A Beginner’s Guide to Overwatch Heroes
Overwatch is one of the best shooters on the market, but coming in as a beginner isn’t easy. You have to get a handle of the maps, play styles, and conventions to succeed. But the Overwatch heroes are at the heart of the game.
Each of the Overwatch heroes are unique. Their attacks, abilities, ultimates, roles, and best strategies are highly specific. When you’re getting started, having a basic understanding of each hero goes a long way toward picking one that suits you.
In this article, we’ll introduce you to each Overwatch hero in turn, and help you pick the best Overwatch hero for your play style.
Overwatch Hero Basics
As a complete Overwatch beginner, your best bet is to pick a hero that sounds good or looks cool to you. For your first few matches, you won’t know which characters best fit your play style. Use this time to figure out the different Overwatch roles and decide which you like best.
Pick a character that sounds like fun and start learning how they work. But don’t over-commit to one hero. After a bit, switch it up.
Play different roles and heroes within each role. Not only will this help you find the heroes that you like to play, but it will also help you learn the strengths and weaknesses of each character when you’re playing against them.
You can check out heroes in the Practice Range, or play a match against bots for a basic test drive. Alternatively, try the Mystery Heroes mode in the Arcade, which randomly switches heroes every time you die. We don’t recommend this for absolute newcomers, but it’s a great way to become more familiar with the game after you’ve played a bit.
On each hero’s information screen, you’ll see a difficulty rating of one to three stars. This gives you an idea of how much effort it takes to understand the hero’s kit, but doesn’t always account for the character’s skill floor and ceiling. We expand on difficulty ratings below.
Remember that team composition matters. A common setup is two damage heroes, two tanks, and two healers. On the hero select screen, the game tells when you’re missing a healer or have low damage output.
Having a well-balanced team is important, so take a look at your team and see which role needs filled. This flexibility will take you far in Overwatch.
Damage Heroes
Prior to June 2018, Overwatch split damage heroes into Offense and Defense categories. Now, they’re all in one group.
As you’d expect, damage heroes (also known as “DPS,” or damage per second) are responsible for securing kills. They’re generally a bit fragile (low-health heroes are often called “squishy”), but do the bulk of the team’s damage.
Ashe
Ashe is the newest hero at the time of writing. She’s an outlaw who has the unique ability to aim down the sights on her rifle. Doing so grants extra damage, but reduces the rate of fire.
As Ashe, you also have access to a Coach Gun that knocks enemies (and you) away. Her Dynamite lets you burn enemies over time and scare them away, as you can shoot the explosive to blow it up early. Ashe’s Omnic sidekick B.O.B. joins the fray when she uses her ultimate.
Difficulty: Medium. Ashe has a variety of situation abilities that take some getting used to, but her method of doing damage is pretty straightforward.
Play if: You like aiming down the sights and want additional ways to damage the enemy.
Bastion
A popular beginner Overwatch hero, Bastion uses a simple machine gun as his main weapon in Recon mode. By shifting into Sentry mode, however, he becomes an immobile turret with a massive rotary machine gun that dishes out heaps of damage.
Bastion’s self-healing ability is especially useful in this mode, because he makes himself a prime target. While his damage output is huge against unsuspecting targets, a coordinated team can easy shut down Bastion.
Difficulty: Easy. Bastion isn’t complicated—it’s all about finding a good spot and tearing into the enemy.
Play if: You want to be an immobile force of destruction (though we recommend being strategic with your placement).
Doomfist
This hero is all about close-quarters combat. His shotgun-like Hand Cannon and melee attacks do a lot of damage, but he struggles at a distance. His ultimate, Meteor Strike, can clear a lot of space and easily pick off squishy targets.
Doomfist also generates shields when he does damage with his abilities. This high-risk/high-rewards setup makes it imperative that you get into the fray quickly.
Difficulty: Hard. Doomfist is all about managing your abilities to secure kills and keep escape routes open.
Play if: You love close-quarters combat and want to punch your opponents around.
Genji
Genji is a fearsome adversary in the right hands. His shuriken-throwing is great for damaging from a distance, and his ultimate lets him devastate multiple targets quickly with a sword.
You’ll need to master his deflect, which sends all projectiles back to their sender. Genji’s powerful dash ability resets when he gets a kill, which can help you get away from danger.
In all, Genji is more of an assassin that secures kills and harasses the enemy that a consistent damage dealer like some of the other characters in this category.
Difficulty: Hard. Mastering Genji requires expert movement, situational awareness, and target prioritization.
Play if: You want to eliminate high-value targets and like moving around a lot.
