Overwatch 2 is a thing of the past, and even though the devs may have removed the number at the end, they were still more than happy to shake things up with a boatload of changes and a whole set of fresh faces. Many of these new characters have quickly become meta-defining picks, like Domina and Jetpack Cat, while some much older names, like Zarya and Lucio, have managed to remain at the top of many people's tier lists for quite some time now. However, with over 50 heroes now on the roster, many managed to fly under the radar for quite some time, quietly hiding out of the limelight despite being decently powerful in the grand scheme of things.
Overwatch’s Player Count is Way Up on Steam
After recent announcements from Blizzard regarding the immediate future of Overwatch, the game reaches major new player. Milestones
The reason heroes fall into a strange, underrated category comes from a number of different factors. For one, their kit may be incredibly niche to begin with, meaning that their strengths can only really shine in very specific situations or on specific parts of a map. It could also be that they are often outclassed by other heroes within their role, or that they are simply in a weaker state after a series of patches, leaving many players to move on to the more popular or ostensibly stronger picks at that point in time. Whatever the reason, these heroes are far from worthless, and when picked in the right circumstances, they can actually turn the tide of an entire match before the enemy team has a chance to do anything about it.
Venture
Up Close And Personal
Details:
- Fits into both dive and deathball comps
- Strong objective disruption on tighter maps
Venture continues to sit outside top-tier DPS conversations despite offering one of the most unique dive-disruption kits in the current meta. They are obviously tied down to close-quarters engagements, but their mobility allows them to create space in the backline, whilst almost acting like a second tank due to their shield-gaining passive. In coordinated teams, Burrow functions similarly to a delayed dive tool, forcing a lot of the enemy's cooldowns before the fight even begins, without much risk to the actual Venture player.
If played correctly, Venture can quickly dispatch isolated targets all by themselves, but due to the prevalence of dive comps, they can also act as a follow-up source of damage to clean up the initial burst. A large reason why many players consider them to be weaker than the other short-range DPSs is due to their difficulty and setup time, as well as their lack of poke potential, which means a lot of their damage comes from full-on all-ins. With that said, they are anything but a troll pick and certainly one to look out for in particularly cramped and closed-off maps like King's Row, and situations where the enemy supports are playing a little bit too carelessly.
Torbjörn
Constant Area Denial
Details:
- Passive scouting and flank denial
- Decent dueling potential
Torbjörn’s reputation as a low-rank pick obscures how effective he remains in structured team compositions. His Turret is the centerpiece of his entire kit, proving persistent off-angle pressure that forces enemy flankers to either reveal their positions or retreat to their team. In the faster, more modern environment, this passive damage and scouting utility are increasingly valuable against mobility-heavy heroes, and with proper turret placement, especially with the Anchor Bolts perk, players can quietly turn the tide of an engagement before it even really begins.
Overwatch Prestige Passes, Explained
Due to inconvenient server issues, Overwatch players have been compensated with hefty rewards.
But the little Swede isn't just about watching an automated gun carry the day, and in fact, his rivet gun can be surprisingly deadly at any range, if the player is good enough at landing consistent headshots. Adding on Overload, and suddenly the team has a small yet powerful DPS that can harass at long-range and dish out some pretty impressive damage when the enemies get too close. He is obviously a much more defense-oriented pick, but that doesn't mean players can whip him out on certain attacking sections where a sneaky turret can protect the backline and help the whole team move forward to the next point.
Fit the 9 games into the grid.
Reinhardt
Carry Potential Hidden Behind A Beefy Body
Details:
- Controlled objective pushes
- Consistent, high-impact plays
Reinhardt’s perceived decline in fast-paced metas has led many players to undervalue his impact, specifically in higher elos, yet he remains one of the most reliable frontline anchors available in the whole game. It is true that his kit is pretty one-dimensional and that any good player can either kite him or play around his swings with something like a D.Va, but in the lower ranks, many will simply not know how to deal with his constant presence on the battlefield. Tight corridors are his bread and butter, and players will have an absolute blast in situations where high ground isn't an issue and where the giant shield can actually block off an entire choke with a single click.
There are some caveats to picking him, even in low ranks, like having a Lucio on the team or playing into another more static comp, as without the speed boost or any actual targets to hit, it can feel pretty miserable to just sit on the cart and watch as everyone slowly dies. But his immovability and the insane potential of Earthshatter keep him from being unplayable, so despite not being a stellar pick all the way to the top, he can still tear up lobbies on smaller maps and against lower-ranked opponents.
Zenyatta
Utility From Afar
Details:
- Excels in coordinated teams
- Top-tier defensive ult
Zenyatta’s fragility often pushes him down tier rankings, especially during dive metas, where even his kick isn't enough to keep attackers off him. However, because of how skill-oriented he is, the ceiling is pretty immense, made even higher by the insane utility he can bring to virtually any team composition. Zen loves high-ground and he loves to be as far from the fight as possible, dishing out discord and calling targets to focus, so hybrid maps and much longer payload sections are where players can get the most out of his utility and damage potential.
Overwatch 2: 14 Best Female Heroes
Diverse and interesting, Overwatch 2's roster of female heroes is quite commendable, with the following characters standing out the most.
Unlike a lot of the other, more traditional supports, his focus is far more on damage, as his volleys can easily shred through discord tanks or even one-shot certain characters, well before they make it to the point. To top it off, Transcendence continues to be one of the best counters to high-value ultimates, like Graviton Surge, allowing the team to play through the damage and come out the other side ready to go back on the offensive. Mobility issues aside, good Zen players can still leverage his kit in a big way, so long as they hit their shots and play just out of range of those pesky divers.
Mei
Choke-Point Specialist
Details:
- Split up fights in seconds
- Strong stall potential
Mei has been in a pretty interesting spot ever since the big update back in 2022, as her freeze ability was completely removed from her primary fire until being re-added as a major perk. Her slower tempo contrasts sharply with the higher-speed game that exists now, and even back in the day, she was always considered a niche pick that was only really played by specialists or in very specific scenarios. Yet few heroes are able to influence the terrain and enemy positioning as effectively, with the wall alone being enough to instantly win teamfights with enough focus-fire and attention.
And her stall potential is just as good as ever, with Cryo-Freeze providing some much-needed sustain that can also be used to lock out the objective for much longer periods of time. She might not be the flashiest of picks, but she has more than enough power to control the pace of fights and be a real menace for diving DPS, low-mobility tanks, and anyone who decides to stand still for too long, thanks to her short and long-range potential.
