Want to know the abilities of all the Overwatch 2 characters? The sequel to Blizzard’s hero-based FPS game features a mixture of returning characters and new faces.

Three launch heroes join a packed cast to create a roster of 35 Overwatch 2 characters. The new seasonal content structure of Overwatch 2 hopefully means much more frequent hero drops, so expect this roster to balloon in the coming months. The roadmap reveals that there’s a new tank hero arriving with Season 2 on December 6, plus new heroes throughout 2023, although we’re not sure how consistent these seasonal content drops will be or if they’ll all contain a new hero.

Unlike the first game, where all heroes were available to all players, you now have to unlock future Overwatch 2 heroes from the game’s seasonal battle pass. The characters are on the free track, starting with the new support character Kiriko who appears at rank 55 of the Season 1 pass.

We’ve arranged this list so that all of the heroes are presented in alphabetical order. However, if you’re looking for a quick rundown by role, we have guides on the best Overwatch 2 DPS, the best Overwatch 2 support, and the best Overwatch 2 tank, which could save you some research.

Here are all of the Overwatch 2 characters:

Ana Ashe Baptiste Bastion Brigitte Cassidy D.Va Doomfist Echo Genji Hanzo Junker Queen Junkrat Kiriko Lucio Mei Mercy Moira Orisa Pharah Reaper Reinhardt Roadhog Sigma Sojourn Soldier: 76 Sombra Symmetra Torbjorn Tracer Widowmaker Winston Wrecking Ball Zarya Zenyatta

Ana

Role: Support Biotic rifle A sniper rifle with shots that heal teammates and damage enemies. You can scope in by holding the right mouse button. Sleep Dart Fires a dart that stuns the enemy for a few seconds. Biotic Grenade A throwable grenade that heals teammates and increases how much healing they can receive, while applying the opposite effect on enemies caught in its area of effect. Nano Boost Supercharges an ally so they deal more damage and take less damage

Ashe

Role: DPS The Viper A semi-auto rifle that can deliver power shots when scoping in. Coach Gun A quick-fire, sawn-off shotgun blast that deals lots of damage and knocks Ashe back. Dynamite A throwable explosive with a short delay. It can be shot for faster detonation. B.O.B. A robot that can be spawned into the battlefield. He sprints forward knocking enemies into the sky and then shoots them with his wrist-mounted guns.

Baptiste

Role: Support Biotic Launcher The primary weapon is a burst-fire assault rifle that deals moderate damage, alt-fire is a healing grenade launcher. Regenerative Burst Heals yourself and nearby allies for an instant burst of health, followed by a slow heal-over-time effect. The instant heal effect is doubled if the target is below half health. Immortality Field A throwable device that spawns a bubble, shielding any teammates inside from death. The device can be destroyed. Amplification Matrix A shield that’s projected a couple of metres in front of Baptiste, buffing the healing and damaging effects of any ally projectiles that pass through it. Exo Boots A charged leap that can be used to access vantage points. Hold crouch to charge.

Bastion

Role: DPS Configuration: Assault In this setup, Bastion is a slow-moving tank-like hero with a devastating Gatling gun. Configuration: Recon A more agile walker-like stance with an accurate rifle. A-36 Tactical Grenade A ‘nade that can be bounced off walls or explodes on impact with enemies or the floor. Configuration: Artillery A stationary artillery configuration that lets you select three locations to bombard.

Brigitte

Role: Support Rocket Flail A mace for bashing skulls. Repair Pack Throw it at an ally to heal them for a short spell. Whip Shot Knock an enemy back with an extended flail attack. Barrier Shield Hold the right mouse button to deploy an energy barrier with lots of health. Shield Bash When using the Barrier Shield you can charge forward to damage and knock enemies back. Rally Buffs movement speed and health for all nearby allies. Inspire This is a passive AoE healing effect that’s triggered whenever you deal damage to enemies.

Cassidy

Role: DPS Peacekeeper A high-damage revolver. Combat Roll Get an instant reload and avoid incoming fire with a directional roll. Magnetic Grenade A short-range grenade that magnetises towards the nearest enemy and explodes, dealing extra damage if it sticks to them first. Deadeye Enter a sharpshooter mode where you lock onto every enemy in sight before unloading a volley of lethal, highly accurate shots.

D.Va

Role: Tank Fusion Cannons Primary damage dealers, work like full-auto shotguns. Light Gun When out of the mech, D.Va’s primary is an automatic pistol. Boosters Jet through the air in the direction you’re facing. Defense Matrix Block incoming fire. Micro Missiles Fire a small volley of mini rockets. Self-Destruct Eject from the mech as it hurtles forward, exploding after a short delay. Call Mech Survive out of the mech for long enough and you can spawn in a replacement. Eject Escape from the Mech if it takes too much damage and continue fighting on foot.

