Why DPS Heroes Are Important

DPS heroes are the ones who do the damage, making them vital to Overwatch’s success. They’re by far the most played heroes in the game, and there are more DPS characters than tanks and supports. Thanks to this, it’s difficult to know which DPS to start with, but with this guide, you can find the perfect DPS to use as a beginner.

 

10. Tracer

Tracer gives a little boy a salute

Tracer is the poster girl of Overwatch, making her a popular pick. Her kit is versatile, agile, and powerful. As a flanker hero, Tracer uses her mobility to sneak behind the enemy and do damage to the supports in particular. When she’s done causing damage, she can quickly grab her own health packs instead of having to rely on healers.

Tracer’s kit consists of pulse pistols, rechargeable blinks, recall, and her pulse bomb ultimate. The most unique part of her kit are her blinks, which are three rechargeable blinks that send her in the direction she’s facing by 7.5 meters. One blink takes 3 seconds to charge, meaning you can move in and out of fights at high speeds.

The recall ability sends Tracer back in time by 3 seconds, regaining her health and automatically reloading her pistols. This, when combined with her blinks, makes her perfect for eliminating supports like Zenyatta.

Lastly, her pulse bomb can cause anywhere from 70 to 350 damage, depending on how close the target is to it. When you drop the bomb on a target, it deals 350 damage. To make the most out of this ability, you should wait until an ability or ultimate slows or stops your enemies, making it easier to stick the pulse bomb on them.

Beginners would love Tracer because of her high mobility and ability to get healed. She’s great for those learning about positioning, and since she doesn’t require too much aim, you can experiment with your playstyle while playing her.

What Makes Tracer Great

• Can heal herself
• Very fast and agile
• Great for players with an aggressive playstyle
• Does high damage

See Tracer in action: 

 

9. Pharah

Pharah stands at attention, donning her famous blue armor

Pharah is a flying hero who can deal a lot of damage from the sky. She’s best when paired with a Mercy, and she’s perfect for maps like Lijiang Tower. With her primary fire, her rockets, she can break barriers with ease and apply pressure on the enemy.

Along with that, she also has a concussion blast that knocks enemies back. With this ability, she can knock enemies off of the map or off of the objective. When combined with her primary fire, Pharah can do damage to an enemy, then knock them away from their healers and isolate them to secure the elimination.

Her flying is the main part of her kit, and it makes her a counter to DPS heroes that aren’t long-ranged. When paired with Mercy, a flying support, Pharah is extremely deadly and can dominate the game.

Lastly, her barrage ultimate fires out a volley of rockets that do high damage. The only issue is that she goes stationary while doing it, making her easy to kill. You’ll have to be stealthy with this ult in order to make it work effectively.

Since Pharah can do damage from a distance and help players practice playing independently, she’s a great pick for beginners. Of course, Overwatch is a team game, but learning how to stand on your own is always a solid skill. Pharah will teach new players that, and she’ll be a lot of fun to fly around with.

What Makes Pharah Great

• Very high damage capabilities
• Can fly high in the air, giving her the high ground
• Great on open maps, especially the control maps

See Pharah in action: 

 

8. Mei

Mei fires an ice blast at her enemies

Mei is a hero that can freeze her enemies with her primary weapon, making her good for utility. She also has a versatile kit that allows her to stall in high-pressure scenarios. Her ice wall and ice block give her high survivability.

The freeze weapon she has is annoying to play against, but it’s simple and easy to use for beginners. She slows enemies when she hits them with her icy blast, then she can fire a projectile icicle to finish any low-health heroes.

Her ice wall creates a wall that blocks damage and chokepoints and can grant teammates high ground. Her ice block allows her to freeze herself and heal, making her unable to be damaged. The ice block ability is what makes her perfect for stalling.

Since freezing enemies is her unique trait, her ultimate throws out a projectile that freezes all enemies in its range. It’s very useful for controlling points and forcing enemies to flee. Along with that, this ultimate is great when combined with other ults like D.Va’s bomb and Genji’s Dragonblade.

Mei has a straightforward kit with self-healing capabilities. She’s not difficult to play, and although she’s frustrating to play against, she’s amazing for beginners looking to learn more about positioning and working with teammates.

