Lúcio Correia dos Santos, the freedom fighter from Rio de Janeiro, is one of the most popular secondary healers in Overwatch. His high mobility and unique speed buff makes this hero difficult for many to counter and learn to play. In this guide you will learn how to best take down this speedy support as well as who he plays best against.
First, here’s a quick overview of Lúcio’s abilities.
Sonic Amplifier:“Lúcio can hit his enemies with sonic projectiles or knock them back with a blast of sound.”
Crossfade: “Lúcio continuously energizes himself—and nearby teammates—with music. He can switch between two songs: one amplifies movement speed, while the other regenerates health.”
Amp It Up:“Lúcio increases the volume on his speakers, boosting the effects of his songs.”
Soundwave: “Protective waves radiate out from Lúcio’s Sonic Amplifier, briefly providing him and nearby allies with personal shields.”
Heroes that Counter Lúcio
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This former OR-15 has strong defenses that Lúcio struggles to overcome.
3. Orisa
Orisa’s rapid fire rate and strong defenses makes her a hard counter to Lúcio. She can easily track the movement of a Lúcio trying to sneak by her. Trust me, she noticed you.
Orisa can easily Halt a Lúcio off a wall or even off an edge where he can’t save himself. Lúcio LIVES on walls and is pretty much a fish out of water if Orisa pulls him down. With the combination of Halt’s momentary freeze and Lúcio’s inevitable scramble to the wall, the whole enemy team probably had plenty of time to shoot him down.
If you see Orisa walking on the bridge of Lijiang Marketplace, honestly, don’t bother. Her bulk is difficult to knockback and impossible when she uses Fortify. Lúcio’s Soundwave (commonly known as the “boop”) is dependent on momentum; heroes like Orisa who are slowed while shooting are barely moved. You will have to be lucky to catch an Orisa running away from you, not shooting, and not using Fortify in order to move her more than a few inches.
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Olivia Colomar was one of the many orphans left in the aftermath of the Omnic Crisis. Using her hacking abilities, she donned a new identity: Sombra.
2. Sombra
Sombra is the one of the biggest counters to Lúcio for a very simple reason: Lúcio is useless while hacked. Hacking eliminates speed boost and healing, Lúcio cannot use his knockback, and most importantly, he cannot wallride. With no escape and no sustain, Lúcio is a sitting duck.
In a 1v1 situation where a hacked Lúcio has no means of escape, Sombra has free rein to get as close as possible and melt him with her SMG. If she laugh emotes and translocates away, it’s okay to cry.
If Lúcio is with his team, he is a smart target for Sombra’s hack since they will have no healing or speed boost from him. Lucio’s ultimate, Soundwave, can easily be nullified by Sombra’s ultimate, EMP. With so many ways to block Lúcio’s abilities, might as well swap to Mercy at that point.
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Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou is a distinguished climatologist and member of Overwatch’s ecological division. Stationed at Ecopoint: Antarctica, a storm caused Mei to be trapped in cryostasis for 9 years.
1. Mei
We have all been there. You’re playing your favorite hero in Overwatch when suddenly your movement slows;you spin around to see the face of Mei. Her Endothermic Blaster is pointed at your head. She “Hi” emotes then kills you instantly. This is a Lúcio’s worst nightmare.
Mei’s weapon has large area of effect, and even the slight slowing can take away Lúcio’s momentum and bring him off a wall. Mei’s Blaster has a maximum range of 10 meters while Lúcio’s Soundwave has an average knockback of 5 meters depending on the target’s momentum. Do the math, even if you boop Mei and try to run, she’s likely got you cornered in her cold, icy grip.
When Mei pops her ultimate, the best case scenario is that Lúcio drops his Sound Barrier and watches his team slowly freeze to death in the Blizzard as his ultimate goes to waste. No matter what, Lúcio also cannot help his team trapped by Mei’s ultimate without entering the Blizzard himself, making Mei one of the most difficult heroes for Lúcio to deal with.
Heroes Lúcio is Strong Against
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Torbjörn Lindholm is one of the greatest weaponsmiths and engineers in the world. He was recruited by Overwatch as a resource for technological advancement and signature weapons systems.