Doomfist

Role: Tank Hand Cannon A short-range primary weapon with shotgun-like spread. Reloads automatically. Rocket Punch Charge power punch that launches you forward and knocks the target back. Extra damage if you knock an enemy into a wall. Seismic Slam Jump up and then smash back into the ground, dealing AoE damage. Power Block A small energy shield that blocks damage and converts it into charge for your Rocket Punch. Meteor Strike Leap through the air and then aim the reticule to decide where you land, before striking the targeted area and dealing massive damage.

Echo

Role: DPS Tri-Shot Fires three projectiles in a triangular arrangement. Sticky Bombs A small barrage of sticky bombs detonates after a short fuse. Flight A quick, forward-facing burst of flight followed by a short duration in which you can fly freely. Focusing Beam A beam of very high damage that does even more damage to targets who are low on health. Duplicate Copy a targeted enemy to bolster your ranks. Stops the enemy from switching Overwatch 2 characters until you’re done. Glide Instead of jumping and falling, Echo and glide after jumping.

Genji

Role: DPS Shuriken A precise burst of three shurikens with your left mouse button, or an arced horizontal throw if you use the right mouse button. Deflect Send incoming projectiles back at the enemy, blocking melee and projectile damage too. Swift Strike A fast dash attack in which you strike an enemy with your sword. Any elimination you get as Genji resets this dash. Dragonblade Buffs Genji’s sword attack so you deal more damage, can dash further, and strike more often. Cyber-Agility Wall-climb and double-jump.

Hanzo

Role: DPS Storm Bow A bow and arrow. Can be charged for a more damaging shot. Storm Arrows A volley of five arrows that deal less damage. Sonic Arrow Shoot an arrow that detects any nearby enemies for a short duration. Lunge Double-jump. Dragonstrike Fires a Dragon Spirit forward, dealing massive damage to any enemy it passes through. Wall Climb Exactly that. Jump towards a wall and Hanzon will start scrambling up it.

Junker Queen

Role: Tank Scattergun Pump-action shotgun for close-range fights. Jagged Blade Throw this knife to deal damage, then use the skill again to pull it back to you, tugging any stuck enemy along with it. Inflicts a wounding effect on enemies, which deals damage over time. Commanding Shout Gain temporary health and movement speed buffs for you and any nearby teammates. Carnage Wound all enemies in front of you. Rampage Charge forward, wounding enemies. This deals damage over time and prevents them from healing. Adrenaline Rush Convert wound damage into self-heals.

Junkrat

Role: DPS Frag Launcher Fire bouncing grenades at enemies. Concussion Mine A mine that detonates, knocking enemies back a great distance. Steel Trap A bear trap prevents anyone caught inside it from moving until it breaks. Rip-Tire Turn into a spinning tire of death, drive into the enemy ranks, and detonate for huge damage. Total Mayhem Drop a cluster of bombs upon being eliminated, and take no damage from your own explosives.

Kiriko

Role: Support Healing Ofuda Throw healing Ofuda papers out, which can home in on targeted allies and deliver HP. Kunai Throwing knives that deal extra critical damage. Swift Step Teleport to an ally. Protection Suzu Throw a charm that makes allies temporarily invulnerable and removes most negative effects. Kitsune Rush Sends a spirit fox forward. Any allies who follow in its wake gain huge buffs to movement speed, attack speed, and shortening cooldowns.

Lucio

Role: Support Sonic Amplifier Fire a short-range projectile that deals low damage on impact. Soundwave Alt-fire for the Sonic Amplifier. Shoots a blast of sonic energy that knocks enemies back a considerable distance. Crossfade Choose between an area of effect heal and a speed boost for you and your nearby allies. Amp It Up Buffs the effect of Crossfade. Sound Barrier A temporary shot of extra health for nearby allies. Wall Ride A passive movement ability that allows you to glide around walls at great speeds.

Mei

Role: DPS Endothermic Blaster Short-range hose of frost damage that slows enemy movement. The alt-fire launches a long-range icicle that deals high damage. Cryo-Freeze Freeze yourself in a block of healing ice, granting invulnerability for as long as the ice block is active. Ice Wall Erect a wall of ice to block enemy movement and line of sight. Each pillar of the ice wall can be destroyed. Blizzard Send out a drone that freezes enemies in a wide area of effect.

Mercy

Role: Support Caduceus Staff Hold the left mouse button to shoot a healing ray at a targeted ally. Caduceus Blaster A low-damage, full-auto pistol. Guardian Angel Launches mercy towards an ally. While flying towards the ally Mercy can accelerate the leap by jumping, or leap further upwards by crouching. Resurrect Revive a fallen comrade. Angelic Descent Stay high above the battlefield with a very slow descent speed. Valkyrie Full flight control for a short duration, with enhanced abilities.

