Widowmaker

Widowmaker
"One shot, one kill."
Real Name	Amélie Lacroix (née Guillard)
Age	33
Nationality	French
Occupation	Ballet dancer (formerly) Assassin
Base	Annecy, France
Affiliation	Talon
Relations	Gérard Lacroix (husband)
Voice	Chloe Hollings (English and French) Vera Teltz (German) Francesca Perilli (Italian) Shizuka Itō (Japanese) Lee Ji-hyeon (Korean) Flavia Saddy (Brazilian Portuguese) Erica Edwards (American Spanish) Conchi López (European Spanish)
Cosmetics	Cosmetic page
Quotes	Quotation page
Role	Damage
Health	200
Character Video

Widowmaker is a Damage hero in Overwatch.

Overview

Widowmaker equips herself with whatever it takes to eliminate her targets, including mines that dispense poisonous gas, a visor that grants her squad infra-sight, and a powerful sniper rifle that can fire in fully-automatic mode.

Abilities

Widow's Kiss

Type

Weapon (Scope)

Effect Type

Hitscan

Widowmaker’s versatile sniper rifle is ideal for scope-aimed shots at distant targets.

Damage:

12 uncharged
120 fully charged

Headshot:

✓ (2.5x multiplier)

Rate of fire:

Up to 0.75 seconds to charge
0.5 second recovery before it starts charging again

Ammo per shot:

3 per shot

Ammo:

30

Reload time:

1.55 seconds

Cast time:

0.75 seconds charging
0.33 seconds scoping in/out

Spread angle:

Pinpoint

Move. speed:

-65%

• Details

Ability details:

• The base damage is 12 and scales linearly to 120. Each percent of power increases the damage by 1.08.
• The minimum power required to kill a full health target (without armor) with a single headshot:
  • 150 HP: 45%
  • 200 HP: 63%
  • 250 HP: 82%
• If the power is below 50%, it makes a softer sound and leaves a smaller trail.

Example Video

Widow's Kiss

Type

Weapon (Automatic Fire)

Effect Type

Hitscan

Should targets close to medium range, the rifle can also be fired in fully-automatic mode.

Damage:

6.5-13

Falloff range:

20 to 40 meters

Headshot:

✓

Rate of fire:

10 rounds per second

Ammo:

30

Reload time:

1.55 seconds

Spread angle:

Max: 3.00 degrees

Example Video

Grappling Hook

12 seconds

Type

Ability

Widowmaker launches a grappling hook towards the location she’s aiming at – when the hook connects with a scalable surface, she’s quickly drawn towards it, allowing her to expand her view of the battlefield and evade or flank targets.

Max. range:

20 meters

Move. speed:

20 meters per second (pulling speed)

• Details

Ability details:

• Grappling Hook can be cancelled by pressing the jump key.

Example Video

Venom Mine

15 seconds

Type

Ability

Effect Type

Arcing projectile

Widowmaker adheres a swiftly-arming venom mine to nearly any surface. When a target wanders within range of the mine’s motion trigger, it explodes, delivering poison gas to any enemies in the vicinity.

Damage:

15 per second
75 total

Headshot:

✕

Health:

1

Duration:

5 seconds after detonation

Area of effect:

3 meter interact radius

Projectile speed:

20 meters per second

• Details

Ability details:

• Enemies who trigger the mine can be seen by Widowmaker through walls for a short time.
• The venom effect is removed immediately upon taking a Health Pack.

Example Video

Infra-Sight

Q

1540 points

Type

Ultimate Ability

Widowmaker’s recon visor allows her to see the heat signatures of her targets through walls and objects for a moderate amount of time. This enhanced vision is shared with her allies.

Cast time:

0.5 seconds

Duration:

15 seconds

Area of effect:

Map-wide

• Details

Ability details:

• Widowmaker passively generates 1% Ult Charge every 3.08 seconds.
• Allows Widowmaker's entire team to see enemies through walls and their health bars.
• Infra-Sight ends if Widowmaker dies.

