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If you’re one of the players in Overwatch sitting at your screen thinking, “who should I play?” this list may help you out. One of the most interesting (and complex) parts of Overwatch is how quickly heroes can become surprisingly useful in a meta or how quickly they can dive down the rankings. While the pure enjoyment of playing a hero should still be a motivator, sometimes it helps to know what’s working for the top players in the scene.

1. What is Overwatch? Overwatch™ is a highly stylized team-based shooter set in a future worth fighting for. Every match is an intense multiplayer showdown pitting a diverse cast of soldiers, scientists, adventurers, and oddities against each other in an epic, globe-spanning conflict.
2. Overwatch characters: the best heroes in every class. Whether you're looking for a hero to start of with or another to master, our Overwatch hero guide will give you plenty of options.

Welcome to Hero Damage, the website where you can see the latest World of Warcraft simulations results for every class. Please select your class below.

These hero ranking tiers reflect play time and general success with heroes in professional, organized competitive Overwatch, such as the Overwatch League and Contenders. This may not necessarily reflect a player’s experience on the competitive ladder, but it’s a good place to start when considering which heroes to learn or perfect.

The Overwatch meta is constantly in flux and these rankings will be updated to reflect changes as they’re made within the game.

Tier one (Shield meta heroes)

• Orisa
• Roadhog
• Sigma, the game’s newest hero
• Reaper
• Mei
• Hanzo
• Symmetra
• Baptiste
• Zenyatta
• Moira

This tier showcases the most-played heroes in the current meta that’s developed as a result of role queue in both ladder competitive matches and Overwatch League games. We’ve referred to this as “shield meta” because of the necessity of playing around or demolishing shields during teamfights.

Orisa and Sigma’s ability to rapidly change the position of their shields is critical for main tanks. Roadhog, when played alongside Orisa, is capable of using his hook to take out key targets that Orisa “halts” for him. As far as damage, no two heroes have been played together in Overwatch League games more than Mei and Reaper. Mei’s ultimate, Blizzard, is a game-stopping ability that can be abused at any level of play right now.

Reaper does monumental damage to big tanks (like Roadhog and Orisa) while Hanzo can take out supports who stray from shields. Symmetra isn’t as obvious of a pick. Since her primary fire charges on shields, she’ll be putting out wild amounts of damage.

Baptiste, Zenyatta, and Moira are capable of healing through shields. Baptiste and Zenyatta also have the benefit of abilities that can keep teams alive during destructive ultimates, like Mei’s Blizzard and Reaper’s Death Blossom. While Moira’s ultimate isn’t as useful, her ability to fade out of harm’s way has made her more viable than ever.

Tier two (Good choices for specific maps)

• Reinhardt
• Zarya
• D.Va (especially against projectile heroes)
• Pharah
• Bastion
• Doomfist
• Sombra
• Widowmaker
• Lúcio
• Ana
• Mercy

The heroes in this tier are still viable in the current meta, but their use may depend on specific maps. Reinhardt earned a new passive ability in the latest patch called “Steadfast,” which makes it 30 percent harder to knock him back with abilities. This makes him a better pick when intrusive heroes like Pharah or Lúcio can disturb the frontline. D.Va and Zarya are still important off-tank choices. D.Va can absorb Orisa halts and Ana anti-heal grenades with her Defense Matrix. If a high-damage hero is played on the enemy team, Zarya can still benefit from that acquired energy.

As far as DPS heroes, all of the heroes in this tier are useful in specific situations. Pharah can destroy shields with her primary fire, especially when coupled with a Mercy. Because of Orisa’s high use, Bastion can be played in bunker compositions. Doomfist, Sombra, and Widowmaker all operate in the same way: eliminating supports or low-health DPS heroes that stray from the protection of a shield.

Lúcio, Ana, and Mercy aren’t necessarily bad selections, but this meta wears on them. While Lúcio can disrupt enemy compositions and heal through shields, enemies like Mei and Reaper can stop his speedy ways. Ana has trouble healing through the myriad of shields and Mercy can be easily taken out by a Doomfist or Sombra.

Tier three (Niche picks)

• Wrecking Ball
• Winston
• Ashe
• McCree
• Soldier: 76
• Genji
• Tracer
• Torbjörn
• Brigitte

The lucky thing about the current shield meta is that no hero is technically a bad pick. All the heroes in this tier have a use, but those uses are more specialized. Winston and Wrecking Ball can disrupt the enemy team and ruin a well-planned attack. If you notice the enemy team is struggling to stay coordinated, these are the picks.

Many DPS heroes are suffering from the overuse of shields. Ashe, McCree, and Soldier: 76 are all still viable picks, but making use of their skills will be harder. They can all break shields and, eventually, get key eliminations. Genji and Tracer lose efficacy when against a Mei or Brigitte who can freeze or stun them. If the enemy team is running snipers or lower-health heroes, they can be useful. Shields render Torbjörn’s turrets useless, but against intrusive heroes like Pharah or Tracer, they’re still helpful.

Brigitte had her entire hero kit changed to prepare for role queue, making her more of a support hero and less of a pseudo-tank. Her healing is now more useful for slow, coordinated attacks, but her Shield Bash is still a must-have to stop pesky, fast heroes from decimating a team.

These tiers are just a starting point for analysis of heroes and their usefulness in the current meta. As usual, this list could be drastically different within a month. Stay tuned to professional play to see how things are changing and how you can use that in your own Overwatch games.

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In a time of global crisis, an international task force of heroes banded together to restore peace to a war-torn world. This organization, known as Overwatch, ended the crisis and helped maintain peace for a generation, inspiring an era of exploration, innovation, and discovery. After many years, Overwatch's influence waned and it was eventually disbanded. Now in the wake of its dismantling, conflict is rising once again. Overwatch may be gone... but the world still needs heroes.

Choose A Hero: Overwatch features a wide array of unique Heroes, ranging from a time-jumping adventurer, to an armored, rocket-hammer-wielding warrior, to a transcendent robot monk. Every hero plays differently, and mastering their Abilities is the key to unlocking their potential. No two heroes are the same.

Play Your Role: Whether you're engaging in combat on the front line, providing defensive cover with your energy shield, or supporting your allies by amplifying their damage, every hero's abilities are designed to be effective as part of a team. Learning to utilize your Abilities in concert with your teammates' is the key to victory.

Team Based Objectives: Teams of heroes do battle across the planet. From protecting the secrets of the mysterious Temple of Anubis, to safely escorting an EMP device through King's Row, the world is your battlefield.

Overwatch is currently available for purchase here, and was released on May 24th, 2016.

Overwatch Hero Damage Detail

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