Overwatch 2 Hero tier list: Tank, DPS & Support characters ranked (Season 6 update)

Overwatch 2 Hero tier list: Tank, DPS & Support characters ranked (Season 6 update)
Images via Activision

Written by 

Joshua Boyles

Posted 

15th Aug 2023 12:26

Contents

If you're looking for a tier list of the many Heroes found in Overwatch 2's roster, we've got a rundown of which characters are best suited for Tank, DPS, and Support roles in Season 6.

Overwatch 2 has kicked off Season 6 in a big way by adding story missions, modes, and a new Hero, Ilari.

Metas and tier list rankings will constantly shift due to new patches and updates, and that's no different in Overwatch 2's new season. So whether you're a new player wanting to dive into Overwatch 2 with a top-tier character or are returning to the game after an extended break, keep reading for the lowdown on which Heroes are the cream of the crop for the game's different roles.

Overwatch 2 Tank tier list

Tier Heroes
S Orisa, Ramattra
A Reinhardt, Roadhog, D.Va
B Winston, Zarya, Junker Queen
C Doomfist, Sigma
D Wrecking Ball

S-Tier

Orisa as she appears in Overwatch 2
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Orisa

Sitting at the top of our tier list for Tanks is Orisa. As a result of a major rework in Overwatch 2, she's now one of the most powerful heroes on the battlefield by far. Her hulking figure is excellent at absorbing damage with the right abilities, and anyone who's accurate can wipe out enemies in a blink with her Javelin.

Best of all, her Ultimate ability is fantastic at clearing out enemies that are grouped up. She'll likely receive a nerf at some point, so make the most of her while she's still brilliant.

  • Check out our Orisa guide for more information

Ramattra as he appears in Overwatch 2
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Ramattra

Ramattra is a new addition to Overwatch 2, and he's definitely proving his worth in competitive lobbies. His Staff is capable of dealing some pretty epic close-range damage if you're able to hit headshots with it. In addition, his fists in fighting form can wipe out grouped-up enemies with damage that passes through them.

Combine all of that with an Ultimate ability that only cools down when out of range of enemies, and Ramattra can be an unstoppable force to be reckoned with.

  • Check out our Ramattra guide for more information

A-Tier

Reinhardt in Overwatch 2
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Reinhardt

Also in the A-Tier of Tanks for Overwatch 2 is Reinhardt. He's a classic Overwatch staple, and you just can't go wrong with him. His massive shield is capable of protecting the entire team from incoming fire, letting you push up on objectives with relative ease. He has a commanding presence, too. If your team rallies around you, you should be in for an easy win.

  • Check out our Reinhardt guide for more information

D.Va firing a weapon outside of her mech in Overwatch 2
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D.Va

D.Va is one of the most popular picks in Overwatch 2. Her booster ability makes repositioning a breeze, and the defence matrix is fantastic at eliminating incoming damage.

However, her damage output is relatively low unless you're right up in the enemy's face, leaving you vulnerable to attack. A saving grace is that her ultimate can be especially powerful, easily wiping out an entire objective if you catch your foes unawares.

  • Check out our D.Va guide for more information

Roadhog in Overwatch 2 emitting a gas
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Roadhog

Roadhog is a popular pick in Overwatch 2 because he's an incredibly hard hero to put down. His massive health pool seems to constantly absorb damage, and his instant heal ability only makes killing him harder.

Stick a pocket Mercy on this bad boy and he's virtually unstoppable. Players who master his hook ability can pull off some pretty neat environmental eliminations, too.

B-Tier

Winston jumping in the air in Overwatch 2
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Winston

Moving down into the B-Tier of Overwatch 2's Heroes, we have Winston. While he may appear to be a bit useless in terms of raw damage output, he can be a vital pick against particular team compositions. His electricity gun is especially good at getting rid of pesky Genji players since they can't dash away quickly enough.

Irritating Widowmakers in the backline quickly end up getting flustered when they see Winston diving them from afar. If you're looking for someone to lead a diving charge against lots of squishy enemies, then Winston is your pick.