Example Video

Strategy

Strength

Widowmaker is the archetypical sniper of Overwatch. Equipped with a powerful scoped rifle, she is capable of taking down the majority of the game's heroes with a single fully-charged headshot, and is still able to deal serious damage with bodyshots. Her Infra-Sight and Venom Mine give her and her team considerable information on enemy movements, allowing them to easily counter ambushes and coordinated pushes.

Weakness

Widowmaker is, however, relatively weak in close-range combat, and her immobility while scoped makes her an easy target; Widowmaker's biggest threat is often another, better Widowmaker on the enemy team. She's often forced to play away from the objective where she's safer, as her only real mobility is Grappling Hook which can have a long cast time and leaves Widowmaker fairly defenseless to another attack.

Weapons & Abilities

• Widow's Kiss: Widowmaker's primary weapon. Widow's Kiss has two firing modes, which are switched between with the secondary fire button. The standard firing mode is a submachine gun, similar to Soldier: 76's Heavy Pulse Rifle, though with less accuracy and a larger magazine. The secondary firing mode is a sniper rifle that zooms in Widowmaker's vision and reduces the firing rate to single shots. A charge meter is visible while scoped that fills over time, with the damage of the shot increasing the more the meter is filled.
  • The secondary firing mode is Widowmaker's main source of damage. It allows her to deal impressive damage at long range.
  • Critical hits with Widowmaker's secondary fire deal 2.5x critical damage as opposed to the normal 2x. As a result, a fully charged critical hit deals 300 damage.
  • An uncharged shot from the sniper rifle deals miniscule damage. Aim to have your shot at least 60-70% charged before firing.
  • Though not especially accurate, the submachine gun is usually a better option than the sniper rifle when fighting at short range. Aim for your opponent's head to deal increased damage.

• Grappling Hook: When activated, Widowmaker shoots out a wrist-mounted grappling hook. If the hook impacts a solid surface, Widowmaker will pull herself to the hook. She maintains some of the pull momentum after arriving at the hook's location. If the hook does not impact a solid surface, it will return to Widowmaker and not be put on cooldown.
  • Grappling Hook allows Widowmaker to get to almost any vertical area that she can see. Use this mobility to get to places your enemies least expect, such as on catwalks or high walls.
  • Grappling Hook can be used to escape from enemies who get too close to Widowmaker. Fire it at a distant wall to gain some distance from flankers like Genji.
  • Since Widowmaker still maintains some momentum after arriving at the hook's location, she can use it as a sort of "high jump" to use her sniper rifle on targets normally out of her line of fire while midair. This is very challenging to do, however, and is not normally recommended.
  • Grappling Hook can be interrupted at any time during the pull by jumping. Use this to gain control over Widowmaker faster after grappling.

• Venom Mine: When activated, Widowmaker fires out a small mine that attaches to the first solid surface it impacts, arming itself after it lands. If an enemy walks near to the mine while it's armed, it will detonate, poisoning them and any nearby enemies with a toxic gas that deals damage over time. The mine has a Health pool, and will be destroyed if it takes enough damage, preventing the detonation.
  • Use Venom Mine to protect yourself from flankers. Place it around a corner leading to your sniping spot so that you're alerted if an enemy tries to make their way through there. You will see a small alert on your HUD if it is either destroyed or triggered.
  • Since Venom Mine travels a fair distance when activated, Widowmaker can use it somewhat like a grenade by shooting it into a group of enemies that she's flanking. This will help to soften up weaker enemies for the kill with her sniper rifle.
  • Venom Mine can be placed on the edge of a corner to block an enemy shot while you safely peek from behind it.

• Infra-Sight (Ultimate): Widowmaker's Ultimate ability. When activated, Widowmaker and her team temporarily gain infravision, showing them the location of all enemies by highlighting their silhouettes with a red glow when they are behind walls or other solid surfaces. Widowmaker can see the remaining duration of Infra-Sight on her UI.
  • While Infra-Sight has little direct combat power in comparison to something like Bastion's Configuration: Tank, it provides a massive amount of information to Widowmaker's entire team. Use this information to set up ambushes, avoid flankers, and counter other Widowmakers attempting to snipe you.
  • Use Infra-Vision to set up headshots more easily by waiting for enemies to come around corners. The knowledge of their position makes it much easier to get a headshot successfully.
  • Infra-Sight is incredibly valuable against an enemy Sombra. If you suspect Sombra is about to attack or has her ultimate ready, use Infra-Sight to expose her.

