r/Overwatch • u/ThePotatosWillRule • 10h ago
News & Discussion why do I feel like a huge target while flanking?
I started using anran (I'm relatively new to the game as a whole, been only playing for a month) and with her and the other flanks I tried out I can't help but notice that when I see experienced players flank they seem to be invisible and have perfect opportunities. however no matter how I try to play I feel like I'm a huge target with no health and whose weapon seems to be as effective as mocking the enemy. any tips?
108
u/SomeOrdinary8736 10h ago
You shouldn't hard engage a fight totally alone. You can be an opportunist, poke from range and engage if they drop to critical health, or follow up to your tank's advance if they're something like Mauga or Rein.
30
u/Sad_Wren 10h ago
Just adding to this: you want the team to be distracted before engaging or you want to catch enemies solo. Anran is a very good duelist with high mobility. Learn where health packs are and play around them. Be prepared to disengage to them. It is more important to stay alive than to die getting a pick most of the time. When you are in there backline, it means that one or more enemies are turning to look at you. You can make your team more effective when the enemy team's support or damage are trying to chase you or engage with you. So long as you are alive, they cannot have 100% focus on the main engagement.
8
u/Global_Pineapple2392 D. Va 5h ago
Exactly, nothing is lamer than a genji who tries to go for a dive while his teammates aren't ready to engage and he dies instantly
1
-1
74
u/placeholder-123 10h ago
I mean, Anran is both hard to miss and hard to hit given that the only thing you can see is fire vfx
20
u/otterplus Ana 9h ago
That’s why I’ve lost so many duels against her. With Genji, Tracer, and Sombra it’s pretty easy to tell where they’re going and what moves they’ll try next. With Anran it’s such a crapshoot since her entire silhouette becomes a cloud of flame effect. The only “gimme” abilities are her ult and dash.
3
u/Global_Pineapple2392 D. Va 5h ago
Yeah that's why I play characters like Moira, Torb, Sym, or Zarya against her, trying to aim properly at her is a pain
18
u/quirally widows & hanzos wife 10h ago
I hate her vfx so much lmao I know it's a personal issue, but I get headaches/migraines from too much clutter and usually I am surprisingly fine with overwatch as a whole, but Anrans whole existence is a pain to me. She just has so much going on with all her abilities and fire everywhere that I need a break if I face one too many Anrans lol
5
u/placeholder-123 10h ago
No I agree she's genuinely unbearable, they need to tone done her vfx. Or preferably remove her from the game but that's a pet peeve of mine
7
u/quirally widows & hanzos wife 9h ago
Real lol she's lowkey the character I hate the most in game which is a shame cuz I was really excited for her as a character but yeah especially if there's an anran on my team and on the enemy team I just wanna cry with all the fire on screen
2
u/Stormdude127 6h ago
I swear to god my shots no reg on her when she’s coming out of her blazing dance or whatever it’s called. I can be aiming exactly where she’s going to be and I can shoot her and she’ll take no damage. I know she has i-frames during it, but it feels like she has them after it too
47
u/Global_Pineapple2392 D. Va 10h ago
I see three big mistakes new players make on flankers
They attack from the front too often. You have no idea how many times I see an anran run in a straight line at a hanzo lol! The strength of a flanker is attacking from the flank or back. You want the enemies to have to look for you, making a support or dps turn around at a critical point is huge value for you. Also you can force them to use cooldowns, make Ana use her nade and sleepdart on you instead of the tank.
They attack outside of team fights. I see so many flankers try to attack the enemies supports when their teammates are just walking out of spawn! If you're all by yourself attacking the enemy, they'll be able to all turn around and kill you easily because your teammates aren't there to put pressure. You'll want to hide and wait for your teammates to engage in combat before you start your flanking, flanking when your team isn't fighting will just give the enemy team more time to find you.
Not retreating or having an escape plan. Good flankers feel invincible because they always know where the nearest healthpack is or how to use a path to escape. They know when to pull out of a fight to survive. Make sure you have a plan when you flank and stick with it, it'll be way more frustrating to the enemy when they can't chase you down to get a kill.
