As part of Overwatch’s big rebrand and launch of Season 1 – Reign of Talon, five new heroes were added to the roster. One of these heroes is Anran, the beloved elder sister of Wuyang, and the star student of Wuxing University’s Fire College.
If you’re wondering how Anran functions and looking to learn how to play her in Overwatch, everything you’ll need to know about her hero kit, abilities, and perks has been outlined in the guide below.
Table of Contents
- Overwatch: Anran Hero Kit & Abilities, Explained
- Overwatch Flanker Sub-Role
- Anran Perks in Overwatch
- Anran Gameplay Tips For Overwatch
- How to Play Against / Counter Anran in Overwatch
Overwatch: Anran Hero Kit & Abilities, Explained
In Overwatch, Anran is a DPS hero under the Flanker Sub-Role. This means that Anran’s playstyle revolves around mobility, getting in and out of the enemy backline, and picking off vulnerable targets. As a passive bonus, Anran and other flankers gain additional HP from health packs, so ensuring your health pack and map knowledge is strong will come in handy for learning her as a hero.
Overwatch Flanker Sub-Role
Passive ability: Health packs restore more health
- +75 from health packs
Anran Hero Abilities
The image below details Anran’s ability kit, courtesy of OverwatchCavalry on X/Twitter.
| Ability | Description |
|---|---|
| Zhuque Fans – Primary FIre | Hand fans that shoot fiery projectiles |
| Fan the Flames – Secondary Fire | Hot wind blast that amplifies burning damage |
| Inferno Rush | Propel yourself forward and damage enemies you impact |
| Dancing Blaze | Strike nearby enemies while dodging all damage |
| Ignition – Passive | Hit enemies with Fire attacks to burn them |
| Vermillion Ascenet – Ultimate Ability | Charge forward, exploding on impact and instantly ignitiing enemies. |
| Vermillion Revival (Ultimate Passivee) | When dead, revive yourself in a fiery explosion. |
Anran Perks in Overwatch
Anran also has four different Perks (two Minor Perks and two Major Perks) that players can choose from as a match progresses to enhance their preferred playstyle and abilities.
Anran Minor Perks
| Perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Smoulder | Ignited enemies burn for 1.5 seconds longer |
| Heat Shield | Gain 50 Overhealth when you use your Ultimate and for each enemy ignited by it |
Anran Major Perks
| Perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Short Fuse | Igniting an enemy with Inferno Rush reduces its cooldown by 1.5 seconds |
| Hungering Blaze | Heal 50 HP for each enemy hit by Dancing Blaze |
Anran Gameplay Tips For Overwatch
- Anran’s dash (Inferno Rush) can be used to gain a certain amount of height, meaning you can use it to reach some elevated surfaces and highgrounds.
- Her Fan the Flames essentially does double damage to targets who are burning. This includes burns applied from other heroes such as Ashe or Mauga, so Anran works nicely to finish off kills and secure picks in these team comps.
- Anran has two dashes, meaning you always want to be using them to get in and out in attempts to secure a pick.
- Dash in < attack < get a kill < reposition, rinse and repeat or, if you don’t secure a kill, that dash then becomes crucial to getting out safely. Cooldown management with this ability is key to her entire playstyle.
- Anran’s primary fire is single-target, and her secondary fire is multi-target. This means that if multiple enemies are on fire and within range, she can deal huge amounts of damage with this ability.
How to Play Against / Counter Anran in Overwatch
With the large and versatile roster of playable heroes in Overwatch, there are usually a few options for what is or isn’t good to play into a specific hero. When it comes to Anran, low mobility heroes who are easily split off from the team are some of the most vulnerable targets.
However, there are also a number of heroes who can make playing into a good Anran much less of a struggle, so long as their kits are properly utilized.
- Kiriko’s cleanse once again shines as one of the best abilities in the game. It can be used to cure burn effects and help shut down Anran’s most volatile source of damage.
- Zenyatta, so long as you position cleverly and work with your team if dove, can fend off against Anran quite well with a discord orb, causing her to either retreat or overstay her welcome and die.
- Shield tanks such as Reinhardt, Sigma, and Domina can help make it hard for Anran to ignite targets by blocking her damage.
- High mobility heroes who can keep up with Anran and chase her down to kill her are also of value. This includes Lucio, Soldier: 76, Jetpack Cat, Tracer, and Genji.
- Anran relies on her dashes to keep herself safe, meaning if you’re able to hit her with hard CC she will be extremely vulnerable. Ana’s sleep, Mizuki’s chain, and Junkrat or Roadhog’s traps are an option to try and help shut her down.
- Anran, due to being projectile-based, can sometimes struggle to play into flyers such as Pharah and Echo. If you are strong with these heroes, they may be an option.