Moira

Role: Support Biotic Grasp Hold to channel a heal to all allies in front of you. This consumes Moira’s biotic energy resource. The alt-fire turns the channel into a damage-dealing one, which also regenerates your biotic energy. Biotic Orb Shoot a bouncing orb of biotic energy that either heals allies or hurts enemies in its area of effect. Fade Turn invisible, invulnerable, and move faster for a short amount of time to escape. You can’t use other abilities while Fade is active. Coalescence This Ult fires a beam that either heals allies or damages enemies.

Orisa

Role: Tank Augmented Fusion Driver An energy-based rotary cannon that overheats if firing for an extended period of time. Energy Javelin Throw a javelin at an enemy to stun them, deal damage, and knock them back. This deals more damage if you knock them into a wall. Fortify Buffs your health, reduces damage taken, and slows down how quickly your primary weapon overheats for a short duration. Javelin Spin Twirl the javelin around in front of you, destroying projectiles, blocking melee damage, buffing your movement speed, and pushing enemies back. Terra Surge Suck enemies in and trap them in place, before gaining all the buffs of Fortify and unleashing a burst of damage.

Pharah

Role: DPS Rocket Launcher Rain long-range rocket projectiles down on your enemies. Jump Jet Fly upwards to gain a good view of the battlefield. Concussive Blast An explosive blast that knocks enemies back around the area of impact. Barrage A huge, continuous volley of mini-rockets. Hover Jets Hover in place when in the air.

Reaper

Role: DPS Hellfire Shotguns Short-range primary weapon. Shadow Step Target a location and teleport there. Wraith Form Gain temporary invulnerability and movement speed buffs, cannot shoot while active. Death Blossom Damage all nearby enemies with a spinning barrage of shotgun blasts. The Reaping Damage enemies to heal.

Reinhardt

Role: Tank Rocket Hammer A massive, rocket-powered hammer that deals a lot of melee damage. Charge Run straight head, sweeping up enemies in your way and slamming them into the next wall. You can cancel Charge too and steer it slightly – so you can send enemies flying off the map without joining them. Fire Strike Sends a projectile of fire at enemies. Barrier Field Hold the right mouse button to deploy a huge energy shield that blocks all incoming projectiles. The shield has a very large health pool. Earthshatter Smash the ground in front of you dealing massive damage and knocking enemies back in a frontal cone.

Roadhog

Role: Tank Scrap Gun A shotgun that shoots scrap metal – very high spread. Alt-fire launches a ball of scrap that explodes on impact, letting you deal higher damage to far-away enemies. Chain Hook Throw to latch onto an enemy and drag them towards you. Take a Breather Eat some food to heal yourself and reduce how much damage you take. Whole Hog Turns the Scrap Gun into a full-auto death machine with no reload, a higher rate of fire, and a huge knockback effect.

Sigma

Role: Tank Hyperspheres Launch two charges which explode, dealing damage in an area of effect. This deals a huge amount of damage if you can land it consistently. Kinetic Grasp Absorb incoming projectiles and convert them into shields. Accretion Throw a mass of rocks and debris at an enemy, knocking them back and dealing damage. Experimental Barrier Cast a barrier that floats and can be placed very far away. You can recall this if you need to reposition it. Gravitic Flux Change the laws of gravity for your enemies and then slam them back down into the dirt.

Sojourn

Role: DPS Railgun A full-auto energy assault rifle that deals hit-scan damage. As you deal damage you effectively store energy to launch a more damaging alt-fire shot. Power Slide Slide across the ground and then cancel to jump through the air. Disruptor Shot Fires an energy bubble, snaring and damaging enemies inside it. Overclock Provides infinite charge for the Railgun’s alt-fire.

Soldier: 76

Role: DPS Heavy Pulse Rifle A full-auto assault rifle that deals solid damage. Sprint Hold shift to run faster. Biotic Field A throwable that deploys a healing area of effect for you and your teammates. Helix Rockets Shoot a cluster of rockets that dead moderate damage on impact. Tactical Visor Activates aimbot.

Sombra

Role: DPS Machine Pistol Two short-range machine pistols with a high spread. Hack Hold to hack enemies, which stops them from using abilities and marks them for your teammates – even through walls. Hack can also be used on health packs to make them spawn faster and stop enemies from using them. Stealth Become invisible and move faster. You can become detected if you get too close to enemies. Translocator Toss a beacon out that you can then teleport to. EMP Deals 40% of all nearby enemies’ health as damage, hacks them, and destroys barriers. Opportunist You can see hurt enemies through walls and you deal an additional 40% damage towards hacked enemies.

