We tested Doomfist on the PTR - here’s our first impressions

Doomfist has hit the PTR, and we can likely expect him to be hanging out there for the next few weeks. Obviously, since it’s a test realm, his numbers and aspects of his kit are subject to change. However, Heroes Never Die wanted to see how it feels to pilot Doomfist, the most punchy character Overwatch had debuted to date. Our first impressions? He’s a strong, mobile character with a low skill floor but a satisfyingly high skill ceiling. Here’s what I picked up during our time on the PTR.

A league of his own

Doomfist feels super unique. His kit is nearly all based around getting in and doing damage, and his primary fire is the only real ranged tool he has. Don’t think you can just stand back and plink away at people, though. Doomfist’s primary fire feels like Reaper’s shotguns—best used at short range.

His shotgun knuckles, aka the boomfist to his Doomfist, has four shots. It auto-reloads continuously, and you get about one shell in just under a second. Unlike, say, Orisa, Doomfist doesn’t have a punishing reload animation, and so you should always be shooting if you’re not punching. Even if you’re not taking enemies down, you’re still getting that sweet, sweet ult charge.

Reinhardt players might actually find themselves picking up Doomfist faster than Offense mains. The two characters both love to get into a fight and start swinging, and no one knows when to enter a battle with a ridiculous charge better than a Reinhardt main.

The dude loves to move

Every single one of Doomfist’s special abilities get him into a fight, and Rocket Punch is likely to be the most interesting and iconic way to punch your enemies. Rocket Punch is always horizontal, so you can’t use it to get the high-ground like D.Va’s boosters or a Tracer zip. That being said, it’s a forgiving ability, and Doomfist will go over gaps and up stairs just fine.

If you just click a Rocket Punch to snap it off as quick as possible, it does about 50 damage. If you wind it up properly, it does about double that damage. Regardless of how long you wind it up, Rocket Punch will always knock enemies back and cause double damage upon collision with a wall.

Remember Doomfist’s shotgun gauntlets? Even if you did a quick, weak Rocket Punch, you’re still right next to an enemy with four shots ready to go that do about 40 damage each. Even if Rocket Punch doesn’t one shot someone, it’s still incredibly deadly because it puts you in close proximity to Doomfist.

(If you don’t want to follow through on a Rocket Punch while it’s charging, you can cancel it, but it triggers the entire cooldown.)

Double edged... fist?

There’s one major problem with Doomfist, especially if you’re a mere mortal like me and not a high reflex, ladder climbing god. Once you’re in a fight, it’s really tough to get out of a fight. Doomfist’s passive, which grants him shields upon dealing ability damage, helps mitigate this a little... but Doomfist is huge. You’re a big target, and if your team isn’t backing you up, your potential Play of the Game is going to immediately punish you as the enemy team turns and takes you out.

All in all, Doomfist is incredibly fun to play, and his kit is likely the most ambitious one in Overwatch yet. The game may be a team based shooter, but Doomfist doesn’t seem too interested in shooting. After all, if your name is Doomfist, you might as well put your punching skills to use.

If you’re planning on picking up Doomfist the day he hits live, I wish you well on your journey of discovery. I just have one request of you.

Please, please, don’t charge in to 1v3 the enemy team. It didn’t work in Doomfist’s origin animation, so it probably won’t work for you.