Overwatch 2 - Wu Yang Hands-On Gameplay Breakdown and Tips ⇒ OverwatchCentral

Wu Yang, Overwatch 2’s newest support hero, is available for a limited weekend trial from August 14th–18th before officially releasing in Season 18. Flats has given us an in-depth live breakdown of Wu Yang’s full kit, perks, and some interesting tech you can already abuse.

Xuanwu Staff – Primary Fire

Wu Yang’s weapon fires water orbs that:

Can be tapped for quick shots at shorter range
Can be charged to an empowered state for increased speed, splash radius, and damage
Charged shots can be guided mid-air for curved shots around corners, making them extremely versatile for poke damage or flushing enemies from cover

Damage notes:

Charged orbs cost two ammo instead of one
Flats discovered you can pre-charge orbs and fire them without holding the button, letting you “lob” empowered shots over and over from safety — think “Water Junkrat” on a support hero

Restorative Stream – Secondary Fire

A healing tether similar to Zenyatta’s orb:

Passive heal while attached
Hold to boost healing, consuming an energy bar that recharges slowly
Energy management is crucial — running dry takes several seconds to recover
Boosted healing requires careful timing and positioning, especially with the short line-of-sight forgiveness

Guardian Wave – Ability 2

A hybrid heal/damage projectile:

On allies: 80 HP heal + 50% bonus healing for 4 seconds (like a friendly Ana nade)
On enemies: Deals 80 damage up close (40 at range) and knocks them back
Boop strength increases the closer you are — right on top of a target, the knockback is huge
With the Ebb and Flow perk, Guardian Wave returns to Wu Yang, refreshing bonus healing and adding a secondary boop

Rushing Torrent – Ability 1

Wu Yang’s movement skill:

4-second duration, +50% move speed and a super jump (+1.5m height)
Can use weapons and abilities while active
Works for quick engages, disengages, or reaching high ground

Tidal Blast – Ultimate

A versatile AoE buff/CC tool:

Cast on yourself or an ally to grant 400 overhealth
After 3.5 seconds: 100 damage + 1.5-second knockdown to enemies in range, and heals the target for 250 HP
Includes a channel time before activation — opponents can kill the target early to prevent detonation
The knockdown acts like a mini-Reinhardt Shatter, ideal for combo setups

Perks Overview

Minor Perks:

Overflow: +10 ammo and 33% healing resource on Rushing Torrent use
Balance: Landing water orb damage increases Restorative Stream passive healing by 40% for 2 seconds

Major Perks:

Ebb and Flow: Guardian Wave returns to starting location, halved damage/healing on return but still refreshes the healing bonus
Falling Rain: Splits orbs into three smaller projectiles (-60% damage each, -25% explosion radius) — higher total damage if all hit, but harder to land

Key Discoveries from Flats’ Test

Pre-charge spam: You can charge an orb, release it, and keep charging the next — perfect for holding corners with constant empowered shots
Wave resource regen: Guardian Wave restores roughly a quarter of your healing energy bar on hit
Boop control: Standing close for massive knockback opens environmental kill setups
Charge cost awareness: Charged shots burn through ammo twice as fast, so timing matters in sustained fights

Wu Yang’s design blends poke pressure, sustain healing, displacement, and strong initiation potential. This weekend’s trial is the perfect chance to master orb control, wave timing, and ultimate setups before his full launch.

Visit OverwatchCentral for more hero deep dives, and check out Flats’ full Wu Yang gameplay breakdown to see these tricks in action.