Hanzo
Hanzo takes a bow and arrow instead of a gun. He’s a mid-range sniper who can pick off targets and output lots of damage thanks to the Storm Arrow ability.
His Sonic Arrow serves as a radar pulse, marking your enemies. Hanzo’s ultimate sends two massive spirit dragons hurtling through walls and enemies, making it an excellent area denial tool.
Difficulty: Hard. Hanzo can output tons of damage, but accuracy is paramount when using him. If you can’t hit your targets, you’re better off with someone else.
Play if: You want to snipe, but not with a sniper rifle (and like big dragons).
Junkrat
Junkrat is chaos personified. His primary weapon shoots bouncing grenades everywhere, and he can throw and detonate two mines to send enemies (and himself) flying. A trap lets him stop flanking enemies, too.
RIP-Tire, his ultimate, is a fast-moving bomb wheel that can get behind enemy lines and blow up several foes at once. Junkrat even releases a slew of grenades when he dies. And the best part is that none of his explosives can damage him.
Difficulty: Medium. You don’t have to aim much with Junkrat, but his abilities take some time to master. He also struggles at close range and against targets above him.
Play if: You like blowing everything up.
McCree
This old-West-style gunslinger has a powerful revolver that’s best used at close or mid-range. It’s a hitscan weapon, making it great for taking down fast-moving targets like Pharah.
His secondary fire, Fan the Hammer, unleashes all remaining bullets at high speed with a significant accuracy penalty. This is great when combined with his Flashbang grenade. McCree’s ultimate is great for taking down lots of enemies at once, as long as you time it well.
Difficulty: Medium. McCree is an excellent duelist and counters flankers, but his mobility is poor and with just six bullets, missing shots is costly.
Play if: You consider yourself a marksman, but don’t want to play a sniper.
Mei
Mei has a strong ability to stop the enemy’s progress. Her Endothermic Blaster shoots a stream of supercooled fluid, slowing and eventually freezing enemies in place. This makes them especially vulnerable to her secondary fire, a nasty icicle.
She can also encase herself in ice to regain health. While the Ice Wall ability can break up or trap the opposing team, it’s easy to mess up your teammates with it too.
Difficulty: Hard. Mei controls the battlefield when played well, but using her wall at the right time is crucial. Both of her firing modes take practice, too.
Play if: You like to defend strategically, or want to freeze annoying opponents.
Pharah
This rocket soldier’s greatest strength lies in her ability to hover high above the battlefield, raining a constant barrage of rockets on the enemy. Pharah is one of the hardest-hitting heroes in the game, but even with the splash damage from her rockets, landing a hit isn’t guaranteed.
And keep in mind that floating over everyone’s heads makes you a big target for hitscan heroes like McCree and Solider: 76.
Difficulty: Easy. Phrarah dominates when her enemies can’t aim well, and has no complicated abilities to master.
Play if: You want to do a lot of damage from the skies.
Reaper
Reaper’s coolness factor draws in many beginners. His twin Hellfire shotguns do a ton of damage if you can get in close. Stealthy movement, aided by a teleport ability, is required to use him effectively as a flanker.
If you can spring from the shadows and unleash a volley of shots, not much will survive; Reaper is great for shredding tanks. You’ll also profit from the destruction, as Reaper absorbs 30% of damage given as health.
Difficulty: Easy. Reaper’s movement abilities let him slink around the map, and your objective is to kill everything in sight.
Play if: You like to sneak around and surprise your opponents with a hail of shotgun pellets.
Soldier: 76
With a hitscan pulse rifle, rocket grenades, the ability to sprint, and a little burst of healing, Soldier: 76 is a lot like a character from Call of Duty or other first-person shooters. He’s a run-and-gun shooter that excels at mid-range.
If you’ve played a shooter before, he’s an easy DPS hero to start with, but don’t underestimate him. Soldier: 76 is a solid pick all-around, even after you’ve graduated from the beginner level.
Difficulty: Easy. Soldier’s basic ability kit makes him easy to learn and utilize, as he doesn’t have any major weaknesses.
Play if: You’ve played other shooters and want an easy introduction to Overwatch.
Sombra
Sombra stands out as an elite hacker. She can hack opponents to block their abilities for a few seconds, or hack health packs to make them work only for your team. It’s a great skill, but takes some practice to get used to.
If you can use her stealth and hacking to surprise the enemy, her machine pistol can burn through foes quickly. Map knowledge is key when using Sombra to get the drop on enemies, especially since she can see low-health characters through walls.
Difficulty: Hard. Sombra requires detailed map knowledge, good target prioritization, and team communication to be truly effective.