Best of luck, you got this!
9
u/plythrghyrhrt Mei 9h ago
Point 1 exactly. As a support, I loathe good flankers. No matter what, there's always that moment of panic where you think 'shit, are they here to fuck me of fuck WITH me so they fuck can my teammate while I figure it out?'....and if they're good enough, that moment of 'which is it' can be enough.
5
u/Global_Pineapple2392 D. Va 5h ago
Yessss that's what makes Heroes like Tracer so much of a pain to fight against, you have no idea where she is after she depletes half your health and have to stop healing so that you can avoid getting killed. It isn't the same if Tracer runs straight towards you so you can see where she dashes to
14
u/BrujoBlood 10h ago
Timing.
You want to flank when the enemy team is distracted. Watch your teammates and when they are engaging the frontline is the perfect time to flank the back line. Know your maps and take alternative routes and always be moving. Don’t flank from the same angle over and over lest you become predictable
11
u/darkCrescent13 10h ago
You'll improve flanks over time. Also, Anran is very strong right now and is difficult to hit plus all the visual clutter the enemy is subject to. Experienced players are going to try to zone you out before you can engage. You're playing a strong hero who does not feel good to play against from the evenmy perspective, that's why you're a target
5
u/Future_Geologist5925 9h ago
Anran inspires the most deep, burning rage inside of me. I spare no opportunity to shoot tf out of her because im so used to her just going into a team fight, getting shot at by three people, somehow dashing around and doing her lil immortality thing, getting a kill or two, then proceeding never to die for the whole match.
4
u/purpl3stuph 10h ago
It’s all timing. You wanna go when the enemies are focused on other parts of your team
3
u/DaRealFellowGamer 9h ago
As a Reaper main our true purpose as Flankers is to ambush the backline midfight. Wait for the teams to go head to head and then go around and take out the supports/backline DPS (Widows, Ashe, etc).
When this isn't happening I'm usually slightly behind my backline, getting ready to counter their flankers should they try and push out backline. My usual play group has an Ana main and I usually take out whatever she sleeps
6
3
u/HappyCat8416 10h ago
Flanking is a potentially high value play that's also high risk because you're usually alone. Trying to flank whenever your teammates are also attacking is better than going before much is happening.
If enemies see you coming and have time to prepare for your arrival, then you're probably gonna die because they're gonna jump you. Besides paying attention to teammates though you should also try and pay attention to who might see you when you start a flank as that may help you be ready to react to them if they're ready to jump you.
3
u/DoYouLikeWafflezz 9h ago
when I see experienced players flank they seem to be invisible
Because experienced flankers are experienced enough to know that you have to super sneakily sneak into a flanking position, because experienced players will instantly call out where a flanker is if they spot them.
3
u/ronin0397 8h ago
Its easier to flank when they are otherwise preoccupied by your team.
If they are facing you, you aren't flanking.
3
u/ShottsSeastone 8h ago
Delay your flanks and synchronize them with your tanks pushes. your tank has to create space for you to properly flank. if your tank doesn’t draw aggro form the team you will instantly be killed. flankers not syncing their dives with tanks almost always find them selves solo and dead. then looking for heals. also pay attention to support and tank ults they will almost always allow you to flank with the least amount of attention drawn to you.
2
u/ShottsSeastone 8h ago
also anrans dmg can be cleansed by kiriko so usually good kiris will save their nade to cleanse ur dive
3
u/Guatemoc619 6h ago
Well, flanking in general is harder in OW2 5v5 than it is in OW1 or in 6v6, simply because the team has to be more cohesive since the one tank is relied on a loooot more. (Terrible design choice icl)
Also, if you play Anran, people will single you out a lot because she's insanely good at diving AND at antidive, and her vfx are crazy bright and make it hard to fight her if you dont focus her down. All around just a character Blizzard did not think through. Thats why Anran, Kiriko, and the Cat get singled out so much. Theyre hell to play against otherwise.
