May 2, 2023
“Angel at your shoulder,” Mercy says as she darts into action. Even though her playstyle can be a bit tricky, she is usually one of the first healers a lot of people try out. With her wand, she is able to continuously heal or boost the damage of an ally as long as they remain nearby.
What makes Mercy stand out from most other healers is she is focused almost exclusively on healing, while other healers can focus on healing passively while dealing with damage. She provides one of the highest amounts of healing, with the trade-off being she deals less damage. You can swap between healing and damage instantaneously, and she is able to fly toward her allies.
The biggest win for Mercy, though, is the ability to revive fallen allies. This can come in handy when you need just a little more push to win a point.
Mercy’s Abilities
Caduceus Staff: Attach to a teammate to provide a stream of healing or damage boost.
This is Mercy’s main ability and what you will use to make sure your teammates remain in perfect health. This stream is constant and does not have a cooldown, so you can break the connection with one ally and use it on another ally right away.
The damage boost is part of this ability as well and is best used when your teammates are going in for a big push with an ultimate, or it also works well for teammates with rapid-fire like Sojourn, Soldier: 76, or even Bastion when he’s in his turret form. Knowing when to switch to damage boost can be tricky, but the best rule of thumb, if your teammate has full health, is to switch to damage boost, or you can wait for your teammate’s call.
Caduceus Blaster: This is Mercy’s damage dealer. Whip out your automatic pistol and help your team deal some damage in a pinch.
While Mercy doesn’t pack much of a punch, she can still deal damage. And to an unsuspecting foe who is used to Mercy just healing, it can catch them off guard when the blaster comes out.
Another great thing about Mercy’s blaster, when you use it during her ultimate, it has unlimited ammo as long as the ultimate is in effect. When used correctly, this can be devastating to the opposing team.
Guardian Angel: Fly towards an ally. While in flight. Jump launches you forward, and crouch launches you upward.
This ability can help Mercy quickly jump to ailing allies to ensure she can heal efficiently. This ability, plus her Angelic Descent ability, allows her to stay airborne a little longer for a trickier target.
This is one of Mercy’s best abilities, as it allows her to be a little more mobile than other heroes.
Resurrect: This ability allows Mercy to revive a dead teammate.
It has a long cooldown, so knowing when and who to revive can be the difference between winning a point or having your full team sent back to spawn.
When reviving a teammate, Mercy is a sitting duck, so try to get a revive off from around a corner or hidden from the enemy’s sight since it takes a few seconds for the animation to play.
Angelic Descent: This ability allows Mercy to fall slowly.
This is good for staying airborne longer, so you don’t get caught up in fights as easily. It’s also a good ability to use in conjunction with Guardian Angel, especially when there is a Pharah or Echo on your team.
Staying attached to a flying character and alternating between Guardian Angel and Angelic Descent is a great way to annoy your competitors and easily maneuver out of harm’s way.
Valkyrie: Gain the ability to fly. Enhance your other abilities.
This ultimate allows Mercy to remain airborne and drastically increases her healing and damage boost ability. It does this by allowing your healing and damage tethers to branch out to other teammates nearby. This is best used during a big push on an objective, or to hold out against some enemy ultimates.
During the ultimate, the blaster has a much faster rate of fire and unlimited ammo as long as the ultimate last.
Tips and Tricks
- Caduceus Staff is Mercy’s main ability and is best used to maintain heals on your team. You can switch to damage boost if your team is fully healed or if your teammate calls for a boost.
- Caduceus Blaster is Mercy’s attack. While not very potent, it can come in hand in a pinch, so don’t forget you have the option to deal some damage when push comes to shove.
- Guardian Angel is best used for mobility as it allows you to fly up or forward depending if you crouch or jump respectively. This, used in conjunction with Angelic Descent, will help you stay mobile and avoid unnecessary trouble.
- Resurrect is best used when you need to revive a teammate on point to keep from losing the battle. You are a sitting duck while resurrecting, however, so be sure to use this from around corners or hidden from enemies’ line of sight.
- Valkyrie, Mercy’s ultimate ability, is best used during a big push on an objective, or to hold out against some enemy ultimates.
If you’re a player that likes to deal damage, Mercy is not for you. However, Mercy can get off some of the best heals during a round, and her resurrect makes her a perfect hero for any team composition.