I’m looking to understand how Widowmaker’s scope functions.
Could it be considered a 2x, 3x, 4x? Or does it function in a different way entirely?
I am already aware of the “supposed” closest 1:1 value (37.89)
Thanks!
The 37.89 value is only applicable when the target is close to the reticle. The farther they go to the side, the less it becomes “1:1” due to FOV warping.
Slight side point
The mathematics behind the scope or the 1:1 @38 sens doesn’t really matter.
Find a sens where you can comfortably hit the targets and stick with it.
If you play on a lower sense then like 5 in-game @ 800 DPI it’s pretty likely that you’ll find something between 40-50 more comfortable.
Thanks for all the replies folks! Again I’m looking to understand how the scope functions specifically
I’m pretty sure what happens when you scope-in is your FOV gets reduced. That’s why it’s impossible to get a flat 1:1 sensitivity for scoped and unscoped (if you want the proof for that, someone’s probably done the math on Reddit or something). What I don’t know is how they do the actual calculations. Do they set your FOV to a specific number, reduce your FOV by a specific number, or do they reduce it by a certain percent? The answer is probably somewhere out there but I couldn’t find it in my extensive five minute Google search. So at the end of the day I can’t actually help you at all and I’m just wasting your time. 
Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I also had trouble finding any info. The closest I found was a reddit post saying that FOV is capped vertically to 30 degrees Widow/Ana and 40 degrees for Ashe. However I’m not sure how they calculated that part, if it is accurate, and what that would mean in regard to in-game cursor movement as opposed to hipfire
Edit: There’s a part of me that thinks Blizzard made this intentionally difficult to keep Widow balanced
There is a cool trick with widow where you can scope first then jump so when you land ur fully charged.