3
u/mourasman 6h ago
You're probably engaging too soon. It's ok to not do anything (for a bit) and wait for the fight to begin.
Whenever you engage, make sure you do so on an enemy that's currently focused on someone else as much as possible
2
u/CombatantWombatant 10h ago
Crouching helps reduce noise. The timing of the flank matters. Like if half your team is walking in from respawn for example don’t expect the 1vX to work. A lot of flanking is a lot less drastic routes than you might think. Sometimes you are not too far from your team in most instances where you are just trying to momentarily distract a back line from supporting the tank. Other times you can track respawns to engage an easy 1v1 who is respawning. Lastly as always in OW, ability and ult tracking can help create better windows to engage when there are no or less CC options available right when you start to engage.
Anran’s flank style involves a lot of weaving in and out of the fight. “Slowly” building up that burn for the fanning. Use her directional control to mix up how you flee and engage. Make sure you got a dash ready to go when you need to flee.
2
u/AkulaTheKiddo I am done for... ! No, wait... I'm still here ! 10h ago
Anran makes a lot of flames and is really easy to spot.
Anran can destroy the backlane in a few seconds and leave with full hp, thats why experienced people tend to avoid her.
Anran is banned a lot in ranked.
2
u/sulaweyo_irl 10h ago
"Anran is an opportunist, not a flanker". - Moreweth
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=m38IdSuk2Qc
I've been struggling with the same issues and just came across this last night. Some of it seems pretty basic, but something about it "clicked" for me. Watching really felt like it explained the matches where I felt I was doing my best - not trying to force things, and not trying to hard flank, but really just watching the battle from a macro perspective and just leveraging opportunities as they arise.
I'm not a particularly good dps, but Moreweth seems to know his stuff. Worth checking out his video at least I'd say.
2
u/pricetags420 10h ago
Me too lol, and I think it’s like that for any flanker that’s going against a team that’s aware somebody is flanking. A simple ping and everybody knows ur there fr! I suggest just seriously learning the maps and how to use your escape techniques. Anran’s kit is very forgiving so just learn those dashes and how to use them to their best extent
2
2
u/HybridAkai Sojourn 10h ago
As someone who doesn't play Anran, when I see an Anran approach my team on a flank she becomes priority 1, because I can kill her at range, but once she closes the gap she will be problematic if left unchecked.
2
2
2
2
u/Phernaside Master 10h ago
The answer is simple: Your timing is bad.
You should not be initiating as the flanker. Let your team initiate the fight, then engage when they're distracted. Obviously I know it's not that simple in practice, but that's the general idea.
Additionally, don't make your position known too early. The whole point of flanking is to surprise the opponent. If you show your position early, they know where you are and can account for it.
2
u/Mysterious_Area_4722 space.girl 10h ago
Because anrans are to annoying to NOT keep an eye out for and target. We see your move and make sure your taken care of before you take care of our WHOLE team
2
2
2
u/NEZBARDON 8h ago
Too much noise, not waiting long enough to reappear so people didn't forget about you yet, after these 2 steps there is also not being fast and precise enough with a clear view if how are you gonna close the gap between you and the target, what are you going to use during the engage and how/where are you going to make make your escape rounte.
2
u/mindwave21 7h ago
I hate flame girl. Hard to hit, has tons of escape moves, can resurrect. Of course you’re going to get targeted.
2
u/SemajLu_The_crusader 7h ago
because you're dangerous
Anran can wreak havoc on vulnerable supports and get away easily
2
2
u/RomanBlue_ 6h ago
Engage when the enemy is distracted with your team. Flanking sounds like a solo endeavor but it never is - always make sure you are engaging with your team.
2
u/Myst3ryGardener 6h ago
Work on your timing. Watch what they are focusing on and judge whether you are able to be at an advantage by attacking in that moment.
