Junkrat Abilities and Strategy

• Be careful not to overshoot enemy targets with Frag Launcher. Aiming just in front of the desired target (on the very edge of their hitbox) will cause the bomb to bounce into them if it does not make immediate contact.
• Concussion Mine is Junkrat's primary source of self-peel. Try to not use it unwisely at the start of a fight just because it is off cooldown.
• Try to set up Steel Trap in areas of high contention just before an impending fight. The 2-second setup time makes the ability very difficult to use effectively mid-combat.
• RIP-Tire's jump ability (Q) can be used to flank or cut-off unprepared enemies behind otherwise impassable terrain.
• Rocket Ride often times should be used as a "second life" to deny enemy experience when cast just before dying; it may even allow Junkrat to pick up a kill or two!
• Use Junkrat’s level 13 talent Ripper Air effectively to move throughout the map. Mount is slower than Ripper Air. Only use your mount if Concussion Mine is on cooldown.
• Concussion Mine and Steel Trap can be used to provide vision in bushes. On maps like Tomb of the Spider Queen, you can use Concussion Mine and Steel Trap to provide vision in the bushes between the upper turn-in point.
• Do not be trigger happy with your Concussion Mine. Just because an enemy is standing on top of it, does not mean you need to activate it. Make smart decisions regarding the use of this.
• Currently, you can animation cancel Junkrat's Basic Attack. This is very effective in terms of wave clear where your rotation will look like this: AA -> Immediately after you see the grenade from AA pop out -> 1 Frag Launcher -> Right click to force AA -> 1 Frag Launcher -> Right click to force AA and so on. Try this out in Test Mode first to get the gist of it.

Total Mayhem is a very straight-forward mechanic that will cause Junkrat to deal a massive amount of AoE damage to all enemies caught within its effect upon his death. Although death should almost never be intentional, if Junkrat finds himself unable to avoid it he should utilize Total Mayhem to take-down as many enemies with him as possible.

Frag Launcher is Junkrat's primary source of damage and holds four charges. Once the first grenade is fired, the Frag Launcher will begin its cooldown. Each charge of Frag Launcher does not have an independent cooldown, and once the cooldown duration has expired Junkrat will receive 4 new charges of Frag Launcher regardless of how many charges of the 4 had been cast. The movement of the grenades shot by Frag Launcher have unique interactions depending on the following criteria:

• Each time a grenade is launched it will bounce in a straight line while slowing down until it comes to a complete stop. If a grenade does not come into contact with any enemies after a short duration it will explode.
• If a grenade bounces at least once before coming into contact with a piece of terrain, it will then bounce off the terrain and all other terrain until it either strikes an enemy or comes to a complete stop.
• A grenade that is shot directly into terrain will immediately explode without bouncing.
• If the grenade is shot beyond a section of terrain, it will pass over without detonating and will behave normally on the other side once it lands.

It is important to note that the grenades fired by Frag Launcher provide Junkrat and his allies vision as they travel. Since Frag Launcher has an incredibly long cast range, grenades can be used as a reliable scouting tool to check for hidden enemies. Vision like this may often prevent enemies from taking Mercenary Camps or a Boss while eyes are on them.

Concussion Mine is an incredibly powerful movement displacement tool that can be utilized in both offensive and defensive manners. The Knockback effect of Concussion Mine can interrupt stationary-channeled Abilities and separate enemies from one another, potentially isolating a vulnerable target that Junkrat and his team can capitalize on. This displacement can also be used to force enemies over terrain such as Junkrat's own walls. Although these techniques may lead to direct take-downs, unless there is a blatant opportunity to catch out an overextended enemy, it is recommended to hold onto Concussion Mine as a defensive tool for peel. More strategic enemy players will keep an eye out for Junkrat's Concussion Mine and may try to dive him while it is on cooldown. This is because Junkrat lacks any other source of peel aside from his slow-acting Steel Trap. Junkrat should also not hesitate to utilize Concussion Mine as a source of escape, especially when there is a nearby piece of terrain that he could blast himself over into safety when caught out.

It is important to note that the cooldown of Concussion Mine begins once the mine is placed onto the ground, not when it is detonated. This means that if Junkrat puts down a mine at a location well before a fight is to occur, he will be able to place/detonate another mine immediately after detonating the first. Junkrat should also be aware that the displacement of an enemy Hero by his Concussion Mine might cause allies to miss potentially critical skillshots or abilities, such as the mine’s displacement knocking an entire team away from an ally E.T.C.'s Mosh Pit.

