In 2015, Overwatch released to critical acclaim. The fun Team Fortress 2 inspired gameplay was engaging, and all the playable characters had that Blizzard charm to them. While the game has its questions when it comes to balance and updates, the colorful world, lore, and heroes are still top-notch. They drive Overwatch’s popularity and connect the fanbase to the game. Here are the best Overwatch characters for each class of hero.
Support
5. Baptiste
Baptiste is a field medic that used to work for the terrorist organization Talon. Since those days are gone, he focuses on keeping his teammates alive now with his healing grenades and burst fire from his gun.
Baptiste’s main selling point is his immortality field that will keep any friendlies in its vicinity alive no matter the damage taken. However, the field is easily destroyed and has a very long cooldown. The amplification matrix is the name of his ultimate and is one of the worst ults in the game. When placed, you better hope your team and the enemy team stay stationary during the battle so you can get any value out of it.
4. Zenyatta
Zenyatta is an omnic monk that has tutored Genji and given him a purpose in the world as a cyborg in a world that sees man vs. machine as a highly contested debate.
In-game, Zen might not put out a ton of healing, but his orb of discord amplifies your team damage on a single target. With proper communication and teamwork, Zen is a crucial part of taking out important targets on the opposing team, make sure he is not dove on by faster enemies that make him almost defenseless.
3. Ana
Ana Amari is the game’s resident grandma and Pharah’s mother. She was Jack Morrison’s (Soldier: 76) second-in-command during Overwatch’s time and was presumed dead after being shot in the eye by Widowmaker. Instead of letting her daughter and friends know she was alive, she went into hiding for years until reappearing disguised as Bastet, an Egyptian god known for protecting home.
Ana is a healing sniper. If she shoots and hits a teammate, they will be healed. She also has a sleep dart that can save her life when enemies are in her face. Her ultimate nano boost has taken over the game in the past by providing an attack and defense boost for a short while that makes the squishiest character a threat in a 1v1 battle. She may be older, but Ana is still a threat and a reliable ally on the battlefield.
2. Mercy
Angela Ziegler, A.K.A. Mercy, is the angel of the Overwatch roster and one of the most popular heroes in the game. She looks to heal everyone and hates fighting, but is still not afraid to take out her gun and mow enemies down while using her ultimate valkyrie. In the story, she saved Genji’s life by making him a cyborg.
Mercy has the resurrection ability that allows her to bring one fallen ally back into the fight. Her ability to fly between teammates makes her one of the more mobile characters in the game, and even after some nerfs, she is still viable in matches.
1. Lucio
Lucio is a world-renown DJ who inspires positivity through his music. He also has stolen back his father’s technology from the Vishkar Corporation that allows him to project soundwaves out to assist allies and harm the opposition.
Lucio has two passives that can be swapped between each other at any time. He can either heal or speed boost any friendlies in his aura field, and his skates allow him to wallride any surface. Lucio also has one of the very select few defensive ultimates in the game with a sound barrier. He jumps into the air, and when he lands, any teammates in the vicinity get temporary shields that are a real lifesaver in tough situations.
Tank
5. D.Va
Starting off the tank list is the Korean professional Starcraft II player turned national protector Hana Song, otherwise known as D. Va. She brings the same ferocity from her gaming into the fight alongside her pink mech that never needs to reload and can temporarily boost through the sky.
D. Va is good in most team compositions and has one of the best abilities in the game in the defense matrix. Her ultimate, self-destruct, also puts out the most damage in the game.
4. Sigma
Sigma is a man obsessed with ideas of gravity and the power it holds. Following an accident that left him with powers controlling gravity, he was captured by Talon and brainwashed to do their bidding.
In-game, Sigma floats around and throws out two orbs at a time that bounce off walls and explode. He can project a shield that, when called back recharges and kinetic grasp, works similarly to the defense matrix but gives Sigma temporary shields. His ult picks up enemies in an area and slams them back down, doing half of their normal health in damage.
3. Zarya
Zarya is a world-renowned weight lifter who has dedicated her life to protecting her home country of Russia. There is not much more to say about her than that. While she has been a playable character since Overwatch launched, she has received next to no lore updates besides a comic where she searched for Sombra. All there is to know is she loves Russia, she hates omnics, and she can lift a lot of weight.
Zarya is so strong she carries the broken cannon of a giant mech fighter. Named the particle cannon, this gun allows Zarya to project protective barriers on both herself and a teammate. Any damage these barriers take adds to Zarya’s main and alternate fire, which when fully charged, let’s this tank put out some of the highest DPS in the game. Her ultimate graviton surge is also arguably the best in the game because of its ability to group enemies and set up for combos with teammates.
2. Orisa
Orisa was created by child prodigy Efi Oladele to protect the people of Numbani from Doomfist when he made his return. She has abilities made explicitly in mind to neutralize his abilities, but she is well suited against other damage characters as well.
One of Orisa’s most significant selling points is her fortify ability, which ups her defense while making her utterly immune to any crowd control abilities. She also has a halt which has her shoot out an orb that will pull enemies towards the center of the orb when activated. It is great for putting enemies in a spot where you want them. Orisa has a deployable shield that can be placed and fired through by her and her teammates. Orisa’s ultimate is called a supercharger. With it, she places down a beacon that outputs a damage boost to any friendlies not obscured by a wall. It can quickly turn the tide of any battle if used properly.
1. Reinhardt
Reinhardt is the original shield tank hero in Overwatch. While Winston was another launch hero who technically has a shield, Rein is the one that tank players have gravitated towards since the beginning. He is a giant german knight who is always searching for glory, even in his old age. He was forced to retire from Overwatch but gladly answered the call to get back into the fight when the need arose. He travels with Torbjorn’s daughter Briggite in tow, teaching her how to fight while she repairs his armor.
