Overwatch practice tool helps players learn perfect Ana grenade spots

A practice tool made using Overwatch’s new Workshop feature allows players to learn exactly how to throw projectiles for the results they want.

The Workshop is a scripting tool that gives players a massive amount of power to create new game modes and even prototype new heroes in Overwatch.

Though the Workshop is still only available on the Public Test Realm (PTR), players have already used it to produce a huge variety of modes, from reproductions of other games like Portal and Call of Duty’s One in the Chamber to all-new modes like an Infinity Stones battle inspired by Marvel’s Avengers.

Fun game modes aren’t the only thing that the Workshop is good for, however – it can also be used to create useful practice tools to help players improve certain aspects of their game.

With u/DarkyPaky’s Ana grenade tool, players can learn exactly where they need to throw their grenades from in order to hit their target locations. Ana grenade line-ups can be incredibly powerful, but previously figuring out exactly where to throw them, or even what throws might be possible, could take a lot of trial and error.

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By using this Ana grenade practice tool, it’s possible to not only see exactly where a grenade will land based on where Ana is currently aiming, but also how long it will take between being thrown and landing. The mode even has a “wall warning” that will help determine whether the grenade will be interrupted by any barriers before it hits its intended target.

While the mode is perhaps most useful for figuring out Ana grenade spots, which might have the most options for pre-set throws, it also allows for similar practice with Zarya’s Graviton Surge and Orisa’s Protective Barrier.

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Graviton Surge is a hugely important ultimate, and therefore it’s critical that Zarya players land it both accurately and without it being denied by an enemy D.Va. For Orisa, meanwhile, shield management is fundamental to success, and so getting used to exact timings and trajectories is vital.

Players that wish to try out this tool for themselves can do so using the share code QHQ8E.

Overwatch isn’t the first game to spawn custom training tools from players – CS:GO notably has a huge variety of aim training, grenade practice, and movement-based “kz” maps available from its own community workshop to help players improve various aspects of their game – and it seems unlikely that u/DarkyPaky’s grenade practice mode will be the last of this kind.

Update: Improved Ana Nade Tool on live servers

The Workshop finally arrived on the live Overwatch servers on May 21, and the creator of this Ana Nade Tool, u/DarkyPaky, has shared an update to the mode to celebrate.

The latest version of the mode, v1.2, includes a new collision marker that more precisely shows where a projectile will impact, although it takes a little longer to calculate. There’s also a “chasing camera” mode that will follow the trajectory of the projectile once it’s been launched.

In addition to Ana, Zarya, and Orisa, the mode also now supports Ashe’s dynamite, Baptiste’s healing grenades, Mei’s Blizzard, and even Torbjörn’s Molten Core.

Now that the Workshop is on the live servers, this mode is available to players on all platforms. The share code for the updated version of the Ana Nade tool is QHQ8E.

Last updated: May 22, 2019 – 4:45 AM EST