Steel Trap is Junkrat's second source of crowd-control in the form of a Root. Steel Trap takes 2 seconds to become active once cast, which makes it incredibly difficult to use mid-fight. Therefore, Steel Trap should be seen as more of a zoning tool rather than a dependable form of crowd-control. Steel Trap can be placed in narrow corridors to force enemies to either endure the Root or find another pathway to reach their desired location. In team-fights Steel Trap may find more success when used as follow-up for more reliable sources of crowd-control such as:

• Howling Blast (Arthas)
• Entangling Roots (Malfurion)
• Blessed Shield (Johanna)
• Primal Grasp + Impaling Blades (Kerrigan)
• Zombie Wall (Nazeebo)
• Hammer of Justice (Uther)
• Devouring Maw (Zagara)
• Void Prison (Zeratul)

If an enemy hero attempts to dive Junkrat, Steel Trap can be cast behind Junkrat in the direction he will be fleeing. This will give Junkrat the opportunity to kite the aggressor into the trap after it has had time to activate.

RIP-Tire is the first option of Junkrat's two Heroic Abilities. Once RIP-Tire is cast Junkrat becomes rooted and after a 1.5-second channel, takes control of a pilotable tire that can be activated to explode for a large amount of AoE damage with a reasonable Knockback. The damage of the tire is dependent on how close the targets are to the epicenter of the explosion in three separate tiers, much like the rings on a dartboard. The tire has a relatively fast travel speed and will be able to easily catch up with any dismounted Hero. The turn radius of the tire is much slower than that of a Hero and will take some getting used to for players just starting out with Junkrat. If not activated, the tire will fail to explode after 15 seconds and RIP-Tire will be placed on full cooldown. Enemies are also able to destroy the tire which only has 500 Health. Once the 1.5-second channel has been completed by Junkrat to start-up the RIP-tire it can be activated at any time to explode. This means if Junkrat is overwhelmed by the enemy attempting to dive him, he may use the RIP-Tire as a sort of "self-destruct" to displace enemies away from him and deal a massive amount of AoE damage.

While piloting the RIP-Tire, a new ability is available to players which causes the tire to jump on a 3-second cooldown. When jumping the tire is able to pass over terrain and structures in order to surprise unexpecting targets on the other side. Accurately jumping the tire over a desired section of terrain may prove to be somewhat difficult. The tire needs to be heading in the direction of the desired jump and players should activate jump when the tire is just about to reach the edge of the terrain. This will cause the jump to carry the tire over the terrain instead of being blocked by it. If a player clicks the ground behind the section of terrain they wish to jump, it will re-path the tire and end up inhibiting the jump entirely. Given the unusual movement of the tire and how difficult it can be to execute terrain jumps, it is recommended that players spend some time practicing it in try mode. It is also important to note that the tire can still be struck by abilities and Basic Attacks while in mid-air, so there is no need to waste jump trying to avoid them.

Rocket Ride, the second option of Junkrat's Heroic Abilities, also has a channeled cast time of 1.5 seconds before Junkrat becomes invulnerable and shoots himself into the air. Once this happens, Junkrat will have 3.5 seconds to guide the rocket to its landing site where all enemies caught within the zone will take a massive amount AoE damage. Once Junkrat's rocket lands, he is "killed" in the explosion also triggering his Trait, Total Mayhem. After 5 seconds, he will resummon at the Altar and can ride his rocket back into combat with a bonus 150% movement speed until he is dismounted. Although Junkrat is "killed" in the explosion it does not actually count towards a death for Junkrat or a kill for the enemy team, preventing them from being granted experience for his "death". This feature allows Junkrat to utilize Rocket Ride as a form of escape when under the threat of imminent death. Although damage will not disrupt the channeling of Rocket Ride, forms of hard crowd-control will, so keep an eye out for key enemy abilities that would inhibit Junkrat from being able to finish his cast once it has begun.

Both RIP-Tire and Rocket Ride syngergize beautifully with allied abilities that can keep multiple enemies in one area for a duration. The longer the duration, the better as this will also make it easier for Total Mayhem from Rocket Ride to connect with those who may have survived the initial blast. Here is a list of suggested abilities to coordinate with the use of either of Junkrat's Heroic Abilities:

• Summon Sindragosa (Arthas)
• Mosh Pit (E.T.C.)
• Blessed Shield (Johanna)
• Apocalypse (Diablo)
• Entomb (Leoric)
• Entangling Roots (Malfurion)
• Graviton Surge (Zarya)
• Divine Storm (Uther)
• Warlord's Challenge (Garrosh)
• Void Prison (Zeratul)