Play if: You like being sneaky and want to irritate the other team.
Symmetra
Symmetra’s Photon Projector does more damage the longer it hits an enemy, and even generates ammo when aimed at a shield. As it builds up, this beam can slice through enemies in no time. Its alternate fire shoots energy balls.
Her kit has two other key parts. She can throw three small turrets that damage and slow enemies. And her teleporter lets her team warp to a remote location, perfect for transporting low-mobility heroes where they couldn’t normally go.
The Photon Barrier ultimate deploys a huge shield that covers the entire map. This can block an enemy’s push, or give you a barrier to cover an advance.
Difficulty: Medium. Symmetra’s abilities have a lot of utility, but they require practice to use effectively.
Play if: You want to have a subtle, but strong, effect on the game.
Torbjörn
This Swedish engineer has a rivet gun that can fire close-range or medium-range shots. Once you’ve learned its projectile arc, long-range headshots become a lot of fun.
Torbjörn’s signature ability allows him to create fast-firing turrets that give you a lot of extra firepower in a fight. His ultimate coats an area in molten lava, denying enemy movement.
Difficulty: Medium. Torb is great at locking down an area, but using his turret effectively takes practice.
Play if: You like the idea of a turret helping you do your job.
Tracer
Tracer seeks to get in close and dish out lots of damage with her dual automatic weapons. She’s all about taking advantage of movement, as she can use Blink to teleport short distances and Recall to rewind time a few seconds and regain health. Her ultimate is a simple sticky bomb, and her pulse pistols are straightforward.
She’s Overwatch’s poster child, but her low health means you need to master her movement to stay alive.
Difficulty: Medium. Tracer is hard to hit if you use her abilities well, but her fragility means you can’t afford to make mistakes.
Play if: You like to move fast and dish out damage before quickly disappearing again.
Widowmaker
Overwatch’s true sniper, Widowmaker is all about long-distance headshots. Her sniper rifle turns into an automatic rifle for close-range combat, but she’s best when she’s sniping.
If you have a great aim and can consistently get headshots on fast-moving targets, Widowmaker is a huge asset to a team. But since she’s usually not on the objective, she offers little utility aside from getting kills.
Difficulty: Medium. If you don’t hit key shots with Widow, you’re not doing your team any favors.
Play if: You’re a sniper, through and through.
Tank Heroes
Overwatch’s tank heroes hold the front line, soak up damage, and help their teammates dish out damage.
Though not official, players differentiate between “main tanks” and “off-tanks.” Main tanks hold the front line with a shield, while off-tanks have other priorities.
D.Va
D.Va’s MEKA fires twin fusion cannons and unleashes a barrage of micro missiles. Her Defense Matrix can stop nearly every projectile in the game, including ultimates like Hanzo’s.
Her mech also has a boost that closes distance fast and can knock enemies off the map. When her mech’s health drops to zero, D.Va ejects and has a pistol that she can use until her next mech is ready.
Difficulty: Medium. D.Va is an incredibly versatile off-tank who can dive onto enemies, protect her team’s backline, and use her shield to absorb damage.
Play if: You want to be a mobile tank who can swap roles in an instant—and not die when you lose all your health.
Orisa
A main tank, Orisa is slow-moving and forms a strong frontline. She can fire shields anywhere, boosts her own defenses for a few seconds with Fortify, and lays down a near-constant stream of fusion bullets.
Her ultimate amps up the damage of everyone around her, making her an asset during team pushes. And her Halt! projectile pulls enemies to make them vulnerable or drop them off a ledge.
Difficulty: Medium. Orisa’s deployable shield placement is easy to botch, and her abilities require good timing.
Play if: You want to coordinate and support the actions of your team, and don’t mind moving at glacial speeds.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt has a giant, rocket-powered hammer. In addition to a beefy shield, he can fire a flaming projectile. This main tank also has the ability to charge forward at high speed, pinning enemies to walls for huge damage.
His Earthshatter ultimate knocks enemies down, leaving them open to hammer strikes. Reinhardt is a great starter tank for a reason: his shield can successfully lead a team charge, yet he can dish out damage with the best of them. A good Reinhardt will serve as the backbone of a team.
Difficulty: Easy. Reinhardt’s barrier is simple and your role is to stay in the front and protect the team.
Play if: You want to lead the charge and protect your teammates from just about everything. Just remember not to get carried away doing damage.
Roadhog
Roadhog is a beefy off-tank. His signature ability is the Chain Hook, which grabs an enemy and reels them in for a close-range blast from his shotgun-like Scrap Gun.