General Strategies

• Widowmaker has the potential to be an absolute menace to the enemy team when played well. She is best used on maps with lots of long corridors and open areas with little cover that she can shoot down on, picking off her opponents one by one. She works less well on maps with lots of small rooms and side routes that her enemies can travel through to avoid her. She also has a lot of trouble dealing with tanks like Reinhardt, whose powerful barrier can stop her shots dead.

• Widowmaker should never stay in one place for very long. Your sniper rifle shots, whether they hit or miss, have long, visible tracers that tell the enemy team where you're firing from. As soon as your enemies know where you are, they'll start to take steps to either avoid you (by traveling a different way) or counter you (such as with a mobile tank like Winston). Constantly remain on the move to keep your enemies guessing and to get better angles on vulnerable targets like Mercy or Zenyatta.

• Avoid using your sniper scope when standing in a wide open area, especially if the rest of your team is not surrounding you. A lone Widowmaker standing without cover is an easy target for Pharah or another Widowmaker.

• Avoid the temptation of only aiming for headshots. While headshots are preferable, they are hard to get on moving targets who are aware of your location, especially if you don't have a good angle of fire. Go for a headshot if you can catch an enemy unaware, or if they are moving in a predictable way. Otherwise, go for bodyshots.

• When fighting enemies up close, use Venom Mine and switch to your submachine gun to fight them. Venom Mine does a surprising amount of damage, as does Widowmaker's submachine gun. While most skilled flankers will be able to kill you if they get that close to you, you can sometimes do enough damage to drive them away, especially if you aren't caught off-guard by them.

• In general, you want to maintain distance from your opponents, as you're vulnerable in close combat. If you're presented the opportunity to safely flank your opponents at closer ranges, do so, as it makes lining up sniper rifle shots and dealing damage with Venom Mine much easier. Be ready to quickly escape with Grappling Hook once the enemy team turns their attention to you.

• Use Infra-Sight strategically. If your team is making a push onto an objective (or the enemy team is making a push onto your objective), use it to give your team significant information about enemy positions and their movement. Knowing where critical enemy heroes like Mercy are can make it a lot easier for allied heroes like Roadhog or Tracer to pick them off, giving your team a big advantage.
• Widowmaker's primary targets should be low-health support like Zenyatta and Mercy, followed by stationary defenses like Bastion and Torbjorn's turrets. Other targets should be picked according to threat and team composition, such as rival snipers like another Widowmaker, Hanzo or Mei, or McCree in the midst of using Deadeye. She should only target Tanks like Winston, Roadhog, Zarya or Reinhardt if it is to her advantage, such as weakening them enough for teammates to pick off, or gaining Ultimate level for another Infra-Sight use. D.Va is a decent target in either form, as her MEKA's Critical spot is easy to strike and D.Va herself has very low health, but the aforementioned priority targets should come first.

