I see a lot of junkrat players not use traps to their full potential so I wanted to share some of the tips ive learned to get the most out of traps!!
Not every trap has to be thought out
if you think you found the perfect spot to hide your trap, you probably didn't. if you think about placement for every single trap, you might get a couple people, but more often than not it ends up being more predictable than you thought or just makes you take way too much time thinking when you could be fighting, contesting, pushing, etc I'll normally place a trap mid-air after launching myself with a mine while in a fight. Usually they'll be too distracted with still trying to kill me and end up stepping in it after they land.
for actually thought out traps, put them in narrow doorways or popular flanking areas. the narrow doorway forces them to either destroy it and give away their location or take a different route. Same goes for flanking areas, whether they get trapped or destroy it, their location will be given away and you can know in advance where they're coming from.
2. Replace traps often
don't wait the whole match for someone to step in a trap that you placed at the start of the game. Try to always have it nearby either you or someone on your team so they can be finished off. Even if they dont get finished off, thats okay, they still lost 100 health which is a good start. Another good reason to replace traps AND have them nearby is theres been a few times someone will step in a trap I placed a while ago, then I go to finish them off but they escaped, so I place another trap down mid-fight and they step in that one too. It's super satisfying and frustrating for them and loses them 200 health total
3. Colorful skins make traps harder to hide
brightly colored skins mean their weapons are also bright and flashy, which isnt good if their main purpose is the element of surprise. even concussion mines can be useful when hidden, but certain skins (cough cough king jamison cough) make it near impossible. when possible, use darker color palatted skins or skins that blend in with surroundings. it's not make or break, but ive found myself getting trapped by a rat with skins like cricket (my fave!!) or even just his default skins and destroying every circus and junkfood rats traps because they're so visible. ofc not everyone is gonna care about this, but if youre adamant on getting a good amount of enemies trapped, avoid colorful skins
4. Place a trap before ulting
if youre about to riptire and you want to hide, put a trap near the entrance of where youre going to be so if an enemy tries to take advantage and kill you, they'll likely get trapped and you'll have more time to finish your tire without getting killed. also, it doesnt hurt to place a concussion mine right before ulting so the cooldown can start and you have 3 mines at your disposal once youre done. whether that being for fighting someone immediately after ulting or just repositioning yourself, it comes in handy to have the extra mine
5. Payloads can run over traps
when on a payload map, try not to put your trap in the path of the payload. too many times have I thrown it down haphazardly right in front of or behind the payload and had it destroyed 2 seconds later. for payload maps, put them either on the payload or next to them (and ofc in flanking areas like I said) but never in front of or behind them
6. Always have a trap down!!
this is super important. if someome triggers or destroys a trap, put down another one. its so important to always have one somewhere, try your best not to ever have a moment where you dont have one down. it'll help both you and your team a lot!! its a great ability, dont hold onto it waiting for the perfect spot or moment!!
Bonus tip for hiding concussion mines!!
to the enemy, concussion mines flash red and make a ticking sound, so be careful where you hide them. ive found the best spots are in bright areas so the flash is harder to see and above doorways (outside of where they'd exit from). but I honestly dont reccomend taking too much time hiding concussion mines, its better to throw them out and detonate them as soon as theyre near an enemy. I think the only other exception to this is triple mining since you have to wait for the cooldown
ok now go have fun making people rage with your traps!!! 💛
