Overwatch D.Va guide: How to play, abilities, tips, lore, skins

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Nothing is better than pulling off an amazing D.Va ultimate, but there is a lot more to her kit than just her ultimate. Overwatch’s D.Va can be the shining star on your team if you know how to master her playstyle!

Tanks have always been some of the most vital characters within Overwatch, the beefy heroes are typically the first ones in a team fight and a good Tank is often the key to success. While there have been multiple metas since the game released, D.Va has been through it all and she is still a viable resource to any team.

Bolstering one of the best ultimates in the game, D.Va’s kit is one that features some great crowd control aspects, along with decent damage output. Here is the ultimate guide to mastering D.Va within Overwatch!

D.Va has some of the best skins!

Overwatch D.Va Lore

D.Va has one of the coolest stories within Overwatch, and it is one that sorta relates to the lifestyle many of us gamers have, well partially. Hana Song is D.Va’s real name, as D.Va was her alias when she was a former Starcraft 2 player, and a stellar one at that. She was the number one ranked player in the world at the age of 16 and remained undefeated for three years.

The origin behind D.Va’s retirement emerged when her hometown of South Korea was attacked by an omnic monster that emerged from the ocean. At the time, the South Korean government deployed armored forces called the Mobile Exo-Force of the Korean Army (MEKA). However, they were looking for pilots of these MEKAs and eventually turned to professional gamers, and there was no better fit than the number one ranked player in the world.

D.Va Weapons

D.Va features two primary weapons, as she has one that can be used inside and one outside of her MEKA. Of course, the one within her MEKA is vastly more powerful than her Light Gun; but her Fusion Cannons deal decent damage at the same time.

Fusion Cannons

Damage: 0.6 – 2
Falloff range: 10 – 20 m
Spread angle: Constant: 4.15 degrees
Move. speed: -40% penalty
Num. of pellets: 11 per shot
Rate of fire: 0.15-second recovery
- ~6.67 shots per second
Ammo: Infinite
Damage per second: 44.00 – 146.67

Light Gun

Damage: 14
Projectile speed: 50 meters per second
Rate of fire: 7 rounds per second
Ammo: 20
Reload time: 1.45 seconds
Damage per second: 98.00

Since the Fusion Cannons are dual-wield and feature an infinite amount of ammo, D.Va has the ability to constantly pelter her enemies with surprising fire. While they are not the hardest-hitting weapons, they can be very annoying!

Overwatch D.Va Abilities

Having a good tank on your team is essential to victory!

D.Va features some deadly abilities that are capable of hindering enemies’ movement and gaining decent control of team fights. As well, the cooldowns for each ability are not drastic, so you will consistently find yourself using these abilities.

Defense Matrix
- Max. range: 10 meters
- Duration: Up to 2 seconds
- Cooldown: 1 second
- 7 Seconds to fully recharge

NOTE: D.Va can activate this forward-facing targeting array to shoot incoming projectiles out of the air

Micro Missiles
- Damage:
  - Direct hit: 7 per missile
  - Splash: 1 – 4 per missile
  - Self: 1 – 4 per missile
- Projectile speed: 40 meters per second
- Area of effect: 1.5-meter radius
- Rate of fire: 11 missiles per second
- Ammo: 18
- Casting time: 0.25 seconds
- Cooldown: 8 seconds

NOTE: Launch a volley of explosive rockets.

Boosters
- Damage: 10
- Move. speed:+118%
- Max. range: Up to 23.98 meters
- Duration: Up to 2 seconds
- Cooldown: 4 seconds

NOTE: D.Va’s mech launches into the air, her momentum carrying her forward. She can turn and change directions or barrel through her enemies, knocking them back.

DVA Ultimate Ability: Self-Destruct
- Damage: 100 – 1000
- Area of effect: 20-meter radius
- Casting time: 3-second fuse

NOTE: D.Va ejects from her mech and sets its reactor to explode, dealing massive damage to nearby opponents.

As well, if D.Va’s MEKA is broken in battle, she will eject out of it and have to use her Light Gun until she has enough points to recall her MEKA. Furthermore, once D.Va launches her MEKA with her Self-Destruct ability, she will be able to instantly recall her MEKA.

How to play D.Va: Tips

Now that you know how D.Va works, here’s how to play her!

Since D.Va is a tank hero, you are thus going to be on the front lines most of the time when using her. There are certain moves you can pull off in order to gain the upper hand over the enemy tanks, and this is where D.Va’s Boosters come into play. Pushing the enemy front lines to create distractions, and take attention away from your other heroes is a great way to play.

As well, timely usage of your ultimate ability is going to play a vital role within each game. If players are exposed to D.Va’s Self-Destruct, there is a good chance they are going to be eliminated. Players often look to launch this Ultimate into choke points or high into the air, but sometimes this does not work. We recommend making sure there are at least three-four enemies in a given point when going to use this ability; as not all of them are going to get out in time.

Another aspect you have to keep in mind when using D.Va is her Defense Matrix. This mini-shield can be great for blocking some incoming fire, but you will have to stagger the usage rate of this ability in order to get maximum efficiency out of it. D.Va’s playstyle is all about timing, and if you are able to find the perfect balance between boosting in and staying back to take enemy fire, then you are well on your way to becoming an established D.Va player.

Overwatch D.Va Skins

Overwatch 2 D.Va changes

Tanks should be getting some overhauls in Overwatch 2, as Blizzard will likely be making them more like brawlers in the highly anticipated sequel. This is based off Jeff Kaplan’s notion that they want to make tanks more viable in team fights when going toe-to-toe with DPS heroes.

This has been confirmed by the devs during a recent Livestream, with all of the details listed in our roundup of all tank changes. The most important change for D.VA mains, though, is the sequel’s 5v5 format. Teams will now only have one tank instead of two.

So, expect D.Va and other tanks to receive some increased damage output, with perhaps some new abilities!

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