  • Check out our Winston guide for more information

Zarya flexing in Overwatch 2
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Zarya

Playing Zarya is a double-edged sword as it totally depends on the team you're playing against. Her attack power completely depends on whether the enemy team knows how her character works. If you didn't know, damage dealt to her bubble shields powers up her attacks.

In lower-ranked games, it can be easy to manipulate an unaware team into powering her up. However, you might find that she's more difficult to play well with as you start to climb the ranked ladder.

  • Check out our Zarya guide for more information

Junker Queen taunting in Overwatch 2
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Junker Queen

Junker Queen is a brand new addition to Overwatch 2 and proved her worth in the opening season. She's not only capable of keeping an enemy team under control but can also be crucial in keeping her own team alive with her healing abilities.

She's designed to get up close and personal in her enemy's faces, so make sure you're playing her aggressively. We've moved her up a tier from her last update, following the significant buffs to her self-healing and venom damage from her blades.

C-Tier

Doomfist as he appears in Overwatch 2 with a golden fist
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Doomfist

First up in Overwatch 2's C-Tier is Doomfist, who you might remember from the DPS roster in the first Overwatch. Now, however, he's made his way over to the list of Tanks for Overwatch 2.

He can pack a punch in the right hands (literally), but he's certainly not a certified banger of a hero the way he is currently balanced. Doomfist is best at clearing a space for your fellow teammates to push up.

  • Check out our Doomfist guide for more information

Sigma in space in Overwatch 2
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Sigma

Sigma is excellent at disrupting the enemy team but is less capable of dishing out consistent damage. This is due to his slow-moving projectiles that certainly require a learned amount of skill to perfect.

That said, his Ultimate ability is excellent for clearing out a bunched-up group of enemies, so he does have his uses.

  • Check out our Sigma guide for more information

D-Tier

Wrecking Ball in Overwatch 2
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Wrecking Ball

Wrecking Ball is a hero that's seldom seen on the battlefield these days. His movement abilities are unique but offers little utility when compared to the rest of the Overwatch 2 heroes found further up in our tier list. He may be fun to play as, but he definitely won't win you many matches.

Overwatch 2 DPS tier list

Tier Heroes
S Soldier 76, Cassidy
A Genji, Bastion, Reaper, Sombra, Sojourn
B Ashe, Junkrat, Pharah, Tracer, Hanzo
C Mei, Echo, Widowmaker
D Torbjorn, Symmetra

S-Tier

Soldier 76 from Overwatch 2
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Soldier: 76

Kicking off the tier list for DPS heroes in Overwatch 2 is Soldier: 76, one of the easiest damage heroes to pick up. If you've played any other first-person shooter, you'll know how this character works. He has a hit-scan assault rifle that can also shoot out a rocket trifecta.

Combine that with his remote healing station, and he's quite the one-man band. However, he's also exceptional at picking out small enemies from afar, which makes him great for taking down healers in the backline or pesky Pharah mains in the sky. In the right hands, Soldier: 76 can be devastating.

Cassidy in Overwatch 2
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Cassidy

Another hit-scan hero, Cassidy has seen a fairly major rework for Overwatch 2 which makes him lethal. His flashbang is replaced with a homing sticky grenade which deals a ridiculous amount of damage. If you throw this in the general direction of a barely damaged enemy, they're almost certainly going down.

Just like Soldier, he's great at picking out those small, pesky heroes that are out of position. If you've got the aim to back him up, Cassidy can be a crucial part of any team.

  • Check out our Cassidy guide for more information

A-Tier

Genji as he appears in Overwatch 2
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Genji

Moving down to the A-Tier of Overwatch 2's DPS Heroes, we have Genji. This character would be in the S-Tier if it weren't for the stigma that selfish players imbue upon him. It's very easy to play Genji wrong since his playstyle requires him to be constantly moving around the enemy team.

In the wrong hands, this can leave him out of position regularly and cause frustration for teamwork. However, if you know how to play Genji well, he can wipe out enemy teams in a heartbeat.

