also defend it with turrets if you're worried.
The Ultimate move is a fantastic asset for Symmetra to have. If activated correctly, it can cut off an opponent's ultimate like D.Va's Self Destruct and Baptiste's Amplification Matrix.
Just be aware that players can walk through the shield, so it can be deemed ineffective quickly. I recommend activating the Ultimate move when the action gets drastic or when you see a projectile-based move activating.
How to unlock Symmetra in Overwatch 2
You can add Symmetra to your hero roster by finishing 20 matches. However, if you've played Overwatch already on the same account as Overwatch 2, you'll have her instantly unlocked.
About The Author
Chris Penwell
Chris Penwell is an experienced video games journalist with a Bachelor in Communications. He loves to play narrative-focused games like Kingdom Hearts and Beyond Good & Evil.
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