All Overwatch 2 characters and abilities detailed

Who are the Overwatch 2 characters? The sequel to Blizzard’s hero-based FPS game features a mixture of returning characters and new faces. The current Overwatch 2 roster boasts 39 characters, with the most recent hero being Mauga.

Unlike the first FPS 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 new characters are featured on the free track, but you need to reach rank 55 in the free PC game to unlock them. The next Overwatch 2 character is expected to launch every other season, starting from Season 2.

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

• 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 meters 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 magnetizes 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
  Ejects from the Mech if it takes too much damage and continues the fight on foot.

Doomfist

• Role: Tank
• Hand Cannon
  A short-range primary weapon with a 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.

Illari

• Role: Support
• Solar Rifle
  Fires damaging shots with left click, and a healing beam with the right.
• Outburst
  Launches Illari in the direction they are moving, and can also know enemies back.
• Healing Pylon
  Fire an object, a Healing Pylon, which sticks to a surface and provides healing for your team within a certain radius. Lasts until redeployed, or destroyed.
• Captive Sun
  Illari launches into the air and fires a ball of energy that deals damage, slows enemies, and marks them. Marked enemies will explode if they take additional damage.

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 explosives.

Kiriko

• Role: Support
• Healing Ofuda
  Throw healing Ofuda papers out, which can hone 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.

Lifeweaver

• Role: Support
• Healing Blossom
  Hold down this ability to charge a healing burst. Release the action to heal a targeted ally.
• Thorn Volley
  Rapidly fire a spread of thorns.
• Petal Platform
  Throw a platform towards friends or foes that is activated when stepped on.
• Rejuvenating Dash
  Perform a dash and lightly heal yourself at the same time.
• Life Grip
  Pull an ally towards your location while protecting them from crowd control and damage abilities.
• Tree of Life
  Place a healing tree that instantly restores the health of nearby allies upon sprouting and continues healing as it stays alive.

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.

Mauga

• Role: Tank
• Incendiary Chaingun
  An automatic weapon that ignites enemies on repeated impacts.
• Volatile Chaingun
  An automatic weapon that deals critical damage to burning enemies.
• Overrun
  Charge forward and stomp to launch enemies. Mauga is unstoppable while charging.
• Cardiac Overdrive
  An aura that reduces the damage nearby allies take, and allows them to heal themselves by dealing damage..
• Berserker
  Passive ability that allows Mauga to gain temporary health when dealing critical damage.
• Cage Fight
  Deploy a batter that traps yourself and your enemies. Gain unlimited ammo while inside.

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 heals allies and damages enemies.

Orisa

• Role: Tank
• Augmented Fusion Driver
  An energy-based rotary cannon that overheats if firing for an extended period.
• 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.
• Jet Dash
  Secondary fire gives Pharah a boost of speed in whichever direction she’s moving.

Ramattra

• Role: Tank
• Void Accelerator
  A projectile-based weapon that fires in a fixed pattern.
• Void Barrier
  Creates a barrier at the targeted location.
• Nemesis Form
  Equip a different set of attacks and gain additional armor when entering Nemesis Form.
• Pummel
  Attack enemies with a punch that pierces through heroes and barriers (exclusive to Nemesis Form).
• Block
  Reduce all incoming damage by 75%, also slows your movement speed by 50% (exclusive to Nemesis Form).
• Ravenous Vortex
  Fire a nano ball that explodes when it hits the ground, creating a damaging field that not only slows targets but also pulls them downwards.
• Annihilation
  Instantly enter Nemesis Form and unleash a swarm of energy that deals 30 damage per second to nearby enemies.

 

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 armor.

Tracer

• Role: DPS
• Pulse Pistols
  High-spread, short-range auto pistols.
• Blink
  An instant teleport in the direction you’re traveling 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 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. We’ve also got a list of all the Overwatch 2 talents announced for the Overwatch 2 PvE mode.