Symmetra

Role: DPS Photon Projector Close-range energy beam that does increasing damage. Sentry Turret Place up to three turrets that slow and damage enemies in their range. These effects can stack. Teleporter Create two temporary teleporters for instant map traversal. Photon Barrier Casts a gigantic energy barrier with so much health it’s almost impossible to destroy.

Torbjorn

Role: DPS Rivet Gun Essentially a rifle that fires metal bolts. The rate of fire is slow, but it’s highly accurate. The alt-fire is a less accurate, short-range shot. Forge Hammer Hit an enemy to deal damage, or your own turret to repair it. Deploy Turret A self-constructing auto turret that fires at any enemies in sight. Overload Get extra health, improved attack, movement speed, and reload speed. Molten Core Launch pools of molten metal that damage enemies that pass through, and deal extra damage to armour.

Tracer

Role: DPS Pulse Pistols High-spread, short-range auto pistols. Blink An instant teleport in the direction you’re travelling in. Recall Rewind time and go back to your previous location, returning any lost health points in the process. Pulse Bomb Throw a powerful sticky bomb that deals lots of damage.

Widowmaker

Role: DPS Widow’s Kiss Standard fire is an assault rifle, alt-fire turns it into a scoper sniper rifle. Grappling Hook Grapple to a ledge. Venom Mine A poison trap that detonates based on proximity, deals damage to affected enemies, and marks them so you can track their movement through walls. Infra-Sight This basically gives your whole team wall hacks.

Winston

Role: Tank Tesla Cannon Shoots electrical damage in a short-range arc in front of you. You can charge a ranged shot that deals extra damage. Jump Pack Leap through the air, landing on an enemy deals damage to them. Barrier Projector Deploy a huge dome that protects friendlies inside from enemy projectiles. Primal Rage Gain a massive health buff and increase your melee speed, jump cooldown, and damage. Once active Winston can only use melee and jump.

Wrecking Ball

Role: Tank Quad Cannons Four automatic hit-scan cannons dish out moderate damage. Most effective up close. Grappling Claw Transform into a rolling metal ball and launch a grappling hook to act as your anchor. Swing around the anchor point dealing collision damage and knockback to enemies. You can use the Grappling Claw for a quick burst of acceleration, or to get up high. Roll Transform into a metal ball that moves faster. Piledriver When airborne and rolling, use this ability to slam into the ground, knocking enemies into the air and damaging them. Adaptive Shield Temporarily buff your health. The amount of health gained increases if there are more enemies nearby. Minefield Drop a massive cluster of proximity mines that deal high damage.

Zarya

Role: Tank Particle Cannon A short-range beam of damaging energy. Alt-fire launches an orb of damaging energy. Both fire modes are more effective if Zarya has energy charged up. Particle Barrier Create a barrier around yourself that absorbs incoming damage and charges your cannon. This has two charges but shares its charges with the Projected Barrier ability. Projected Barrier Create a barrier around a teammate that absorbs incoming damage and charges your cannon. Graviton Surge Fire a gravity well that sucks all nearby enemies towards it. This is an Ult that works well in combination with damage-dealing Ults.

Zenyatta

Role: Support Orb of Destruction Hurl a damage-dealing orb at enemies. Alt-fire is a charge shot that can one-shot some low-health characters. Orb of Discord Attach an orb to an enemy that increases the amount of damage they take. Orb of Harmony Attach an orb to a teammate that heals them. Snap Kick A rapid melee kick that deals damage and massive knockback. Transcendence This Ult creates a huge area of effect that grants healing and faster movement speed to all nearby allies. Zenyatta is invulnerable while using Transcendence.

And there you have it, all the Overwatch 2 characters and what they can do, summed up in one handy guide. You can also read up on all of the Overwatch 2 maps, as well as our thoughts on the current Overwatch 2 tier list based on our experience with the game.

Additional contributions by Iain Harris.

Want to know the abilities of all the Overwatch 2 characters? The sequel to Blizzard’s hero-based FPS game features a mixture of returning characters and new faces.

Three launch heroes join a packed cast to create a roster of 35 Overwatch 2 characters. The new seasonal content structure of Overwatch 2 hopefully means much more frequent hero drops, so expect this roster to balloon in the coming months. The roadmap reveals that there’s a new tank hero arriving with Season 2 on December 6, plus new heroes throughout 2023, although we’re not sure how consistent these seasonal content drops will be or if they’ll all contain a new hero.

Unlike the first game, where all heroes were available to all players, you now have to unlock future Overwatch 2 heroes from the game’s seasonal battle pass. The characters are on the free track, starting with the new support character Kiriko who appears at rank 55 of the Season 1 pass.

Ana

  • Role: Support

  • Biotic rifle

  • A sniper rifle with shots that heal teammates and damage enemies. You can scope in by holding the right mouse button.

