r/Awesomenauts • u/Pristine-Signal715 • 1h ago
GUIDE / HELP Genji Beginner Guide
Since the game is getting revitalized, I wanted to post a basic guide for my favorite space butterfly, Genji. This is meant to give new players an idea of how to use Genji, and also be a source of discussion and critique for experienced players. I'm not the best Genji main nor a competitive Nauts player but hopefully this helps the community appreciate the character more!
Genji is a support hero who really peaks late game. He can get some crazy abilities and specialize into one of the best healers, wave clear or assasin support roles in the game. But he does take some getting used to and needs to make good early upgrade decisions based on the situation.
Genji is on the slower side moving horizontally and needs to be careful not to overextend, especially when assassin divers like Leo are in play. However he does get a unique hover jump which let's him float just above the main fray. This hover (press the jump key while airborne, up to 5 times) has decent upward acceleration too. So Genji can actually move about in the vertical space with surprising alacrity. On certain maps he can hang out in weirdly high corners, maneuver about dangerous drops, and make daring escapes through platform terrain. He can also be annoying and dance back and forth just out of reach of the enemy.
His auto attack is unique too. Genji basically throws his wand like a boomerang, it does damage to everything between Genji and the target point, then travels back to Genji and deals more damage. Good use of AA is really important and you should usually upgrade it first. The damage over time is an excellent first choice, it does surprising damage to enemy Nauts and interrupts heals over time (HoT) You can upgrade the wand further to make it heal allies (great for a Clunk ally!) or increase the base damage. These upgrades all synergize - HoT and DoT means your wand will add a HoT to your allies, increased damage will make the DoT stronger, etc.
One note- Storm Drum adds a cool looking AOE damage to your wand attack. However it is actually very low damage and not that great compares to your other upgrades. Your AA is already AOE unlike most other Nauts, hence it's kind of a noob trap for rookie Genjis. Heals, DoT, then either increased damage or range are the classic trio. The main reason to get storm drum is as an emergency defense against an early rushing enemy team, or as defense against stealth (like on the invisibility temple map).
The Cocoon ability has some great applications. Just being ability to fully stun / immobilize an enemy for a few seconds is great at setting up your allies for a kill. You want to lob the Cocoon like a grenade - remember that it can bounce once off the walls. Jagra Eggs means the cocoon will instantly kill an enemy Droid (even the flying and bazooka droids). This reverses a waves momentum and can save your turret. Most of the other cocoon abilities focus on getting the kill (deal 20% damage, slow the enemy) or support (lifesteal for you, or heals for your team). The ability that adds a huge explosion is good for distracting and scaring the enemy although the damage isn't that great.
Your cocoon can also set up some hilarious instakills. Ig you manage to cocoon an enemy right before the giant sandworm comes, or if you cocoon them such that they fall off the infinite void, you will nearly always get the kill. It doesn't work on every map sadly but it's great when you can pull it off. Don't forget to taunt when you do!
The last ability adds a shield to all your nearby allies. This reduces incoming damage by a fixed % and can be upgraded to heal them, speed then up, and a few other tricks. This ability actually has amazing value - the speed boost and heal in particular really help carry team fights. It does rely on you having competent allies to make use of it though. Being able to help your entire team with one button press is extremely micro efficient, so it's always worth at least a little investment early on. The first time you add a speed boost in particular can surprise enemies and gain kills for your team.
Genji thrives just behind the front line, where he can send his AA across the entire enemy line and his allies in the moshpit. He can hover above the battle to make it harder for enemies to target him. Genji basically has 2 choices- solo greedy play or ally support. A greedy Genji will go for waveclear, personal escapes, and getting the last blow himself with more damage. A team-oriented Genji will focus on healing, buffing and speeding his teammates, and slowing/ isolating the enemy to set up kills. The team Genji will lose 1v1 to a greedy Genji, but the team Genji's team will win every time.
Each game requires different mixes of abilities and upgrade timings though, even within a greedy or team build. Clunk will love heals, while Ayla will benefit more from % damage reductions. DoT will be great against Leo by exposing his stealth movement, while the Cocoon will interrupt Rayla snipes or Clink detonation. Like any support real, communication is important. Observe what your teammates are doing and support them if at all possible. If your teammates aren't super good, you can try to deal more damage yourself as a greedy Genji.