Find out which heroes will help you tackle the trenches of quick play.
Even in its beta stage, Overwatch 2 comes loaded with 33 heroes spanning three roles and varying levels of alterations from the base game. Some heroes, like Doomfist, have had complete revamps and role changes while others exist with extremely minor number tweaks from the base game.
As a new player—or even a former Overwatch enthusiast now tackling the new world of the sequel—the game’s hero roster can be incredibly daunting.
To help you dive in and tackle the fun-but-stressful world of quick play in the Overwatch 2 beta, we’ve developed a role-based tier list that includes every hero in the game. We’ll let you know why specific heroes are a good (or terrible) choice. We also won’t tell your team that you’re looking up tier lists during the hero selection screen.
This tier list is based solely on the experiences of Dot Esports staff and should be considered relevant for casual play only. High-level players and the Overwatch League will likely operate within a different meta.
Orisa’s transformation into a “war horse” for Overwatch 2 has benefitted her tremendously. Her new kit is incredible and borders on overpowered, so enjoy her javelin-wielding damage before the developers nerf her. The same can be said for Doomfist, whose revamped tank abilities make him a mobile threat well-suited for the fast pace of the sequel.
Reinhardt, now powered up with an improved Charge ability and two Fire Strikes, is more mobile than he’s ever been and is a safe choice for almost any composition. Dive darlings D.Va and Winston still work well with high-speed heroes, like Genji and Tracer, to facilitate backline destruction.
Zarya is more powerful than ever with a shared barrier cooldown but is a good choice only if the enemy is spamming damage. We’re looking at you, Junkrat players. Sigma is a decent selection but, in most cases, is out-ranked by someone like Winston or Doomfist.
Unless you’re consistently hitting Chain Hooks and taking out supports or soft DPS heroes on Roadhog, you’re likely better off choosing a different tank. Unfortunately, Wrecking Ball has yet to find his niche in Overwatch 2 considering so many other tanks have been given the power of movement and disruption.
Without the constant threat of crowd control abilities, Lúcio has never been more free to Wall Ride around the map and cause as much chaos as humanly possible. While it is necessary to heal your team every now and then, Overwatch 2 has accidentally thrown open the doors for adventurous Lúcio players to cause lots of problems.
Mercy and Ana are extremely solid picks for anyone used to their kits. Thanks to mobility increases across the board, Mercy can flit around the map at hyper speed. Ana is still vulnerable to attacks from flankers, but a well-placed anti-healing grenade can decimate an enemy team.
Many of the game’s healers fall into the “good” tier and are decent enough picks, especially if a player is confident while using them. Baptiste and Moira feel almost exactly the same as they did in the base game and feel about as impactful. While Brigitte is missing her iconic Shield Bash ability, she can still get mileage when dealing with an enemy team that loves to get aggressive.
Omnic monk Zenyatta isn’t necessarily unplayable, but selecting him unlocks Overwatch 2 on hard mode. Speedy heroes like Tracer, Sombra, or aggressive Lúcios will be a constant problem in the backline. Without an off-tank to help him survive, Zenyatta has to fend for himself. If you’re not confident in your ability to single-handedly take down a Tracer, pick another support.
Much like their speedy counterpart Lúcio, Soldier: 76 and Tracer have never been more free to zip around the map and cause destruction. Overwatch 2’s movement speed passive on damage heroes is incredibly apparent on these two and players can use this to gain space and high ground on the sequel’s new maps. Without another tank to act as the “fun police,” Tracer and Soldier get to run amok.
The same can be said for Genji and Sombra, especially if a player is confident in using their respective kits. Sombra’s had some significant changes to her Hack ability, but she can still be extremely annoying for everyone on the enemy team if used correctly. Hanzo and new hero Sojourn fill the same role of mid to long-range damage and come with the same asterisks: If you can hit your shots, you can make a serious impact for your team.
Hitscan heroes Ashe and Cassidy are often out-damaged by Soldier or Sojourn, but if you’re more comfortable on either, they’re a solid pick. Thanks to the rise of said hitscan heroes, Echo can be a questionable choice. That said, if players see an opportunity to go aerial, Echo should be the default option.
Much like in base Overwatch, a good portion of DPS heroes fall under the “map dependent” umbrella. A hero like Symmetra or Junkrat, masters of small spaces, is a great choice for the first point of Midtown or the usual Lijiang Control Center showdown. Reaper is fantastic for flank routes on new maps like Colosseo or New Queen Street. Mei’s Endothermic Blaster now lacks a freeze function, tampering down her usefulness, but her Ice Wall can still harass an enemy team into taking a set route. Torbjörn remains the king of holding a set point or corner with his turrets.
Bastion’s rework has made him a masterful hero in the “neutral” game, going head to head with heroes when ultimates aren’t concerned. But his new aerial assault ultimate is dismal at best, especially when so many heroes are mobile and can escape. He’s fun to try and can make mincemeat out of close-range tanks and supports, but other heroes work better.
Like Roadhog in the tank category, if you’re not hitting consistent headshots and getting picks on Widowmaker, you’re better served running a Hanzo or Soldier: 76 to up your team’s damage. Of all the DPS heroes, Pharah is the most in need of an Overwatch 2 rework. She’s essentially a worse version of Echo in all ways possible and gets destroyed by hitscan heroes.
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