Roles

Roles are categories that heroes in Overwatch 2 are categorized by. A hero's role describes the general characteristics of the hero and their purpose on the team.

Tank

Tank heroes soak up damage, create space for your team, and break apart fortified positions, like closely-grouped enemies and narrow choke-points. If you’re a tank, you lead the charge.

There are currently 13 Tank heroes in the game:

D.Va

Doomfist

Hazard

Junker Queen

mauga

Orisa

Ramattra

Reinhardt

Roadhog

Sigma

Winston

Wrecking Ball

Zarya

Role passive

Role: Tank

Type

Passive Ability

Reduces knockbacks and critical damage received. Less ultimate generated by healing and damage received. Increases base health in Role Queue game modes.

Health:

150

Dmg. reduction:

-25% taken

• Details
• 6v6

Ability details:

• Reduces the speed of knockbacks received by 25%
• Ultimate charge and perk progress generation from damage and healing dealt to heroes with the Role: Tank passive is reduced by 40%.
• Reduces the total damage received from critical hits, such as headshots, by 25%.
  • Weapons with a lower 1.5x headshot modifier ignore this damage reduction completely.
  • The effectiveness on abilities that deal critical damage through other means than headshots is ambiguous: Earthshatter and Overrun are affected by the damage reduction, but Virus and Volatile Chaingun's forced critical hits against burning targets are not.
  • The reduction stacks additively with other modifiers affecting damage taken.
• All tanks have 150 more health in Role Queue. The amount of armor and/or shields remains the same.

6v6 details:

• Knockback and critical damage reduction removed.
  • Reinhardt has the Steadfast passive again, reducing knockback by 30%.
• No longer grants increased base health.
• Ultimate charge generation reduction reduced from 40% to 25%.

Overview

D.Va	D.Va’s mech is nimble and powerful — its twin Fusion Cannons blast away with autofire at short range, and she can use its Boosters to barrel over enemies and obstacles, or absorb attacks with her projectile-destroying Defense Matrix.
Doomfist	Doomfist’s cybernetics make him a highly-mobile, powerful frontline fighter. In addition to dealing ranged damage with his Hand Cannon, Doomfist can slam the ground, knock enemies into the air and off balance, or charge into the fray with his Rocket Punch. When facing a tightly packed group, Doomfist leaps out of view, then crashes down to earth with a spectacular Meteor Strike.
Hazard	Hazard's cybernetics allow him to be a highly mobile tank focused on diving in and diving out. His cybernetics have a shotgun inbuilt into them, also powering his jump to be quite high. The Vanadium injection grants him the ability of a shield with being able to fire homing spikes onto nearby attackers. He can build Vanadium crystalline walls that also knock back and deal damage.
Junker Queen	The Junker Queen is designed to take part in close combat with enemy heroes. Many of her abilities apply wounds that cause enemies to slowly lose health. She also has a life-steal passive that adds to her survivability and aggression. Pushing the boundaries of brawling, Junker Queen can be considered a "berserker tank," whose survivability is directly connected to how many enemies she's wounding.[1]
Mauga	Mauga features a kit that is designed to bash through the front lines and brawl his opponents in close-quarter combat, by wielding two powerful chainguns that can either be fired individually or in unison. Ignite enemies with his incendiary chaingun “Gunny” to burn them when they take enough damage, then finish them with a critical hit from his volatile chaingun “Cha-Cha.” Paired with his Berserker passive, which grants Mauga temporary health whenever he deals critical damage, he’s a mountain on the battlefield.[2]
Orisa	In Overwatch, Orisa served as the central anchor of her team, and defended her teammates from the frontline with a protective barrier. She could attack from long range, fortify her own defenses, launch graviton charges to slow and move enemies, and deploy a Supercharger to boost the damage output of multiple allies at once.[3] In Overwatch 2, Orisa is an offensive tank.[4]
Ramattra	Ramattra is a dual-form hero. His Omnic form lets him deal long range poke damage using a staff as his weapon and deploy a stationary barrier to block fire from the enemy team. His Nemesis form transforms him into a larger and more menacing close-range threat, allowing him to dish out damage with piercing punches while also granting him bonus armor and a block ability to withstand incoming damage. In either form, he can also deploy a slowing field that pulls down enemies in the air. During his ultimate ability, Ramattra unleashes his wrath, dealing continuous damage to all enemies in a large area around him and transforming into Nemesis form until no enemies remain.
Reinhardt	Clad in powered armor and swinging his hammer, Reinhardt leads a rocket-propelled charge across the battleground and defends his squadmates with a massive energy barrier.
Roadhog	Roadhog uses his signature Chain Hook to pull his enemies close before shredding them with blasts from his Scrap Gun. He’s hardy enough to withstand tremendous damage, and can recover his health with a short breather.
Sigma	Sigma is an eccentric astrophysicist and volatile tank who gained the power to control gravity in an orbital experiment gone wrong. Manipulated by Talon and deployed as a living weapon, Sigma's presence on the battlefield cannot be ignored.
Winston	Winston wields impressive inventions—a jump pack, electricity-blasting Tesla Cannon, portable shield projector and more—with literal gorilla strength.
Wrecking Ball	Wrecking Ball rolls across the battlefield, using his arsenal of weapons and his mech’s powerful body to crush his enemies.
Zarya	Deploying powerful personal barriers that convert incoming damage into energy for her massive Particle Cannon, Zarya is an invaluable asset on the front lines of any battle.

