I have played Overwatch 2 extensively since launch, racking up over 100 hours across different game modes. Through first-hand experience and analysis of weapon stats and mechanics, I have compiled this definitive guide to the top 10 best weapons in Overwatch 2 as of 2023.
These weapons stood out to me due to their versatility, damage potential, and synergy with the hero‘s kit. Mastering these weapons will give you an edge in duels and team fights. So without further ado, let‘s jump in!
How I Evaluated the Best Weapons
There are many factors that determine how effective a weapon is in Overwatch 2:
- Damage Output: Raw damage per second (DPS) and ability to secure kills
- Utility: Abilities and mechanics that provide versatility and flexibility
- Skill Ceiling: Potential to enable creative plays and high skill expression
- Synergy: How well the weapon complements the rest of the hero‘s abilities
By analyzing weapons through these lenses, I arrived at the top 10 picks that offer strong advantages in various combat scenarios.
10 Best Weapons in Overwatch 2 Ranked
- Genji‘s Dragonblade
- Sojourn‘s Railgun
- Ashe‘s Viper Rifle
- Hanzo‘s Storm Bow
- Widowmaker‘s Widow‘s Kiss
- Cassidy‘s Peacekeeper
- Soldier: 76‘s Heavy Pulse Rifle
- Tracer‘s Pulse Pistols
- Pharah‘s Rocket Launcher
- Junkrat‘s Frag Launcher
Now let‘s explore what makes each of these weapons so powerful.
1. Genji‘s Dragonblade
Type: Melee Ultimate Ability
Damage: 120 damage per swing
As an ultimate ability, Genji unsheathes his katana to deliver devastating melee strikes during Dragonblade. It transforms him into a lethal close-quarters threat, able to quickly elimimate low health heroes.
Dragonblade brings Genji‘s mobility and damage potential together into a terrifying combination. Each swing deals 120 damage, allowing him to kill squishier enemies with just 1 or 2 strikes.
Activating Dragonblade also enhances his Swift Strike, refreshing the cooldown and increasing its damage. This allows Genji to dash through enemies, slashing them as he goes for lethal combo potential. Chaining kills together also prolongs Dragonblade‘s duration.
In the hands of a skilled Genji player, Dragonblade can single-handedly win teamfights by taking out multiple enemies rapidly before they can react. Overall, it‘s simply one of the most dangerous weapons in Overwatch 2.
2. Sojourn‘s Railgun
Type: Primary Fire Projectile
Damage: 160 damage at full charge
The core of Sojourn‘s kit is her railgun, which shoots high-powered energy blasts that rupture on impact. It‘s essentially a sniper rifle on steroids – delivering immense burst damage but requiring precise aim and timing.
A fully-charged railgun headshot can one-shot heroes up to 250 health, while a body shot deals 160 damage. The railgun‘s projectile nature gives it more flexibility compared to hitscan weapons when aiming at distant targets.
Sojourn‘s kit also sports excellent mobility and a lethal area-denial ultimate to set up devastating railgun frags. In the right hands, her railgun is perhaps the most dangerous ranged weapon, able to delete heroes in an instant from unexpected off-angles.
3. Ashe‘s Viper Rifle
Type: Semi-automatic rifle
Damage: 46-140 bodyshot, 92-280 headshot
Don‘t let its old west looks deceive you – Ashe‘s Viper rifle is a thoroughly modern and versatile weapon. It fires quick shots with precise accuracy, able to reach distant targets while packing a surprising punch.
The Viper‘s most unique feature is its aim-down-sights scope. This gives Ashe greatly enhanced accuracy and damage at longer ranges, allowing her to play like a sniper. She can leverage this to one-shot heroes with headshots or pull off tricky mid-air shots.
Her rifle combines flexibility and stopping power together, able to fight at any range. And complementing it is Ashe‘s Dynamite ability, which is essentially a sniper grenade that deals massive AoE damage.
Overall, the Viper rifle is extremely reliable at taking enemies out of the fight either through raw damage or blowing them up with dynamite combos.
4. Hanzo‘s Storm Bow
Type: Charged projectile bow
Damage: 29 – 125 fully-charged bodyshot
Don‘t let its basic design fool you – in Hanzo‘s hands, the Storm Bow is a state-of-the-art weapon that demands utmost skill to wield. Unlike traditional archers, he can charge up arrows and alter their trajectories mid-flight for innovative plays.
A fully drawn Storm Bow arrow can eliminate squishier heroes with one accurate shot. But due to their projectile nature, arrows have a skill curve to use effectively compared to hitscan weapons. This gives players immense room for mastery – from banishing foes with Lunge arrow headshots to pulling off aerial flicks.
When combined with his mid-range fighting style and signature Dragonstrike ultimate, Hanzo‘s Storm Bow provides powerful pressure. A skilled archer is a threatening force that enemies underestimate at their own peril.
5. Widowmaker‘s Widow‘s Kiss
Type: Sniper rifle / automatic SMG
Damage: 13 to 120 rifle headshot. Up to 13 damage per SMG bullet
This multifunctional weapon provides exceptional versatility that adapts to any combat range. In sniper rifle mode, it delivers pinpoint accurate high-damage shots able to eliminate heroes instantly. If enemies close the distance, Widowmaker can switch to automatic SMG mode to defend herself in close quarters.
A single Widow‘s Kiss sniper headshot can bring down all but the most sturdy tanks from insane distances. This lethality combined with Widowmaker‘s Grappling Hook mobility and zone control Venom Mines makes her a constant threat that forever looms over the battlefield.