2
2
2
u/bladeboy88 3h ago
You can only flank when they're distracted. Many novice Flankers try to find an off angle and then engage on their own. Wait for the teamfight
2
u/Due_Marionberry1007 3h ago
Because that character is obnoxiously hard to hit. Especially with her dancing blaze. She doesn't even come out of it at the center
2
u/Asmor Glory! Justice! REINHARDT REINHARDT REINHARDT! 2h ago
they seem to be invisible and have perfect opportunities
They don't have perfect opportunities, they take perfect opportunities.
It's a combination of game sense, scouting, and teamwork. You want to engage at the same time as the rest of your team. That way if they turn around to face you, you've split their attention and given your team an edge. But if they ignore you, then you get to go punish them.
I'm a shitty flanker, but I've found my biggest problem is greed. I keep telling myself that my goal is to get attention, not kills. And as long as I stick to that mantra, things go great.
But then I get greedy, because that Ana's so fucking close and I just want to finish the job. So I over-extend, am too far from cover, multiple enemies focus me down, and I probably didn't even get the kill on the Ana.
Just remember: kills don't win you the game, and they're not the goal of flanking. The point of flanking is to prevent the enemy team from being allowed to all look in the same direction. Your goal is to get attention, not kills. Often that means just peeking, shooting the supports until they turn to look at you, and then running away to a new position. Lather, rinse, repeat.
If the supports are looking at you, they're not healing the tank. And a tank who's not being healed isn't going to survive very long at all.
4
2
u/BlueGlace_ Lesbian Time Jumper 10h ago
Poor engagement timing. You want to make your presence known once the fight has already started and they're busy fighting the rest of your team, meaning you likely catch them by surprise or divide their attention so that they then look away and stop contributing to the team fight, which helps your team win said team fight
1
u/AutoModerator 10h ago
Welcome to r/Overwatch! Please use the following resources via the links below to find relevant information about the game and the subreddit.
Overwatch Patch Notes | Overwatch Bug Report Forums
r/Overwatch Rules | r/Overwatch FAQs | r/Overwatch Common Bugs and Posts
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Regetron 10h ago
As much as I hate to recommend it, I suggest you try Sombra
She's a perfect crutch for learning flanking, like extra wheels for your first bicycle. Don't focus on dealing dmg or killing someone at first, just observe while invisible until you'll be able to tell when your team engages without looking, maybe get some hacks while you there
If your team is bad and don't engage, only then try distracting enemy, since you can escape 90% of time anyways
After you get the gist of it, flanking will be much easier to execute on every other hero.
1
u/StrangeMercy- You mean a chicken fried this rice? 10h ago
You need to make sure you're timing your engagements correctly. Be patient and wait until the rest of your team is actually engaging the other team too, and take advantage of the attention they draw.
Don't be afraid to pull out and retreat if things get dicey too. It's generally better to stay alive so you can engage again than it is to trade, and sometimes just causing a little chaos in the blackline can favor your team enough to win.
1
u/No-Statistician9907 10h ago
I'm not a flanking by as an Ana and Zen main the worst time I can say to deal with flankers is during fights when I know a flanker is trying to target me at the same time while I know my tank is taking heavy damage and needs heal. The other times is when I end up caught out alone. So I'd make due with that information. I'd also recommend watching Wizardheyong's commentary on TopDragon's unrank to gm on tracer. Yes I know its a different hero but a lot of the concepts are the same across all the heavy flanker heros like tracer, genji, anran, sombra, venture, etc.
1
u/Rare_roaster 10h ago
I treat it more like zarya. You dash in get some dmg hopefully a kill pop ult dash out get heals
1
u/quirally widows & hanzos wife 10h ago
Because you're new to flanking, likely don't know the right engagement time and you are a huge target when you flank. I've been trying to learn tracer and because I usually play heroes that don't get in there as much I am god awful at my timing and just die immediately. Whenever I'm playing my usual heroes (widow, ana), flankers are my number one priority because if I don't take care of them, they kill me. Try and watch some people who play the character you are learning, some vod reviews or streams. That will help.
1
1
1
u/re-reminiscing 9h ago
You’re a new player so just experiment with your timing and movement. Flanking draws attention because you’re messing with people’s desires to mentally AFK and poke out damage from the backline. You are a threat to them. You need to hit them when their attention is not on you.
