How to Unlock Pharah: Changes, Skins, and Redesign

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

Pharah Latest Buffs and Nerfs

No Rework as of Season 1

No changes received.

List of All Balance Changes and Hero Reworks

Pharah Hero Profile

Basic Information

Pharah (Fareeha Amari)
	Role	Damage
	Ranking
	Total HP	・ 200 ・ 200 (Base Health)
	Voice Actor	Jen Cohn
	Nationality	Egyptian
Affiliations	Egyptian Army (formerly), Helix Security International (formerly), Overwatch

How to Unlock

Unlocked by default.

Character Redesign

Overwatch 1	Overwatch 2

Pharah's redesign for Overwatch 2 introduces some white to her color scheme while darkening her blues. For the most part, the change in the armor details are not so remarkable that they form an impression when you see it.

Pharah Weapons and Abilities

Pharah Main Weapon

Rocket Launcher
	Damage: 120
	Description: Long-range explosive projectile weapon.

Pharah Abilities

Jump Jet	Type: Ability Cooldown: 10 secs
Effect: Fly rapidly upwards.
Concussive Blast	Type: Ability Cooldown: 9 secs Damage: 30
Effect: Launch an explosive blast to knock back enemies.
Hover Jets	Type: Passive Cooldown: 2 secs Duration: 2 secs
Effect: Hold to hover.
Barrage	Type: Ultimate Damage: 2050
Effect: Launch a continuous barrage of mini-rockets.
Role: Damage	Type: Passive
Effect: Eliminations grant a burst of increased movement speed and reload speed.

How to Play and Tips

Lead Rocket Launcher Shots

Pharah's Rocket Launcher shoots out some of the slowest projectiles in Overwatch 2. To directly hit your opponents more often, practice leading each of your Rocket Launcher shots based on your distance and height away from the target.

Swiftly Descend to Reduce Rocket Distance

You can strategically fall towards vital enemy targets to reduce the time it takes for your rockets to reach them. Doing this reduces the time it takes for enemies to react to your attacks and allows you to deal more consistent damage to your foes. This strategy works particularly well if you have a Zarya or Mercy supporting your aggressive plays.

Stay Alert for Hitscan Damage Heroes

Pharah is highly vulnerable to Damage Heroes with hitscan weapons, such as Ashe, Cassidy, and Soldier: 76. Avoid staying in one place in the air for too long and hover near natural cover to prevent yourself from easily being picked off.

Take Advantage of Pharah's Aerial Mobility

Jump Jet and Hover Jets give Pharah unparalleled aerial mobility compared to the rest of the cast. Take advantage of this by shooting down from unexpected areas and flanking the enemy team from odd angles.

Use Hover Jets to Adjust, Not Fly

A beginner mistake with Pharah is using large amounts of Hover Jets' charge to reach their preferred elevation. Instead, use a Jump Jet to reach high altitudes, and slowly fall and adjust to your preferred height using Hover Jets.

Adapt Hover Height to Your Support

Flying too high into the air can prevent your Supports from healing you, allowing you to easily get eliminated by the enemy team. Learn to adapt your general hover height based on the Support Heroes on your team.

For example, you can remain at higher altitudes if you have a Mercy dedicated to supporting you, but you may want to stay closer to the ground if you have a Baptiste or Moira on your team.

Rocket Jump with Primary Fire

Pharah's primary fire can propel her further into the air if timed correctly with a jump, Jump Jet, or Concussive Blast. Take note that her Rocket Launcher does deal damage to herself, so make sure that you have a Support ready to heal you to full after rocket jumping.

Concussive Blast Tips

Shove Enemies into Pitfalls with Concussive Blast

While Concussive Blast excels at pushing away and breaking tight enemy formations, you can also use it to shove enemies into pitfalls and environmental hazards for easy eliminations.

You can combine Rocket Launcher shots with your Concussive Blast to knock foes away even farther, which is especially useful against Tank Heroes and their passive knockback reduction.

Reposition Yourself with Concussive Blast

Concussive Blast is also handy for quickly repositioning on the ground and in the air. Shoot it near walls and elevated surfaces to maintain your altitude or boost yourself horizontally.

Combine Concussive Blast and Jump Jet

By shooting a Concussive Blast behind you as you use Jump Jet, you can go farther and reach higher altitudes in the air. Combine these two abilities to quickly arrive at teamfights, reach new angles of attack, or retreat from dire situations.

Barrage Tips

Reposition Before Using Barrage

Experienced opponents will take note of your current position if they believe your Barrage is ready for use. Avoid being intercepted or quickly shot down when channeling Barrage by repositioning to a different attack angle before using Pharah's ultimate.

Coordinate With Your Team

Make frequent use of voice communication or the game's Ping System to make the most of Pharah's ultimate. Use the Countdown ping to signal your teammates when you're about to use Barrage, allowing them to protect you and combo their ultimates with yours.

A list of significant ultimates that work well with Pharah's Barrage can be seen below:

• Sigma's Gravitic Flux
• Orisa's Terra Surge
• Zarya's Graviton Surge
• Ana's Nano Boost

Avoid Using Barrage on Nearby Targets

Pharah's Barrage can cause plenty of splash damage to herself if used carelessly. Maintain a proper distance between you and your target, and ensure there are no nearby obstructions to maximize Barrage's damage output and prevent yourself from getting hurt.

