Overwatch: McCree Abilities And Strategy Tips

Don’t let his limited ability pool fool you, Overwatch’s McCree is a deadly gunman who can dish out tons of damage if you’re accurate enough to consistently place headshots. He’s got a nasty trick under his poncho too, as his flashbang can be used to stun groups of enemies to quickly mop up with just a few well-placed shots. Pick McCree if you like the idea of a gunman who’s just as deadly at range as he is up close.

Written by Steven Messner and James Busby

McCree’s Abilities

Peacekeeper [LMB/RMB] – Fires single shots that deal high damage at a low rate of fire. His secondary fire shoots all remaining bullets at a rapid pace, but greatly reduces his overall accuracy and bullet damage. Only use the RMB fire when enemies are right in your face or to break through large obstacles like Reinhardt’s shield.

Flashbang [E] – Tosses a grenade a short distance forward that will stun the enemies caught in its relatively small radius. Use this to stop foes and then unload a full clip from your Peacekeeper into their face for a deadly combo only the toughest heroes will survive.

Combat Roll [LSHIFT] – McCree rolls in the direction you’re currently moving and simultaneously reloads. Excellent for maintaining pressure or getting out of hairy situations quickly, but requires counting shots to make sure you’re not wasting it reloading only a round or two.

Deadeye [Q] – McCree will raise his pistol and begin to lock onto several enemies one at a time over the course of a short countdown. When enough enemies are locked in, press Q or LMB to fire a succession of shots killing each targeted hero. The audio cue for Deadeye is quite distinct, and any smart hero will know to break line of sight until the ultimate’s timer expires or McCree fires. For this reason, use it during the chaos of a fight or when you’re in a superior flanking position.

McCree Strategy Tips

McCree is another difficult hero to play because of his high dependency on accuracy. While his RMB fire can quickly eviscerate nearby opponents, skilled McCree players are going to need to master the art of long distance headshots on moving opponents. However, as soon as someone gets too close they’re dead; McCree’s Flashbang followed by his RMB fire will cut anyone down.

That RMB fire has one huge caveat, however, in that you need a full clip to make it worth it. Since it unloads whatever shots you have left, using it when there’s only two shots in the chamber is entirely useless. When playing McCree, practice counting your shots so that you always know how many bullets are left, and use his Combat Roll to reload before unloading with RMB.

Deadeye, McCree’s ultimate, is a tricky one to pull off well because of its long charge time, giving most players a chance to break line-of-sight or stop the channel altogether with a well-aimed stun. If possible, use it in conjunction with friendly ultimates like Mei’s Blizzard or Zarya’s Graviton Surge, both of which will hold a group of enemies in place. Try and flank the enemy team and use Deadeye from behind, this way you’ll be able to surprise and take out multiple foes before they can react. However, Deadeye recharges so quickly that it’s better to use it to kill one or two enemies rather than waiting for that perfect opportunity to kill off the entire enemy team.

Aside from the need for accuracy, McCree’s biggest weakness is his lack of survivability and utility on the field. His flashbang can be effective when enemies group together and are close, but even then you’ll likely have a hard time capitalizing on stunning more than one character at a time. While Combat Roll can get you out of sticky situations, it’s hardly a substitute for other mobile skills, and McCree players will always need to be aware of their position on the battlefield.

Step back up to our complete Overwatch character guide. Or find out how to counter McCree with our Overwatch counter guide.