If you want to lead your team to victory in Overwatch, picking a support hero like Lucio is a good place to start.
While he may not be the best healer, his high mobility and flexible kit can quickly turn the tide of battles and catch enemies off guard.
In this Overwatch Lucio guide, we’ll be highlighting the best tips, tricks, and strategies for playing as the freedom-fighting DJ.
If you would like more tips and tricks, check out our Overwatch Beginner’s Guide, where we dive into hero roles, team composition, and best practices for winning.
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Lucio Abilities And Role Explained
Lucio is a well-rounded healer with easy-to-grasp skills that make him an appealing pick for beginner players.
He’s most effective when used as a secondary healer since it frees him up to move around the map and identify gaps in the enemy team.
Due to his high mobility, Lucio excels at building momentum and distracting enemies long enough for his teammates to get the drop on them.
His abilities are perfect for holding a position and keeping his team alive, and below we’ll show you how to use them all in combat.
How To Use Crossfade
One of Lucio’s most useful abilities is Crossfade, which lets him switch between healing and increasing movement speed within a limited radius communicated visually with a yellow or green aura.
While the effect is active, Lucio and any nearby allies will regenerate health or move faster than usual.
Since Lucio can swap between the two at any time, you should always be paying attention to what your team’s needs are at any given moment.
The speed boost is great for getting players from spawn to the objective quickly, while healing can help keep your team alive during big fights.
How To Use Amp It Up
Amp It Up works in tandem with Crossfade to temporarily increase the amount of healing or speed output generated.
It can come in hand when trying to escape incredibly potent abilities or when your team needs a quick pick-me-up during battle.
With that said, don’t count on Amp It Up’s effects to save you from devastating Ultimates (D.Va’s Self-Destruct, Reaper’s Death Blossom, McCree’s Deadeye, etc.).
Lastly, try not to spam Amp It Up all match and instead save it for situations where your team would really stand to gain from its effects.
How To Use Soundwave
Lucio’s primary weapon has a secondary fire mode that emits a burst of soundwaves to knock back any enemies in your line of sight with a few exceptions (Bubble Zarya, Shielded Reinhardt, Turret Bastion).
While the effect has a limited range, it can be extremely useful for pushing enemies off ledges, away from the main objective, and causing general distractions.
The more you play as Lucio, the better you’ll get at identifying maps where Soundwave can be exploited to send your enemies to an early grave (Ilios and Lijang Tower come to mind).
And since it has a relatively short cooldown (4 seconds) compared to Lucio’s other abilities, you should be using it often to mess with the enemy’s positioning.
How To Use Sound Barrier (Ultimate)
Sound Barrier is an excellent failsafe for surviving offensive Ultimates that would otherwise melt your entire team.
It sees Lucio jumping into the air before slamming his weapon onto the ground to create a massive soundwave that shields nearby allies.
Although the shields can be removed by taking damage and disappear over time, they can come in hand during the last seconds of a match when staying alive is most important.
It’s most effective when used as a preventive measure against otherwise lethal Ultimates (Junkrat’s Rip-Tire, Bastion’s Tank Configuration, Reaper’s Death Blossom, etc.).
Lucio Strengths
In addition to the skills listed above, Lucio also has a passive ability that lets him ride on walls by holding down the jump button.
While it can take some practice to nail down, it’s essential for getting the full benefits from Lucio’s entire kit during games.
He works best with low mobility heroes that can take advantage of his speed boosts; below, we’ve provided a list of the most notable ones.
Which Heroes Combo Best With Lucio?
- Reinhardt – Greatly benefits from Lucio’s speed boost and provides additional protection.
- D.Va – Can take advantage of Lucio’s healing to extend her mech’s HP.
- Roadhog – Doesn’t have to rely on Lucio for healing; counters most of Lucio’s threats.
- Ana – Can provide most of the healing during a match, taking some pressure off Lucio.
- Moira – Same as above with the advantage of slightly better mobility.
Lucio Weaknesses
While Lucio is practically unmatched when it comes to mobility and creating openings for his teammates, he’s definitely not without his flaws.
Lucio’s biggest issue is his inconsistent heals, which often make him feel less reliable than other support heroes (namely Mercy, Ana, and Moira).
He doesn’t fare well against heroes that deal AoE damage due to his relatively small health pool (200 HP) and can easily lose momentum by being stunned or hooked.
Below, you’ll find a more detailed list of heroes that pose a significant threat to Lucio and can exploit his weaknesses.
Which Heroes Does Lucio Struggle Against?
- Junkrat – Uses AoE attacks that can hinder Lucio’s effectiveness.
- Pharah – Can be hard to avoid as Lucio, especially when fighting outdoors.
- Mei – Can freeze Lucio dead in his tracks, leaving him vulnerable.
- McCree – Can momentarily stun Lucio before finishing him off.
- Roadhog – Can pull Lucio off walls using his hook and prevent escapes.
- Tracer – Can run circles around Lucio until his HP withers away.
General Tips for Playing Lucio
By now, you should have a better understanding of Lucio’s abilities and how they can affect the flow of matches.
For Lucio, positioning and cooldown management are vital to surviving (and winning) team fights regardless of your skill level.
Below, we’ve highlighted some additional tips that didn’t quite fit into any of the previous categories; commit them to practice, and you’ll be rising up the ranks in no time.
- Try to stick close to your team as much as possible to maximize the effects of your healing/speed boost.
- Lucio’s increased mobility makes him exceptional at contesting the payload or any other main objective; use his wall riding ability to hide around corners and buy yourself some time.
- You can gain extra speed by jumping from wall to wall without touching the ground, making Lucio move even faster.
- Avoid getting too close to enemies by using your Soundwave ability to boop them away.
- Remember that Sound Barrier is only triggered when Lucio’s weapon touches the ground; avoid doing it out in the open where snipers can take you before the animation is completed.
