The definitive Overwatch 2 hero tier list for season 5
Need a new main? We’ve got you covered.
Image via Blizzard Entertainment
Overwatch 2’s roster of heroes saw a wide array of balance changes to start season five that have affected the game’s hero tier list. Along with scaling back some buffs to Junker Queen from the previous season’s mid-cycle patch, Blizzard made a couple of philosophical adjustments to one-shot heroes and crowd control abilities on DPS heroes.
The overall hero meta hasn’t swayed too aggressively since the start of season five, but there are certainly a couple of heroes that are more or less effective due to changes that spanned nearly a third of the game’s roster—11 heroes in total.
Our Overwatch 2 tier list is meant to keep the average player in mind. As someone that typically hovers around the 50th percentile of the ranked player base, this tier list takes into account what someone might experience in the high Gold and low Platinum ranks of the game, as well as what heroes are especially prominent in professional play and the Top 500.
The goal of this list is to let players know what the best heroes are in the game, as well as guide players to the top picks to rank up with. Everyone might want to play the “meta” heroes to rank up quickly, but if you find them too mechanically challenging, there are ample hero selections for each role that will allow you to focus less on what abilities to use and more on situational awareness.
Overwatch 2 tank hero tier list
Best choice: Junker Queen Great picks: Ramattra, Simga, Reinhardt Good: D.Va, Winston, Orisa, Zarya Map/composition-dependent: Wrecking Ball Not recommended: Roadhog, Doomfist
Ever since receiving buffs during the mid-cycle season four patch, Junker Queen has been a standout tank in Overwatch 2, and while some nerfs to her kit to start this season have slowed the berserking matriarch’s roll slightly, she’s still one of the most effective tank selections in the game for those that can manage her kit.
The biggest downside to Junker Queen is how unique she is to use. Without a shield, her sustainability is heavily reliant on keeping up her bleeds and timing Commanding Shout. If that task is too tough for you, it might be worthwhile to pick a hero with a simpler kit.
Related: Best Junker Queen Counters in Overwatch 2
For those that want to play the shield game, Ramattra is still a solid go-to pick in brawling compositions, and Sigma remains a quality selection as well. Both heroes have a lot to offer and can also pack a punch if you regularly queue into matches where your DPS isn’t necessarily up to snuff.
At the same time, Reinhardt is one of the most-played tank heroes in the game with a solid win rate, according to Overbuff, for good reason. His simplistic kit is easy for nearly any player to wrap their head around. With a shield and the ability to charge in, he’s an excellently versatile tank that will let players focus more on situational awareness and less on maximizing the usage of a variety of abilities.
Winston and D.Va are still the primary tanks you’ll want to select for a dive composition, but Winston goes from being a top-tier pick to less than ideal if you’re not going to run him with other dive heroes like Tracer, Genji, or Sombra.
The loss of Roadhog’s one-shot mechanic makes him practically unplayable, and Blizzard announced a few months ago that his rework wouldn’t be coming in the next season, making him a difficult hero to justify playing. Meanwhile, Doomfist’s lack of shield makes him tough to pick because you have to justify selecting him over D.Va and Winston in a dive composition. Selecting Doomfist or Wrecking Ball is something you’ll only want to see from players that have practiced their mechanics significantly. Both have the potential to be lethal disruptors, but they don’t always mesh well in a team setting.
Overwatch 2 support hero tier list
Best choice: Ana Great picks: Moira, Mercy, Baptiste Good: Zenyatta, Lúcio, Kiriko Composition-dependent: Brigitte Not recommended: Lifeweaver
Ana’s combination of healing throughput and DPS potential at any distance makes her one of the most powerful and flexible support heroes in the game. Despite a slight nerf to the initial healing done by her Biotic Grenade, she’s still got some of the best healing potential in the game, and when she gets a chance to take a break from healing, she can deal some serious damage. Meanwhile, Nano Boost is still one of the best fight-altering support Ultimates in the game, whether you use it on a tank or DPS hero.