  • Sleep Dart

  • Fires a dart that stuns the enemy for a few seconds.

  • Biotic Grenade

  • A throwable grenade that heals teammates and increases how much healing they can receive, while applying the opposite effect on enemies caught in its area of effect.

  • Nano Boost

  • Supercharges an ally so they deal more damage and take less damage

  • Role: DPS

  • The Viper

  • A semi-auto rifle that can deliver power shots when scoping in.

  • Coach Gun

  • A quick-fire, sawn-off shotgun blast that deals lots of damage and knocks Ashe back.

  • Dynamite

  • A throwable explosive with a short delay. It can be shot for faster detonation.

  • B.O.B.

  • A robot that can be spawned into the battlefield. He sprints forward knocking enemies into the sky and then shoots them with his wrist-mounted guns.

Baptiste

  • Role: Support
  • Biotic Launcher
  • The primary weapon is a burst-fire assault rifle that deals moderate damage, alt-fire is a healing grenade launcher.
  • Regenerative Burst
  • Heals yourself and nearby allies for an instant burst of health, followed by a slow heal-over-time effect. The instant heal effect is doubled if the target is below half health.
  • Immortality Field
  • A throwable device that spawns a bubble, shielding any teammates inside from death. The device can be destroyed.
  • Amplification Matrix
  • A shield that’s projected a couple of metres in front of Baptiste, buffing the healing and damaging effects of any ally projectiles that pass through it.
  • Exo Boots
  • A charged leap that can be used to access vantage points. Hold crouch to charge.

Bastion

  • Role: DPS

  • Configuration: Assault

  • In this setup, Bastion is a slow-moving tank-like hero with a devastating Gatling gun.

  • Configuration: Recon

  • A more agile walker-like stance with an accurate rifle.

  • A-36 Tactical Grenade

  • A ‘nade that can be bounced off walls or explodes on impact with enemies or the floor.

  • Configuration: Artillery

  • A stationary artillery configuration that lets you select three locations to bombard.

  • Role: Support

  • Rocket Flail

  • A mace for bashing skulls.

  • Repair Pack

  • Throw it at an ally to heal them for a short spell.

  • Whip Shot

  • Knock an enemy back with an extended flail attack.

  • Barrier Shield

  • Hold the right mouse button to deploy an energy barrier with lots of health.

  • Shield Bash

  • When using the Barrier Shield you can charge forward to damage and knock enemies back.

  • Rally

  • Buffs movement speed and health for all nearby allies.

  • Inspire

  • This is a passive AoE healing effect that’s triggered whenever you deal damage to enemies.

Cassidy

  • Role: DPS
  • Peacekeeper
  • A high-damage revolver.
  • Combat Roll
  • Get an instant reload and avoid incoming fire with a directional roll.
  • Magnetic Grenade
  • A short-range grenade that magnetises towards the nearest enemy and explodes, dealing extra damage if it sticks to them first.
  • Deadeye
  • Enter a sharpshooter mode where you lock onto every enemy in sight before unloading a volley of lethal, highly accurate shots.

D.Va

  • Role: Tank
  • Fusion Cannons
  • Primary damage dealers, work like full-auto shotguns.
  • Light Gun
  • When out of the mech, D.Va’s primary is an automatic pistol.
  • Boosters
  • Jet through the air in the direction you’re facing.
  • Defense Matrix
  • Block incoming fire.
  • Micro Missiles
  • Fire a small volley of mini rockets.
  • Self-Destruct
  • Eject from the mech as it hurtles forward, exploding after a short delay.
  • Call Mech
  • Survive out of the mech for long enough and you can spawn in a replacement.
  • Eject
  • Escape from the Mech if it takes too much damage and continue fighting on foot.

Doomfist

  • Role: Tank
  • Hand Cannon
  • A short-range primary weapon with shotgun-like spread. Reloads automatically.
  • Rocket Punch
  • Charge power punch that launches you forward and knocks the target back. Extra damage if you knock an enemy into a wall.
  • Seismic Slam
  • Jump up and then smash back into the ground, dealing AoE damage.
  • Power Block
  • A small energy shield that blocks damage and converts it into charge for your Rocket Punch.
  • Meteor Strike
  • Leap through the air and then aim the reticule to decide where you land, before striking the targeted area and dealing massive damage.

Echo

  • Role: DPS
  • Tri-Shot
  • Fires three projectiles in a triangular arrangement.
  • Sticky Bombs
  • A small barrage of sticky bombs detonates after a short fuse.
  • Flight
  • A quick, forward-facing burst of flight followed by a short duration in which you can fly freely.
  • Focusing Beam
  • A beam of very high damage that does even more damage to targets who are low on health.
  • Duplicate
  • Copy a targeted enemy to bolster your ranks. Stops the enemy from switching Overwatch 2 characters until you’re done.
  • Glide
  • Instead of jumping and falling, Echo and glide after jumping.

