Lucioball is back! Here's how to win in Overwatch's soccer-themed Lucio-only game mode.
Recently, the 2017 Summer Games Event for Overwatch recently went live, and with it came the return of the Lucioball game mode. Here are some essential tips you need to know to beat the competition!
Positioning: Make sure you're exactly where you need to be
Just like in regular soccer, good positioning is critical to success in Lucioball. Generally, you'll want one player playing defense, and two playing offense. The defensive player can take up positions in your team's net and side of the map, keeping the ball out and away from your goal, while the attacking players attempt to find a way to blast the ball into the enemy team's goal.
Knowing where to position yourself is one of the most important Lucioball skills.
While this may sound easy, it can actually be quite difficult. The defensive player always has to make sure they're in front of enemies with the ball so they can make a save by blocking scoring attempts, while the offensive players typically have to spread out and cooperate with each other to score. The worst thing you can do in Lucioball is bunch up in one spot; this makes it easy for the other team to steal away the ball, and without anyone protecting your zone, the enemy team will have a wide open shot to score. However, when spread out, players will have more room to work with and will also be able to pass to each other. Passing is an incredibly powerful offensive tool that stems from positioning well.
Teamwork: Forming a unified group
Overwatch's core gameplay is heavily centered around teamwork, and Lucioball is no different. Coordinating with teammates for passes, ultimate usage, and more is an extremely important aspect of Lucioball, and you should try to be as much of a team player as possible.
Playing as a team is often what tips the scales in matches.
Join the team voice chat, greet your teammates, and cooperate with them respectfully and in a friendly way. In the anger-filled battlefields of online gaming, a little friendliness will go a long way. This concept applies to all team-focused games, of course, but it's also a major aspect of Lucioball.
Important things you'll want to call out to each other include ball location, how much time is left in the game, what your ultimate percentage is at, and suggestions on how you can play better. By doing this, you and your teammates will improve your play and adapt to situations much quicker than if nobody was cooperating.
Movement: Let the map work for you
Whereas positioning is focused on where to be, movement is how to get to those places. There are some helpful strategies and tools you can utilize to get around the map as needed; one of the best is Lucio's ability to wall ride. By wall riding along the edges of the stadium, you can travel from one end of the field to the other in mere seconds. This is useful for quickly making your way to where the ball is if it's far away from you. When you aren't close to walls, using Lucio's Amp it Up ability to temporarily double your speed is a slower but still useful way to traverse ground.
Jump pads are powerful platforms that allow you to intercept vertical shots and pass attempts.
When aiming upwards, players can send the ball high into the air. These dangerous types of shots are not able to be reached by ground level players — you'll need to get into the air in order to deflect them away from your goal or from enemies. To do this, you'll need to utilize the jump pads around the map. Jumping while standing on one will propel you into the air, giving you a golden opportunity to boop the ball out of the sky. One large version of these is located in front of each goal; goalies need to use these special jump pads in order to make saves on vertical shots.
The final form of movement ability available to you is Lucio's unique Lucioball ultimate, which increases his speed and decreases boop cooldowns drastically for several seconds. These ultimates can have a huge swing impact on a match, due to the unrivaled speed of a Lucio using this ability. They can be used in two ways: offensively or defensively. On offense, use it to storm down the field with the ball and attempt to make a hero play by launching the ball at the goal. On defense, use the ultimate to intercept the enemy and clear the ball away with your superior speed.
Shooting: Make scoring attempts difficult to stop
You can only win in Lucioball by scoring, and for that, you'll need to shoot the ball. The strongest form of shooting is with Lucio's booping ability, but for light shots, you can melee the ball as well.
The ball is easy to manipulate, but it can be hard to shoot effectively without lining up your attempts first.
Generally, you don't want to shoot the ball across the ground. This type of shot is easily blocked by well-positioned players on the ground. The shot that will give you the best chance at scoring is a vertical shot. While the enemy can still use jump pads to stop these, they are much harder to stop than ground shots, and inexperienced players will struggle to protect their goal from them.
In regards to aiming, look to see if there's a section of the goal that's less covered by the enemy team than the rest. This is where you should aim your shot; by aiming for the least defended area of the goal, you maximize your chances of scoring.
Your thoughts
These four important tips should help you find success in your Lucioball matches. Did this guide help you win more, or give you a new perspective on how Lucioball is played? Let us know in the comments.