Pinpointing the Best Overwatch Heroes

Overwatch’s rich lore and large gallery of playable characters are legendary in the video games world so it would make sense that everyone has their favorites… and their least favorites, the ones that make them shake their fist angrily at the sky when they play against them. Today, in this Best Overwatch Heroes guide, I’m going to go through and give you a helping hand to figure out which of the diverse cast are the best, and which are the worst.

How are we deciding?

Good question! How are we deciding here? I mean, won’t personal preference get all over this? Well, not necessarily. I’m going to take my lists from a variety of sources. Overwatch’s meta changes all the time, so most lists won’t stay current for long. That’s where we’re going to beat the system. We’re not going to go around saying “I like him or her!” because sooner or later, it’ll be pointless. I won’t say “this is the best healer,” or “this is the best tank,” or “this is the best DPS,” because that’s quite a bit of personal preference. We’re going to look in several places, get some recommendations, and by the end, I hope you’ll be satisfied with the results. Let’s get going!

Who does your Top 500 use?

First off, this is an easy way to stay current on who are the “best” characters. If you see the list of Top 500 in your region and every one of them plays Soldier 76… well, it probably means that 76 is a great character to rise through the ranks. Just as importantly, if nobody on there is playing Hammond, I’d stay away from him. Use the Top 500 as a guide; they’ll show you who to play right now. I personally love to check the comparison lists out, but like I say, tread with care because a list can become outdated in days. Also, be wary of the fact that these people are extremely talented and just because they can play someone very well doesn’t necessarily mean that anyone else could do the same thing. Use it as a guide, not as a catch-all.

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Who’s the best for Countering Tanks?

Here’s the scene: you’re on a team against a whole bunch of tanks and you must counter them. Here’s who you should play, depending on healing.

• Direct Healing (like Mercy): play Pharah against tanks. She doesn’t have to be terribly accurate, can be a serious pain, and the Mercy-Pharah combo is deadly against everything.
• Spread Healing (like Lucio): play Reaper and tear it up from up close and personal. You need to know how to escape, but since you heal yourself while killing people, you can get away with it.

If you have kittle healing, play Junkrat and bombard from afar. He puts out insane amounts of damage and the way his grenades arc down mean you can fire from cover. Conversely, play Hanzo and made make them regret choosing big targets. In my many, many, many hours of playing this game, I’ve gotten more damage from Hanzo than any other character.

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Who’s the best for Countering Damage per second?

Conversely, you might encounter a scenario where you’re playing against a heavy DPS team that’s just melting everything and your team can’t stop them. Here’s the best to play against them, especially against Hitscans.

• Close-quarters (like Reaper, Tracer, Sombra, and so forth): play McCree and stun them. With his flashbang and ensuring six shooter, he can kill most of them in one moment if they charge, but he’s strong enough to plug away from afar. You can also play their own characters, or Roadhog, Pharah, and so forth.
• Long-range (like Ash, Hanzo, or Widowmaker): play someone who can either get to them or who can shoot a long way, namely Sombra, Winston, Wrecking Ball, Zenyatta, or match their character and try to outplay them.

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How about the best for Shutting Down?

There are some characters that, when left unchecked, can wreak havoc.  Here are a few common ones and the best way to shut them down.

• Widowmaker. You’ve got a rampant Widow that’s picking off everyone, and counter-snipers are getting mauled. Play Winston and leap on her or use Tracer and don’t move predictably. If you’re feeling cheeky or if she’s high up, Sombra is also a good choice.
• D.VA. For whatever reason, you’re playing a great D.VA and nobody can stop her because she’s using her Shield Matrix very well. Well, whip out someone she can’t block, like Mei, Zarya, or Symmetra.
• Tracer. She’s too quick and nobody can hit her, and when they do, she just recalls! Counter with McCree. Stun her and it’s game over.
• Mei. No matter what, she gets away or survives and she’s freezing everyone. Counter with someone who doesn’t have to get close, like Pharah or Junkrat.
• Reaper. He won’t stop healing himself and is just wasting your entire team. Counter with Hanzo (if you’re an accurate shot), Pharah, Brigitte, and McCree.
• Bastion. No explanation needed. He can be terrible to face. Counter with something with serious damage, like Hanzo, Junkrat, or Reaper. Get up close and personal so he can’t just trace you or charge him with Reinhardt or hook with Roadhog. He can require a team effort to bring down, so work together.
• Pharah. She’s flying around being incredibly annoying, and nobody can think straight with all the rockets everywhere. Counter with a hitscan, like Solider 76, Widowmaker, McCree, Ana, or Ash. If you’d rather play a tank, D.VA is a good choice.
• Lucio. Incredibly, frustratingly slippery, he can’t be killed. Slow him down with Mei, or directly trace him with someone like Doomfist or Reaper. Alternatively, Junkrat’s traps can stop him cold.
• Wrecking Ball. Oh, the most frustrating little beast and my mortal enemy. Counter him with Reaper and track him down or freeze him as Mei to let the whole team get in on the action or trap him with Junkrat so he doesn’t just roll to safety.

Summary

Overwatch has a wonderful cast of characters. It’s part of what makes it so enchanting and fun to play! That being said, it can be hard to decide who to use. Every character has their strengths and their weaknesses, so a lot of it has to do with who your opposition is and who’s on your own team. Hopefully, after reading this Best Overwatch Heroes guide, it might be a little clearer. Since the updates change the game all the time, it can be hard to predict who might be the “best” or “worst” characters depending on the day, but the trick is to enjoy yourself, no matter who you are playing.

Get out there and have some fun!

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