Damage heroes are a popular choice for players looking to jump into a game of Overwatch 2. Players have a wide range of heroes to choose from, each with different abilities that can be fun to play with.
The variety when it comes to damage-dealing characters might be enticing, but it is also likely to be overwhelming for newcomers to the game trying to pick a character to play. With this in mind, we’re going to be looking at five damage heroes that are well-suited for beginners thanks to their ease of use and the simplicity of their abilities.
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5 Mei
Ice Queen
- Abilities: Endothermic Blaster, Endothermic Blaster Alt Fire, Ice Wall, and Cryo-Freeze.
- Ultimate Ability: Blizzard
- English and Chinese Mandarin VA: Elise Zhang
Mei is loved and hated in equal amounts. Mei players love to cause chaos, while enemies despise her ability to slow them down, block them with her Ice Wall, and heal herself with Cryo-Freeze. Regardless, there's no denying that Mei is relatively easy and suitable for beginners.
To slow enemies down, Mei players only need to point and shoot with their primary fire to unleash a stream of ice. Her alternate fire is a little trickier, as she fires an icicle from her blaster that can travel long-range. It’s a bit like a sniper rifle bullet, so it can be harder to pinpoint enemies further away. Self-healing skills are always a plus for newbies, and Mei can heal herself when she enters her ice cocoon with the Cryo-Freeze ability. Her Ice Wall is also an excellent way to avoid enemies and block attacks. These defensive skill are great for beginners, as they can prevent them from dying over and over again.
Mei’s Blizzard ultimate is a projectile that freezes all enemies caught with its radius for 4.25 seconds. It can be used offensively alongside other ults, such as D.Va’s Self Destruct, or defensively to give allies a chance to regroup and heal up while enemies are frozen. Mei can do a lot of damage, but it is her defensive skills that make her a good choice for beginners who are worried about dying in their first matches.
4 Soldier 76
Run and Gun
- Abilities: Heavy Pulse Rifle, Sprint, Helix Rockets, and Biotic Field.
- Ultimate Ability: Tactical Visor
- English VA: Fred Tatasciore
Soldier 76 appears to have been designed for players coming to Overwatch 2 from other FPS games, such as the Call of Duty series. These players will have a sense of familiarity when picking Soldier 76, but general beginners should also have no trouble getting used to his simple skill set. Soldier 76 has great maneuverability thanks to his Sprint skill, which allows players to move 50% faster while holding down the proper button. His Biotic Field is also a great beginner ability, as it is a self-healing skill that can also heal any other teammates within its 4.5-meter radius.
Soldier 76's Heavy Pulse Rifle is a standard FPS-style automatic assault weapon. It can do a huge amount of damage, especially when players become more accurate with their aim. Even for first-timers to the FPS genre, the weapon is steady and simple enough to get in some kills. The Helix Rockets that Soldier 76 can fire from his Heavy Pulse Rifle don’t need as much accuracy. They can do direct hit damage as well as splash damage to enemies in the area of effect, but be careful, as players can also hurt themselves if they are close to the impacted area.
Soldier 76’s Tactical Visor is well suited to beginners, as it automatically hones in on enemies within view and locks in, so aiming no longer becomes an issue. For FPS players looking to start Overwatch 2 or general beginners who want a Damage hero with simple skills, Soldier 76 is the best pick.
3 Bastion
Beep Boop
- Abilities: Configuration: Recon, Configuration: Assault, Reconfigure, Ironclad, A-36 Tactical Grenade.
- Ultimate Ability: Configuration: Artillery
- English VA: Chris Metzen
Bastion has had several changes from Overwatch, but he is still one of the better Damage heroes for beginners in Overwatch 2 thanks to his high damage output. Not including his ultimate, Bastion has two configuration modes: Recon and Assault. His Recon mode is a submachine gun that fires 5 rounds per second. This is his standard, primary fire. His Assault mode is a skill accessed when he uses his Reconfigure ability to change from one mode to another.
In Assault mode, players get a chance to relive classic Overwatch Bastion with his mini-gun-like rotary cannon. He has unlimited ammo in Assault mode, but his movement is slowed, and the mode only lasts for a short time. Still, this can be enough to get in a bunch of kills, especially if the enemy team is out in the open with no protection. Bastion is likely to become the primary target when he's in Assault mode due to how dangerous he is. Having a supportive team willing to protect him is a necessity to keep him alive for more than a few seconds.
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Bastion also has his A-36 Tactical Grenade that he can lob at enemies. Much like Solider 76’s Helix Rockets, they candamage the player if Bastion is within the splash zone, so care is needed. The grenade is also sticky and can attach itself to enemies when Bastion hits them dead on.