Match-Ups and Team Synergy

Tank

Hero	Match-Up	Team Synergy
D.Va	While in her Mech, D.Va is nearly impossible to kill with one shot regardless of how well your aim is or how low her health is. D.Va's Boosters and Defense Matrix also make it incredibly simple for her to rush to your position and either force you to flee or instantly mow you down. If D.Va approaches you, unless she's near death, don't attempt to fight her, as it's a losing battle. Flee as quickly as you can and attempt to regroup with your team. If you see D.Va out of her Mech, make her a top priority; her low health means you will make quick work of her before she can get her Mech back.	(To be added)
Orisa	(To be added)	(To be added)
Reinhardt	Reinhardt's Barrier Field gives teammates complete, long-lasting protection from your fire. Virtually any character hiding behind it can easily take out a sighted Widowmaker. But while Reinhardt will be protected from your fire, he can't protect teammates that wander out of his shield's protection or jump above it. While he's a strong defensive counter to Widowmaker, he has few ways to combat you at long range outside of his Fire Strike, which is easy to avoid. Should Reinhardt drop his shield for any reason, such as to attack nearby enemies, quickly take the opportunity to shoot him or his nearby allies while his shield is down. This also applies should his shield be destroyed.	(To be added)
Roadhog	Roadhog requires you to be at medium range to grab you with his Chain Hook; if he does, you're doomed. However, unless he sneaks up on you, it's easy to keep your distance with your Grappling Hook. At long range, he boasts high health but very low mobility and no method of blocking attacks other than Take a Breather's damage reduction, meaning it's simple to land multiple fully charged shots on him.	(To be added)
Sigma	(To be added)	(To be added)
Wrecking Ball	(To be added)	(To be added)
Winston	Winston's high health, Jump Pack and Barrier Projector make closing the distance on you child's play. You can try to gain some distance with your Grappling Hook, but his Jump Pack's recharge time is much shorter than that of your Grappling Hook, meaning in a matter of seconds he can once again jump your way. Your Widow's Kiss will barely harm him at close range, and even if you try to stay mobile, his Tesla Cannon can track your movements and quickly kill you. You may be able to land some shots at a distance, but his barrier can help keep him safe before he jumps towards you or out of your view. Be very wary when fighting Winston and try to stick by your team, as he'll have much more difficulty if you have powerful close-range allies nearby.	(To be added)
Zarya	Zarya's Barrier allows her to protect herself and teammates from your sniper fire while simultaneously building large charge for her Particle Cannon. If she closes the distance while her Barrier is up, she can attack you with a charged up laser or with bursts of long-range secondary fire. However, you can use your Grappling Hook to gain some vertical distance, whereas Zarya will have to follow you on foot. Zarya's lower health compared to other tanks also means she'll be easier to handle than most; one headshot will bring a healthy Zarya down to 100 health, putting her at risk if she doesn't have a Barrier ready. Keep your distance as wide as possible when fighting Zarya, and be sure to only strike when her Barrier is down.	(To be added)

