Summary
Season 9 ofOverwatch 2has arrived, and it has broughtsome balance changeswhich have shaken up the game massively. Typically, Blizzard deploys more subtle balance changes aimed at shifting the meta or rebalancing overturned heroes; however, this time, they have seemingly looked to change how the game ‘feels’ to play from the ground up.
Thanks to these balance changes, specific Heroes are much stronger than ever before, and once suboptimal characters are now some of the top picks to climb the ranks in competitive. This article will provide the best options, giving 3 Heroes per role so players can dip their toes into all roles.
9D.Va
The Projectile Changes Massively Help Her Rockets
D.Vahas always been one of the most powerful Heroes inOverwatch 2thanks to her simplicity, mobility, Defense Matrix, and ‘Eject’ passive, essentially granting her a second life. However, due to specific patch note changes, D.Va is stronger than ever. While her kit is strong across the board, many players would agree that her Micro-Missiles are the weakest part, but not anymore.
Thanks to recent changes, D.Va’s missiles have become much easier to hit with, increasing her kill potential and making her a bigger threat on the map. D.Va may get even stronger, too, with the potential release of more aerial andflight-based Heroes like Space Ranger, as D.Va is the best Tank to deal with these threats.
8Ramattra
The Null Sector Leader Can Still Throw A Punch
Ramattra, leader of theOmnic extremist group Null Sector, has retained his strength in Season 9 and is still one of the best brawl-focused Tanks in the game. With the addition of the 20% healing reduction passive on Damage Heroes, Ramattra’s brawl and rush competition has been weakened massively. Heroes like Junker Queen, while still viable, suffer a lot more, as her tankiness comes from her self-sustainability.
Ramattra isn’t just healthy, he can output some serious AoE (area of effect) damage with his punches in Nemesis Form. While it may take time for players to relearn specific muscle memory quirks, Ramattra is still undeniably a presence on the battlefield and is incredibly easy to pick up and play well in competitive.
7Sigma
The Highest Damage Tank Holds Nothing Back This Season
Sigmais quite complex to play and can require some practice andhelpful advice to master him. However, once players come to grips with how to play Sigma, they instantly become a major nuisance to the enemy team. Not only does Sigma have ways to defend himself, thanks to his Kinetic Grasp and Experimental Barrier, but he can also dish out a ton of damage.
Sigma is the most consistent damage-dealing Tank at long range once players master his Hyperspheres. When adept enough, players should aim towards the enemy’s back-line, targeting high-priority targets to ‘poke’ them out of the fight, allowing their team to slowly pressure the enemy away. His Accretion boulder can also be used to shut down channeled abilities like Death Blossom and can be used to punish out-of-position enemies.
6Sojourn
Sojourn Is An Ever-Present Hero In The Meta
Sojournis an incredibly popular character, and pieces of her backstory,like her animated short, have been used to drive forward the main arc of the PvE part ofOverwatch 2. However, this isn’t all she’s good for, as her Railgun is still absurdly powerful in the right hands. Thanks to her incredible versatility, no Hero can dominate a lobby like Sojourn can.
Her Power Slide is invaluable for escaping sticky situations, and she can turn a fight around by building up her Railgun charge, providing some consistent damage before immediately blasting with her Railgun, obliterating most weakened enemies when in full charge. While she requires some aim, her competition is no different, with Heroes like Ashe (who is also very strong) also requiring intense mechanical skill.
5Soldier: 76
With Aim Being Easier, Soldier: 76 Rises In Power
With the recentchanges to projectiles, Heroes likeSoldier: 76have become a lot easier to aim with, making him a prime candidate for competitive ladder play. Soldier has always been a straightforward and flexible Damage hero, but now he is even more potent, meaning he will be viable in many more situations.
Due to aiming simply being easier now, players will be able to hit many more shots with Soldier’s Heavy Pulse Rifle, drastically increasing the potential DPS of the weapon and allowing Soldier to take down targets remarkably quickly.
4Mei
Slowing Targets Down And Incredible Poke Is Nothing To Scoff At
Meihas consistently been growing stronger and stronger with every patch. Ironically, there was a lot of discussion within the community a while ago aboutMei becoming a Tank, and in a way, that has happened. With her health increasing to 300, she is much more survivable and can serve as a pseudo-tank in many scenarios.
Mei’s abilities are also centered on team disruption, as a well-placed Ice Wall can win entire fights alone. Mei also has some survivability thanks to her Cryo-Freeze, allowing her to regenerate her health within the safety of her ice cube. She can also deal solid ranged damage with her icicles or slow targets down to help her team secure picks against fast Heroes like Genji or Lucio.
3Ana
Shutting Down Enemy Healing Is Still Incredibly Powerful
Since the shift to 5v5,Ana’skit has been regarded as incredibly strong and arguably over-powered by members of the community. Her Sleep Dart can stop any player in their tracks and essentially make them a free kill. Her Biotic Grenade can single-handedly alter the course of a teamfight, as restricting healing from key targets like the enemy Tank makes them very vulnerable to a coordinated attack from an opposing team.
Ana definitelyrequires some guidance and finesseto play successfully, though, as novice Ana players will find themselves out of position or misusing their abilities, resulting in them dying very often. Practice makes perfect for this Hero, but once she is mastered, players will be able to soar through the ranks by playing her in every single game.
2Kiriko
Teleporting Through Walls And Immunity Make For A Remarkable Kit
A member of theYokai gang of vigilantes in Kanezaka,Kirikois able to use spiritual power to become borderline overpowered inOverwatch 2.While the global health increase did reduce her general kill threat, she is still incredibly dangerous, requiring 2 precision hits and 1 body shot now compared to her blindingly fast 2-tap potential before Season 9.
High damage isn’t all Kiriko has in her locker though. Swift Step allows her to jump to an ally, which is invaluable for survivability or just general traversal. More controversially, her Protective Suzu not only briefly makes targets immune to damage for a few short moments, but it also cleanses all negative effects from them, making her the perfect blend between offense with her kunai and defense with her Suzu.
1Zenyatta
The Nepal Monk Is Incredibly Tanky Now
WhileZenyattamains wait forhis future PvE missionto be released, they can enjoy the luxury of a 275-health, high-damage powerhouse of a Support. Zenyatta is arguably the biggest winner from the Season 9 patch, with his Orbs of Destruction seeing a massive projectile size increase, and his health pool being bumped up to almost match some of the healthiest Damage heroes like Mei or Reaper.
Zenyatta is also a force to be reckoned with in a 1v1 duel. Thanks to his strong kick passive and high burst damage, he is a real threat in mid-range duels, making him scary to fight. On top of this, Zenyatta can also help mitigate some of the health-pool changes thanks to his Orb of Discord, causing the marked enemy to take more damage. It’s safe to say, Zenyatta is in a very good spot.
