How to Play Illari in Overwatch 2 – Tips and Tricks

Illari is the tenth support hero in Overwatch 2, and she offers an interesting departure from the traditional healer role. Unlike Lifeweaver, Illari is a powerful offensive juggernaut who can dish out substantial damage. If you thought TikTok Moira was frustrating, wait until you experience Illari. She is classified as a support/DPS hybrid, and she excels at both dealing damage and providing healing.

One of Illari’s greatest assets is her Primary Fire, the Solar Rifle. This hitscan rifle has an enhanced hitbox, making it slightly easier to land shots. The rifle starts off weak, dealing around 25 damage, but it charges up automatically after about a second, causing each bullet to deal 60-75 damage. In addition to her damaging Primary Fire, Illari has a short-ranged healing beam as her Secondary Fire. This beam has a resource meter that automatically charges up in 3-4 seconds. Alternate between dealing damage and healing your allies using these two abilities.

Illari’s kit also includes the Healing Pylon, a healing turret that provides quick heals to allies within its line of sight. This turret plays a significant role in Illari’s healing capabilities and should be placed strategically to keep your team healthy. Outburst is Illari’s mobility tool, allowing her to launch herself in a specific direction while also pushing enemies away. Lastly, Captive Sun is Illari’s Ultimate, which sends her flying in the air and debuffs enemies. It will explode and deal additional damage when the enemy takes damage while the Ultimate is active.

If you want to harness the power of the sun and maximize Illari’s potential, here are some tips and tricks:

Learn the Quirks of Healing Pylon

Illari’s Healing Pylon is a crucial part of her healing abilities, so it’s important to understand how it works. The turret can heal allies within a range of approximately 15 meters, so they need to be relatively close. Keep in mind that the cooldown of the Healing Pylon starts as soon as you use the ability. You can also replace the turret as long as it’s not actively healing an ally. This means you should constantly place turrets, replace them when they’re no longer effective, and ensure they’re not within the line of sight of enemies. Remember that the Healing Pylon cannot heal through shields, so position yourself accordingly.

Hold Your Jump Key for Extra Distance with Outburst

Outburst is Illari’s primary movement ability, allowing her to escape sticky situations and reposition herself by knocking enemies back. It has a short cooldown of 7 seconds, so you can use it quite frequently. To cover a little extra distance with Outburst, hold the Jump key before using the ability. This will allow you to travel farther and reach higher places that would otherwise be out of reach.

Beware of Counters to Captive Sun

Captive Sun, Illari’s Ultimate, is an exciting ability that can yield multi-kills. However, it’s essential to consider which abilities can counter it. The projectile from Captive Sun can be eaten by abilities like D.Va’s Defense Matrix, Orisa’s Javelin Spin, and Sigma’s Kinetic Grasp. Shields can also block the projectile. Additionally, the debuff from Captive Sun and the potential explosion can be cleansed by certain abilities, such as Kiriko’s Suzu, Moira’s Fade, and Mei’s Ice Block. When using Captive Sun, it’s crucial to track enemy cooldowns to ensure maximum effectiveness.

You Don’t Always Have to Wipe the Enemy Team with Captive Sun

While Captive Sun has great offensive potential, it’s not necessary to aim for play-of-the-game every time. Taking out an enemy carry can still provide value and tip the scales in your team’s favor. Overwatch teamfights rely on numbers, so even turning a 5v5 into a 4v5 or 3v5 can give your team a significant advantage and help secure objectives.

Aim for High Damage Numbers

For Illari, dealing damage is essential. She lacks utility outside of her damage potential, so if you’re not contributing in terms of damage, you’re not fully utilizing her abilities. While her healing numbers have been nerfed, it’s still important to maintain a high damage output. However, don’t neglect your Healing Pylon and the heal beam. Balancing damage and healing is key to success with Illari.

Remember, Illari is a unique support hero in Overwatch 2 with offensive capabilities that can turn the tide in battles. By mastering her abilities and understanding her playstyle, you can maximize her potential and contribute to your team’s success.