What Makes Mei Great

• Unique primary weapon that can freeze enemies
• Great for stalling
• Can heal herself
• Her ultimate is amazing in close-quarters scenarios

See Mei in action: 

 

7. Symmetra 

Sym does a dance in one of her highlight intros

Symmetra, nicknamed "Sym" by Overwatch players, is a hero that has undergone plenty of changes. She’s known for her teleporter and barrier ultimate, which makes her a perfect pick for beginners learning about positioning.

Her primary weapon does more damage the longer you lock on, and it doesn’t require great aim. If you want to learn about tracking, then Sym’s primary weapon is good for that. Her weapon is similar to other tracking weapons like Zarya’s cannon.

Utility is Sym’s strength, seeing as she has 3 little sentry turrets she can set up wherever she pleases. When combined with her teleporter, Sym is a solid defense hero that can wreak havoc and make the enemy’s lives much harder.

Her barrier ultimate creates a gigantic barrier that blocks more damage than any shield in the game. This is a perfect counter to ults like D.Va’s bomb, and it also helps provide solid defense.

To practice defense, you should play Sym. She’s perfect to ease you into the fundamental strategies of defensive play. This is why Sym makes such a great hero for beginners.

What Makes Symmetra Great

• Can do plenty of damage
• Doesn’t require much skill with aim
• Her teleporter brings you and your team a great advantage
• Her ultimate can block powerful ults like D.Va’s bomb

See Symmetra in action: 

 

6. Junkrat

Junkrat gets ready to fire grenades at his enemies

Junkrat does high damage without needing much skill with aim, making him a bit similar to Sym in that regard. His primary weapon fires grenades at the enemy, breaking barriers even easier than Pharah can. His mines can launch him in the air or do damage to enemies. They’re best when paired with his steel trap, which can capture an enemy and make them unable to move for a few seconds.

His ultimate, rip tire, sends a tire out at the enemy that can explode. It’s great for shredding a tank’s health, but you have to keep in mind that it’s weak and can be destroyed in less than a second if you’re not careful.

Junkrat is often called a hero that doesn’t require much skill. This is because you don’t need to aim or have good positioning to do damage with him. All you have to do is shoot grenades at the enemies, and you immediately apply a lot of pressure on them, making you useful to your team. So, if you’re looking for a hero that won’t take much brain power, Junkrat is perfect for you.

What Makes Junkrat Great

• Extremely high damage potential; easily destroys shields
• High mobility
• Powerful ultimate that pairs well with other ults like Zarya’s

See Junkrat in action: 

 

5. Cassidy

Cassidy stands in his iconic hero pose, waiting for battle

Cassidy is a simple hero who’s easy to learn. This cowboy hero is perfect for dealing with flying heroes such as Pharah and Echo. With his revolver, he can take out any threats from a distance, and with his flashbang, he can take out any threats that get too close to him.

Yes, Cassidy’s revolver doesn’t have much ammo, but with a combat roll, you can refill your ammo automatically. His deadeye ultimate reloads his revolver and locks on to any targets within range, dealing hundreds of damage.

Cassidy has a kit that isn’t very versatile, but it serves its purpose and does high damage. His revolver can melt enemies in seconds, and he’s perfect for countering long-ranged heroes. He can even counter Widowmakers, Hanzos, Soldier 76s, and other Cassidys. Thanks to his strengths as a DPS, he’s perfect for beginners looking for a taste of what Overwatch is like.

What Makes Cassidy Great

• Long-ranged primary weapon
• A dangerous ult that causes enemies to flee
• His flashbang ability interrupts enemy ultimates and abilities

See Cassidy in action: 

 

4. Sombra

Sombra hangs from a ledge, plotting her next move

As much as I despise facing a Sombra, that doesn't change the fact that she's a solid hero for newcomers to learn. She’s a flanking hero that can hack health packs and enemy players, making her very good at interrupting the natural flow of the game.

Her hack is her best ability. It can stop abilities and make health packs only available to her teammates, not the enemies. This power forces enemies to redo their strategies to work around Sombra. On top of that, she can turn invisible infinitely and run around the map to flank. If she ever gets into trouble, she can teleport out by placing a teleporter down in a safe place before she attacks the enemy.

EMP is her ultimate, and it sends a blast out that hacks every enemy in range. With every enemy hacked, they’re vulnerable. EMP is best used with other ultimates like Junkrat’s rip tire or Cassidy’s deadeye.

