Sometimes a game comes along that on the surface seems like it’s not particularly deep or would inspire much in the way of introspection, but through your experience manages to do just that. This describes my experience with Overwatch: a competitive first person shooter that pits your team of superpowered combatants against another team of superpowered combatants, all fighting for control of an objective. Each player selects a specific character to play, each of which has a particular role to play in the team’s composition, from defensive tanks to supportive healers to damage-dealing attackers. The individual characters come equipped with an array of special powers and weapons designed to fulfill their role.

Teams succeed by combining their abilities and skills to overwhelm their opponents, and it’s this game’s focus on synergy and teamwork that is the cause for my writing this. Because you see, my friends, no matter how exceptional an individual player you may be, Overwatch is a game that will punish those who do not cultivate camaraderie and reward players that do. And in order to succeed in that regard, it’s vital to be in communication with your teammates; not just telling them what they’ve done wrong, but in concocting strategies, combining efforts, and in encouraging others to exceed in harrowing and difficult situations throughout a given game.

I’ve been fortunate enough to play Overwatch with a group of friends who share my passion for the game. As we’ve won and lost together there have been moments of joyous victory and moments of bitter frustration. I happen to play as one of the game’s tanks: a heavily armored man who goes by the name of “Reinhardt” and whose buoyant personality is backed up with an enormous hammer and shield designed to repel enemies and protect allies. If you’re not familiar with Overwatch, I of course recommend playing it, but the company behind it has also created a series of beautifully animated short films about the characters, including Reinhardt, entitled “Honor and Glory.” Naturally, as a lover of knights and chivalry and combat, I was drawn to this rocket-powered warrior, but it wasn’t until I spent hundreds of hours playing as him that I started to realize how his personality and role were rubbing off on me.

You see, Reinhardt cares deeply about guarding his teammates and friends from all manner of threat; his abilities are designed to protect those closest to him, to provide a path forward, to beat back those who would do harm. Even now, when I think of his voice line, “Don’t worry, my friends! I will be your shield!” it gets me teary-eyed. Why? Why would a silly videogame character’s random words of enthusiasm inspire such emotion? Because when it comes down to it, all of the time spent in a game like Overwatch is more or less invested as a way of expressing one’s self and connecting with others. Sure, Overwatch is a videogame and Reinhardt is a collection of art assets, voice work, and pixels. But at the core, this goofy giant’s desire to guard his friends is a universal touchpoint. My time spent protecting my friends throughout our virtual deathmatches was some of the most valuable of my life, because while no one is actually harmed by the game’s violence, conversations with friends as we fought side-by-side often revealed that we all face struggles, and that sometimes we need a friend who’s willing and able to shield us from those challenges.

In any case, my team’s won our fair share of games and I’d like to think my work as Reinhardt has been integral to victory, alongside the spectacular efforts of my friends. I’m often asked what skills and knowledge I think makes for a good Reinhardt, and I will say with regards to the above that to play a character like Reinhardt requires that you care about what happens to others, and to remember that lesson even when the game’s application is closed and the computer’s turned off.

But beyond this rumination, I’ve included below ten of my top tips for playing a better Reinhardt! I hope they serve you well in the heat of combat and help your team achieve glorious victory! See you on the battlefield, friends.

Communication is key!
Rein can see more than any other hero in the game. It’s vital you keep watch for threats that might be out of sight for others and let them know. If things look bad, call everyone to you. Because Rein is so important to team composition and constantly visible to everyone on the team, people usually listen.
Don’t let your shield break!
Take every opportunity you can to drop it and charge and be sure to use geography as cover to buy time. When pushing on offense I often use the cart or building corners to buy a brief respite. Shield health can mean the difference between a team wipe and victory. When ults start flying, you absolutely need it to be recharged.
Body block when you can or must!
As Rein you’re usually the biggest target on the field. This can be stressful, but also has a couple of benefits: 1) Dropping your shield immediately draws attention away from others to you, buying vulnerable squishies valuable moments as thirsty enemies stupidly shoot at the bigger target, 2) Tanking damage allows your healers to charge up their absolutely VITAL ults for the times when things go really bad.
Don’t give in to blood lust!
This has been my most difficult thing to learn and apply and I admittedly fail at restraining myself 50% of the time. Fight and kill who you can, but don’t chase unless you have the wind (and your team) at your back. Your first job is to intimidate, block, and set the line from which your team will engage. Your second is to punish those who get too close.
Short distance Rocket Charges are better than long ones!
Unless you need to get somewhere very quickly—either back to the fight from spawn, or out in front of vulnerable squishies—you should reserve your Rocket Charge for short-distance targets who are easily killed or removed from close proximity. Rein is extremely vulnerable during long charges and you’ll probably miss your target, leaving your team unprotected and you likely dead (especially if a clever Lucio or Orisa are waiting to push or pull you over a nearby edge). Try to keep nearby walls or obstacles in mind as potential backstops when thinking about initiating a short range Rocket Charge. (edited)
Reaper and Roadhog are your enemies!
Rein can take on just about anyone close quarters, but no one kills you faster than these two and they should be avoided in one-on-one combat whenever possible. Reaper’s guns slaughter Rein and Roadhog has too much sustainability to end the fight. Request support if they approach.
A.B.C. Always Be Charging (Ult)!
Rein’s Firestrike is fantastic for finishing enemies at close to medium distances, but its most important use is building ult charge. Rein’s ult is devastating and sending a Firestrike into a group of attackers gets you to it much more quickly, as it continues to travel through enemies even while hitting them. Just be mindful of Genji (reflect), Zarya (bubble), and dropping your shield at the wrong moment.
Eliminate enemy Reins!
The best way to stop an enemy Rein is with your Rein. Unless you’re defending a choke point it’s almost always best to approach and attack enemy Reins (with support). The Rein who strikes first in those engagements is often the survivor, as their abilities have low variance and perfectly mirror one another, so the slower Rein usually loses the race.
Your shield is bait!
One of the most powerful things you can do with your shield is bait enemies. I’ve found this to be especially effective against Ana’s sleep dart, enemy Rein ults, and Roadhog hooks. They all have a brief, but obvious windup, so it’s easy to drop the shield, approach as if you’re attacking, and quickly block when you get the feeling they’re getting ready to initiate. Without her dart Ana is toast at close range, blocking Rein’s ult can turn the tide, and half of Roadhog’s kit is nullified for a brief time.
Don’t wait; create your own opportunities to use Earthshatter!
On the flip side, baiting and Rocket Charge can be used to create opportunities to use your ult. Shield characters are the biggest (and really only) impediment to Rein’s ult, so it’s important to eliminate enemy Rein, Zarya, and Orisa whenever possible. Directly attacking any of them can often force them to help create an opportunity for you. For instance, if you Rocket Charge into an Orisa who is sitting with her team behind a shield, she may use her guard ability to stop your movement, but it also usually puts you in perfect position BEHIND her shield and looking at her team to lay them out. Zarya bubbling herself at close range can ruin an Earthshatter, but if you attack her aggressively she often panic bubbles herself; wait for it to expire and then bring the hammer down. And if you’re facing an enemy Rein, aggressively push on them with shield raised, presenting the opportunity for them to get those first crucial hits in, BUT once he starts swinging with reckless abandon, you punish his zeal with DEATH.