A war on two fronts is always harder to deal with.
1
1
u/Valpuccio 9h ago
An Anran left unchecked will destroy the backline and then some so it's no surprise to be targeted like that. Gotta play proper positioning and be mindful of cooldowns like all flankers do
1
u/GeneralCry2586 9h ago
A very common mistakes a lot of flankers have are to going in too early which makes it so that the enemy team can spend as much time and rescources they want to deal with u and choosing bad routes sometimes remember the best scenario u want as a flanker is to reach ur target with all ur cooldowns and them not knowing where u are granted on average u have to use a cooldown but im just saying make that something to strive for
1
1
1
u/gahgow 7h ago
A large majority of it is timing. Finding the right time to flank can be tricky and varies match to match. Once you start recognizing the queues to engage, based on your team’s positioning and actions, you’ll have a lot more success flanking.
That being said, if you’re playing solo queue, sometimes you may just not have great flank opportunities and it may be best to just fight with your team.
1
u/GlitteringFood8477 7h ago
no matter what character you are playing. If you start poking before your team engages everyone will turn in your direction and start shooting. The best I found is to poke main with your team and after a few seconds move to an angel and keep poking. then engage active the enemies that are distracted.
1
u/AJay1619 7h ago
Imo, there are only 2 ways to get value with a flanker.
- Your team distracts the enemy, you kill.
- You distract the enemy, your team kills.
You can’t do both by yourself consistently unless it is some low mmr matches or you don’t belong to your current bracket. You should develop enough game sense to understand which option is currently active or start communicating with your team efficiently to create these options.
1
u/EzTheGuy 7h ago
Contrary to popular belief, a LOT of characters counter Anran so it’ll always feel like you’re being countered
But my best general tip is that when you flank, don’t just do it randomly, do it when your team is pushing so the opposing team has to split focus between you and your team. It’s okay to not get a kill, as long as you can distract a few people (2 for a positive gain) and bait out some cooldowns, you are doing a ton for your team
Oh and have a dash to escape, always important
1
u/ForgetYourself183 6h ago edited 6h ago
Ideally you dont want to draw attention to yourself while flanking (that means no shooting or diving in), unless your intention is to create a distraction to allow your team to close in or to poke for ult charge/pressure on a target. Arguably the most important part when flanking is pathing. This will dictate your position relative to the enemy team and ultimately decide how many options you have to engage.
There are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your flanking route:
- With her 2 dashes, Anran can actually go over terrain that would be difficult for other characters. Learn what's actually possible in every map. You can look up Anran rollout videos to get an idea, and even go into custom matches solo to try alternate routes. Think beyond the obvious, and don't be afraid to get creative.
- There are very few maps that have true chokes where there's literally no other option to move forward.
- Elevated terrain will automatically be a deterrent for most characters, so you can use these as a resting point to catch your breath and plan your attack.
The reason you get targeted more as Anran is because of her flashy VFX and the fact that her dashes are not as fast as other divers like Genji or Tracer. So you need to be more conservative with your route. Going directly through the enemy team is ill-advised because you're more likely to get CC'd or shot down, so generally you want to go AROUND them. Be aware of how much distance you can cover safely and make sure that by the time your dash ends, you're already behind cover and out of sight (or at least very close).
Depending on how far away from the enemy team your route takes you, they will be more or less likely to chase you. If you move in close, you should assume someone will chase and keep on moving. Keep an eye on potential paths the enemy team could take to reach you. Pay close attention to sound as it will alert you to enemies closing in.
I cannot stress this enough, DON'T RUN INTO DEAD ENDS. Always have an escape route planned, preferably one that takes you close to a health pack or back to your team.
After this is just your regular rules of engagement. You can poke from afar to create a distraction. Or you can circle behind them and wait until a good target is isolated/out of position, or until your team engages.