She takes more skill to play than some of the other heroes on this list, but that’s because you need to know when to evade a fight. If you don’t know how to do that, Sombra will force you to learn. With Sombra, you will learn about which enemies are most important to focus on so you can better help your team. For beginners, she’s a perfect pick because she introduces them to new strategies, gameplay, and obstacles.

What Makes Sombra Great

• Can hack enemies out of their ultimates and abilities
• Can flank and kill support heroes
• Her invisibility makes her difficult to catch

See Sombra in action: 

 

3. Reaper

Reaper loads up his shotguns for battle

Although Reaper takes more skill than people give him credit for, he’s still a pretty straightforward hero. You go in, blast the enemies with your shotguns, then use your wraith form to get out. Yes, it’s simple, but it’s still a fun experience that gives beginners the experience they need.

Reaper’s shotguns shred tanks, and every time he does damage, he gains a bit of health back. So he can charge in with his 250 health, do damage, and heal whatever health he lost. On top of that, he has a wraith form ability that allows him to become impenetrable to any damage at the cost of not being able to use his other abilities.

If you want to play a stealthier Reaper, you should use his teleport to flank the enemy, do some damage, and then wraith form out. Or, use the teleport to flank, then use his ultimate, death blossom, to get a team wipe. With death blossom, he fires his shotguns in all directions, doing damage to all nearby enemies.

Reaper is simple and fun with a kit that allows him to heal and get out of sticky situations. He’s the perfect DPS to ease you into the basic mechanics of Overwatch, and he provides entertaining gameplay.

What Makes Reaper Great

• Can get out of powerful ults like Zarya’s
• High damage that can shred enemy tanks
• Can teleport behind the enemy and flank
• Self-heals every time he does damage

See Reaper in action: 

 

2. Soldier 76

Soldier looks back at the camera after the game has ended

If you’re familiar with the COD and Battlefield games, then Soldier 76 is the perfect choice for you. He’s pretty much the average COD or Battlefield soldier, making him a recognizable and easy hero to play. Soldier 76 can shoot a pulse rifle (which acts like an assault rifle), fire rockets, sprint, self-heal, and use his tactical visor ultimate.

When combined with his rifle, the rockets can instantly kill DPS and support heroes. He can sprint to high ground, use his weapons to take out enemies, then sprint out. If he encounters more threats while sprinting away, he can place a biotic field down to heal himself and any nearby teammates.

After that, he can use his tactical visor ultimate to lock onto any enemies in his line of sight and shoot at them without missing a shot. It’s exactly like an aimbot, except this one won’t get you permanently banned. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to play with a legal aimbot, play Soldier 76.

For beginners, Soldier 76 is a recognizable hero. He has similar gameplay to other FPS games, which makes him great for easing beginners into the Overwatch playstyle. Along with that, he’s very fun and does plenty of damage. He’s almost always useful.

What Makes Soldier 76 Great

• Very high damage capabilities
• Can self-heal and heal teammates
• Powerful ultimate that can wipe out an entire team

See Soldier 76 in action: 

 

1. Bastion

Bastion preparing to fire at his enemies

Like Sombra, I personally dislike facing a Bastion. However, that doesn’t change how simple Bastion is for beginner players. He’s a straightforward hero because he points and shoots, so there’s not much need for strategy or game sense.

He can sit in sentry mode and shoot his bullets at a high fire rate toward the enemy. This makes him extremely annoying to deal with because he breaks barriers and can shred an enemy’s health bar. With little to no effort, Bastion can wipe out teams.

In higher skill ratings, Bastion isn’t as useful, but for beginners, he’s powerful. His self-healing also allows beginners to rely on themselves rather than teammates. It teaches beginners better positioning and when you should leave a fight.

His ultimate gives him the power of a tank, shooting rockets at his enemies that can instantly kill DPS and supports. Even while in his ultimate, Bastion can heal. The healing capabilities are what make him such a solid pick for beginners. Although his usefulness will go down the higher you go up in skill, he’s great for starters who need to learn basic mechanics.

What Makes Bastion Great

• Can shred shields and high-health heroes
• Self-healing capabilities
• Very high damage
• High fire rate and ammo capacity

See Bastion in action: 

 

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