How to easily counter Bastion in Overwatch

Man, that Bastion. He’s so OP, amirite? OP TO THE MAX EVEN! Ever since Overwatch arrived, there’s been a lot of talk about Bastion. How his self-repair and turret mode makes him a nightmare to deal with. But that’s not entirely true. Sure, Bastion is a great character and an absolute menace to deal with. But like everything else in Overwatch, he has strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited by a rotating cast of characters in battle.

Here’s a taste of how to shut down Bastion for good.

Widowmaker

Widowmaker’s job is to not get up close and personal. It’s to provide support from a distance, brutally ending any killstreak with extreme prejudice. Man I hate her. But as an anti-Bastion character, she’s a proper threat. Widowmaker can get to vantage points with ease, setting up a nest and then sniping the hell out of Bastion. Remember, Bastion also happens to have a massive weak spot when he assumes turret mode, which happens to be that massive blue gem on his back. Go for the kill, and use Widowmaker to her full potential.

Genji

That’s a  lovely stream of bullets you’ve got there Bastion. It’d be a shame if someone were to…deflect them all back at you. Genji is one of the few characters who can get up close to Bastion, countering any bullets away for a few brief seconds and then dashing in for a quick sword slice via L1. Here’s where high risk meets high reward however.

A bastion player who decides to focus on you is going to turn around if they’ve survived the initial sword dash and deflect damage , but at the same time this will leave them open to attack from your teammates. On the other hand Darryn, a Bastion player who completely ignores you and decides to keep firing blindly ahead is going to leave his back open to some shuriken vengeance from your side, or maybe even a taste of dragon from your katana.

D.VA

D.VA is a tricky character to use for countering Bastion. Sure, you can rush in with her mech, pop the shields and hope they’ll be down in time before Bastion notices her and unleashes a barrage of bullets in her direction. But the best technique that we’ve seen so far comes down to her ultimate. Remember, D.VA can set her mech to self-destruct, a useful feature when combined with her active rushing abilitiy.

Basically, get the ultimate charged up, set jet-boosters to 11 and eject as that tin-suit explosively deals with Bastion. It’s a technique that never gets old.

Reaper

On the surface, Reaper sounds like a terrible choice. His weapons of choice happen to be a pair of pistol shotguns, an arsenal which works best when you’re standing close to your target. Which might also require you running into Bastion’s view and being instantly mowed down by a hail of bullets. Man, if only Reaper had some sort of special ability that allowed him to get in close. OH WAIT.

Remember, Reaper can shadow teleport pretty damn far. Usually, it’s an ability that is terrible in the heat of combat, but when you’re facing a Bastion player who is hunkered down in one corner and focused on their field of view in front of them? SHOTGUN PARTY EVERYBODY! MAKE IT RAAAAAAAAIN! You’ll need to risk being in Bastion’s line of sight for this one, but provided that you can do it from a high enough vantage point, you should be able to slip in behind him.

Hanzo

Arrow, meet gatling gun. And no, I’m not talking about Stephen Amell this time. Hanzo and Bastion are worlds apart when it comes to styles of play. Bastion players can adopt the time-honoured technique of pray ‘n spray, while Hanzo players need to actually aim their arrows and dream of not failing their city. Damn, again with the Arrow references.

Anyway, Hanzo is another perfect Bastion-killer. The trick here, is that Bastion players will usually find a good corner to inhabit so that they don’t have to watch their backs. And that’s great for them! But it also opens them up to a massive vulnerability, specifically against Hanzo and his scatter-arrows. A well-aimed shot here will leave Bastion with more sharp edges in his spine than an acupuncture session gone horribly wrong. Combine that with Hanzo’s ability to easily scale his way to high vantage points, and you’re sorted.

And I haven’t even mentioned Hanzo’s dragonstrike ultimate, which Bastion will be unable to fend off if timed correctly. RYUU GA WAGO F*** YOURSELF BASTION!

Reinhardt

Overwatch is a team game. And nobody emphasises team play better than Reinhardt. His shield can soak up massive amounts of damage from Bastion at a distance, perfect for allowing a player to safely deal with the pesky mech. If you are going solo however, you’re going to need to rely on Reinhardt’s dash ability to deal with Bastion. The trick here is to take the shortest route from point A to point Bastion. Your charge will briefly stun Bastion long enough for you to bring the hammer down after a pin.

Last Updated: May 25, 2016