How to Unlock Widowmaker: Reworks, Skins, and Redesign

Widowmaker is a Damage hero in Overwatch 2. Read on to learn more about Widowmaker, their weapons and abilities, their patch notes history, their backstory, and more!

Widowmaker Latest Buffs and Nerfs

April 26, 2022 Patch Notes

Widowmaker Day One Patch Notes
Health	• Base Health increased from 175 to 200.

Widowmaker Hero Profile

Basic Information

Widowmaker (Amélie Lacroix (née Guillard))
	Role	Damage
	Ranking
	Total HP	・ 200 ・ 200 (Base Health)
	Voice Actor	Chloe Hollings
	Nationality	French
Affiliations	Talon

How to Unlock

Unlocked by default.

Character Redesign

Overwatch 1	Overwatch 2

Widowmaker's redesign for Overwatch 2 upgrades a lot of key features from her previous suit. This time around, we can see her sporting a tight French braid as opposed to her original long ponytail. Her armor and headpiece also appear more tactical and combat-ready.

Widowmaker Weapons and Abilities

Widowmaker Main Weapon

Widow's Kiss	Primary Fire
	Damage: 13
	Description: Automatic assault weapon.
	Secondary Fire
	Damage: 120 (max charge)
	Description: Hold for long-ranged sniper weapon.

Widowmaker Abilities

Grappling Hook	Type: Ability Cooldown: 12 secs
Effect: Launch a hook that pulls you toward a ledge.
Venom Mine	Type: Ability Cooldown: 15 secs Damage: 2.8
Effect: Launch a poison trap.
Infra-Sight	Type: Ultimate Duration: 15 secs
Effect: Provide your team with a view of the enemy's location.
Role: Damage	Type: Passive
Effect: Eliminations grant a burst of increased movement speed and reload speed.

How to Play Widowmaker

Stay at a Vantage Point

As a sniper, make sure to position yourself in a place where you get to see most of the enemies. However, do not stay in same place for too long as enemies go to your position.

Use the Grappling Hook

There are two ways every Widowmaker player can use the Grappling Hook. The first one is to use the Grappling Hook to get to a high place most heroes can't reach.

The other way to use Grappling Hook is to escape enemies. Should an enemy get to your location, do not engage in a 1v1 situation especially when the enemy is at full health.

Be Aware

It's easy to get lost looking into Widowmaker's scope most of the time. Be aware of your surroundings and be careful not to get flanked. Widowmaker has below average health compared to other Heroes any unprepared encounter is sure to end badly.

Use Venom Mine on flanks

One way to make sure you don't get flanked is to place a Venom Mine on possible flanking areas. While the Venom Mine will not kill your enemies, it will at least be able to warn you of incoming enemies.

Widowmaker Skins

Base Game Skins

Hero Skins
Comtesse (Legendary)	Huntress (Legendary)	Nova (Legendary)
Odette (Legendary)	Odile (Legendary)	Patina (Epic)
Winter (Epic)	Ciel (Rare)	Nuit (Rare)
Rose (Rare)	Vert (Rare)	Classic (Common)

League Skins

Hero Skins
Ange De La Mort (Legendary)	Atlanta Reign (Epic)	Boston Uprising (Epic)
Chengdu Hunters (Epic)	Dallas Fuel (Epic)	Florida Mayhem (Epic)
Guangzhou Charge (Epic)	Hangzhou Spark (Epic)	Houston Outlaws (Epic)
London Spitfire (Epic)	Los Angeles Gladiators (Epic)	Los Angeles Valiant (Epic)
New York Excelsior (Epic)	Paris Eternal (Epic)	Philadelphia Fusion (Epic)
San Francisco Shock (Epic)	Seoul Dynasty (Epic)	Shanghai Dragons (Epic)
Toronto Defiant (Epic)	Vancouver Titans (Epic)	Washington Justice (Epic)

Event Skins

Hero Skins
Biathlon (Legendary)	Black Lily (Legendary)	Côte d'Azur (Legendary)
Kerrigan (Legendary)	Mousquetaire (Legendary)	Noire (Legendary)
Pale Serpent (Legendary)	Scorpion (Legendary)	Talon (Legendary)
Electric (Epic)	Overwatch Contenders (Epic)	Spider (Epic)
Tricolore (Epic)

How to Counter

Deflect or Ambush

Widowmaker usually hangs out at the back of the enemy team. A great Widowmaker will also be able to one-shot most Support and Damage heroes. Reinhardt's shield is great for covering for most of the team.

Winston can also jump and ambush Widowmaker easily as she has a small health pool. Finally, Genji can one-shot Widowmaker if he deflects at the right moment.