Damage

Damage heroes are responsible for seeking out, engaging, and defeating the enemy using their varied tools and abilities. Playing a damage hero means it is your duty to secure kills.

There are currently 19 Damage heroes in the game:

Ashe

Bastion

cassidy

Echo

Genji

Hanzo

Junkrat

Mei

Pharah

Reaper

Sojourn

Soldier: 76

Sombra

Symmetra

Torbjörn

Tracer

Venture

Widowmaker

Role passive

Role: Damage

Type

Passive Ability

Damaging an enemy temporarily reduces their healing received.

Healing modification:

-25% received (non-tanks)
-12.5% received (tanks)

Duration:

2 seconds

• Details
• 6v6

Ability details:

• Does not stack with itself or the passive from another damage role hero.
• Stacks multiplicatively with other modifiers that affect healing received.
• Objects that deal damage, such as turrets, may also apply the effect.
• Self-damage does not apply the effect.

6v6 details:

• Healing reduction decreased from 25% to 15%.
• No longer has reduced effectiveness for tank heroes.

Overview

Ashe	As the leader of the Deadlock Gang, Ashe is a rebellious outlaw who's not afraid to get her hands dirty. Ashe can quickly fire her rifle from the hip or use her weapon’s aim-down sights to line up a high damage shot at the cost of fire-rate. She blasts enemies by throwing dynamite, and her coach gun packs enough punch to put some distance between her and her foes, or gain some air to leap to hard to reach places or for an aerial shot. And Ashe is not alone, as she can call on her omnic ally B.O.B. to join the fray when the need arises.
Bastion	The ability to transform between Assault, Recon and devastating Artillery configurations provided Bastion with a high damage output.
Cassidy	Armed with his Peacekeeper revolver, Cassidy takes out targets with deadeye precision and dives out of danger with eagle-like speed.
Echo	Echo is an evolutionary robot programmed with a rapidly adapting artificial intelligence, versatile enough to fill multiple battlefield combat roles.
Genji	Genji flings precise and deadly Shuriken at his targets, and uses his wakizashi to deflect projectiles or delivers a Swift Strike with his technologically-advanced "dragonblade" that cuts down enemies.
Hanzo	Hanzo's versatile arrows can reveal his enemies or rapid fire to strike multiple targets. He can scale walls to fire his bow from on high, or summon a titanic spirit dragon.
Junkrat	Junkrat's area-denying armaments include a Frag Launcher that lobs bouncing grenades, Concussion Mines that send enemies flying, and Steel Traps that stop foes dead in their tracks.
Mei	Mei’s weather-altering devices slow opponents and protect locations. Her Endothermic Blaster unleashes damaging icicles and frost streams, and she can Cryo-Freeze herself to guard against counterattacks, or obstruct the opposing team's movements with an Ice Wall.
Pharah	Soaring through the air in her combat armor, and armed with a launcher that lays down high-explosive rockets, Pharah is a force to be reckoned with.
Reaper	Hellfire Shotguns, the ghostly ability to become immune to damage, and the power to step between shadows make Reaper one of the deadliest beings on Earth.
Sojourn	As a former Overwatch Captain, Sojourn fields abilities designed to plan, lead, and execute strikes on her opposition. Sojourn offers a unique mid-range gameplay experience and a kit packed with some incredible mobility and artillery.[5]
Soldier: 76	Armed with cutting-edge weaponry, including an experimental pulse rifle that’s capable of firing spirals of high-powered Helix Rockets, Soldier: 76 has the speed and support know-how of a highly trained warrior.
Sombra	Stealth and debilitating attacks make Sombra a powerful infiltrator. She is the archetypal technomancer of Overwatch the same way Widowmaker is the archetypal sniper. Her hacking can disrupt her enemies, ensuring they're easier to take out, while her EMP provides the upper hand against multiple foes at once. Sombra’s ability to Translocate and camouflage herself makes her a hard target to pin down.[6]
Symmetra	Symmetra utilizes her light-bending Photon Projector to dispatch adversaries, shield her associates, construct teleportation pads and deploy particle-blasting Sentry Turrets.
