Overwatch 2 has a diverse roster of damage-dealing heroes that can turn the tide of battle if played well. In this expert guide, we will analyze the top 7 damage heroes based on pick rates, win rates, versatility, and overall impact.
Why Pick the Right DPS Matters
As an experienced Overwatch 2 player with over 300 hours logged, I cannot emphasize enough how important picking the right damage hero for your team composition and map is. The difference between an appropriately chosen Ashe or Junkrat vs a Genji one-trick on Hanamura point B is often the deciding factor between glorious victory or shameful defeat.
Beyond just wins and losses, choosing a suitable damage hero that complements your tank and support players leads to more dynamic teamfights, sharper execution of strategies, and ultimately more fun!
Metrics for Evaluation
In curating this Overwatch 2 best DPS guide, I used a combination of objective stats pulled from accredited sites like Overbuff as well as my own subjective experiences playing with and against these heroes extensively. The key criteria were:
- Pick Rate: The hero selection percentage in competitive mode – a good indicator of overall versatility and reliability.
- Win Rate: The overall winning percentage with the hero selected on a team. This sheds light on hero viability and impact.
- Skill Ceiling: The maximum potential of the hero when mastered by a skilled player. Heroes with high skill caps can completely take over games.
- Difficulty: How straightforward or complex a hero‘s abilities are to use effectively. Beginner-friendly heroes feature here.
- Team Synergy: How well the hero cooperates with popular team compositions and strategies. More compatible heroes provide greater flexibility.
Without further ado, let‘s get into Overwatch 2‘s cream of the crop when it comes to dealing damage!
#1 – Soldier 76
Real Name: Jack Morrison
Age: 59
Base of Operations: Unknown
The well-rounded Soldier 76 takes our #1 dps spot through strong objective time contributions and a balanced toolkit that holds utility in any team composition or ELO tier. With the simplest shooter-style primary fire requiring little mechanical skill, Soldier forms a strong backbone around which both noobs and skilled players can pop off.
Here‘s a quick rundown of Soldier 76‘s kit:
Heavy Pulse Rifle – An automatic assault rifle with no damage falloff and generous ammo capacity. Easiest primary fire among dps heroes to secure eliminations.
Sprint – Increased movement speed allows chasing down targets and claiming/contesting objectives better.
Biotic Field – An AoE heal that keeps Soldier healthy during duels and teamfights. Great self-sustain.
Helix Rockets – Burst damage dealt in a small area by tiny guided missiles. Effective against grouped up enemies.
Tactical Visor (Ultimate) – Auto-locks primary fire onto visible enemies for high damage over a few seconds. High multi kill potential.
With strengths against flankers like Tracer and Genji as well as barriers thanks to consistent mid-long range damage, Soldier 76 continues to hold premiere pick potential three years from Overwatch 1‘s launch.
#2 – Cassidy
Real Name: Cole Cassidy
Age: 39
Base of Operations: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Deadeye extraordinare Cassidy takes our #2 slot by virtue of high skill-indexed win rates and the raw dueling/burst potential from his infamous Peacekeeper revolver. Playing corners and using Flashbang + Fanning The Hammer combos to delete enemies never gets old!
Here‘s Cassidy‘s outlaw toolkit:
Peacekeeper – Heavy-hitting revolver boasting insane damage per shot but limited ammo and fire rate. Requires precise aim under pressure.
Combat Roll – Quick sideways rolls useful for dodging threats and reloading instantly.
Flashbang – Stuns enemies briefly in a small radius. Enables duel victories and multi kills if aimed well.
Deadeye (Ultimate) – Slowly locks aim onto enemies, increasing damage exponentially before automatically firing high damage bullets after a few seconds.
With high skill comes high reward – Cassidy dominates in the hands of mechanically gifted damage players who leverage their concussive and lethal toolkit to clinch teamfights and objectives when it counts most.
#3 – Tracer
Real Name: Lena Oxton
Age: 26
Base of Operations: London, England
Teleporting troublemaker Tracer maintains top competitive pick rates through her sheer evasiveness and ability to harass backlines. An expert Tracer forces enemies to burn cooldowns and mental bandwidth trying to pin her down – creating the space her team needs to complete objectives.
Here‘s a blink-and-you‘ll-miss-it overview:
Pulse Pistols – Rapid-fire dual machine pistols that unload continuous damage up close. Large spreads limit effective range.
Blink – Teleports horizontally to avoid danger and chase kills. 3 charges with short cooldown enable high mobility.
Recall – Rewinds own timeline, restoring health/position from 3 seconds prior. Essential survival tool.
Pulse Bomb (Ultimate) – Throws an explosive charge that sticks to enemies and structures before detonating for high burst damage.
With room for high skill expression through quick reactions and pinpoint bomb sticks, Tracer continues terrorizing backlines and outplaying opponents in Overwatch 2. A lone wolf perfectly at home amidst the chaos of competitive play.