The final configuration mode for Bastion is his Artillery mode, used for his ultimate ability. Bastion takes on a form similar to a mortar and launches three strong artillery shells into the air. The player controls where they land and can target whoever they please, such as grouped-up enemies or specifically targeted players (such as enemy healers). The main issue is that Bastion is immobile while using his ultimate, so he is incredibly vulnerable. Again, a strong, supportive team is a must. Bastion might need a lot of protection, and his general movement skills aren’t great, but his powerful artillery abilities are easy to use and can be a fun way for new players to start racking up kills.
2 Junkrat
Bombs Away
- Abilities: Frag Launcher, Total Mayhem, Steel Trap, Concussion Mine.
- Ultimate Ability: RIP-Tire
- English VA: Chris Parson
Junkrat is a boy who loves his bombs. Beginners looking for a hero who doesn’t need accuracy to succeed — or who just want to see things explode — will enjoy playing him. Junkrat’s weapon of choice is his Frag Launcher, which lobs six grenades before it needs to be reloaded. The grenades can do 50 damage each on impact, which can take out Damage and Support heroes with ease. Junkrat also drops grenades when he dies, which can damage or even kill enemies nearby.
Along with his Frag Launcher, Junkrat has two Concussion Mines that he can throw before the ability needs to recharge. These mines can be placed in a specific area and detonated when an enemy is nearby, or they can be thrown at an enemy and detonated immediately. They can do anywhere from 120 to 155 damage, killing or severely wounding enemies.
Junkrat can also trap enemies with his Steel Trap skill, which does 100 damage and immobilizes enemies for 2.5 seconds. This works well when combined with a Concussion Mine, and can trap enemies long enough for allies to take them out or even kill them immediately if their health is low. Placement of the trap can require some stealth so as not to alert enemies. However, during a heated battle, Junkrat can throw it down anywhere, and nearby enemies are unlikely to notice.
The final skill in Junkrat’s repertoire is his infamous RIP-Tire, which can wipe out a lot of enemies in one explosive blow. Junkrat revs up his motorized tire bomb and controls it around the battlefield, either waiting for it to explode or manually detonating it when among enemies. Junkrat is immobile while controlling the tire, leaving him vulnerable. The RIP tire also makes a distinctive revving noise as it wheels around, so enemies are likely to try and hide if they hear it. It can be destroyed too, so the best way to use it is to find a place close to a group of enemies — above them if possible — and surprise them with it. Even if Junkrat doesn’t kill anyone with his ultimate, he can still cause them to panic and scatter, making them vulnerable and easier for allies to pick off.
1 Torbjörn
Fear The Beard
- Abilities: Rivet Gun, Rivet Gun Alt Fire, Forge Hammer, Overload, Deploy Turret.
- Ultimate Ability: Molten Core
- English VA: Keith Silverstein
Torbjörn is an excellent Damage hero for beginners to start their Overwatch 2 journey with, as he is versatile, resilient, and can dish out plenty of damage. The Rivet Gun that Torbjörn uses has two methods of fire: a powerful but inaccurate short-range shot, and a slower but more precise long-range shot. Beginners can play with both choices and see which one feels best for them. For melee combat, Torbjörn can switch to his Forge Hammer. In addition to dealing damage, he can also use the hammer to fix his deployed turret, which is the main element of Torbjörn’s skill set.
The self-building turret can be deployed in a wide variety of places by Torbjörn to shoot at enemies from wherever they choose. If enemies don’t immediately lock onto it and destroy it, it can do heaps of damage, especially if Torb keeps fixing it when it is damaged. The turret is also helpful in locating enemies that are harder to spot, such as an airborne Pharah or a sneaking Sombra, as it locks onto them and points in their direction.
Torb can boost his health, power, and movement speed for ten seconds with his Overload skill, which makes a huge difference in the middle of an intense game. Enemies might let their guard down when Torb’s health is low, only to be ambushed as he uses his Overload skill to boost himself and take them out.
Molten Core is Torbjörn’s ultimate ability. When activating it, he will fire pools of molten slag that set enemies alight and can deal additional damage against armored enemies. This skill can be incredibly helpful from a tactical perspective, as it can block certain pathways or areas, stopping enemies from getting through or trapping them. It's simple to use, but can be incredibly effective, especially in confined spaces. For newcomers looking to experience some fun gameplay that isn’t too hard to get to grips with, Torbjörn is the perfect Damage hero.
Overwatch 2
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 77 /100 Critics Rec: 65%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Shooter