Torbjörn	Torbjörn’s extensive arsenal includes a rivet gun and hammer, as well as a personal forge that he can use to build turrets.
Tracer	Toting twin pulse pistols, energy-based time bombs, and rapid-fire banter, Tracer is able to "blink" through space and rewind her personal timeline as she battles to right wrongs the world over.
Venture	Venture is an elusive, combo-oriented close-range damage dealer.
Widowmaker	Widowmaker equips herself with whatever it takes to eliminate her targets, including mines that dispense poisonous gas, a visor that grants her squad infra-sight, and a powerful sniper rifle that can fire in fully-automatic mode.

Support

Support heroes empower their allies by healing them, boosting their damage, and providing vital utility. As support, you’re the backbone of your team’s survival.

There are currently 11 support heroes in the game:

Ana

Baptiste

Brigitte

Illari

Juno

Kiriko

Lifeweaver

Lúcio

Mercy

Moira

Zenyatta

Role passive

Role: Support

Type

Passive Ability

Begin regenerating health more quickly.

• Details

Ability details:

• Reduces the time before passive health regeneration starts from 5 to 2.5 seconds after taking damage.

Overview

Ana	Ana's versatile arsenal allows her to affect heroes all over the battlefield. Her Biotic Rifle rounds and Biotic Grenades heal allies and damage or impair enemies; her sidearm tranquilizes key targets, and Nano Boost gives one of her comrades a considerable increase in power.
Baptiste	Baptiste wields an assortment of experimental devices and weaponry to keep allies alive and eliminate threats under fierce conditions. A battle-hardened combat medic, he is just as capable of saving lives as he is taking out the enemy.
Brigitte	Brigitte specializes in protection. She can throw Repair Packs to heal teammates, as well as automatically heal nearby allies when she damages foes. Her Rocket Flail can strike multiple close-range targets when swung normally, or a single medium-range target via the Whip Shot. When entering the fray, her Barrier Shield provides personal defense and can also be used offensively with Shield Bash. Brigitte’s ultimate ability, Rally, gives her a small short-term speed boost and provides longer-lasting Overhealth to her nearby allies, as well as a personal boost of armor for herelf.s
Illari	Illari harnesses the power of the sun in her Solar Rifle, capable of dealing long range poke damage and creating a high-output healing beam. She can also deploy a healing pylon to automatically heal nearby allies. Her ultimate ability fires an explosive ball of solar energy that slows enemies in a massive area and causes them to burst upon taking more damage.
Juno	Juno is a highly mobile hero with a focus on verticality.[7]
Kiriko	Kiriko is a kunoichi healer who is aided by her kitsune spirit. She can throw protection suzu to her allies or kunai against her enemies.[8] She is a family friend of the Shimada Family. She also trained in the early days with Genji and Hanzo.
Lifeweaver	Lifeweaver is a support that provides reliable healing and utility that allows him to reposition his teammates and save them from dangerous situations.
Lúcio	On the battlefield, Lúcio’s cutting-edge Sonic Amplifier buffets enemies with projectiles and knocks foes back with blasts of sound. His songs can both heal his team or boost their movement speed, and he can switch between tracks on the fly.
Mercy	Mercy’s Valkyrie Suit helps keep her close to teammates like a guardian angel; healing, resurrecting or strengthening them with the beams emanating from her Caduceus Staff.
Moira	Moira’s biotic abilities enable her to contribute healing or damage in any crisis. While Biotic Grasp gives Moira short-range options, her Biotic Orbs contribute longer-range, hands-off damage and healing; she can also Fade to escape groups or remain close to allies in need of support. Once she’s charged Coalescence, Moira can save allies from elimination, with healing, while also damaging several enemies at the same time.
Zenyatta	Zenyatta calls upon orbs of harmony and discord to heal his teammates and weaken his opponents, all while pursuing a transcendent state of immunity to damage.