His huge health pool and ability to quickly heal himself give Roadhog high survivability. Whole Hog, his ultimate, makes his weapon fully automatic for a few seconds. This can push enemies away from an objective or trap them in a corridor.
Difficulty: Easy. Roadhog is all about hooking out-of-position enemies to punish them. His self-heal keeps you alive even when healers are down.
Play if: You want maximum durability and to destroy opponents with the Chain Hook.
Winston
Winston’s Tesla Cannon is one of the few weapons in Overwatch that doesn’t require much aiming. The beam tracks opponents, so as long as you point it in the right direction, it’ll hit. His short range isn’t a problem because of his rocket jump, which propels him into a battle.
He can also drop a shield to protect himself and his teammates. And when his Primal Rage ultimate kicks in, he goes full King Kong on the opposing team. Winston is usually considered a main tank due to his shield, but requires good coordination with his team as his weapon isn’t particularly strong.
Difficulty: Medium. Winston is a strong harasser, but the long cooldown times for his abilities can leave him defenseless without help.
Play if: You don’t like aiming too much, or want to dive behind enemy lines to kill squishy targets like Tracer and Zenyatta.
Wrecking Ball
As a highly mobile off-tank, Wrecking Ball switches between a rolling ball and a mech with cannon weapons. His grappling hook lets him pick up speed to slam into enemies. And when he gets into trouble, he can deploy a shield that increases in strength the more enemies that are nearby.
His Minefield ultimate drops a group of proximity mines which can cover a key area for several seconds. Playing Wrecking Ball is all about controlling an area and initiating fights. But he’s a poor solo tank, as he doesn’t have a way to protect allies.
Difficulty: Hard. Wrecking Ball has to keep moving to be effective and stay alive, but knowing when to engage and when to back off is tricky.
Play if: You want to bowl into your enemies and lead the team charge.
Zarya
Another off-tank, Zarya has a Particle Cannon that can do a huge amount of damage—if you manage it correctly. She has the ability to deploy a shield around herself or a teammate. Any damage that these shields block powers up her weapon’s charge. And her ultimate, Graviton Surge, sucks enemies into a black hole for a huge opportunity.
When played well, Zarya can save her teammates from otherwise deadly situations (like getting hooked by Roadhog) and decimate enemies with a charged-up weapon. But strategically deploying those shields is crucial, which gives Zarya a steep learning curve.
Difficulty: Hard. It’s quite difficult to read situations and know when to use Zarya’s shields. And if you’re not saving teammates and running at high charge, Zarya’s utility is low.
Play if: You want to soak up enemy damage, protect teammates, and deal big damage.
Support Heroes
These Overwatch heroes exist to keep their teammates alive and provide other important utilities. As a support player, you’re usually the prime target for the enemy, so playing smart is critical.
Like tanks, you’ll often hear healers divided into main and off-healers. Off-healers typically don’t output enough healing to keep the team alive, so they’re best paired with a main healer.
Ana
Ever wanted to shoot your teammates? With Ana, you can. Her Biotic Rifle rounds damage enemies and heal teammates. But that’s not all she offers her team.
Her Biotic Grenades increase healing for a teammate and block enemies from receiving healing for a moment. The Sleep Dart knocks enemies out, leaving them vulnerable. Ana’s ultimate, Nano Boost, buffs a teammate by boosting their damage given and reducing damage taken.
If you have solid sniping chops, Ana is a fun and dynamic hero. She’s a main healer as long as you consistently hit your shots.
Difficulty: Hard. Ana is the most difficult Support character to play because she requires accurate aiming and her abilities are tough to use effectively.
Play if: You’re an accurate sniper who wants to heal teammates at a range.
Brigitte
Brigitte is a tank-like off-healer. She has a small shield that can protect herself or a teammate. Her most powerful ability, Shield Bash, stuns an enemy to open them up to attack. And her Rocket Flail smacks enemies around, healing nearby allies when she does damage thanks to her Inspire ability.
She also has a Repair Pack to heal enemies (and provide armor, if they’re already topped off). Her ultimate, Rally, lets her move faster and grants armor to all allies nearby.
Difficulty: Easy. Due to her fight-winning Shield Bash and mace with large area of effect, Brigitte makes it easy to play a major part in team fights.
Play if: You like the idea of playing Tank, but also want to heal your team.
Lúcio
Lúcio is a DJ whose weapon and abilities are music-based. He can switch between two songs that either heal or speed boost his nearby teammates. His Sonic Amplifier’s secondary fire will boop enemies back, which is great for knocking foes off ledges. And even cooler, he can ride on walls!