Damage

Hero	Match-Up	Team Synergy
Ashe	(To be added)	(To be added)
Bastion	If you catch Bastion running around in the open in Recon Configuration, he's easy enough to shoot down at a distance. While he can catch you by surprise, you have your Grappling Hook to escape, and he has no mobility with which to follow you. While in Sentry mode, you have far superior firepower at a distance, as you can peek your head in and out of corners to make fully charged shots on him while he's stationary. This will be more difficult if he's covered by a barrier, though; in this situation, try to focus on other targets not being protected by the barrier while avoiding Bastion's shot. Keep your distance, and Bastion is little trouble.	(To be added)
Doomfist	(To be added)	(To be added)
Genji	Due to Genji's extreme levels of mobility, he has little difficulty closing the distance with you to fight at close range where he's much more comfortable. Even if you catch Genji at a distance, he can deflect your shots; ironically, a fully charged shot when deflected may end up killing you instead. However, if you spot a Genji at a distance who's just used his Deflect, you can safely attempt to kill him; at long distance and without Deflect, he's easy prey. Placing a Venom Mine near your location can not only help weaken a flanking Genji, it will notify you of his exact location and make it difficult for him to sneak up on you.	(To be added)
Hanzo	As both of you are snipers, a fight with Hanzo will usually end within a single shot. Hanzo's much more comfortable at medium range, so keep your distance as great as you can. Throwing a Venom Mine his way can provide some bonus damage while making him visible through walls to make him easier to kill. Be wary that with his Sonic Arrow, he can see you through walls, making it much easier to kill you even when moving back and forth between them. Also be careful of his agility and wall-climbing; he can use this to close in on you, and his Storm Arrows can quickly kill you before you have a chance to kill him or retreat.	(To be added)
Junkrat	The low accuracy of Junkrat's grenades makes it easy for you to avoid their fire. His only source of mobility is jumping with his Concussion Mine, but this makes it easier for you to catch him in the air with a charged shot from your Widow's Kiss. Be careful when you hear his RIP-Tire activate, though; if you're scoped in, it will be very easy for the Junkrat to catch you by surprise and instantly kill you. Have your Grappling Hook at the ready, and as soon as you spot the Tire, fling yourself to safety before trying to shoot it down.	(To be added)
File:Icon-mccree.png McCree	While McCree can fire powerful rounds at long range, he's nowhere near as powerful and accurate as you are with your Widow's Kiss. Keep an eye out for him and you can take him out with one headshot or a couple of bodyshots. If you're worried about him sneaking up on you and hitting you with a Flashbang, place your Venom Mine near a flanking location; not only will this deal some damage to him, it will also alert you of his presence so you can unscope and prepare to fight or flee with your Grappling Hook.	(To be added)
Mei	At a distance, you have extreme superiority over Mei. While she can stall you off with Cryo-Freeze and block your sights with Ice Wall, so long as you keep your eye on her, it's only a matter of time before you shoot her down. Even if she closes distance on you, you can quickly use your Grappling Hook to escape her Endothermic Blaster's freezing effect, making it drastically lose potency. A few well-aimed Icicles are enough to kill you, though, so don't be too cocky about staying out in the open.	(To be added)
Pharah	Pharah's constant slow movement through the air makes her a prime target for you at a distance. While she'll ignore your Venom Mine and her aerial mobility far exceeds that of your Grappling Hook, you have an extreme advantage at long range. She will often have a Mercy healing her in the air as well; try to kill the Mercy first in this situation if you can, as she's even more helpless in the air than Pharah is. If Pharah closes the gap on you, she has more of an advantage. If you attempt to simply run away, you have no chance against her. Use your Grappling Hook to make some quick distance if you can, then quickly scope in and try to peg her before she can follow you.	(To be added)
Reaper	Reaper's strength comes from close-range combat, which you will rarely find yourself in. Keep an eye on him at a distance, and you should have no problem assassinating him. He may use Shadow Step to quickly approach you and shoot you down before you can react. Be aware of the noise of a nearby Shadow Step; if you hear it, quickly unscope and try to spot his location. If he's at low health, you can attempt to engage, but in most situations it's best to use Grappling Hook for a quick escape to gain some distance.	(To be added)
Soldier: 76	Like most Damage heroes, Soldier: 76 excels at close to mid-range combat and deals high damage at the cost of low health. If you spot him at a distance, he's simple to eliminate. However, with his Sprint, he can run past your blind spots and close the distance on you with relative ease. His Helix Rockets can also deal massive damage even at long range, so be careful not to get caught by surprise by them.	(To be added)
Sombra	Without the use of Infra-Sight, you have little way of detecting Sombra as she uses her Thermoptic Camo and Translocator to approach and harass you. While Sombra's Machine Pistol doesn't have massive killing potential, she can still usually outdamage you in a close-range fight. Even if you get Sombra down to low health, her Translocator will allow her to retreat back to her team and heal, while you'll have to either stay in the open at low health or fall back and heal. If Sombra trips on your Venom Mine, she'll lose her stealth while also becoming visible through walls, making her an easy target. During Infra-Sight, keep a sharp eye out for Sombra and try to use this opportunity to eliminate her.	(To be added)
Symmetra	Symmetra's most powerful at close range, which you rarely have to worry about when fighting at a distance. If you spot Sentry Turrets active at a distance, it's simple for you to shoot them down in one or two shots, though she will often place them in corners and on walls out of your view. Be careful of Symmetra placing a Teleporter near your position. Don't try to destroy it, as it will take too long and while doing so the enemy team can move through it and attack you. Instead, it's best to abandon your position and relocate with Grappling Hook before Symmetra's team can ambush you. A quick Venom Mine on the Teleporter before you flee can provide a nasty surprise for whoever passes through it, though.	(To be added)
Torbjörn	Thanks to the stationary nature of Torbjörn's turret, it's incredibly simple for you to heckle it from a distance, often taking it out in two or three shots. Torbjörn has very few means to approach you, making him equally easy to snipe.	(To be added)
Tracer	Tracer's speed not only makes her a difficult target to snipe, but it also helps her flank and confuse you. Her damage at close range can kill you in seconds, while she can easily avoid most of your Widow's Kiss's assault fire. However, she lacks vertical mobility, meaning so long as you stay above her, you should be able to snipe her without the worry of her flanking you.	(To be added)
Widowmaker	Ironically, one of the hardest problems to handle as Widowmaker is an enemy Widowmaker, since if you're caught unaware, it takes but one shot to instantly kill you. If you spot an enemy Widowmaker, try to get your team to handle her; even if they don't kill her, they can distract her long enough for you to kill her before she can notice you. If she's too far behind enemy lines, you'll be forced to play a game of sniper duel, with both of you ducking in and out of cover while attempting to land a single killing blow. Infra-Sight will help you and your team take care of an enemy Widowmaker without having to worry as much about getting taken by surprise by a lethal headshot./small>	(To be added)