Role Queue

Role Queue is the primary queue mode in Overwatch 2, and restricts each team composition to one Tank hero, two Damage heroes, and two Support heroes. Players first select one or more roles before queueing, and once in a match, can only play heroes within the role that they were matched into.

In Competitive Role Queue, players have a separate rank and skill tier for each role.

Development

Merging roles

During the first two years of Overwatch, the Damage role was split into two separate roles, "Offense" and "Defense." The Offense role included more aggressive heroes (such as Tracer and Sombra), while the Defense role was for heroes whose strengths were more suitable for a solid defense (such as Bastion and Torbjörn).

These merged into the single role in the June 26, 2018 patch. Blizzard stated that merging the two roles made more sense, as it was becoming harder to differentiate one from the other.^[9]

Introducing Role Queue

Role Queue was added in August 2019 for Competitive Play, and September 2019 for Quick Play. The goal of the new system was to reduce tension, pressure, disappointment, or even hostility as a team composition comes together, leading to matches that players are in roles that they want to be in, rather than ones they were forced onto.^[10]

Although Role Queue has standardized team compositions, it has drastically increased the time it takes to find a game, especially for certain roles. To pass the time, the While you wait feature was introduced in December 2019, and allows players to use the Practice Range and play specialized game modes while waiting.

Another effort made to try and reduce queue times was an experimental mode dubbed "Triple Damage," which was available from February 25th to March 3rd, 2020 as a trial. It increased the number of Damage heroes per team from two to three, while the number of Tank heroes decreased from two to one. According to a forum post by Jeff Kaplan, queue times for Damage heroes were drastically cut, but community responses seemed mostly negative, and none of the changes in Triple Damage were made permanent.^[11][12]

Prior to Role Queue, Blizzard previously attempted to standardize teams by allowing players to enforce roles using the Looking for Group feature. This has since been removed.

Overwatch 2

Upon release of Overwatch 2, all roles received a new passive ability that applied to each hero in the role. Support heroes regenerated their health after staying out of combat, Tank heroes gained knockback resistance, and Damage heroes reloaded faster after getting an elimination.^[13]

Each team's player count was also reduced to six to five, allowing only one Tank per team in Role Queue. In addition to the new role passive, Tank heroes received various buffs to accommodate the reduced frontline presence.^[13]

Season 9: Champions

Season 9 of Overwatch 2 reworked the Damage role passive, removing the original speed boost and making it so that enemies they damage have temporarily reduced healing. Additionally, the Support role passive was applied globally to all heroes, but with a longer delay for Tank and Damage heroes.

Season 10: Venture Forth

Season 10 of Overwatch 2 expanded the functionality of the tank passive, causing it to also reduce damage taken from critical hits.

References