Widowmaker Hero Counters

Widowmaker Cosmetics

Victory Poses

Heroic (Common) Base Game	Activating Visor (Rare) Base Game	Gaze (Rare) Base Game
Over the Shoulder (Rare) Base Game	Medal (Rare) Summer Games Event	R.I.P. (Rare) Halloween Terror Event
Toast (Rare) Winter Wonderland Event	Fans (Rare) Lunar New Year Event	Surveillance (Rare) Archives Event

Voice Lines

Hero Voice Lines
A Single Death	“A single death can change everything.” Base Game
Encore?	“Encore? (Again?)” Base Game
Let Them Eat Cake	“Let them eat cake.” Base Game
Look For The Woman	“Cherchez la femme. (Look for the woman.)” Base Game
Magnifique	“Magnifique.” Base Game
One Shot, One Kill	“Une balle, un mort. (One shot, one kill.)” Base Game
Ouh Là Là	“Ouh là là.” Base Game
Rude	“Rude.” Base Game
Step Into My Parlor	“Step into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.” Base Game
That's How It Is	“Et c'est comme ça.(And that's how it is.)” Base Game
To Life, To Death	“À la vie, à la mort.(To life, to death.)” Base Game
What's An Aimbot?	“What's an aimbot?” Base Game
A Perfect 10	“A perfect 10.” Summer Games Event
Dame Chance	“Dame chance. (Lady luck.)” Summer Games Event
I Don't Miss	“I don't miss.” Summer Games Event
Feared By All	“The Countess was feared by all, rightfully.” Halloween Terror Event
In Your Dreams	“In your dreams.” Halloween Terror Event
Morning Spider...	“Araignée du matin, chagrin. Araignée du soir, cauchemar. (The morning spider brings grief. The evening spider brings nightmares.)” Halloween Terror Event
The Party Is Over	“The party is over.” Halloween Terror Event
Cookies	“I have no use for cookies.” Winter Wonderland Event
Exquisite	“Exquisite.” Winter Wonderland Event
Happy Holidays	“Bonne fin de fin d'année. (Happy New Year.)” Winter Wonderland Event
Merry Christmas	“Joyeux Noël. (Merry Christmas.)” Winter Wonderland Event
Barking Up The Wrong Tree	“You're barking up the wrong tree.” Lunar New Year Event
You Have My Attention	“You have my attention.” Lunar New Year Event
Always The Hunters	“Chasseur toujours. (Always a hunter.)” Archives Event
The Night Holds Surprises	“The night holds many surprises.” Archives Event
The Performance Begins	“The performance is about to begin.” Archives Event
Your Emotions	“Your emotions make you vulnerable.” Archives Event
Lucky and Good	“Better to be lucky AND good.” Anniversary Event
Sorry	“Désolé. (Sorry.)” Anniversary Event
The Pleasure Is Mine	“Tout le plaisir est pour moi. (The pleasure is mine.)” Anniversary Event
What A Bore	“(sighs) What a bore.” Anniversary Event

Emotes

Hero Emotes
Heroic Base Game	At Rest Base Game
Curtain Call Base Game	Delighted Base Game
Shot Dead Base Game	Widow's Kiss Base Game
Fan Tricks Lunar New Year Event	Ballet Anniversary Event

Widowmaker Story

A Deadly Assassin

As deadly as her namesake, Widowmaker is an assassin with Talon, known to kill with no emotion or regret. She was once married to an Overwatch agent named Gérard Lacroix before she was taken and brainwashed by Talon. She became a double agent, killing her husband before joining Talon. Now you can only hope not to get caught in her web.

Inspired by the Widow Spider

When Widowmaker was a child she feared spiders and viewed them as heartless, emotionless creatures.
Now, all of Widowmaker's enhancements and weaponery are connected to the deadly widow spider. She has an 8-eyed infrared viewing helmet, poison bombs, and a grappling hook which allows her to hang suspended like a spider in its web.

On the Side of Talon

After being converted into a sleeper agent by Talon, she turned to the side of evil. She has since been responsible for the assassination of Mondatta, visionary and leader of the Omnic communal monastery. Widowmaker shows no signs of turning back and appears to relish the kill.

Overwatch 2 Related Guides

List of Heroes

Heroes Tier List

Tank Heroes

Junker QueenNEW
D.Va	Orisa	Reinhardt	Roadhog
Sigma	Winston	Wrecking Ball	Zarya
Doomfist

List of All Tank Heroes

Damage Heroes

SojournNEW
Ashe	Bastion	Cassidy	Echo
Genji	Hanzo	Junkrat	Mei
Pharah	Reaper	Soldier: 76	Sombra
Symmetra	Torbjörn	Tracer	Widowmaker

List of All Damage Heroes

Support Heroes

KirikoNEW
Ana	Baptiste	Brigitte	Lúcio
Mercy	Moira	Zenyatta

List of All Support Heroes