Support

Hero	Match-Up	Team Synergy
Ana	Like most other sniper opponents, it can be troublesome to fight Ana. You each have advantages. Your charged shots are much more powerful than her nonchargeable shots, meaning one or two can instantly kill her. Meanwhile, she has no need to charge her shots to deal standard damage, and her lower recoil makes it easy for her to land successive shots on you, killing you in three or four shots. Still, so long as you play smart and keep behind cover between shots, you should be able to take her down. At close range you can attack with Assault fire while she's stuck with standard rifle fire, but she can compensate with her Sleep Dart and Biotic Grenade, giving her the advantage in close-quarters combat. You always have superior mobility over her, however, so always be ready to escape if a close-range fight turns sour.	(To be added)
Baptiste	(To be added)	(To be added)
Brigitte	(To be added)	(To be added)
Lúcio	Lúcio will often be riding walls to keep away from enemy fire. At a distance, though, it's easier to predict his movements. While landing a headshot on him may be difficult while he's mobile, a fully charged bodyshot or two can make quick work of him. Be careful of Lúcio flanking you, however; while he doesn't provide much of a threat to your life, his Soundwave can push you out of position, making you an easier target for the enemy team.	(To be added)
Mercy	Mercy can quickly bolt from ally to ally with Guardian Angel, but she'll often be slowly gliding in the air, making her easy to snipe. This is made even easier when she's sticking to a Pharah, as she'll always be floating in the air for you to shoot down.	(To be added)
Moira	(To be added)	(To be added)
Zenyatta	Zenyatta has decent power at range that he can augment with his Orb of Discord, but he's required to stand in the open when attacking, making him incredibly easy to snipe. Should he hit you with his Orb of Discord, you can duck behind cover to wait for its influence to expire, or you can snipe him down before he can pelt you with orbs. Either way, you'll generally maintain superiority over Zenyatta should he show himself.	(To be added)

Story

"One shot, one kill."

Widowmaker is the perfect assassin: a patient, ruthlessly efficient killer who shows neither emotion nor remorse. She is unaffected by low temperatures.

Background

Amélie and Gerard are married

Amélie Guillard grew up in her family's ancestral home of Chateau Guillard. For much of her life, she was known as an accomplished ballet dancer in Paris. She married Gérard Lacroix, an Overwatch agent spearheading operations against the Talon terrorist organization. In time she would meet one of Gérard's fellow agents, founding member and sniper, Ana Amari. After several unsuccessful attempts to eliminate Gérard, Talon decided to change its focus to his wife. Talon operatives kidnapped her and subjected her to an intense program of neural reconditioning. They broke her will, suppressed her personality, and reprogrammed her as a sleeper agent. She was eventually found by Overwatch agents, apparently none the worse for wear, and returned to her normal life.

Two weeks later she killed Gérard in his sleep.

Her mission complete, Amélie returned to Talon, and they completed the process of turning her into a living weapon. She was given extensive training in the covert arts, and then her physiology was altered, drastically slowing her heart, which turned her skin cold and blue and numbed her ability to experience human emotion. The slowing of her heart rate allowed her to become an exceptional sniper. Thanks to Talon's experiments Amélie was gone, replaced by "Widowmaker," Talon's most effective assassin, and feeling little save the satisfaction of a job well done. As far as Overwatch knew, she had been kidnapped.

