Roles / Hero Types

The heros in overwatch are grouped into 4 categories depending on their abilities and strengths.

OFFENSE

Offense heroes are the damage dealers on their team. Your goal: seek out, engage, and destroy the enemy.

Heroes classified as offense generally have high damage weapons and abilities but lower health than other types. They will also usually have high speed or mobility options.

McCree

Pharah

Reaper

Soldier: 76

Tracer

Genji

Sombra *new

DEFENSE

Defense heroes control the battlefield, interrupting enemy attacks and fortifying locations. As a defense hero, your job is to stop the opposing team’s advance. These heros may have long range weapons or the ability to create turrets.

Bastion

Hanzo

Junkrat

Torbjörn

Widowmaker

Mei

TANK

Tank heroes soak damage and break apart fortified positions, like closely-grouped enemies and narrow chokepoints. With high survivability and abilities that protect themselves and others such as shields tanks specialize in protecting allies and leading the charge to the front.

Reinhardt

Roadhog

Winston

Zarya

D.Va

Orisa *new

SUPPORT

Support heroes empower their allies, healing and shielding them, boosting their damage, and providing vital utility. As support, you’re the backbone of your team’s survival. Support heroes are important to increase the overall performance of their team and help the other players stay in the fight and deal more damage. They will not have high damage though so no running and gunning.

Zenyatta

Mercy

Symmetra

Lúcio

Ana *new