3. Torbjörn
Torbjörn primarily plays around his turret and surprisingly Lúcio can handle them pretty well. Peek-shooting Torb’s turret is a good way to break it down. Use this method by peeking around a corner, shooting, then duck back before the turret locks onto you. Repeat until the turret is gone, resulting in a 10 second cooldown for Torbjörn.
After doing so, Lúcio is free to engage. Torbjörn’s primary fire is difficult to hit at a distance, so long as Lúcio stays out of range of his secondary fire, he has the upper hand.
With Torbjörn’s new Molten Core, Lúcio should excel at escaping as long as there is a wall nearby. Lúcio’s healing aura and ultimate can also help his team survive Torb’s molten metal. As the achievement implies, Lúcio is great at playing “the floor is lava”.
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Originally Amélie Guillard and wife of Overwatch member Gérard Lacroix, Widowmaker was kidnapped and brainwashed to be a sleeper assassin in order to kill her husband. This deadly sniper is now a trained killer working for Talon.
2. Widowmaker
Lúcio’s weapon, the Sonic Amplifier, has no damage drop-off. This means his projectiles have consistent damage no matter how far they travel. This proves to be a large nuisance for stationary characters across the map, for instance, a sniper trying to line up a shot. Using this to his advantage, Lúcio can spam shots at Widowmaker, which will force her to move or take damage.
Lúcio has exceptional mobility, allowing him to easily follow a Widow grappling away. Lúcio can also move unpredictably to avoid headshots, making Widowmaker’s job very difficult.
One of the most satisfying plays a Lúcio can make is taking down an unsuspecting Widowmaker in 1 second. Lúcio has large burst potential and the ability to get into the same spots Widow can. Sonic Amplifier fires a burst of 4 rounds at 20 damage each. If you hit your headshots that’s a whopping 160 HP of damage. This can be quickly combined with a melee at 30 damage and Soundwave at 25 damage. With Lúcio’s burst potential of 315 HP damage, Widowmaker players ought to watch their backs more often.
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Former crusader during the Omnic Crisis, Reinhardt Wilhelm fights for glory. As a member of the original Overwatch strike team, Reinhardt continues to protect others following its disbandment.
1. Reinhardt
This German crusader is super slow with his shield up. This makes Reinhardt a target for a more mobile Lúcio. Lúcio can be an annoyance to Reinhardt by booping him away from his team and forcing the enemy team to regroup.
Since Reinhardt’s team is likely right behind him, they are all vulnerable to environmental kills. Look out for opportunities on maps like Lijiang Tower and Ilios for some sweet, sweet boops.
With a little coordination, Lúcio can set up some great plays by knocking a Reinhardt back or up in the air. Most teams will huddle behind Reinhardt’s shield when a D.Va bomb comes in or when your Reinhardt is preparing to pop his own ultimate, so a well-timed boop could help your side get a team kill.
Reinhart’s Charge and ultimate can often be disrupted with a well-timed boop. Lúcio can easily react to a charging Rein, booping him can saving your teammates by sending him into a wall, or if you’re lucky, off an edge.. If you suspect Reinhardt is going to “Hammer down!” Lúcio can try and move him out of position and possibly ruin Rein’s ultimate.
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How to Outsmart a Lúcio Player
Think about his potential escape
If Lúcio is coming in solo, he’s probably going to have a plan of escape. Pay attention to where he comes in and other potential walls he may want to use. If you keep this in mind, you can block his path with your tanks or a Mei wall.
Pull him away from his goal
If you know a Lúcio is sneaking to the point, hiding on the payload, or looking for environmental kills, don’t ignore him. If an Orisa can pull Lúcio off the wall, a Sombra hacks him, or your whole team shoots him, Lúcio will be forced to retreat and likely never achieve his goals. If you or a teammate is getting ready to pop an ultimate, watch out for hiding Lúcio’s who wants to ruin your plan, too.
Shotcall with your team to warn against environmental kills
Boops fuel Lúcio mains. On maps like Ilios, Lijiang Tower, or Oasis, Lúcio will probably be hunting for environmental kills. Let your team know to watch out; if you know the enemy team has a Lúcio and there are vulnerable edges, use the text or voice chat to remind your team. Environmental kills can devastate your team composition and quickly charge a Lúcio’s ultimate.
With this guide, hopefully you won’t end up on Reddit being bullied by a Lúcio anymore. I am a seasoned Lúcio main so feel free to leave any comments or questions down below!