Genji

  • Role: DPS
  • Shuriken
  • A precise burst of three shurikens with your left mouse button, or an arced horizontal throw if you use the right mouse button.
  • Deflect
  • Send incoming projectiles back at the enemy, blocking melee and projectile damage too.
  • Swift Strike
  • A fast dash attack in which you strike an enemy with your sword. Any elimination you get as Genji resets this dash.
  • Dragonblade
  • Buffs Genji’s sword attack so you deal more damage, can dash further, and strike more often.
  • Cyber-Agility
  • Wall-climb and double-jump.

Hanzo

  • Role: DPS

  • Storm Bow

  • A bow and arrow. Can be charged for a more damaging shot.

  • Storm Arrows

  • A volley of five arrows that deal less damage.

  • Sonic Arrow

  • Shoot an arrow that detects any nearby enemies for a short duration.

  • Lunge

  • Double-jump.

  • Dragonstrike

  • Fires a Dragon Spirit forward, dealing massive damage to any enemy it passes through.

  • Wall Climb

  • Exactly that. Jump towards a wall and Hanzon will start scrambling up it.

  • Role: Tank

  • Scattergun

  • Pump-action shotgun for close-range fights.

  • Jagged Blade

  • Throw this knife to deal damage, then use the skill again to pull it back to you, tugging any stuck enemy along with it. Inflicts a wounding effect on enemies, which deals damage over time.

  • Commanding Shout

  • Gain temporary health and movement speed buffs for you and any nearby teammates.

  • Carnage

  • Wound all enemies in front of you.

  • Rampage

  • Charge forward, wounding enemies. This deals damage over time and prevents them from healing.

  • Adrenaline Rush

  • Convert wound damage into self-heals.

Junkrat

  • Role: DPS

  • Frag Launcher

  • Fire bouncing grenades at enemies.

  • Concussion Mine

  • A mine that detonates, knocking enemies back a great distance.

  • Steel Trap

  • A bear trap prevents anyone caught inside it from moving until it breaks.

  • Rip-Tire

  • Turn into a spinning tire of death, drive into the enemy ranks, and detonate for huge damage.

  • Total Mayhem

  • Drop a cluster of bombs upon being eliminated, and take no damage from your own explosives.

  • Role: Support

  • Healing Ofuda

  • Throw healing Ofuda papers out, which can home in on targeted allies and deliver HP.

  • Kunai

  • Throwing knives that deal extra critical damage.

  • Swift Step

  • Teleport to an ally.

  • Protection Suzu

  • Throw a charm that makes allies temporarily invulnerable and removes most negative effects.

  • Kitsune Rush

  • Sends a spirit fox forward. Any allies who follow in its wake gain huge buffs to movement speed, attack speed, and shortening cooldowns.

Lucio

  • Role: Support
  • Sonic Amplifier
  • Fire a short-range projectile that deals low damage on impact.
  • Soundwave
  • Alt-fire for the Sonic Amplifier. Shoots a blast of sonic energy that knocks enemies back a considerable distance.
  • Crossfade
  • Choose between an area of effect heal and a speed boost for you and your nearby allies.
  • Amp It Up
  • Buffs the effect of Crossfade.
  • Sound Barrier
  • A temporary shot of extra health for nearby allies.
  • Wall Ride
  • A passive movement ability that allows you to glide around walls at great speeds.

Mei

  • Role: DPS
  • Endothermic Blaster
  • Short-range hose of frost damage that slows enemy movement. The alt-fire launches a long-range icicle that deals high damage.
  • Cryo-Freeze
  • Freeze yourself in a block of healing ice, granting invulnerability for as long as the ice block is active.
  • Ice Wall
  • Erect a wall of ice to block enemy movement and line of sight. Each pillar of the ice wall can be destroyed.
  • Blizzard
  • Send out a drone that freezes enemies in a wide area of effect.

Mercy

  • Role: Support

  • Caduceus Staff

  • Hold the left mouse button to shoot a healing ray at a targeted ally.

  • Caduceus Blaster

  • A low-damage, full-auto pistol.

  • Guardian Angel

  • Launches mercy towards an ally. While flying towards the ally Mercy can accelerate the leap by jumping, or leap further upwards by crouching.

  • Resurrect

  • Revive a fallen comrade.

  • Angelic Descent

  • Stay high above the battlefield with a very slow descent speed.

  • Valkyrie

  • Full flight control for a short duration, with enhanced abilities.

  • Role: Support

  • Biotic Grasp

  • Hold to channel a heal to all allies in front of you. This consumes Moira’s biotic energy resource. The alt-fire turns the channel into a damage-dealing one, which also regenerates your biotic energy.