  • Check out our Genji guide for more information

Bastion in Overwatch 2 wearing a cap
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Bastion

Bastion is another hero who's seen a significant rework since the last game, and he is very competitive in his current state. He's a walking weapon with multiple different configurations, which means he can be dangerous no matter the map or objective you're trying to achieve.

His only major downfall is that he's squishy, and with his self-heal ability removed, you'll need to stick close by to your healers to make him properly viable.

  • Check out our Bastion guide for more information

Reaper in Overwatch 2 with the moon behind him
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Reaper

Reaper has a similar playstyle to Genji, but he's a little slower-paced overall. His job is to get up in the faces of enemies and cause havoc before entering an invincible state and strolling away from danger. His two shotguns are capable of dealing an obscene amount of damage, especially to Tanks with their large hitboxes.

However, get into the backline and Reaper can decimate enemy healers in no time at all. His Ultimate is devastating, too - save this for crucial moments on the objective and you can easily take out an entire team in one fell swoop.

  • Check out our Reaper guide for more information 

Sombra as she appears in Overwatch 2
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Sombra

Played correctly, Sombra can be one of the most annoying heroes to go up against. She can turn completely invisible and prevent enemies from using any of their abilities. This makes her crucial for sneaking into the enemy backlines and disabling their healers.

The SMG she wields doesn't do a ridiculous amount of damage, which is probably fair since she can stay invisible infinitely while not using other abilities. Not only does this make her great as an offensive character, but it also makes her tricky to take down.

  • Check out our Sombra guide for more information 

Sojourn in Overwatch 2
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Sojourn

Sojourn is a new addition to the Overwatch roster of Heroes, but she shouldn't be overlooked. She carries a railgun that can deal small amounts of burst damage, but can also be charged up to spew immense sniper beams.

Just like Widowmaker and Cassidy, she'll take time to master but can prove effective in a team when used correctly because of the sheer amount of damage her railgun can do. 

  • Check out our Sojourn guide for more information

B-Tier

Ashe in Overwatch 2 holding a rifle on her shoulder
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Ashe

Ashe is relatively similar to Cassidy, except that she wields a carbine rifle instead of an 8-shot revolver. However, since this weapon is equipped with a scope, it makes her even more suited to picking out pesky flying enemies like Pharah and Mercy.

She also has an explosive set of dynamite for a secondary ability, although it's not homing like Cassidy's is. Her Ultimate can be an excellent distraction mechanic, too, since Bob runs right into the enemy crowd and absorbs a ton of damage. She's especially great at attacking a defensive team.

  • Check out our Ashe guide for more information

Junkrat taunting in Overwatch 2
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Junkrat

If it's straight-up damage you want to dish out, Junkrat is your best bet. His grenade launcher deals huge amounts of damage when his grenades hit directly. This makes him unrivalled in laying down immense amounts of splash damage in one go.

However, he falls down when you want to deal damage to enemies in the sky or up a hill since his launcher is not accurate enough for those targets. In addition, he's very capable of feeding if the enemy team has a Zarya, so watch out for that.

  • Check out our Junkrat guide for more information

Hanzo aiming in Overwatch 2
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Hanzo

Genji's canonical brother Hanzo can be just as destructive. Armed with a bow and arrow, he can dish out damage from afar once the player has mastered the arrow curve.

However following some nerfs, his arrows will rarely have the potential to one-shot some heroes to the head. But, an accurate player can still wound an enemy team's frontline in seconds with the right amount of practice.

  • Check out our Hanzo guide for more information

Pharah as she appears in Overwatch 2
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Pharah

It used to be that Pharah was the queen of the sky, although she's seen a significant nerf since the good old days. Her rockets now only deal a good amount of damage when they hit directly, so you need to be super accurate with your shots and lead time.

When paired with a Mercy though, she's an incredibly tough cookie to take down and, if nothing else, will ruin an enemy team's spirit.

  • Check out our Pharah guide for more information

Tracer in Overwatch 2
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Tracer

Tracer is all about dealing damage little and often and hoping that will add up to something meaningful. If you play your shooters with high sensitivity, then you'll love Tracer.

