The Best Close Range Heroes In Overwatch 2

Summary

Overwatch 2 heroes offer diverse playstyles, from ranged attackers to close-range brawlers.
Unique abilities like Lucio's Sound Wave and Junker Queen's knife bring variety to gameplay.
Heroes like Roadhog, Tracer, and Genji excel in close combat, offering high damage potential up close.

With over 40 playable heroes now in the game, it's fair to say players have a lot of options when choosing a hero to take to the battlefield in Overwatch 2. However, to ensure the gameplay never becomes stale or predictable, each of these heroes is vastly different in how they play. While some players may prefer picking off enemies from a safe distance, those who enjoy getting up close and personal will still find some characters to enjoy.

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By Ewan Lewis

Considering how prevalent barriers and shields are in a typical game of Overwatch 2, it can often make it tricky to get close to the enemy, but if someone manages it, they can dish out some serious damage with their abilities. However, those players who are coming to the game for the first time, or simply want to try out a different role from what they're used to, definitely ought to give these Overwatch 2 heroes a go if it's close-range combat they're looking for.

8 Lucio

Lucio Can Become An Irritating Distraction

Role: Support

As a healer, it's not always a good idea for Lucio to get too close to the enemies, considering how squishy he is. That said, he still has some pretty useful offensive tools that can even insta-kill an opponent or two when used correctly. Because Sound Wave can push enemies forward with the click of a button, Lucio can hurl enemies off the edge of the map if he gets the timing right.

Since the quirky healer can also ride across walls, many skilled Lucio players are able to cruise their way around the enemy to distract them before retreating back to the team to provide some healing. As a result, while many support heroes in Overwatch prefer to keep their distance, Lucio doesn't mind getting in the enemies' faces every now and again.

7 Junker Queen

Junker Queen Relies On Her Knife To Reel Enemies In Before Clobbering Them

Role: Tank

Junker Queen is a very fun character to play, primarily because her kit encourages players to use all of her abilities one after the other to dish out the most damage. It all starts with her knife, which, if it makes contact with an enemy, will pull them towards Junker Queen after she recalls it. Next, she can clobber the opponent with her hammer, and since they'll already be wounded, this can end up obliterating weaker or low-health heroes on the field without her even breaking a sweat.

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By Grace Black

Her shotgun, while fairly weak at mid to long range, is still very handy when trying to hold off an enemy team who are pushing up a little too far. On top of that, her ultimate ability automatically allows her to throw herself behind the enemy team, where she can then flank them with a barrage of shotgun blasts and hammer swings.

6 Roadhog

Hog Can Soak Up Damage From Afar Before Scoring Some Kills Up-Close

Role: Tank

Roadhog is, without a doubt, one of the most annoying heroes for an enemy to deal with, and it's because of his durability. While Hog already has tons of health (he is a tank, after all), he also has a healing ability which he can use frequently to restore himself any time he takes damage. The drawback to this is that his main weapon, the Scrap Gun, is pretty much useless at range, especially now that its alternate fire has been removed.

Thankfully, though, he still has his hook, which can reel in enemies from afar, and will drastically boost his damage once they are right in front of him. Most support and DPS heroes will go down with one to two shots of the Scrap Gun at close range, making Roadhog a real thorn in the side of the enemy if they don't deal with him in time.

5 Tracer

Difficult To Use, But Can Deal Significant Damage In Close

Role: Damage

On the surface, Tracer can seem like an easy hero to use, considering she only has two real abilities alongside her ultimate. However, Blink, which lets Tracer quickly teleport, can be tricky to nail down. It can easily end up throwing a player into the middle of a chaotic firefight without them even realizing it.

If the player can use Blink to get around to the enemy's backlines, though, they can use Tracer's dual pistols to wipe out supports in barely any time at all. Tracer won't be able to do much at longer range, but she needs to be taken down quickly once she starts getting close. For the person actually controlling her, though, she's a blast to use when she's able to bridge the gap.

4 Doomfist

Not Many Heroes Can Stand Up To Doomfist In A One-On-One Fight

Role: Tank

Though Doomfist may have been shifted from the damage role over to a tank, this doesn't mean that he's that much weaker than he was originally. The reason Doomfist has become so popular over the years is because he is just so much fun to play, especially for those who can combine his leaps and heavy strikes to throw enemy healers and damage dealers around like rag dolls.

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By Grace Black

Considering he now also has a defensive option with his Power Block ability, alongside some great mobility, he also has a decent chance of staying alive even if he's on his own when surrounded by enemies. All of this to say, Doomfist continues to be a nightmare to deal with any time he gets up close.

3 Genji

Genji Is Too Fast To Pin Down, And It Makes Him Lethal

Role: Damage

Genji is often considered one of the hardest heroes in Overwatch 2 to master fully, but in the right hands, he can become an absolute monster on the battlefield. While Genji can provide some covering fire from afar with his shurikens, he's at his best when he's able to flank enemies and slice through them with his dragon blade from behind.

Since Genji is able to double jump and run up walls, he has no problem navigating his environment to get the drop on the enemy team when they least suspect it. However, his health is still pretty low, and the only form of defense he has is his Deflect ability, which, while effective, can easily be countered. Therefore, it can take a lot of practice to use him effectively, but it's definitely worth it considering how dangerous this iconic ninja can be in a fight.

2 Ramattra

Ramattra Can Dish Out Poke Damage At Long Range, And Hard-Hitting Attacks At Close Range

Role: Tank

Ramattra is a unique hero in Overwatch 2, as he actually has two forms he can alternate between during a match. While his Omnic Form allows him to throw some decent poke damage without putting himself in danger, it's his Nemesis Form that makes him such a scary sight for enemy healers and DPS heroes. When switching to this form, Ramattra will turn into a durable behemoth capable of pummeling enemies into the ground with just a few hits.

He's an incredibly versatile hero who isn't all that difficult to get the hang of. So long as he gets enough healing, he can annihilate his opponents pretty easily after entering this terrifying form in the middle of an intense match.

1 Reaper

Reaper's Shotguns Can Make Quick Work Of Enemy Tanks

Role: Damage

When it comes to dishing out consistent raw damage, there aren't many DPS heroes in Overwatch 2 who do it quite as well as Reaper. Despite his shotguns being nerfed and altered countless times over the years, Reaper still feels very strong anytime he manages to close the gap on his opponents. While he can make quick work of supports and damage heroes, where he really excels is in melting the health bars of enemy tanks.

Since Reaper is able to teleport and make himself intangible for a few seconds, he can zip in and out of combat in mere seconds, piling on the damage before jumping out of the fight to receive some healing from his comrades. Needless to say, Reaper's changes over the years have not made him any less deadly or dangerous as a close-quarters combatant.

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