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To the surprise of some fans, the midseason patch notes forOverwatch 2Season 11 coincided with the Transformers collaboration, resulting in the midseason patch arriving a few days earlier than in previous seasons. Since the start of Season 11,Overwatch 2’s community members have been calling for nerfs for some of the most dominant heroes, citing frustration with the current meta. In response, Lead Hero Designer, Alec Dawson, commented that the “balance team is going bolder with this one in particular,” which is evident in the changes introduced to the hero shooter on July 9.
Notably, the patch notes includedsignificant buffs to the tank role. Though Team 4 applied a hotfix on July 12 which saw nerfs to heroes like Lucio, Pharah, and Zarya, the dominant team compositions of this season have remained relatively unchanged. Of course, players should note that individual skill and rank can greatly determine how a hero performs, regardless of the meta.
S-Tier - Overwatch 2 Heroes With Various Survival Abilities
D.Va, Mauga, and Sigma are currently dominating the Top 500 tank leaderboard, though there are exceptions. These characters are not only highly survivable but also incredibly difficult to eliminate. For instance,Mauga’s Berserker ability grants him extra healthwhen taking critical damage, while D.Va’s Defense Matrix and Boosters allow her to deny enemy abilities, save her teammates, and escape dangerous situations. Sigma, already known for his self-sustaining skills, received a buff this season, increasing his Accretion (rock) damage by 80.
Pharah stands alone as the only true S-Tier damage hero, even after a slight nerf reducing her base health from 250 to 225 HP and the removal of damage from her Concussive Blast. Since her Season 9 rework,Pharah has become less dependent on a Mercy pocket, though she remains particularly formidable when paired with one. With enhanced mobility, she challenges enemy compositions because she can quickly de-peak angles to get healed while simultaneously sending Rocket Launchers. Since Cassidy’s range was nerfed, it’s clear Pharah’s dominance over hitscan characters remains prevalent.
“Pharah stands alone as the only true S-Tier damage hero.”
Ana and Baptiste are also the only two support characters worthy of the highest category, mostly due to their utility and damage potential. Although Ana is more vulnerable to backline harassment, her Sleep Dart, even with its reduced duration of 3 seconds on tanks, remains incredibly powerful. Additionally, her Biotic Grenade is crucial against enemy tanks like Mauga and Roadhog. Similarly,Baptiste shines for his utility. Not only can he survive a great deal of pressure, but his damage output, Regenerative Burst, and Immortal Field, all make him an intimidating support character.
A-Tier - Top Counters to S-Tier Characters
Fortunately, A-Tier tanks remain robust choices, explaining their frequent presence on the leaderboards. Junker Queen, in particular, benefited from slight buffs that increased her speed and improved her wound healing. Ramattra also underwent significant changes, including nerfs to his base armor, base health, and a longer cooldown for Nemesis Form. Despite these alterations, he remains a reliable pick, particularly effective in brawl and poke scenarios. Additionally, Winston serves as a strong alternative to D.Va, excelling at quickly seizing high-ground positions. Meanwhile,Wrecking Ball, when played adeptly, can achieve near-immortality thanks to his mobility and Adaptive Shields.
Ashe and Echo currently serve as the top counters to the Pharah meta for distinct reasons.Ashe’s range and Coach Gunenable her to inflict substantial damage without becoming an easy target, while Echo, requiring high skill proficiency, excels at aerial duels. In contrast, Tracer and Venture, as secondary DPS, are perfect flank heroes who can be particularly annoying for an enemy backline.
“Ashe and Echo currently serve as the top counters to the Pharah meta.”
Regarding supports, Illari has excelled this season compared to previous ones, thanks to enhanced healing from her pylon, an increased time-to-kill, and damage output. Illari is not only capable in 1v1 encounters against other squishy heroes but also her ultimate, Captive Sun, is particularly effective in narrow spaces and overtime moments. Furthermore, Lucio’s utility has remained consistentsinceOverwatch 2Season 10, albeit with a 10% reduction in knockback effectiveness. Nevertheless, his speed boost is advantageous for several tank characters, especially in game modes such as Control, Flashpoint, and Push.