  • Biotic Orb

  • Shoot a bouncing orb of biotic energy that either heals allies or hurts enemies in its area of effect.

  • Fade

  • Turn invisible, invulnerable, and move faster for a short amount of time to escape. You can’t use other abilities while Fade is active.

  • Coalescence

  • This Ult fires a beam that either heals allies or damages enemies.

Orisa

  • Role: Tank
  • Augmented Fusion Driver
  • An energy-based rotary cannon that overheats if firing for an extended period of time.
  • Energy Javelin
  • Throw a javelin at an enemy to stun them, deal damage, and knock them back. This deals more damage if you knock them into a wall.
  • Fortify
  • Buffs your health, reduces damage taken, and slows down how quickly your primary weapon overheats for a short duration.
  • Javelin Spin
  • Twirl the javelin around in front of you, destroying projectiles, blocking melee damage, buffing your movement speed, and pushing enemies back.
  • Terra Surge
  • Suck enemies in and trap them in place, before gaining all the buffs of Fortify and unleashing a burst of damage.

Pharah

  • Role: DPS
  • Rocket Launcher
  • Rain long-range rocket projectiles down on your enemies.
  • Jump Jet
  • Fly upwards to gain a good view of the battlefield.
  • Concussive Blast
  • An explosive blast that knocks enemies back around the area of impact.
  • Barrage
  • A huge, continuous volley of mini-rockets.
  • Hover Jets
  • Hover in place when in the air.

Reaper

  • Role: DPS
  • Hellfire Shotguns
  • Short-range primary weapon.
  • Shadow Step
  • Target a location and teleport there.
  • Wraith Form
  • Gain temporary invulnerability and movement speed buffs, cannot shoot while active.
  • Death Blossom
  • Damage all nearby enemies with a spinning barrage of shotgun blasts.
  • The Reaping
  • Damage enemies to heal.

Reinhardt

  • Role: Tank
  • Rocket Hammer
  • A massive, rocket-powered hammer that deals a lot of melee damage.
  • Charge
  • Run straight head, sweeping up enemies in your way and slamming them into the next wall. You can cancel Charge too and steer it slightly – so you can send enemies flying off the map without joining them.
  • Fire Strike
  • Sends a projectile of fire at enemies.
  • Barrier Field
  • Hold the right mouse button to deploy a huge energy shield that blocks all incoming projectiles. The shield has a very large health pool.
  • Earthshatter
  • Smash the ground in front of you dealing massive damage and knocking enemies back in a frontal cone.

Roadhog

  • Role: Tank

  • Scrap Gun

  • A shotgun that shoots scrap metal – very high spread. Alt-fire launches a ball of scrap that explodes on impact, letting you deal higher damage to far-away enemies.

  • Chain Hook

  • Throw to latch onto an enemy and drag them towards you.

  • Take a Breather

  • Eat some food to heal yourself and reduce how much damage you take.

  • Whole Hog

  • Turns the Scrap Gun into a full-auto death machine with no reload, a higher rate of fire, and a huge knockback effect.

  • Role: Tank

  • Hyperspheres

  • Launch two charges which explode, dealing damage in an area of effect. This deals a huge amount of damage if you can land it consistently.

  • Kinetic Grasp

  • Absorb incoming projectiles and convert them into shields.

  • Accretion

  • Throw a mass of rocks and debris at an enemy, knocking them back and dealing damage.

  • Experimental Barrier

  • Cast a barrier that floats and can be placed very far away. You can recall this if you need to reposition it.

  • Gravitic Flux

  • Change the laws of gravity for your enemies and then slam them back down into the dirt.

Sojourn

  • Role: DPS
  • Railgun
  • A full-auto energy assault rifle that deals hit-scan damage. As you deal damage you effectively store energy to launch a more damaging alt-fire shot.
  • Power Slide
  • Slide across the ground and then cancel to jump through the air.
  • Disruptor Shot
  • Fires an energy bubble, snaring and damaging enemies inside it.
  • Overclock
  • Provides infinite charge for the Railgun’s alt-fire.

Soldier: 76

  • Role: DPS

  • Heavy Pulse Rifle

  • A full-auto assault rifle that deals solid damage.

  • Sprint

  • Hold shift to run faster.

  • Biotic Field

  • A throwable that deploys a healing area of effect for you and your teammates.

  • Helix Rockets

  • Shoot a cluster of rockets that dead moderate damage on impact.

  • Tactical Visor

  • Activates aimbot.

  • Role: DPS

  • Machine Pistol

  • Two short-range machine pistols with a high spread.

  • Hack

  • Hold to hack enemies, which stops them from using abilities and marks them for your teammates – even through walls. Hack can also be used on health packs to make them spawn faster and stop enemies from using them.