Be Mindful of Enemy Abilities

Always take note of the enemy team composition and any of their abilities that can counter you and your ultimate. A list of abilities you should take note of while playing Pharah can be seen below:

• Absorbing or Deflecting Abilities: Defense Matrix, Javelin Spin, Deflect, Kinetic Grasp
• Interrupting Abilities: Sleep Dart, Chain Hook

Rocket Launcher and Barrage Animation Cancel

Holding down Pharah's primary fire before and after using Barrage allows you to shoot a rocket when the ultimate begins and ends. Doing this improves Barrage's overall damage output, so always keep this tip in mind when using Pharah's ultimate.

Pharah Skins

Base Game Skins

Hero Skins
Asp (Legendary)	Mechaqueen (Legendary)	Raindancer (Legendary)
Raptorion (Legendary)	Thunderbird (Legendary)	Anubis (Epic)
Jackal (Epic)	Amethyst (Rare)	Copper (Rare)
Emerald (Rare)	Titanium (Rare)	Classic (Common)

League Skins

Hero Skins
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
Aviator (Legendary)	Bedouin (Legendary)	Enchanted Armor (Legendary)
Lifeguard (Legendary)	Mechatron (Legendary)	Orbital (Legendary)
Qinglong (Legendary)	Security Chief (Legendary)	Sky Centurion (Legendary)
Carbon Fiber (Epic)	Frostbite (Epic)	Overwatch Contenders (Epic)
Possessed (Epic)

Pharah Cosmetics

Victory Poses

Heroic (Common) Base Game	Guardian (Rare) Base Game	Jump Jet (Rare) Base Game
Kneeling (Rare) Base Game	Medal (Rare) Summer Games Event	Pumpkin (Rare) Halloween Terror Event
R.I.P. (Rare) Halloween Terror Event	Toast (Rare) Winter Wonderland Event	Lion Mask (Rare) Lunar New Year Event

Voice Lines

Hero Voice Lines
Security In My Hands	“Put your security in my hands.” Base Game
Aerial Superiority Achieved	“Aerial superiority achieved.” Base Game
Fly Like An Egyptian	“Fly like an Egyptian.” Base Game
Flying the Friendly Skies	“Flying the friendly skies.” Base Game
Got You On My Radar	“I've got you on my radar.” Base Game
Leave This To A Professional	“Leave this to a professional.” Base Game
Not A Chance	“Not a chance.” Base Game
Play Nice, Play Pharah	“Play nice, play Pharah.” Base Game
Rocket Jump?	“Rocket jump? That sounds dangerous.” Base Game
Shot Down	“Shot down.” Base Game
Sorry, But I Need To Jet	“Sorry, but I need to jet.” Base Game
The Skies Are Clear	“The skies are clear.” Summer Games Event
Clear Skies, Full Hearts	“Clear skies, full hearts, can't lose.” Summer Games Event
On Autopilot	“I'm on autopilot.” Summer Games Event
We Are In This Together	“We are in this together.” Summer Games Event
Are You Frightened?	“Are you frightened?” Halloween Terror Event
Dead Or Alive	“You're going to come with me, dead or alive.” Halloween Terror Event
I'm So Scared	“I'm so scared.” Halloween Terror Event
At Ease	“At ease.” Winter Wonderland Event
Cool It	“Cool it.” Winter Wonderland Event
The Forecast	“Want to know the forecast.” Winter Wonderland Event
I Don't Think So	“I don't think so.” Lunar New Year Event
I Keep The Peace	“I keep the peace.” Lunar New Year Event
Ready For Some Fireworks	“Ready for some fireworks?” Lunar New Year Event
Death From Above	“Death from above.” Archives Event
Don't Take It Personally	“Don't take it personally.” Archives Event
From My Mother	“I learned that from my mother.” Archives Event
I Am The Rocket Queen	“I am the Rocket Queen.” Archives Event
I Live For A Good Fight	“I live for a good fight.” Archives Event
Fly Casual	“Fly casual.” Anniversary Event
Stay on Target	“Stay on target.” Anniversary Event
Try Me	“Try me.” Anniversary Event
Your Eye In The Sky	“Your eye in the sky.” Anniversary Event

Emotes

Hero Emotes
Heroic Base Game	Cheer Base Game
Chuckle Base Game	Flourish Base Game
Knuckles Base Game	Take a Knee Base Game
Flair Archives Event	Rocket Guitar Anniversary Event

Pharah Story

Mother's Footstep

Fareeha dreamed of following in her mother's footsteps, aiming to join Overwatch. She enlisted in the Egyptian military and quickly rose to officer status thanks to her tenacity and tactical prowess. She was a fearless commander who won the respect of her troops.

Helix Security International

Following her service in the armed forces, a private security company known as Helix Security International approached her about being a member of their team. The company was responsible for protecting the artificial intelligence research facility located beneath the Giza Plateau. Global security depended on the top-secret facility. Fareeha accepted the choice assignment and trained in the experimental Raptora Mark VI battle suit.

As Pharah

She contributes to the protection of the AI installation while using the call sign Pharah. Although she mourns the loss of Overwatch, she harbors the hope that one day she will be able to fight the good fight and make a difference on a global scale.

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