Attacking Choke Points 101

Ever have a match where youre attacking and your team simply CANNOT make it past the principal choke point?

principle as in there arent really other means of entering an area (hanamura, paris, eichenvalde, even kings row, etc etc)

raises hand…i know i have

why is that?

the simple answer: cause youre waiting for something to happen from that spot…and thats WRONG

the defending team usually sets themselves up to lay heavy fire into that one spot…literally all eyes are staring at it…its a MAJOR advantage for them for you to stand there…snipers are just waiting for you to show your face…there are probably turrets waiting off to the sides aimed right at it…mei is just waiting to wall off INDIVIDUALS

your goal should not be to sit there behind a shield and try to pick someone off…your goal should be to CROSS to the other side quickly and get to a place that provides you a better launching point for your attack…

i know people hate it but i really recommend people go watch a professional game and/or high tier play…yes theres more communication…but you can at least see that theres a goal: pick a spot and GO!!..

now a large part of this is the aforementioned communication (or lack thereof)…but mostly its just fundamental lack of understanding of what you should be trying to do in that spot…and along side that is improper usage of tools available to you

BECAUSE your goal should be to get moving…you are putting yourself at a huge disadvantage if youre deliberately playing heroes that have no good means of doing that or simply cannot survive without the aid of others covering your behind (torb, widow, ana, bastion, etc)…consider playing something else for this ONE section of the map that can circumvent this figurative wall thats placed in front of your team: tracer, soldier, genji, lucio, dva, or even someone like symmetra that can provide your (even poorly chosen) heroes a means of doing so

tanks in particular are often very guilty with regards to chokes…how often do you see your tank (or perhaps its you) put up a shield BEHIND the choke, watch it break and then hide…tanks ARE the space…use your shield to provide cover for your teams movement through the choke into next area as opposed soaking enemy fire HOPING that someone picks a defender off from a mile away…and THEN you can hide and recoup your shield (“attacking” is not the same thing as charging up the middle)

you ever notice how often the team that stalls out for entire match suddenly rushes to objective in OT and claims it?? its not coincidence…its not a miracle…you FINALLY decided to go the part of map the defending team is NOT focused on (which i would argue SHOULD be their focus late in a match - i mean where do you think the attacking team is going at that point?)…you finally ATTACKED

now its not uncommon for the defending team to stack there (also incorrectly)…especially on ladder…heck they might even go past choke…PUNISH them for it…they are giving up their advantage by doing so…be aggressive in those spots and use your respawn advantage…switch to CC if they do it repeatedly…or consider going dive-y heroes…the game is about adjusting to your enemy…DO IT


just something to keep in mind for everyone thats always frustrated with “impenetrable” choke points

TLDR: stop cowering at the choke, it is literally the worst place in map to stand in…GO!!! be decisive!

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Good tank play is especially important. I’ll use Hanamura for example. I like to break through the choke as Ball and harass the backline. Keeping them distracted diverts enough attention for the team to push through.

DPS can also help. A Pharah can slip through or an Echo to divert attention long enough to push through.

The worst is when teams try and bulldoze their way into a Rein/Zarya/Junk/Hanzo combo through the main passage, building so much ult charge that its just a festival of ultimates one after the other.

You really only need 1-2 elims for that first point so a quick distraction (especially early) is key.