You may be a little overwhelmed with the choice of 35 Overwatch 2 characters when trying to pick the best heroes. The sequel brings back all its entire roster from the first game, all in their distinct roles while also adding three new challengers to the roster. Sojourn, Junker Queen, and Kiriko are arguably the biggest additions to the sequel, each bringing a fresh identity to the battlefield. There are also several reworked heroes that you’re going to want to be aware of in Overwatch 2, as you’ll be in for a surprise if you try to pick Doomfist to discover he’s now a tank.
Adding to that, Overwatch 2 now only has 5 players on a team instead of the classic 6. It can be a lot to take when you jump in for the first time. Blizzard has added a first-time experience for new players that will roll out the entirety of the roster as you begin to learn the ropes. It's no surprise that Overwatch 2 competitive mode has changed as well with all these new changes. However, even then, having familiarity with who’s new, who has changed, and what each of the roles do is important if you want to succeed. With that in mind, here’s an overview you need to know about the Overwatch 2 characters if you’re new or returning.
Overwatch 2 characters: new heroes
There are three new heroes available in Overwatch 2, one for each of the three roles (Tanks, DPS, and Support.) Sojourn is the DPS addition, and she’s a hyper-mobile ranged hero. She can fire a gun to charge a railshot that can split heads and secure one hit kills if aimed right.
Overwatch 2's Junker Queen is the new tank, and she’s all about getting into the enemy's face and trying to sustain herself long enough to get brutal, close-range kills.
Rounding out the new heroes, Kiriko is a lethal new support who has immense kill potential. She’s very agile, able to teleport through walls and wall climb, all while having kunai’s that do the highest critical damage in the game. She can be hard to make work, but if you master her, she’s one of the strongest on the battlefield.
Overwatch 2 characters reworks
Here's how we think every Hero stacks up in our Overwatch 2 character tier list
There are four reworks among the Overwatch 2 Hero changes, all of which have been done to either help out weaker heroes or to help shake up more problematic abilities.
Perhaps the most drastic rework is Doomfist who has moved from the damage slot to the tank spot. He’s lost some of his one-hit-kill potential but can now absorb a lot of damage and displace enemy teams with his massive punches. Elsewhere, Orisa also saw an enormous rework. She’s unrecognizable, as she’s lost her shield and replaced it with a javelin that she can throw or use to protect her team. Besides her Fortify ability, just about everything is different for Overwatch 2’s resident battle horse.
Bastion has also seen a large rework to mix up his play and make him a more exciting pick. He no longer sits in one place as a turret but instead can move around in that form, and his ultimate now calls down a mortar strike on the enemy team. Finally, Sombra has seen work to her hack ability. It now only stops players from using their abilities for a short duration, but they instead become more susceptible to damage from Sombra for an extended period. This makes her a sneaky assassin, ready to pounce on anyone out of position.
Overwatch 2 Tanks heroes
In Overwatch 2 tanks have seen a massive change. Overwatch 1 established two tanks per team, but Blizzard is removing one so that there will now only be one solo tank who’ll have to be the commanding presence for the team.
Tanks are large health pool heroes that have several jobs, but most importantly, being the frontline and absorbing a lot of pressure, as well as creating space for their team to win fights. Overwatch 2 is a game all about map control and tanks are how you claim that territory. They are big, important, and stand as a bully on the battlefield dictating every fight. The long and short of it is, good tanks win games.
- Doomfist
- D.VA
- Junker Queen
- Orisa
- Sigma
- Reinhardt
- Roadhog
- Winston
- Wrecking Ball
- Zarya
Overwatch 2 Damage heroes
Overwatch 2 damage heroes are the game's flashiest role. While some do it in more style than others, the role is all about one thing: getting eliminations. These are the heroes who inflict the most pain on the enemy team and are very important when it comes to confirming kills.
While both tanks and supports can put up great numbers in both the elimination and damage departments, Damage heroes, when played well, will tear apart enemy teams. It’s the most popular role in Overwatch, and also the one with the most heroes in it. There’s a lot of variety on offer here, so everyone can find a Damage character to fit them.
- Ashe
- Bastion
- Cassidy
- Echo
- Genji
- Hanzo
- Junkrat
- Mei
- Pharah
- Reaper
- Sojourn
- Soldier 76
- Sombra
- Symmetra
- Torbjorn
- Tracer
- Widowmaker
Overwatch 2 support characters
Overwatch support characters are invaluable on the battlefield, with many arguing they are the most important. Supports heal their team and keep them fighting in the face of overwhelming damage. However, none reach their full potential by just making sure their team’s life is topped up.
Supports instead hold immense power in their ability to apply certain buffs and debuffs to their teammates. From anti-healing to health debuffs, immortality, speed boosts, and resurrections, Supports have access to absurdly powerful abilities. On top of that they also often have the most powerful Ultimates. If you want to be the key deciding factor on if you win or lose games, Support is the role you are going to want to master.
- Ana
- Baptiste
- Brigitte
- Kiriko
- Lucio
- Mercy
- Moira
- Zenyatta