  • Stealth

  • Become invisible and move faster. You can become detected if you get too close to enemies.

  • Translocator

  • Toss a beacon out that you can then teleport to.

  • EMP

  • Deals 40% of all nearby enemies’ health as damage, hacks them, and destroys barriers.

  • Opportunist

  • You can see hurt enemies through walls and you deal an additional 40% damage towards hacked enemies.

Symmetra

  • Role: DPS
  • Photon Projector
  • Close-range energy beam that does increasing damage.
  • Sentry Turret
  • Place up to three turrets that slow and damage enemies in their range. These effects can stack.
  • Teleporter
  • Create two temporary teleporters for instant map traversal.
  • Photon Barrier
  • Casts a gigantic energy barrier with so much health it’s almost impossible to destroy.

Torbjorn

  • Role: DPS
  • Rivet Gun
  • Essentially a rifle that fires metal bolts. The rate of fire is slow, but it’s highly accurate. The alt-fire is a less accurate, short-range shot.
  • Forge Hammer
  • Hit an enemy to deal damage, or your own turret to repair it.
  • Deploy Turret
  • A self-constructing auto turret that fires at any enemies in sight.
  • Overload
  • Get extra health, improved attack, movement speed, and reload speed.
  • Molten Core
  • Launch pools of molten metal that damage enemies that pass through, and deal extra damage to armour.

Tracer

  • Role: DPS
  • Pulse Pistols
  • High-spread, short-range auto pistols.
  • Blink
  • An instant teleport in the direction you’re travelling in.
  • Recall
  • Rewind time and go back to your previous location, returning any lost health points in the process.
  • Pulse Bomb
  • Throw a powerful sticky bomb that deals lots of damage.

Widowmaker

  • Role: DPS
  • Widow’s Kiss
  • Standard fire is an assault rifle, alt-fire turns it into a scoper sniper rifle.
  • Grappling Hook
  • Grapple to a ledge.
  • Venom Mine
  • A poison trap that detonates based on proximity, deals damage to affected enemies, and marks them so you can track their movement through walls.
  • Infra-Sight
  • This basically gives your whole team wall hacks.

Winston

  • Role: Tank

  • Tesla Cannon

  • Shoots electrical damage in a short-range arc in front of you. You can charge a ranged shot that deals extra damage.

  • Jump Pack

  • Leap through the air, landing on an enemy deals damage to them.

  • Barrier Projector

  • Deploy a huge dome that protects friendlies inside from enemy projectiles.

  • Primal Rage

  • Gain a massive health buff and increase your melee speed, jump cooldown, and damage. Once active Winston can only use melee and jump.

  • Role: Tank

  • Quad Cannons

  • Four automatic hit-scan cannons dish out moderate damage. Most effective up close.

  • Grappling Claw

  • Transform into a rolling metal ball and launch a grappling hook to act as your anchor. Swing around the anchor point dealing collision damage and knockback to enemies. You can use the Grappling Claw for a quick burst of acceleration, or to get up high.

  • Roll

  • Transform into a metal ball that moves faster.

  • Piledriver

  • When airborne and rolling, use this ability to slam into the ground, knocking enemies into the air and damaging them.

  • Adaptive Shield

  • Temporarily buff your health. The amount of health gained increases if there are more enemies nearby.

  • Minefield

  • Drop a massive cluster of proximity mines that deal high damage.

Zarya

  • Role: Tank
  • Particle Cannon
  • A short-range beam of damaging energy. Alt-fire launches an orb of damaging energy. Both fire modes are more effective if Zarya has energy charged up.
  • Particle Barrier
  • Create a barrier around yourself that absorbs incoming damage and charges your cannon. This has two charges but shares its charges with the Projected Barrier ability.
  • Projected Barrier
  • Create a barrier around a teammate that absorbs incoming damage and charges your cannon.
  • Graviton Surge
  • Fire a gravity well that sucks all nearby enemies towards it. This is an Ult that works well in combination with damage-dealing Ults.

Zenyatta

  • Role: Support
  • Orb of Destruction
  • Hurl a damage-dealing orb at enemies. Alt-fire is a charge shot that can one-shot some low-health characters.
  • Orb of Discord
  • Attach an orb to an enemy that increases the amount of damage they take.
  • Orb of Harmony
  • Attach an orb to a teammate that heals them.
  • Snap Kick
  • A rapid melee kick that deals damage and massive knockback.
  • Transcendence
  • This Ult creates a huge area of effect that grants healing and faster movement speed to all nearby allies. Zenyatta is invulnerable while using Transcendence.

And there you have it, all the Overwatch 2 characters and what they can do, summed up in one handy guide. You can also read up on all of the Overwatch 2 maps, as well as our thoughts on the current Overwatch 2 tier list based on our experience with the game.