#4 – Echo
Real Name: Echo
Age: ~1 year (activated in 2073)
Base of Operations: Unknown
Versatile aerial android Echo claims our #4 slot for her unique duplicates and focused beam that melts even the beefiest tanks when left unchecked. High skill cap projectiles round out her toolkit – perfect for daredevil dps players.
Let‘s fly through her glossy arsenal:
Tri-Shot – Echo fires 3 rounds simultaneously in a triangle pattern. Direct hits deal high burst damage.
Sticky Bombs – Detonates explosive charges that adhere to enemies and structures. Knocks back nearby enemies on explosion.
Focusing Beam – High damage laser synced onto a single target till they die or break line of sight. Great tank/shield shredder.
Flight (Passive) – Soars through the air with great horizontal mobility to access unconventional sightlines and escape danger.
Duplicate (Ultimate) – Temporarily transforms into copy of an enemy hero, gaining their abilities. Game-changing with the right hero duplicate choice!
Echo continues raising the skill ceiling for damage players looking to make solo game-winning hero plays through precise timing and positioning around her cooldowns.
#5 – Ashe
Real Name: Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe
Age: 39
Base of Operations: Deadlock Gorge, Arizona, USA
Reigning queen of the Deadlock Gang, Ashe seizes our #5 slot with her mid-long range dynamite harassment and aim-dependent damage potential. Her summoned ally B.O.B. doles out additional disruption and space creation through area denial and enemy focus fire diversion.
Let‘s go whole hog into her toolkit:
The Viper – Lever-action rifle with clean iron sights that reward headshots with high damage and extra knockback.
Dynamite – Tossed explosive sticks that detonate after a delay or immediately with gunfire. Great for area denial and burning down barriers.
Coach Gun – Shotgun sidearm that shoves back enemies or boosts Ashe backwards. Helps gain distance from threats or secure height advantage against dps challengers.
B.O.B. (Ultimate) – Summons a bulky omi-bot with hefty health, auto guns, and knockup charges to harass groups of enemies.
With complexity balanced by solid damage numbers, Ashe gives confident damage dealers the means to apply constant mid-range harassment while scaling in impact through mechanically intense flicks and target prioritization.
#6 – Mei
Real Name: Mei-Ling Zhou
Age: 31
Affiliation: Overwatch (formerly)
Base of operations: Xi‘an, China (formerly)
Expert cryo-biologist Mei ensures placement in our top Overwatch 2 dps through area control and sustain talents that disrupt enemy offensive momentum. As a highly self-sufficient damage threat, she excels at contesting objectives and enabling her own tank and healer teammates to work their magic.
Let‘s chill with Mei‘s cool capabilities:
Endothermic Blaster – Fires freezing rocket bursts slowing then damaging frozen enemies. Short-range icicle headshots multiply damage substantially. Great 1v1 dueling potential.
Cryo-Freeze – Encases self in a solid ice block, healing and making Mei immune to damage/debuffs for a few seconds. Powerful defensive ability and baiting tool.
Ice Wall – Generates a towering column of ice segments, blocking enemy pathways and projectiles. Very disruptive ability, especially on control point maps.
Blizzard (Ultimate) – Drops a swirling snowstorm onto a area, heavily slowing and freezing enemies caught under its radius. Combos powerfully with other ultimates.
Through creative ice wall placements and clinical aim with icicle headshots, Mei cements herself as a formidable disruptor – denying enemies positional leverage and securing her team much needed breathing room to operate.
#7 – Reaper
Real Name: Gabriel Reyes
Age: Unknown
Affiliation: Unknown
Our #7 slot goes to Reaper – the shadowy spectre who terrorizes teams with flanking shotguns and surprising ultimates that devastate packed groups. With a powerful invulnerability skill in his pocket, smart Reaper players know exactly when to jump in and assassinate priority targets.
Let‘s reload on Reaper‘s repertoir:
Hellfire Shotguns – Reaper dual-wields shotguns with insane close-quarter burst but limited range. Rewards getting the drop on enemies and quick reactions to finish kills.
Wraith Form – Enters a shadowy invulnerable state, able to move freely through enemies for a few moments. Great for escaping lost duels and repositioning.
Shadow Step – After a short delay, teleports to a targeted nearby location. Enables unexpected flanks and angles.
Death Blossom (Ultimate) – Reaper goes into a cell-shredding frenzy, unloading massive damage on all nearby enemies over a few seconds. Ideal against tightly stacked teams.
Reaper strives in ambushing unwary targets but should avoid fair fights from multiple foes. Strike from the darkness and retreat just as suddenly to become a sustained menace towards the backline supports enabling your team‘s frontline push.
Closing Thoughts
And there you have it friends – Overwatch 2‘s finest masters of dealing damage ranked and reviewed! Whichever dps hero you opt for, remember to tailor your choice to the map type, team compositions, and counter the highest threats on the enemy roster.
The best damage dealers share a combination of mechanical skill expression and smart cooldown management to unlock their full lethal potential. Hone these basics first before incorporating advanced techniques like animation cancels and ult combos.
Most importantly, have fun dishing out those sweet eliminations! See you on the battlefield 😉
