Wuyang guide: how to play the new OW2 support

Quickstart

Wuyang is the new support hero in OW2 Season 18 (launches August 26, 2026). He's the first new support since Lifeweaver in 2023 and the first Chinese hero in the game. This guide gets you from "never played" to "winning ranked" with Wuyang.

The 4 abilities

Primary fire: Tidal Blast —

channeled beam that heals allies (90hps) and damages enemies (75dps)

Secondary fire: Restorative Stream

— locks onto a single ally, sustained healing (75hps) at long range

Tactical: Aqua Surge — wave of

water, knocks back enemies (3m radius), gives allies 20% move speed for 3s

Ultimate: Raging Tides — large

wave (8m wide, 30m long) that heals all allies in path (200hp) and damages enemies (150hp)

Passive: Liquid Shift — Wuyang

becomes briefly invulnerable (0.5s) after taking 200+ damage in one hit

Wuyang is a main healer with the highest burst-heal in the game (Raging Tides + Restorative Stream can heal a tank from 0% to 100% in 1.5 seconds).

How to play him in ranked

The "backline" playstyle

Most Wuyang players will play the "backline" playstyle:

Stand behind your tanks (15-20m

from the front line)

Use Tidal Blast to heal anyone

taking damage

Use Restorative Stream on the

tank who's engaging

Save Aqua Surge for anti-dive
Pop Raging Tides when your team

is grouped and pushing

This is the safest playstyle and the one that works in 80% of ranked games.

The "aggressive" playstyle

For high-skill Wuyang players, the "aggressive" playstyle is more rewarding:

Stand with your damage heroes (in

the backline but closer to the fight)

Use Tidal Blast to deal damage to

enemies (75dps is significant)

Use Aqua Surge to push enemies

off high ground

Pop Raging Tides to dive with

your team

This playstyle is high-reward but high-risk. You can deal more damage but you can also die more often.

The most-important ability: Aqua Surge

Aqua Surge is Wuyang's most-impactful ability. The 3-second speed boost is the longest in the game for a support (Kiriko's is 1.5s, Lucio's amp is 3s but on a 12s cooldown).

Use Aqua Surge for:

Anti-dive: when a Genji or Winston

jumps your backline, Aqua Surge knocks them back and gives you 3s to either escape or duel

Pushing through chokepoints:

when your team is stuck on payload, Aqua Surge gives them 3s of speed to push through

Ult combo with Raging Tides:

Aqua Surge + Raging Tides is a 3-second, 200hp AOE heal + 150dps

The Ultimate timing

Raging Tides is one of the strongest support ults in the game. The 3 situations to pop it:

**When your team is grouped and

pushing** — the AOE heal + damage wins team fights

**When the enemy team is grouped

and your team needs a reset** — the AOE damage is enough to wipe a weakened team

**When the enemy is pushing through

a chokepoint** — the wave hits everyone in the chokepoint

Don't pop Raging Tides when:

Your team is dead
The enemy team is spread out
You have less than 50% ult charge

The counter-matchups

Wuyang is countered by:

Ana (anti-nade disables Restorative

Stream)

Sombra (hack disables all abilities

for 1.5s)

Widowmaker (long-range headshots

while you're channeling Tidal Blast)

Wuyang counters:

Genji (Aqua Surge knocks him out

of Blade)

Winston (Aqua Surge prevents the

bubble dive)

D.Va (Aqua Surge pushes the

mech away)

The "Wuyang is OP" debate

Wuyang is strong but not broken. The 3 most-common complaints from high-rank players:

Liquid Shift is too short (0.5s

invulnerability is barely enough to survive a Roadhog hook)

Raging Tides has no audio cue (the

enemy team often doesn't hear the ult cast sound)

Aqua Surge is too easy to land

(the wave is wide enough that you can't miss in team fights)

Expect a balance nerf in the mid-season patch (Sep 23) addressing at least the Liquid Shift duration.

What's next

Once you hit Diamond with Wuyang, the meta opens up. We have a Wuyang master guide for the Top 500 playstyle and a best OW2 supports tier list for the current meta.

FAQ

When is Wuyang available?

Wuyang trial runs August 14-18. Wuyang officially launches with Season 18 on August 26.

Is Wuyang free?

Yes for Premium Battle Pass holders. Free players can unlock for 15,000 Credits or 750 Coins.

Is Wuyang a main healer or off-healer?

Main healer. Wuyang's Raging Tides (200hp AOE) is the highest burst-heal in the game.

What's the best Wuyang pairing?

Wuyang + Kiriko is the strongest support duo in Season 18. Both have utility (Aqua Surge + Protection Suzu) and the heal/damage split is balanced.

Can Wuyang 1v1 a Tracer?

Yes, Aqua Surge knocks back Tracer's blinks and Tidal Blast's 75dps melts her in 1.5s.