His Sound Barrier ultimate gives teammates shields, which can save them from a huge enemy attack. Depending on your team composition, Lúcio can be a main or off-healer. Learning when to switch between his healing and speed boosts is key to mastering him.
Difficulty: Medium. While he’s easy enough to understand, Lúcio has a high skill ceiling. Mastering his movement will take work.
Play if: You want to stay with the team and boost them, and love zipping around.
Mercy
Mercy is the most straightforward healer to play. Her staff can toggle between healing and damage boosting one teammate at a time. The Guardian Angel ability lets her fly to teammates in need, and she can slow her descent to stay in the air longer. Mercy also heals herself after she avoids damage for a short time.
Her most powerful ability is Resurrect, which lets her bring a teammate back from the dead. But it has a long cooldown and Mercy is vulnerable when using it, so take caution. With every aspect of Mercy, positioning is key to staying alive.
Difficulty: Easy. Mercy doesn’t have any particularly complex abilities, making her a great beginner main healer.
Play if: You want a powerful healer who can fly around to any ally in need, and love to revive people.
Moira
Moira’s Biotic Grasp ability represents the dual nature of her kit. One hand sprays healing mist that repairs nearby allies, but it has limited resources. The other hand fires a beam that drains enemies’ health and recharges her healing energy quickly.
She can also fire two Biotic Orbs, one that damages enemies and another that heals allies. Coalescence, her ultimate, is a long-range beam that both heals allies and damages foes at the same time. Finally, Fade lets her disappear for a moment to dodge damage and get closer to teammates.
If you stay with your team and keep your healing resources up by draining enemies, Moira can output an immense amount of healing, making her a solid main healer pick.
Difficulty: Medium. Moira is all about balance. You must damage enemies occasionally, but knowing when to do this while keeping your teammates alive is vital.
Play if: You want to have strong healing potential and don’t mind getting close to enemies to top up your energy.
Zenyatta
Similar to Moira, Zenyatta is capable of both damage and healing. His accurate Orb of Destruction attack does a huge amount of damage for a support. He can also charge up a volley of orbs to take out low-HP heroes in one shot.
Zenyatta can place an Orb of Harmony on a teammate to heal them as long as he keeps line of sight. Similarly, Orb of Discord will make an enemy take 30% more damage. His ultimate, Transcendence, grants him invincibility and rapidly heals nearby allies, canceling out enemy ultimates like Genji’s.
While his abilities are simple, playing Zenyatta is not. He’s extremely fragile and slow, meaning he has no options to escape enemy flankers or snipers. He’s also an off-healer, as his Harmony orb doesn’t do enough healing to keep an entire team going.
Difficulty: Hard. Zenyatta requires you to constantly read the battle to decide who should have the Harmony and Discord orbs. He’s vulnerable to many forms of damage, but staying alive is vital to keep your team buffs going.
Play if: You want to both heal and do deal damage, and can make decisions based on the big picture.
The Best Overwatch Heroes for Beginners
Still not sure who to try first? Here are a few suggestions for Overwatch beginner heroes (and a few to avoid at first):
- For damage, choose Soldier: 76. His weapons, abilities, and controls are easy to get the hang of, and he’s a solid character at many levels of play.
- Avoid Doomfist, Sombra, and Genji. All three require tightly managing ability cooldowns, picking the right targets, and using the map to your advantage.
- For tanks, choose Roadhog. It takes a while to get the hang of the Chain Hook. But his large health pool, quick self-healing, and a shotgun-style cannon make him accessible.
- Avoid Zarya. Knowing when to apply her shields takes some practice, and if you’re not charging your weapon, you’re of little use.
- For support, choose Mercy. You can heal and provide damage boosts constantly, as well as revive dead teammates. Stay out of the line of fire, and you’ll be fine.
- Avoid Ana and Zenyatta. Ana requires excellent accuracy and her abilities are tricky. Zenyatta is highly vulnerable and requires good game sense.
Which Overwatch Hero Will You Pick?
With so many unique Overwatch heroes, you should be able to find a character that fits your play style. It’s just a matter of getting started. We recommend that you play all the heroes at least few times, even ones who don’t sound like your type.
You might be surprised whose play styles you enjoy, and you’ll get good insight into how to play against other heroes. Plus, since Overwatch lets you change your hero anytime, having some other options at the ready can help turn the tide of a fight. Switching to counter your enemy’s composition is key.
For more games that require teamwork, take a look at highly tactical shooters you should try.
Image Credit: BagoGames/Flickr
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