How to hold an angle

Holding an angle is staying still with the crosshair on the spot where someone will appear, and firing when they do. You let the enemy walk into your aim instead of going to find it. A good hold comes down to three things: one path, a spot a few steps back from the edge, and a new spot once they know the old one.

I play Zarya at Master in Overwatch. Where your crosshair rests while you hold is covered in crosshair placement.

What holding is

Most fights start with one player moving and one player waiting. The one moving has to find you, turn, and aim. The one waiting is already aimed. Holding an angle is choosing to be the one waiting. It is not camping in the sense of hiding forever. It is a decision to let a specific path come to you for a while.

It works when you know where they are coming from and they do not know where you are. Take away either half and the hold gets weaker.

On Zarya the hold is a beam lane, not a sniper nest. Energy still resets if you die on that corner. Don’t die is still the first line.

One path, not three

The most common weak hold watches everything. The crosshair drifts from one door to another, and lands on the right one late. A hold that watches three paths is not really holding any of them.

Pick the path they are most likely to use. Put the crosshair there, at head height, and leave it. Let the other doors go. If someone comes from one of them, that is a different fight, and a reason to pick a better spot next time, not a reason to swing between all of them.

If two paths matter equally, find a spot where both appear close to the same place on your screen. Then one small move covers both. If no such spot exists, pick one.

A Zarya who flicks the beam between three chokes is not holding. She is searching. The first body that commits wins that search.

Stand back from the edge

Where you stand changes how hard the shot is. Pressed right against the edge you are watching past, a player who comes around is very close. They cross your screen fast, and the crosshair has a long way to go in a short time. Online, peeker’s advantage makes that fast peek even later on your screen.

A few steps back, the same player appears further away. Their move is smaller on your screen. The crosshair has less to cover, and you get a moment longer to react. Standing back also means they have to come further out to see you, so the fight starts on more of your terms. Cover is that step.

There is a limit. Too far back, and you lose the view, or open yourself to another direction. Back far enough to make the shot small, close enough to keep the path in view.

Stay still, then move

While you hold, stay still. Moving the crosshair around while you wait means it is somewhere else when they appear. Movement can also make noise and make you easier to spot. Stillness is the point of the hold.

Once they know where you are, the hold is over. After a kill, a miss, or being seen, the next player through can pre-aim the spot, throw something at it, or come from the side. Move to a new spot on the same path, or fall back. The same angle twice is how a good hold turns into a death.

On Zarya, a known hold is also a known bubble dump. They will shoot the bubble on purpose. Step off.

When to hold and when to go

Holding only pays when someone is going to come. If the objective is somewhere else, or the enemy team has moved to the other side of the map, a perfect hold on an empty path wins nothing. Ask what they need. If they have to come through your path to win, hold it. If they do not, you are the one who has to move.

Time matters too. Early in a push, a hold can catch the first player through. Late, when your side needs the point, waiting is losing slowly. A hold is a choice you make for a reason, and you drop it when the reason is gone. High ground is the same test: drop when the cart needs a body.

Common angles and off-angles

A common angle is where most people stand. Players expect it, so they check it first, sometimes with the crosshair already there. An off-angle is a spot people do not usually check. It can win the first fight, because they look somewhere else first.

The trade is that an off-angle is often harder to leave. It may be in the open, or far from cover. Once it is known, it is just another angle, and a worse one to fall back from. Use it once, then go back to a spot you can leave.

Battlefield and Call of Duty

On big Battlefield maps, you’re holding a road or a ridge, not a doorway. On a large map, you may watch a road, a ridge, or the space in front of a flag across open ground. The path is wider, so picking the part of it they will use matters more. A scope is that page. On a small map, holds are short. A corner. Fights come quickly, and a held spot gets known fast. Staying still on one path, then moving once you are seen, is most of the job. Battlefield vs Call of Duty is the comparison, not a pretend loadout.

What holding does not fix

It does not decide where they will come from. That is a read of the map, and sometimes a guess. It does not make you safe from the side you are not watching. Online, the player coming around can sometimes see you a moment before you see them. A hold puts the crosshair on the right path before the fight starts. The rest is still the shot.

How to review an Overwatch loss: “I held the lip after they saw me” is a sentence. I sit at 1200 DPI on a PRO 2, acceleration off. A hold that is already aimed does not need a new sensitivity. It needs a new spot.

Related: PvP, Tracking vs clicking aim, and how they differ, Overwatch guides, aim tools.

Common questions

What does holding an angle mean?

It means staying still with your crosshair on the spot where an enemy will appear, ready to shoot. Instead of chasing them, you let them walk into your aim.

How do you hold an angle well?

Watch one path, keep your crosshair at head height where the enemy will appear, and stand a few steps back from the corner. Once they know where you are, reposition.

Should I stand close to a corner or back from it when holding an angle?

Stand a few steps back. Far from the edge, an enemy coming around the corner moves less on your screen, so you have more time to react and less distance to aim.

How long should I hold an angle?

Until the enemy knows you're there. After you get a kill, miss a shot or get spotted, they can pre-aim or throw abilities at you, so switch spots or fall back.

What is an off-angle in FPS games?

An off-angle is an unusual spot that enemies don't normally check. It can win you the first fight by surprise, but once they know about it, it's often a worse position.

Why do I keep losing fights while holding an angle?

Usually your crosshair is on the wrong path, you're too close to the corner, you stayed after being spotted, or someone flanked you. Fix one of those and you'll win more duels.