Legacy

Amélie, now known as Widowmaker

Widowmaker was present in an anti-Talon operation conducted by Overwatch, as a force led by Jack Morrison rescued a number of scientists that Talon had taken hostage. While Overwatch was successful in this regard, Widowmaker was able to take out a number of agents. The operation led to a sniper duel between her and Agent Amari, as they made their way throughout the urban terrain. Ana was able to temporarily incapacitate Widowmaker, hitting her in her helmet. But upon seeing Widowmaker's face, she froze, recognizing Amélie. It was all the time Widowmaker needed to take her own shot, shooting Ana through the scope of her rifle and into her cybernetic eye.

Alive

“	When I was a girl, I had a fear of spiders. I was told they felt no emotion, that their hearts never beat. But I know the truth. At the moment of the kill, they are never more alive.	„
	~ Widowmaker

Widowmaker in King's Row

Widowmaker was sent to King's Row to assassinate Tekhartha Mondatta, the Shambali leader, as he made a speech. As she made her way to her vantage point, she reflected upon how she had been frightened of spiders as a child, drawing an implicit comparison to Widowmaker herself -- neither one felt emotion or had a beating heart. She lowered herself, upside-down, off the side of a building using her grappling hook and began to line up her shot. However, unbeknownst to her, Tracer was also at the speech. Just before she could press the trigger, she was distracted by Tracer blinking through the air towards her, pistols firing. The two engaged in a rooftop chase as Mondatta was ushered away, having been warned by Tracer. In the end, Tracer's pulsebomb backfired and blew both of them into the air. As she fell, Widowmaker took careful aim, and fired a single bullet at the center of Tracer's chronal accelerator. Tracer blinked forward, and the bullet sped on—straight into Mondatta, killing him moments before he entered his limousine. Tracer tackled her to the rooftop, demanding to know why she would do such a thing, but as a Talon aircraft arrived to retrieve her, Widowmaker just chuckled, whispered, "Adieu, chérie," ("Farewell, darling,") and flipping the pair over the edge of the roof, slammed Tracer into the building's wall below them. Leaving incapacitated Tracer behind, as Widowmaker was spirited away from London she reflected that spiders did indeed feel—when they kill.

She later reflected that her assassination of Mondatta was one of her finest kills.

Day at the Museum

“	There you are.	„
	~ Widowmaker, after seeing Doomfist's gauntlet

Widowmaker lines up her sights

Widowmaker teamed up with Reaper as part of an attempt to recover Doomfist's gauntlet. She was hindered in this by Winston and Tracer however. The mission was further complicated by a child stealing the gauntlet, and using it against her. After Tracer disarmed her, she made an escape with Reaper using her grapple, though both agents engaged in pursuit.

Infiltration

“	I am in position.	„
	~ Widowmaker

Widowmaker gets ready to make the shot

Alongside Reaper and Sombra, Widowmaker was assigned to assassinate Katya Volskaya, the CEO of Volskaya Industries. Sombra was able to take down the facility's security system, allowing Widowmaker and Reaper access to the site. Widowmaker lined up her sights from a vantage point, and waited for Katya to enter her field of fire. She almost did, but an alarm sounded, sending the base into high alert and Katya to her fortified office. Widowmaker tried to salvage the shot anyway but narrowly missed the CEO, instead shattering the lower half of her hanging right earring. Reaper ordered her to stay put while he took her out, but he was waylaid by a mech. Sombra engaged in pursuit, but reported that Katya had escaped. Reaper ordered that the operatives return to their ship.

Reflections

Widowmaker visits her husband's grave

During Christmas, Widowmaker took a visit to Gérard's resting place. She left a rose on her husband's grave.