She's capable of zipping in and out of enemy teams while focusing on the squishy enemies that need finishing off. She won't be bringing down Tanks anytime soon, but she'll certainly annoy the heck out of them.

  • Check out our Tracer guide for more information

C-Tier

Mei in the snow in Overwatch 2
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Mei

Jumping down a tier, we have Mei. She's also seen a bit of a nerf coming into Overwatch 2 with her freeze ability now not freezing opponents completely. Unlike other heroes on this list, she's not capable of dealing out massive amounts of damage but is very good at being a nuisance.

Her Ultimate is especially useful for shutting down a big enemy push and lets other DPS players on the team clean up. She can't hold her own but is certainly capable when paired with a good team to support her.

  • Check out our Mei guide for more information

Echo smiling in Overwatch 2
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Echo

Echo is a strange one, as she can be quite effective in the right hands. However, her usefulness entirely depends on the picks of the enemy team and how that might play into your team composition.

She's most effective in Role Queue competitive modes where she can provide the team with an extra tank or healer for a short amount of time.

Widowmaker in Overwatch 2
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Widowmaker

While she can be useful in certain scenarios, Widowmaker is a difficult pick to recommend to most players. Her deadly shots can pick out enemies from afar, but she's often required to stay away from her team while lining these shots up. Additionally, with recent nerfs, her maximum firing distance has been heavily reduced, keeping her in the C-tier for now.

Her playstyle essentially promotes the opposite of teamplay, which is what Overwatch is all about. Widowmaker is useful for one or two picks, but not if you want to help your team win the round.

  • Be sure to check out our Widowmaker guide for more information

D-Tier

Torbjorn in Overwatch 2
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Torbjorn

The two heroes sitting in the D-Tier of the DPS category are essentially only useful in attack-based game modes. Torbjorn is capable of setting up turrets to pick away at enemy players. Sure, these cause a nuisance. But if a good enemy team takes care of these with ease, Torbjorn is essentially useless.

  • Check out our Torbjorn guide for more information

Symmetra in Overwatch 2
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Symmetra

The same can be said for Symmetra. While her abilities have some situational use, especially her teleporter and the tactical use of Ultimate abilities, she just doesn't compare to the weight of an all-out damage dealer. They're fun to use in Arcade and Quick Play modes, but we wouldn't recommend relying on them in Competitive.

  • Check out our Symmetra guide for more information

Overwatch 2: Support tier list

Tier Heroes
S Mercy, Lucio, Ilari
A Moira, Ana
B Zenyatta, Kiriko, Baptiste
C Lifeweaver, Brigitte

S-Tier

Mercy flying in Overwatch 2
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Mercy

This character is perhaps the most iconic Support character on the whole roster, and that's mostly because healing is almost her only purpose. She carries a healing staff that can either restore player health or boost their damage.

She has the biggest potential healing capacity by far, which is why she's at the top of the list. Oh, and did we mention that she can fly between teammates? This means she can be ready to help in a heartbeat. If healing is your goal, Mercy is your gal.

  • Check out our Mercy guide for more information

Lucio being chased by Winston in Overwatch 2
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Lucio

Lucio gets points because not only is he a great healer, but he's also incredibly tricky to pin down. Using his speed boost and wall-sliding abilities, Lucio can skip and dodge around enemies in a stylistic manner that makes him incredibly tricky to shoot - especially with his small hitboxes.

What's more, his weapon is capable of dealing a decent amount of damage, especially when he lands headshots. The secondary fire can also be great at creating space for your team or earning a few cheeky environmental kills. Lucio is the character you pick if you want to heal and have fun while doing it.

Ilari preparing for battle in Overwatch 2, an S-tier Support hero
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Ilari

A common complaint among many players is that new heroes are underwhelming when they first join the roster. Clearly, this criticism was taken the heart because Ilari has come out swinging in her debut. This support character has some powerful abilities and serious damage potential.