Mastering Widow‘s Kiss allows players to dominate sightlines and apply immense pressure. Even the perception of a Widowmaker watching certain areas slows down and repels enemies. Overall it‘s simply one of the most powerful weapons at any range in capable hands.
6. Cassidy‘s Peacekeeper
Type: Revolver
Damage: 22 – 85 damage per shot
Don‘t let its old-fashioned looks deceive you – Cassidy‘s Peacekeeper revolver is a thoroughly deadly weapon in skilled gunslingers. It packs tremendous stopping power in a portable package with pinpoint accuracy.
The Peacekeeper nets reliable kills with accurate shots. Lining up headshots allows Cassidy to significantly chunk down enemies or instantly eliminate fragile heroes. Fanning the Peacekeeper‘s full cylinder also dishes out tremendous burst damage.
Cassidy‘s whole kit focuses on dueling power with rolls that reload his Peacekeeper. His ultimate, Deadeye, also brings tremendous pressure – he locks onto all enemies in sight, channeling the ability to kill them with precise revolver shots.
Overall, in Cassidy‘s hands, the Peacekeeper excels at winning duels and solo carrying fights through clutch plays if you have the aim and positioning to enable it.
7. Soldier: 76‘s Heavy Pulse Rifle
Type: Automatic assault rifle
Damage: 6 – 20 damage per bullet
This classic automatic rifle may seem pretty standard for shooters, but it fits Soldier: 76 perfectly. The pulse rifle dishes out a relentless barrage of precinct shots to pressure enemies and lock down areas.
Its full-auto nature grants exceptional mid-range damage output that few heroes can match. Soldier can empty his large magazine to shred through tanks and barriers or tactically burst down key heroes.
The pulse rifle truly shines when combined with Soldier‘s other abilities. His Biotic Field heals him to extend gunfights, Helix Rockets enable bursting elusive heroes, while Tactical Visor removes weapon spread for guaranteed damage.
In the hands of a skilled Soldier player, the pulse rifle provides extremely reliable and consistent damage that forms the core of his versatile kit. It‘s dependability makes it a solid choice in any composition.
8. Tracer‘s Pulse Pistols
Type: Rapid-fire twin pistols
Damage: 1 – 6 damage per bullet
Dual-wielding rapid pistols enhances Tracer‘s mobility to harass enemies from unexpected angles and finish off weakened heroes caught out of position.
The pulse pistols spread limits effective range, but by blinking around fights erratically she avoids damage while picking ideal angles. Saving Recall also lets her rewind if she mispositions.
Sneaking around the backline, Tracer uses her pistols to apply pressure through flanking attacks and distractions. She charges her ultimate quickly this way, allowing her to stick Pulse Bombs to annihilate priority targets.
With mastery, clever Tracer players manipulate the battlefield positioning while eliminating unsuspecting squishies caught alone. Her pistols damage may seem lower individually, but through relentless aggression they secure impactful kills.
9. Pharah‘s Rocket Launcher
Type: Single-shot rocket launcher
Damage: Direct hit deals 55-132 damage, with 40-98 splash
Soaring through the skies with a rocket launcher enables Pharah to rain down explosive justice in unexpected ways. She adopts a unique aerial angle of attack that ground units struggle to contest.
Direct rocket hits deal tremendous damage, allowing Pharah to three-shot Orisa through focus fire. Her splash is also dangerous – a couple near misses brings squishies low enough to clean up.
Pairing her airborne advantage with blast damage gives Pharah immense pressure potential. Concussive Blast also enables tricky environmental kills by booping and juggling foes.
Overall, Pharah‘s rocket launcher demands strong positioning and leading targets to leverage effectively. But mastering these aerial attacks from angles most heroes can‘t reach makes her incredibly oppressive.
10. Junkrat‘s Frag Launcher
Type: Arcing grenade launcher
Damage: Direct hit deals 120 damage, with falloff scaling from 65-10 splash
Junkrat‘s homemade grenade launcher perfectly complements his explosive, chaotic playstyle. It lobs bouncing grenades that detonate for dangerous damage.
While direct hits drastically chunk enemies, Junkrat truly shines by ricocheting grenades off walls and geometry. This enables zoning, traps, and unexpected angles opponents struggle to predict.
Chipping heroes down with splash while building ultimate charges RIP-Tire quickly – a lethal explosive tire to secure multi-kills. Junkrat‘s entire kit focuses on disruption through splash and explosions.
Mastering tricky grenade bounces to constantly pressure enemies from odd angles makes Junkrat extremely oppressive. There‘s tremendous creative potential; enemies never feel safe which buys space for your team to work with.
Takeaways: Master These Weapons For Domination
And there you have it – the top 10 best weapons for dominating your Overwatch 2 matches after extensive playtesting and analysis. From Genji‘s lethal Dragonblade to Junkrat‘s unrelenting explosives, these arms will give you an extra edge.
Of course, no weapon overshadows individual skill, game sense and teamwork. But equipping yourself with these powerful guns tailored to each hero‘s kit will amplify your strengths.
Try them all out across maps and team comps, noting particular scenarios where they shine. Soon you‘ll discover niche advantages to exploit and stylistic weapon mastery.
So commit some hours into learning these weapons intricacies – your future highlight reels will thank you as you pop off with them! Feel free to share your own top weapon picks too.
