How to win in Overwatch’s Assault game mode

Assault is Overwatch’s classic game mode which pits offense versus defense. A team of attackers is charged with invading and capturing different points on a map while a team of defenders needs to hold the points. Points are captured one after another, with a time limit to accomplish each capture.

In order to capture the points, players have to stand within designated areas to move the progress bar which can be seen at the top of the screen. You’ll notice two smaller notches on the bottom half of the circular bar. If your team gets wiped but the progress meter manages to reach the notch, that acts as a check point so that the bar doesn’t go back empty again.

The Assault maps are Hanamura, Temple of Anubis, and Volskaya Industries, though there are several hybrid maps that combine Assault and Payload style objectives. Let’s dig in to strategies for each maps, plus

General Assault tips

• Fight on the point.
• Don’t go in solo, push as a team.
• Synchronize your ults for maximum impact to capture the point.
• Symmetra is a huge asset for defenders trying to hold on to the first capture point (even after her changes).

Hanamura

Located in Japan, Hanamura is a beautiful suburb with temple grounds that are overshadowed by a giant castle. Attackers start off inside an arcade and have to work their way through a cherry blossom ladened battlefield as they attempt to infiltrate the castle. Incidentally enough, Hanamura is home to the former Shimada clan brothers, Genji and Hanzo.

First capture point

• Offense: The first chokepoint can be hard to breach because it’s easily defended with one entry point. Try going up and over the walls.
• A strong Widowmaker on defense by the first capture point can make it incredibly difficult for attackers to breach the area.
• Mei’s Ice Wall can completely seal off the archway and temporarily stall the team.
• Getting from the defenders’ spawn area to the first capture point can take a long time. Having Symmetra around helps speed this up though you may want to switch out from her after if the attackers manage to capture it.

Second capture point

• Especially mobile heroes like Genji, D.Va, and Pharah can get themselves onto the balcony attached to the second and final capture point. Try to time the push so that you have players both entering the side from the balcony and through the front entrance.
• Most defenses seem to stay close to the final capture point when it is active. A particularly keen defender can sneak outside and harass unsuspecting attackers without them realizing it.
• Controlling the high ground is one of the keys for attackers. Without it, the defense can simply concentrate on the main entrance and the balcony side.

Temple of Anubis

Welcome to Egypt! The Temple of Anubis falls under the protection of Pharah’s own Helix Security Systems, a private security firm. No one really knows in detail what’s being protected here other than a lab in which AI experiments are being run. Needless to say, capturing the temple won’t be the easiest thing to accomplish.

First capture point

• Expect quite a bit of close quarters work here as the first capture point is surrounded by dwellings that players can hide inside.
• Bastion or Torbjorn can set up in one of the aforementioned dwellings that happens to have line of sight into the capture point to chip away at anyone that does manage to make it through.
• Like Hanamura, there’s only one major way into the capture point. Having Lucio around with his speed aura on might allow attackers to quickly slip into side alleys or buildings.
• Defenders will want to employ Symmetra’s teleport due to the distance from the defender spawn to the first capture point.

Second capture point

• Attackers will want to coordinate their movement so they can sneak up through the side tunnels while another group of players mount a frontal attack.
• Junkrat or Zarya can launch grenades towards the capture point here and might be able to damage anyone standing near it.
• This capture point is fairly close to the defenders spawn and it’s worthwhile for an attacker or two to peel off to try to stall defenders trying to make their way back while the rest of the team is in the process of capturing the point.
• A Widowmaker or Hanzo will both be beneficial due to their Infra-Sight and Sonic Arrow keeping tabs on where attackers are coming from due to limited sight ranges.

Volskaya Industries

Located in snowy Russia, Volskaya Industries is a Russian company that primarily produces Svyatogor — those giant robotic mechs you’ll see stomping around in the background of the map. Russia’s currently involved in a second Omnic Crisis, hence the upswing in mech production. But that’s not really your concern so much as taking down the other team.

First capture point

• Attackers will be attempting to capture a point that’s out in the open with minimal cover for defenders except for a shed next to it containing valuable health packs.
• Speaking of out in the open, that means defenders have a clear line of sight to anyone that’s in the process of capturing it. Set up a Widowmaker or a turret in one of the buildings nearby with an easy vantage point to the capture area.

Second capture point

• The second point is a nightmare for attackers to try and capture. First, the proximity is close to the defender spawn. Second, there are a variety of places to hide and corners to use. Finally, the corridor length makes it difficult for attackers to sneak in or get up close to try to dislodge defenders.
• Widowmaker, Torbjorn, and Bastion excel here. Bastion can park himself in a corner in turret mode and mow down anyone that gets by Widowmaker’s shots. Torbjorn can just make turrets and place them overlooking the capture point.
• For attackers, if you happen to run into turrets, make them move by lobbing grenades or rockets in their general direction (because they’ll either get destroyed or be forced to change locations and free your team to push up).
• If you can time your attacks right, the offensive team can sneak in through these floating platforms that can ferry you in through a side entrance. Time it with a big push down the middle so you allow your team to flank them from the side.

Recommended characters

• Bastion: A staple for most defensive teams, Bastion can act as a deterrent or singlehandedly punish anyone that tries to attack a point from a certain direction.
• McCree: McCree? More like McBeastmode. A well-timed Deadeye can neutralize a chunk of defenders off the point. In most games, the defenders generally stay on top of the point or near it so all McCree needs to do is get into a clear line of sight and let his ultimate rip.
• Widowmaker: This French assassin is perfect for relaying movement information for either side. Activating Infra-Sight can give attackers the jump when making a move in assaulting and controlling a point. This doesn’t include her natural ability to pick off any players that have the misfortune of being caught in her crosshairs.
• Tracer: She has this annoying habit of getting in close and harassing people. I mean, that’s her job and she does it exceptionally well. Pulse Bomb can knock out and eliminate players defending the capture point (or at least, get them to move away).
• Symmetra: Defenders will want one Symmetra for her Teleporters. The first capture points are often far from the spawn points. Turrets can be deployed in certain, less traveled areas and act as early alarms in case an attacker tries to sneak in through a side route.

That’s your overview to Overwatch’s Assault maps! Remember the golden rule: Watch the clock. In addition to that, never forget that your main objective is to capture or defend points. Don’t go chasing opposing players even if they’re at low health.