Ilari can both actively and passively heal teammates with her weapon and her healing pylons. Her weapon does good damage, and she has an ability that can knock enemies off of the map, but her Ultimate is where her damage really shines. It is an AoE attack that plants bombs on each enemy it touches, with the potential to wipe an entire team who are foolish enough to stand close together.

Ilari can keep your team alive while keeping the other team dead, there isn't much more you can ask from an Overwatch 2 hero than that.

A-Tier

Moira in Overwatch 2
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Moira

Stepping down into the A-tier of Overwatch 2 Support Heroes, we have Moira. Moira is so close to being an S-Tier healer as her potential is phenomenal. She can throw out either a healing orb or a damage orb that moves more slowly once it comes into contact with other players.

In addition, she can spray a healing mist over her teammates to start a heal-over-time effect. Her only downfall is that her damage grasp is often too tempting to use for some players, resulting in her doing way more damage than healing.

Players looking to pick up Moira should be sure to keep a close eye on how they're balancing their damage and healing output.

  • Check out our Moira guide for more information

Ana aiming in Overwatch 2
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Ana

Next up is Ana, a stone-cold classic Overwatch character. Her iconic sniper rifle is capable of both healing teammates and damaging opponents, making her an extremely versatile character if you've got the aim to back her up.

One of her best abilities is the grenade that prevents enemies from healing altogether. Throw this into a crowd amid a big push and the entire enemy team is done for. 

  • Check out our Ana guide for more information

B-Tier

Zenyatta in Overwatch 2
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Zenyatta

Dropping down the list, we have Zenyatta. He sits in the B-Tier category because his support abilities aren't nearly as strong as the others on this list. His orbs can only provide so much healing, and can only be applied to one hero at a time. His discord orb is the same story for opponents.

Zenyatta can deal a good amount of damage, but only in the hands of truly skilled players since his weapons aren't hit-scan. His saving grace is his Ultimate ability which can cancel almost all other damage Ultimates in the game.

  • Check out our Zenyatta guide for more information

Kiriko in Overwatch 2
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Kiriko

Kiriko may yet prove her salt in Competitive, but for now, she's residing in the B-Tier. Her Utimate certainly seems to offer promise with it supercharging the attack power and speed of all friendly players it affects.

Her healing power also seems to show promise, and her attacks look to be well balanced with them requiring a level of skill to land accurate shots.

  • Check out our Kiriko guide for more information

Baptiste running in Overwatch 2
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Baptiste

If you're looking for a jack of all trades and a master of none character, then look no further than Baptiste. His Biotic Launcher is similar to Ana's weapon in that it can both heal and deal damage.

However, Baptiste players must be most purposeful with their shots, choosing whether to fire a damage grenade or a healing grenade. His other abilities make him effective in team fights, but he just doesn't live up to the usefulness of someone like Mercy or Moira.

  • Check out our Baptiste guide for more information

C-Tier

Lifeweaver from Overwatch 2
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Lifeweaver

Lifeweaver is a very recent addition to the Support Hero roster and has several unique abilities. As well as creating a platform that can raise both allies and foes alike, he can also pull teammates out of danger from afar (an ability that can at times be more of a hindrance than a help).

Despite being able to charge his bio-light healing, it can be difficult to get a high healing output from him, and his thorny DPS doesn't do too much damage. His ultimate ability "Tree of Life" is a force to be reckoned with.

  • Check out our Lifeweaver guide for more information

Brigitte leaning on a bar in Overwatch 2
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Brigitte

Lastly, we have Brigitte. This character has had a little bit of an identity crisis with her straddling the roles of Tank and Support. She has a small, personal shield, that she can use to push the enemy back with. In addition, her healing flail is great at healing teammates while putting out a decent amount of damage.

However, she fails to completely gel with the usefulness of other Heroes on the roster, which is why she sits at the very bottom of our Overwatch 2 Hero tier list.

  • Check out our Brigitte guide for more information

That's our tier list of all the Heroes in Overwatch 2 across DPS, Tank, and Support roles for Season 6. Be sure to check out our Overwatch 2 homepage for the latest news and guides, or check out how to enter custom game codes in OW2 or our list of Hero counters.

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