How to Unlock Junkrat: Changes, Skins, and Redesign

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

Junkrat Latest Buffs and Nerfs

April 26, 2022 Patch Notes

Junkrat Day One Patch Notes
Steel Trap	• No longer fully locks the movement of an enemy and instead slows them by 65%. • The chain that keeps them trapped breaks once the target gets far enough from it. • Damage increased from 80 to 100. • Speed of throwing the trap has been increased from 10 to 17.

Junkrat Hero Profile

Basic Information

Junkrat (Jamison Fawkes)
	Role	Damage
	Ranking
	Total HP	・ 200 ・ 200 (Base Health)
	Voice Actor	Chris Parson
	Nationality	Australian
Affiliations	Junkers (formerly)

How to Unlock

Character Redesign

Overwatch 1	Overwatch 2

Junkrat's redesign for Overwatch 2 is perhaps one of the drastic changes done to a character. The entire color scheme is shifted from yellow to red orange, from the skin tone to the color of the outfit. The back accessory also gets a major redesign and yet still feels the same as the original.

Junkrat Weapons and Abilities

Junkrat Main Weapon

Frag Launcher
	Damage: 120
	Description: Bouncing explosive projectile weapon.

Junkrat Abilities

Concussion Mine	Type: Ability Cooldown: 8 secs Damage: 120
Effect: Throw a knockback mine with LSHIFT then detonate it with Right Click.
Steel Trap	Type: Ability Cooldown: 10 secs
Effect: Place a crippling trap.
Total Mayhem	Type: Ability
Effect: Deals no damage to self with explosives. Drop bombs on death.
Rip-Tire	Type: Ultimate Duration: 10 secs Damage: 600
Effect: Drive and detonate an exploding tire.
Role: Damage	Type: Passive
Effect: Eliminations grant a burst of increased movement speed and reload speed.

How to Play and Tips

Use Frag Launcher to Cover Choke Points

Frag Launcher is an excellent tool for bombarding choke points and narrow paths with grenades. Lob grenades from behind allies and natural cover to safely fend off advancing enemies.

Combo Frag Launcher and Concussion Mine

Combine Frag Launcher shots and a Concussion Mine detonation for a quick burst damage combo when fighting other Heroes in close quarters. Note that Concussion Mine has a different travel time compared to Frag Launcher, so adjust your detonation timing accordingly.

Boost Jumps with Concussion Mine

Because Total Mayhem prevents Junkrat from taking damage from his own explosions, he can use Concussion Mine as a mobility tool. Use Concussion Mine to boost your jumps, allowing you to reach the battlefield faster and access vantage points perfect for firing Frag Launcher on your foes.

Combine Concussion Mine and Steel Trap

An effective strategy with Junkrat is to plant a Concussion Mine and Steel Trap together on the same location. This combo of traps deals enough damage to take down most Supports and Damage Heroes, making them a great combination to place down near flanking routes and blind spots.

Use Steel Trap in Team Fights

Steel Trap can also be effectively used in hectic team fights, as opponents will likely not notice the trap you laid down. Use this ability to immobilize and single out a foe you and your team can quickly eliminate.

Take Advantage of Rip-Tire's Mobility and Timer

Rip-Tire can easily be seen, heard, and destroyed if it comes from predictable angles. Make the most of Rip-Tire's mobility and 10-second timer by looking for and using odd and unexpected flanking routes to reach the enemy team.

In addition, you can also use Rip-Tire's third-person camera to check and peek around corners before settling on a route toward the enemy team.

Surprise Enemies with Total Mayhem's Grenades

Junkrat's Total Mayhem passive makes him drop grenades on death. If you find yourself in a losing firefight, run toward your foes right before being eliminated to try and take them with you using Total Mayhem's grenades.

How to Counter

Disable Junkrat's Traps

Countering any of Junkrat's traps is easy with Winston's Tesla Cannon. Other than that, Junkrat has a low-health pool like most Damage Heroes and can be killed with a headshot from either Widowmaker or Hanzo.

Junkrat's deadliest attack is his ultimate ability, Rip-Tire. Counter this by using ultimate abilities from either Lucio or Zenyatta. Zenyatta will be able to provide constant healing to the entire team while Lucio will give teammates in the vicinity a health boost.

Though it is much harder, destroying the Rip-Tire before it detonates is also possible.

Reinhardt Hero Counters

Junkrat Skins

Base Game Skins

Hero Skins
Fool (Legendary)	Hayseed (Legendary)	Jester (Legendary)
Scarecrow (Legendary)	Caution (Epic)	Jailbird (Epic)
Toasted (Epic)	Bleached (Rare)	Drowned (Rare)
Irradiated (Rare)	Rusted (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)
Overwatch Contenders (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
Beachrat (Legendary)	Bilgerat (Legendary)	Cricket (Legendary)
Dr.Junkenstein (Legendary)	Junkfood (Legendary)	King Jamison (Legendary)
Krampus (Legendary)	Circus (Epic)	Firework (Epic)

Junkrat Cosmetics

Victory Poses

Heroic (Common) Base Game	It'll Freeze That Way (Rare) Base Game	Kneeling (Rare) Base Game
Nyah Nyah (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	Bad For Your Health (Rare) Lunar New Year Event
Mug Shot (Rare) Archives Event

Voice Lines

Emotes

Junkrat Story

During Omnic Crisis

After the attack on the Australian omnium's fusion core during the Omnic Crisis, the detonation permanently changed the outback's landscape, and with the chaos and destruction came Junkrat.

Junkers

Those who survived picked up husks of omnium and formed a lawless society called the Junkers. Like many survivors, Junkrat was affected by radiation. This made him suitable for handling dangerous explosive devices.

International Crime Spree

Junkrat gained fame by finding an essential secret in the omnium's bones. Even though few people knew what he discovered, bounty hunters, gangs, and opportunists followed him everywhere he went. Eventually, he struck a deal with the Junker enforcer Roadhog, who reluctantly agreed to be his bodyguard in exchange for a fifty-fifty split of the loot.

Overwatch 2 Related Guides

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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