Masquerade

“	I was impressed by your performance in London. Talon could use more operatives like you. Especially given recent lapses.	„
	~ Doomfist to Widowmaker

Widowmaker at the casino

After Doomfist was freed from his prison by Reaper, he rendezvoused with Widowmaker at a casino in Monaco. He complimented her for her assassination of Mondatta. Sombra, who was on the same channel, told Doomfist to ask her about her failure to assassinate Volskaya, but Doomfist shut down the conversation. Doomfist met with Maximilien at a game table; Widowmaker partook in the game while they discussed matters pertaining to Talon. She won quite a few chips, but the game was interrupted by Talon agents sent by Vialli to assassinate Doomfist. The pair fought them off and departed, headed for Venice. There, Widowmaker, Reaper, and Sombra eliminated Talon agents loyal to Vialli, while Doomfist killed Vialli himself.

Homecoming

Widowmaker returned to her ancestral home at some point.

Achievements

Name	Icon	Description	Reward
Did That Sting?		Kill 4 enemies using Widowmaker's Venom Mine during a single Quick or Competitive play game.	Pixel
Smooth As Silk		Kill an enemy with a scoped headshot while airborne as Widowmaker in Quick or Competitive play.	Cute

Trivia

• Widowmaker's name and her spider themes are a reference to the black widow spider.
  • "Widowmaker" essentially describes her past, as she made herself a widow by killing her husband.

• Widowmaker bears resemblance to the ghosts of Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft series, in terms of equipment and the use of mental conditioning.

• One of Nova's skins in Heroes of the Storm is Widowmaker and conversely one of Widowmaker's own skins in Overwatch is Nova. Widowmaker's face can also be found on a color variant of Tychus's armor. The lead hero designer has said that it's unlikely that Widowmaker will be a hero in the game.

• Her voiceline "let them eat cake" is a famous French saying misattributed to Queen Marie Antoinette in response to the peasant's cry in regards to the bread shortage.

• The tattoo on her right forearm reads "araignée du soir, Cauchemar", which is the French for "spider in the evening, Nightmare". It's a play on an old French superstition that goes "Araignée du matin, chagrin; araignée du soir, espoir". Directly translated it means, "Spider in the morning, grief; spider in the evening, hope." A more literal translation is "If you see a spider in the morning, it's bad luck. If you see a spider in the evening, it's good luck."

• By far, her assault mode is the only assault hit-scan type that doesn't suffer from damage falloff.

• Widowmaker bears some resemblance to Valve's Team Fortress 2 character, Sniper. Both have done something to their family (Sniper abandoned his family to be an assassin, Widowmaker killed her husband), both have sniper rifles and sub-machine guns (however, Widowmaker's rifle is both a sniper rifle and a sub-machine gun, while Sniper's SMG is a separate weapon), both fire tracing shots from their rifles (however, Sniper's normal rifle doesn't fire tracing bullets; it's only when he equips The Machina or the Hitman's Heatmaker that his bullets will start to leave tracers behind), and both can charge their shots while scoped to deal more damage.

Merchandise

• A Funko Pop Widowmaker figurine was released on July 18th, 2016.

• A 13.5" statue of Widowmaker was announced and made available for pre-order on March 28, 2017.

• A Widowmaker-themed hoodie is available from JINX.
• Widowmaker's Chinese New Year skin, Black Lily, is a reference to her name in the Chinese version of the game.
• It is possible that the voice line "One shot, one kill" is based on the book One Shot One Kill by authors Charles W. Sasser and Craig Roberts.

• The Tracer vs. Widowmaker LEGO Overwatch set featuring the Satellite Drone XR-9 was revealed by Target in 2018.

Development

The Longshot class

Widowmaker's design originated from a playable class in the cancelled Titan. In the original pitch for Prometheus, the class was named Longshot and wielded a sniper rifle and machine pistol, and had the Grappling Hook and Recon Visor abilities. Longshot would appear in a later pitch for the game with a new design more closely resembling Widowmaker, and was also featured prominently in the Prometheus "hero lineup" key art. The first concept for Widowmaker was to create a ranged sniper character. She was one of the easiest characters to animate in the game, and was one of the first three characters designed for Overwatch, alongside Tracer and Reaper. Her venom mine ability originally created a much larger and deadlier explosion.

Gallery

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  Widowmaker's reference image

External links

• Official Site - Widowmaker
• Widowmaker Guide on Icy Veins