On the battlefield, Reinhardt wields a rocket-powered hammer. When he swings it near the ground, he launches a fireball forward, and when he slams it down on the ground, he performs his ultimate, earth shatter, which knocks enemies onto their back. He can also pin enemies with his charge ability and smash them into walls for a ton of damage.
Damage
5. Junkrat
Junkrat is an explosion-crazed Aussie who is best buds with Roadhog. The two have gone on a worldwide thieving spree to trick Junker Queen into letting them into their old home to blow it up. Junkrat’s loud mouth ends up ruining the plan, however, and we do not know their current plans except that they enjoy blowing up omnics.
Junkrat uses a grenade launcher to put out a ton of damage. Combine this with the mines he throws out, and you can pull off some very quick kills or use the mines to boost himself in the air. He can also lay down a bear trap to keep even the most mobile of enemies in one spot for easy pickings. His ultimate is called Riptire and sees him pull out a makeshift tire that he drives around to find enemies and makes it explode.
4. Hanzo
Hanzo Shimada was the next-in-line head of the Shimada Clan and brother to Genji. Growing up, Hanzo was always dedicated to when he would take over leadership of the clan, but Genji lived much more of a party boy’s life. This led Hanzo to presumably killing Genji with a sword. Unknown to Hanzo, though, Genji lived, and Hanzo would go on a soul finding mission. After Genji reveals himself to be alive, Hanzo is once again lost. We are not sure what Hanzo’s path looks like going forward, but he seems very dedicated to not joining Talon if in-game voice lines are to be believed.
Hanzo is a master of the bow and arrow. He utilizes multiple types of arrows as his abilities like sonar arrow, which shows any enemies in its vicinity to teammates, even through walls. Originally, he had an arrow that would split and bounce off walls called scatter arrow, but following a rework that was replaced with storm arrow, where Hanzo rapidly shoots multiple arrows in a row. After the rework, Hanzo also gained the ability to dash through the air. His ultimate is called dragon strike, which sees him call forth the mystical Shimada dragons that will travel through the map’s walls and deal a ton of damage to anyone in their way. While Hanzo has largely been a meme since the game’s release, if a capable player with good aim has control of him, they can truly take over a match.
3. Reaper
Reaper, formerly known as Gabriel Reyes, is a founding member of Overwatch who has fallen from grace. He and Jack Morrison were both products of an American program that saw them tested on and essentially made into this universe’s version of super soldiers. Tired of living in Morrison’s shadow, Reyes would continually make questionable moves as the head of Blackwatch. After the fall of Overwatch, Reyes took on the name Reaper, a terrorist who works with Talon now. He is on a mission to kill any surviving Overwatch members while also working alongside Doomfist, Widowmaker, Sombra, and the rest of Talon.
In-game, Reaper uses two shotguns that put out tons of damage on tanks and heals himself with any damage he outputs. When he is low on ammo or needs to escape a tricky situation, he can activate his wraith form ability, which makes him invincible for a short bit while increasing his speed during the duration. He can also teleport long distances, which used to be unquestionably the worst ability in the game because of how slow and wide open it left him for being picked off. After updates, though, it is not nearly as bad. Reaper’s ultimate is called death blossom and sees him spin around, firing his shotguns in all directions.
2. McCree
Jesse McCree is an outlaw who formerly was apart of the Deadlock Gang alongside Ashe. When Overwatch arrested him, he turned a new leaf and joined Blackwatch alongside Reaper, Genji, and Moira. Since Overwatch’s fall, McCree has been a mercenary. When the recall went out, he made sure to find Echo and direct her towards Winston. From the end of his cinematic, it appears he may be going to meet up with Ashe again, but it is not certain as of now.
McCree uses his beloved peacekeeper revolver to dole out justice. His ability fan the hammer has always been one of the strongest abilities in Overwatch, at some points even being overpowered. This is where he unloads whatever bullets are left in his gun into enemies in front of him. Combine this with his flashbang ability, which stuns enemies in place, and you have an easy kill on a majority of the game’s cast. His ultimate is called deadeye. With this, McCree goes into a standoff stance where he slowly aims down any targets in this area. When it is unleashed, he quickly fires at all enemies, which will instantly kill them if he stared them down long enough.
1. Tracer
Lena Oxton, A.K.A. Tracer, is the hero on the cover of the game. She originally joined Overwatch as a pilot, but after an experiment went wrong, she became displaced from time. After Winston created the chronal accelerator that sits on her chest, she gained the ability not only to anchor her in the present, but she could control herself in time. She can blink, or travel herself in time so that it looks like she is bursting forward. She can also recall, which brings her backwards a few seconds and heals any damage she has taken. She always is looking to right the wrongs in the world, whether it deals with omnic abuse, terrorist attacks, or other issues. When Winston’s recall went out, she was the first one to answer the call.
Tracer relies heavily on her blinks and recalls in Overwatch. She can blink up to three times in succession before the chronal accelerator will need to cool down, and recall is a helpful tool to get her out of danger. She uses two pistols that are powered by her chronal accelerator. These put out a lot of damage up close, which goes along brilliantly with her quick traversal through maps and obstacles. Her ultimate pulse bomb is a bomb that sticks to wherever it was pinned and puts out a ton of damage in a small area. It charges quickly, and before it had its damaged nerfed, it was one of the more reliable ways to kill a group of enemies in a graviton surge.