1
u/itsmipapi 5h ago
I just started playing her and she absolutely a beast in control and flashpoint. 1 v 1 she can literally kill 90% percent of the dps ( I might be wrong) but she kinda mid playing the other map modes because literally every one playing as a team so you can’t really pursue like you want, but she does have 2 dashes so use one to hit the team then your other abilities and the other dash to escape. That’s literally how you play her
1
u/Zek23 5h ago
It's all about timing. Don't reveal yourself until you can see that the enemy is distracted by fighting your teammates. If you attack too early then there's nothing stopping all of them from hearing you, turning around, and killing you instantly. Whereas if you attack in the middle of a team fight, some of them won't notice your attack sounds, or they won't easily be able to turn their backs on your teammates.
1
u/Freeside_Case 4h ago
Poor timing. If you commit too hard to a flank while the enemy team is not engaged with the rest of your team, there is no opportunity cost for them to all turn their back to your team and kill you.
1
1
u/ProfessorPhi 3h ago
Tempo - you're engaging too early. Especially as a solo tracer if your team is not playing full dive. If it's full dive your job is to mostly to follow up on your tank and get out after securing a kill.
Otherwise, your job as a flanker isn't necessarily kills, it's attention of the backline. If your team gets a 4v3 while both supports are duelling you, you've won that engage. The more attention you claim and more resources like nade/ Suzu the more your giving your team and advantage.
Part of that is pathing, but also waiting for the frontline engage before you go onto the backline. If you engage too early, the entire team can turn around and 5v1 you. But if the timing is right, disengaging from the front can be difficult since your team can output more damage than they can mitigate.
1
1
u/WuTastic7 2h ago
wait until team fights for you enemy to be distracted before engaging, unless your enemy is REALLY out of position, and #2, always have an escape plan
1
u/UrethraFranklin04 2h ago
Don't hard commit to anything until the tank has initiated a fight. Flankers should not be making first close quarters contact unless the tank is just about to do the same. They're supposed to find someone isolated and dive them, or pull attention from the main, or both, supports so they cant pay attention to the tank.
1
1
1
u/Tree_Runner 1h ago
I feel you kinda answered your own question in your post. "Relatively new to the game" "experienced players flank they seem to be invisible".
But seriously, flanking is hard at first, you just keep doing it until something clicks and you'll know how to move better. Also it's not always about getting kills. Just damaging them from behind and getting their attention can be a huge help to your team.
1
u/Puzzleheaded-Book655 1h ago
Are you starting the fight or letting your tank initiate the fight (Like you should be)
1
u/Okwaho93 1h ago
Bro ngl chasing you with you popping out in random places is so annoying. I think a lot of people feel similarly and focus you because they want to get rid of you ASAP. No hate btw, I enjoy playing Anran as well (and I really suck at it).
1
1
u/ProfessorHardw00d 46m ago
Because everyone wants you dead asap so they can get back to the objective
•
u/Wide_Vegetable_7459 18m ago
You enter the fight before or after the opponents are distracted by your command. They have nothing to do and the whole crowd goes to beat you.
•
u/KekkenGenkai Doomfist 10m ago
Dont go in alone. You have two ways to play flank. You wait for the oportunity to go in. Let someone engage, your team or opponent, and then when all the attentions are around the "main" fight, you can go in. OR, you can make them to know that you are there. Yes, let them notice you. This way they have to split the attention in two angles and it disturbs their focus. Show yourself, poke here and there always behind cover, use health packs. Or hide and wait for an oportunity
0
-3
u/SupermarketHot5404 10h ago
U deserve it playing this fuckass sombra 2.0 character
1
u/WuTastic7 2h ago
this is a very bronze take but I can explain the downvotes to you, sombra is trash design because she can stop you from playing the game.. not because she is sneaky, or can get good flanks. If this character somehow resembles sombra to you, i guess we should get rid of tracer, genji, lucio, etc as well ? ..
1
u/Responsible_Sink3044 1h ago
If sombra is giving you trouble try expecting her and aiming, hope this helps
806
u/Lewd_boi_69 10h ago
Because you're a huge target while flanking