Introduction

We're starting off this series of guides of our solely supported eSports title, Overwatch, with some tips on how to play Soldier: 76. Lore-wise, Soldier:76 AKA Jack Morrison, is the former leader of Overwatch, however in-game, Soldier:76 is a mobile, high DPS (damage per second) character. Soldier: 76 is the go-to character for beginners as he is easy to get a hold of, but also remains very effective for advanced players.

Soldier comes with low health (200HP) and four standard abilities,as well as his ultimate ability (ulti).

Abilities

Soldier' comes equipped with a fully automatic rifle, and his primary fire consists of fast firing projectiles with little spread, The rifle holds 25 bullets per clip and headshots naturally increase the damage inflicted, up to a maximum of 20HP points per hit. The cone of fire widens for as long as you keep firing continously, but is reset as soon as you let go of the left mouse button, meaning that for accurate shooting at longer ranges, you might want to fast-tap primary fire. The first 3 bullets do not generate spread, so controlled bursts are also effective.

Soldier's secondary ability is firing a trio of intertwining rockets at an enemy that have splash damage of up to 120HP points, but with an 8 second cooldown. The damage area is relatively small, but this is still a very powerful ability especially in close range, and can be letal on a direct hit. Watch out for self-damage though!

Soldier can also sprint without ever getting tired, and therefore is very mobile, and can quickly reposition himself or escape from enemies. You will notice that positioning is key with Soldier:76. Soldier: 76 also has the capacity to self-heal, and heal others within a small field by placing a biotic field, which heals 40HP per second for 5 seconds, across a 5 metre radius, and has a cooldown of 15 seconds.

Soldier:76's ultimate ability is 'Tactical Visor' - which is essentially an aimbot, and which can be devastating in a number of ways, especially when vulnerable characters are caught unawares, with no shields or barriers. Tactical Visor gives you 6 seconds of automatic aiming and also decreases reload time during that period. Unless you're behind a Reinhardt's shield, you should run for cover as soon as you hear the sound of Soldier activating his ulti.

Tips

• Unless the target is very close, use primary fire in bursts for more accuracy. The first three bullets have no spread, and afterwards, you can fast-tap primary fire - particularly useful if you're targeting a far-away Widowmaker or Pharah.
• Use the rockets when fighting an opponent that is hard to hit like Tracer or Genji to make use of the splash damage - you can do so by firing at their feet.
• Rockets are also very useful in tight spaces, and if you can lure player around a corner, you are sure to hit your target.
• Rockets are also excellent against stationery heroes like Bastion or Torbjorn's turret.
• Sprint generously - there is no cooldown!
• Positioning is key! Use the high ground. 
• Dropping Soldier's self-heal before a fight allows you to fight for longer, especially when duelling another Soldier:76.
• Biotic field can also be placed on the payload and have the little cylinder of love heal yourself and your allies on the move.
• Standing behind a Reinhardt's shield is your best bet for survivability and consistent damage, and in doing so, you can counter any pesky Pharah.
• Tactical Visor is best used when your enemy is unaware, and is focused on another threat from your team, such as a Winston. Positioning is key before unleashing this ability, and it is most effective if you can go around the back of the enemy team to start off with their healers, and avoid a Mercy revive.
• Since Tactical Visor does not increase the damage, but actually prevents headshots, you still need to pick your targets carefully. Make sure that an enemy Lucio cannot counter Tactical Visor with his own ulti, that no shields will get in the way (Reinhardt, Symmetra or Winston), and that any enemy Genji is distracted. It also helps to combine the ulti with Ana's Nanoboost to increase damage and survivability.
• Soldier:76 hard-counters Pharah, and is weakest against Genji's deflect. 
• D.Va's defense matrix can block a ton of damage from Soldier:76, and care must also be taken when fighting Zarya, to avoid hitting her barriers. Reinhardt and Mei can also block damage from Soldier:76.
• Soldier:76 is best played at a medium range - avoid allowing heroes that excel at close range from coming within your proximity. Tracer, Reaper, Mei, McCree, Roadhog and Genji are all problematic.
• Soldier:76's ultimate ability goes very well with Ana's Nanoboost. Try communicating with the Ana in your team to combo your ultis.
• Soldier:76 can also greatly benefit when used in conjunction with other heroes. Zenyatta's discord ability for example, makes Soldier's job significantly easier, especially when you need to snipe a pesky Pharah out of the sky. Mercy's damage boost is also helpful.

Video-guide from the Your Overwatch Youtube Channel