Mercy, Baptiste, and Moira are all excellent choices as a main healer if you don’t feel as comfortable with your aim on Ana. Mercy and Moira also boast especially simplistic kits that let players think more about what’s in front of them and less about whether or not they’re pressing the right or wrong buttons.
Lucio and Zenyatta have some of the strongest utility among support heroes. Their status as “Good” is largely because they don’t fall under the “main healer” category and may be less than ideal selections in some circumstances. Lucio’s speed boost is perfect for dive compositions, and Zenyatta’s Orb of Discord can win you games if your team can effectively communicate focus firing.
Brigitte’s viability revolves less around what’s on your team and more around what the other team is running. The shield-wielding youngster is the ultimate anti-dive support player. If you find yourself getting picked off regularly by an enemy Tracer while playing a hero with a larger hitbox like Zeynatta, a swap to Brig for her shielding and crowd control could be your ticket to victory.
Despite being heavily buffed in the season five patch, Lifeweaver is still practically unplayable. The niche nature of his utility makes it difficult to justify playing him over any of the numerous other support heroes that have stronger throughput and significantly more pragmatic utility.
Overwatch 2 DPS hero tier list
Best choices: Tracer Great picks: Genji, Sojourn, Cassidy Good: Reaper, Ashe, Mei, Soldier: 76, Widowmaker, Hanzo Map/composition-dependent: Pharah, Junkrat, Symmetra, Torbjörn, Sombra, Echo, Bastion
There are few heroes in Overwatch 2 that have the capability of carrying a match like Tracer does. While it takes time to get used to her light health pool of just 150, Recall and Blink give her some of the game’s strongest survivability in the right hands.
Meanwhile, her damage at close range is strong enough that many top DPS players in the world choose her over nearly all other options. Her combination of survivability and pickoff potential can help players soar up the ranked ladder once they’ve practiced her enough to consistently one-clip enemy supports.
There is little that differentiates the swathe of hitscan DPS heroes in Overwatch 2. Ashe, Soldier:76, and Cassidy are all excellent choices as mid-range DPS as well as Sojourn—though her primary fire is technically projectile. Cassidy is slightly less mobile than the rest, but season five changes to his Magnetic Grenade make him a threat to “hinder” enemies as well as deal burst damage from across the map.
Genji might not be as strong as Tracer, but in the right hands, this projectile-based dive DPS can be equally lethal at carrying games, and when paired with Ana’s Nano Boost, Genji’s Dragonblade can be a surefire teamfight victory. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve played with and against that combo. Nearly every time, you almost have to just accept that it will result in a teamfight win for the Nanoblading team.
Widowmaker and Hanzo received some nerfs to start season five, but they’re still solid options as long-range DPS, and Hanzo is still serviceable as a mid-range projectile hero. The top 500 is littered with players that play a hero like Tracer or mid-range hitscan primarily and then supplement that with some Hanzo or Widowmaker play for situational purposes. If your aim isn’t strong, neither of these heroes will feel great for you, but if you can click heads, snipers are still some of the best DPS Overwatch 2 has to offer.
Reaper can be used as a flanker, but you’ll likely want to use him more in brawl-style composition, and the same goes for Mei. Meanwhile, the rest of the roster is usable, but it might vary widely depending on the situation.
Pharah and Echo can be lethal when the enemy team lacks quality hitscan DPS that can take out a flier. Sombra is suitable in a dive, and her hack can counter especially pesky heroes like Wrecking Ball. Junkrat is an excellent choice for defending a choke, and Torbjörn and Symmetra are quality choices for defending in general.
About the author
Liz Richardson
Liz is a freelance writer and editor from Chicago. Her favorite thing is the Overwatch League; her second favorite thing is pretending iced coffee is a meal.She specializes in educational content, patch notes that (actually) make sense, and aggressively supporting Tier 2 Overwatch. When she’s not writing, Liz is expressing hot takes on Twitter and making bad life choices at Target.
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