Overwatch 2 Hero tier list of best Tanks, DPS & Support characters in Season 12

Overwatch 2's roster of heroes continues to grow with the launch of Season 12, and with it comes some changes to where Tank, DPS, and Support characters are placed in our tier list.

Season 12 introduces the new hero Juno, along with a range of changes to the game. Here's a breakdown of which characters are currently the best.

Overwatch 2 Tank tier list

S-Tier

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.

Reinhardt

Reinhardt is 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.

A good Reinhardt can become an impassable wall that will take some time to break down. But, don't go charging in unnecessarily. If you've seen his Overwatch short movie, then you'll quickly find out why.  

A-Tier

Winston

While Winston 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.

Wrecking Ball

Wrecking Ball was a hero that seldom got love, but buffs gave him a huge boost to health, with a large portion of it being a regenerative shield, making him one of the more durable characters.

He's in a good spot right now, with some solid abilities like the Grapple Claw providing utility to his kit. His mobiltiy is also a vital part of pushing or getting into the heat of the fight.

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. His ability to throw boulders that can immobilize even the biggest threats can come in handy.

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

B-Tier

Zarya

Playing Zarya is a double-edged sword, as it 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.

Mauga

Despite a pretty brutal nerfing after his initial release, Mauga is still an absolute force to be reckoned with as a Tank that can melt enemy shields quickly.

He wields a pair of chain guns: one that can set enemies on fire and another that does critical damage to burning opponents. For a time, Mauga can fire both weapons at once for huge (if inaccurate) damage. Further, his Cage Fight ultimate locks enemies in a small area with him, where Mauga can truly raise hell in a cell.

Ramattra

Ramattra is a newer addition to Overwatch 2. His staff is capable of dealing with 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 - but he is difficult to use to his full potential.

C-Tier

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.

Doomfist is something of a strange hero. In a game that emphasises FPS, his focus on melee puts him in a unique, albeit tricky position, like bringing a knife (or a fist in this case) to a gunfight.

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.

Junker Queen

Junker Queen proved her worth in the opening season but has fallen down the rankings since then. She's capable of keeping an enemy team under control but can also be crucial in keeping her team alive with her healing abilities, but some buffs to these have made them less effective.

She's designed to get up close and personal in her enemy's faces, so make sure you're playing her aggressively.

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, but his lack of utility and mobility can be a detriment to players who know how to counter him.

Orisa

Orisa isn't what she once was. As a result of a major rework in Overwatch 2, she became one of the most powerful heroes, with a hulking frame and powerful abilities, but they've been nerfed to the point that she isn't as capable as some other tanks.

Her Ultimate ability is fantastic at clearing out grouped enemies. In Season 6 she received a bit of a buff that made her one of the more frequent picks in the meta. Nerfs since then have put her down in the tier list.

Overwatch 2 DPS tier list

S-Tier

Soldier: 76

Currently, one of the best DPS heroes in Overwatch 2 is Soldier: 76. He is also 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

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 that 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: 76, 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.

Venture

Despite being added in Season 10 of Overwatch 2, Venture has already made a huge impact and hit the ground running as one of the strongest characters currently in the game. With the power to burrow underground, they can avoid the majority of enemy attacks before bursting out from under them.

Venture's drill is an absolute powerhouse, and if they need to melee opponents, it deals continuous damage by drilling into opponents. Alongside this, their Ultimate Ability, Tectonic Shock, can decimate entire groups of enemies by sending out huge shockwaves.

A-Tier

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.

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.

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.

Sombra

After a significant rework back in Season 7, Sombra's gameplay was fundamentally altered, with more tweaks in Season 8. Rather than being an ability to activate, her invisibility is now a passive that activates whenever she is not in combat.

Additionally, her new Virus ability chips away at the enemy team, especially when they've been hacked, meaning that she has become a more meaningful presence during intense fights, rather than just teleporting away when the situation gets too tough for her.

Her EMP ultimate does slightly less damage now, but the duration of time in which enemies are unable to use abilities has doubled from 1.5 seconds to 3 seconds. This greater focus on the utility of her ult emphasizes Sombra's strengths rather than trying to shore up her weaknesses, making her an overall better character.

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. 

B-Tier

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.

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 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.

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 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.

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.

Tracer

Tracer is all about dealing with 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. While she won't be bringing down Tanks anytime soon, her damage has been increased.

C-Tier

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.

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

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.

D-Tier

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.

Symmetra

Symmetra is probably the Hero whose position in our Overwatch 2 tier list fluctuates the most. Since her introduction in the first game, her abilities have chopped and changed more than any hero. In some circumstances, she can be extremely powerful (especially when it comes to melting shields).

However, her projectiles and beams are tricky when it comes to dealing with a bigger damage output. Her huge shield that she generates for her Ultimate can come in handy though, especially if you're frantically trying to capture a point.

Overwatch 2 Support tier list

S-Tier

Ana

With the new passive-healing mechanic introduced in Season 9, having an Ana on your team has never been more essential. 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. In a game where everyone is healing, being able to prevent that is essential.

Kiriko

Since her introduction in Overwatch 2, Kiriko has quickly climbed the ranks to become the best Support hero. Her Suzu ability is probably the most powerful in the game, with it cleansing ailments and providing immortality from even the most intense attacks. Her Ultimate ability can lead a huge charge when combined with the right heroes.

Her biggest weakness has been the travel time of her Healing Ofuda, which was sped up significantly in the Season 8 patch. Alongside a decent amount of healing and powerful kunai, only time will tell if Kiriko can stay in the highest tier.

Mercy

Mercy is perhaps the most iconic Support character on the roster, 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 in the top tier. 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.

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.

A-Tier

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.

Illari

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

Illari 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 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.

Lifeweaver

Despite some rocky beginnings, Season 6's buffs to Lifeweaver sent him rocketing up the tiers and this has continued since then. 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 be more of a hindrance than a help).

With the buffs to his healing, Biolight can now heal huge amounts of teammates' health in large chunks, as well as his Thorn Volley that can deplete an enemy's health in no time, he has blossomed into a real tour-de-force.

B-Tier

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.

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.

C-Tier

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. 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.