What Are The Overwatch Roles?

Overwatch 2 has three roles that make up the core of the game. These roles are tank, damage (DPS), and support. Every role has vastly different responsibilities. To improve at Overwatch 2, you should work on mastering every role, even if you aren’t interested in them. The better you understand the roles, the better you can work with your team.

Tank

The tanks in Overwatch 2

Tank is arguably the most important role in Overwatch as of now. The reason is because the tank controls the flow of the fight. They have the largest hitboxes in the game and hold the front line. Even tanks that dive in, like Wrecking Ball and Doomfist, are required to create space for their team.

There are eleven tanks in the game. All of which have different kits that fit different situations. However, despite their different kits, they have the same responsibilities to keep their team protected and create space. No matter which tank you are playing, remember to create space for your teammates so they can do damage, push in, and help win the fight.

Tank Responsibilities

• Protect the team
• Mitigate damage
• Create space
• Hold the front line

How To Play Tank

To play tank, you need to work with your team. Yes, that applies to Doomfist and Wrecking Ball too. Your team will die without your support. As a tank, you need to communicate with your team. You see the front line, which means you see the enemies first. Call out what you see and try to bait powerful enemy abilities since you have the most health and can take them (i.e., Ashe's dynamite or Roadhog’s hook).

In Overwatch 2, there is only one tank. In Overwatch 1, there were two. With the removal of one tank, that puts more responsibility on the tank player. The tank is arguably the most important part of the team because, without them, there’s no front line. Tank players need to create the front line by mitigating damage and controlling how much space their team has.

Tank players need to create space by leading the charge into the fight. Block damage, do damage, and bait out enemy abilities, as mentioned previously. Put pressure on the enemy team and protect your allies. In Overwatch 2, DPS are supposed to peel back and protect supports because there are two DPS and one tank, so it makes more sense for one DPS to help instead of losing the front line. However, do not charge in while your supports are under attack. Maintain your ground and don’t go in on your own.

Overall, the tank role is meant for players who prefer bigger roles, literally and metaphorically. The tank heroes are giants in size and power, which makes them fun to play, but they have countless responsibilities.

Pick This Role If…

• You enjoy playing in the front
• You want to control the flow of the game
• You want to practice positioning

Heroes Suitable For This Role

• Orisa
• Wrecking Ball
• D.Va
• Sigma
• Reinhardt
• Roadhog
• Doomfist
• Ramattra
• Zarya
• Winston
• Junker Queen

DPS

The DPS in Overwatch 2

Damage heroes are more commonly referred to as DPS. There are seventeen DPS heroes in the game. Since they have the most options, there are the most combinations in the DPS role. DPS need to do damage, even if they are more defensive DPS like Mei, Symmetra, and Torb. Those three heroes all have kits that can pull off defensive maneuvers despite being in the DPS category.

Overall, DPS is the most popular role in the game by far. It used to have the longest queue times until tank became one player instead of two. Thanks to how popular the role is, there are more heroes in that category than any other role in the game, and it’s by a lot. You can expect to see a new DPS hero a few seasons from now, likely by the end of 2023 or early 2024. Blizzard plans to have a new support hero and a new tank hero after that, which means a DPS hero should realistically be after them.

DPS Responsibilities

• Secure kills for the team
• Do damage
• Counter enemy DPS

How To Play DPS

DPS is arguably the easiest role to play since your main job is to do damage. However, that doesn’t mean the "easiest" role is "easy" by any means; it just means you have a simpler job than the other roles. Doing that job well is where the skill and difficulty come in, especially with heroes like Genji, who have kits that take time to master.

You need to kill things. Yes, that sounds basic and easy, but considering the game relies on you to do damage, you need to keep yourself involved. Even if you aren’t getting solo kills, do your best to do as much damage as possible so other teammates can follow up on that damage. Or, do the opposite. If you aren’t great at doing lots of damage, play smarter and coordinate with your teammate by landing a finishing blow after they do damage.

If you want to play DPS, you need to learn positioning. Your positioning can make the difference between winning and losing a fight. For example, if you’re fighting Widowmaker, you shouldn’t be on the ground. Try to even the ground out so you have a better playing field. Widow has an advantage on the high ground.

In general, DPS need to position themselves well, combo with their second DPS, do damage, and eliminate enemies.

Pick This Role If…

• You like shooting things
• You want to do damage
• You want to get POTG

Heroes Suitable For This Role

• Ashe
• Widowmaker
• Hanzo
• Symmetra
• Tracer
• Soldier: 76
• Cassidy
• Echo
• Pharah
• Sojourn
• Reaper
• Torb
• Bastion
• Mei
• Junkrat
• Genji
• Sombra

Support

The support heroes in Overwatch 2

Support is the final class in the game with the least number of heroes. With only nine heroes, support is the role people used to call "healer." However, in Overwatch 2, support heroes are now the ones doing the utility and healing. They also do damage, but they are primarily known for providing, well, support to the team.

Right behind tanks, they are arguably the second-most important role in the game due to how the team cannot survive without them. Unfortunately, that means support is also the most targeted role by enemies. If you play support, you’ll constantly get jumped on, shot at, and solo ulted. If all that sounds fun to you, then you have some issues, but support would be a good fit for you.

Support Responsibilities

• Keep the team alive
• Provide utility
• Communicate and call out targets

How To Play Support

Do not play support if you want to do damage. You are going to sink your team for selfish reasons. If you want to do damage, play DPS. That role is there for a reason. Support is there to support the team. Although that includes doing damage, if you’re playing Baptiste, Zen, or Moira and only doing damage, there’s a problem.

You need to be a well-rounded support player, which means you do utility and healing in combination with your damage. Although Zen is mostly known for his damage, he needs to be doing healing, using his ult at proper times, and using Discord on priority targets. The same applies for Moira. Instead of just doing damage, use your ult to heal and do damage at the same time; use your biotic orb to secure final kills and save lives; and body block for your teammates.

Every support differs, but the same advice remains the same: do as much as you can. Support is arguably the hardest role in the game because it has the most responsibility. You have the highest expectations placed on you. If you aren’t healing enough, your teammates will blame you. Not using your ult at the perfect time? Teammates blame you.

Actually, teammates will blame you even if you do your job perfectly, so it’s best to ignore them and do your thing. Provide utility, keep the team alive, and do damage when necessary.

Pick This Role If…

• You prefer staying in the back
• You like helping your team
• You enjoy the unique play style

Heroes Suitable For This Role

• Ana
• Baptiste
• Brig
• Lifeweaver
• Zenyatta
• Mercy
• Moira
• Lucio
• Kiriko

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