B-Tier - Reliable but Skill-Dependent Choices
Doomfist and Orisa are reliable tank heroes that fall outside the current meta. ThoughOrisa debuted with a game-changing bugthat allowed her Energy Javelin to inflict critical hits, this mistake has since been fixed. As such, although Orisa is not as tanky as in previous seasons, she remains a safe pick against Winston and Reinhardt due to her strong durability. Conversely, Doomfist excels at securing picks and maneuvering in and out of the enemy backline. Despite his high skill ceiling, he is currently in a solid position, though he may benefit from a few buffs or bug fixes in the future.
Unfortunately for hitscan players, Cassidy’s falloff range has been nerfed to 20-30 meters. Though he has areimagined Flashbang grenade, the DPS cowboy can have trouble against heroes who don’t need to play at close range. Although Cassidy remains a popular pick, as evidenced by the Top 500 leaderboards, his usefulness has diminished in the Pharah meta.
“Although Cassidy remains a popular pick, his usefulness has diminished in the Pharah meta.”
Soldier: 76 is a reliable optionthanks to his Sprint and Biotic Field, though he struggles as a combatant against airborne heroes due to his time-to-kill, even with precise tracking. In contrast, Widowmaker excels as one of the game’s premier counters to Pharah, yet her vulnerability during the 12-second cooldown of her Grappling Hook makes her a rather easy target. Lastly, Brigitte has earned her place in this category due to her shield and ability to withstand damage, especially when synergized with Ana.
C-Tier - Playable Heroes With Niche Functionality
The C-Tier category includes the largest number of heroes, which might indicate an imbalance in the game’s current state. While some of these characters could be considered stronger, particularly depending on rank, they tend to excel in specific niche situations. For instance, Reinhardt and Roadhog are certainly worthwhile characters, but bothencounter challenges with Mauga.
“The C-Tier category includes the largest number of heroes.”
Similarly, Genji’s win rate has dropped to 35% according to Overbuff, possibly due to the abundance of heroes with flight and high mobility. Bastion and Torbjörn have consistently been dependable for high damage output and shield damage, although they are generally selected to counter specific characters. Mei is notable for her effectiveness as a stall character, particularly due to her ultimate,Cryo-Freeze, and Ice Wall.
Sojourn has been newsworthyfor having never dropped below S or A-Tier, but after Blizzard applied damage reduction to her rail shots, she appears to be in a similar boat as Soldier: 76. Her increased primary fire rate can feel satisfying, but it comes at the cost of dealing less damage. Against Pharah and Mercy, she isn’t an optimal pick, but she’s far from ineffective.
Symmetra and Sombra also reside in this category due to their more specialized roles and limited versatility. For example,Sombra’s Virus and Hackprove effective against heroes such as Doomfist, Mercy, Wrecking Ball, and Widowmaker. However, it is challenging for her to deal with meta characters like Pharah and Tracer. Symmetra is frequently chosen on close-range maps like Lijiang Tower, but faces comparable challenges to Sombra.
Mercy finds herself at an advantage with a skilled Pharah or Ashe, but unfortunately, her utility is still lacking compared to supports like Ana and Baptiste. Moira offers a strong option for players seeking both damage-dealing abilities and high healing output, making her particularly effective in Control, Flashpoint, or Push scenarios. In a similar vein, Lifeweaver can also be hard to pin down and excels atsaving teammates with Petal Platform and Life Grip. Notably, though he’s known for his impressive healing abilities, he remains outside the current meta spotlight for being more defensive than offensive.
D-Tier - Struggling Heroes Outside the Meta
Blizzard seems uncertain aboutpotential reworks for Hanzoand Reaper, aiming to preserve their identities while maintaining balance. Despite their effectiveness as tank busters, recent tank buffs have diminished their previous strength. Additionally, while Junkrat has regained his one-shot combo, he struggles against aerial heroes. Finally, Zenyatta can provide significant value with Transcendence and Discord Orb, but his limited mobility often leaves him vulnerable, chiefly when facing meta heroes like Pharah, Tracer, and Venture.
Overwatch 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Overwatch 2 is an always-on and ever-evolving free-to-play, team-based action game set in an optimistic future, where every match is the ultimate 5v5 battlefield brawl. Power up your railgun and disrupt the battlefield as Sojourn, or yield your axe and command attention as Junker Queen. Battle to take control of a robot and move it toward the enemy base in the new Push Mode. Bring the fight to new destinations across the globe in iconic locations like New York, Rome, Monte Carlo and Rio. Daily challenges and frequent updates mean there is always something new to play.
