Overwatch, a first-person shooter byBlizzard Entertainment, has built a community of loyal players since it’s launch in May 2016. SinceOverwatch 2’s release in October 2022, its popularity has skyrocketed, with players enjoying a fresher feeling version of the game.
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Somethingnew to the game is the regular additionof seasons. With each new season, a new character or map is introduced as well as an exclusive battle pass for those who pay; keeping players satisfied with new content. With new heroes being added so frequently, within its competitive mode especially, the meta is constantly changing. So,based on pick rate, what characters aremost popular right now?
10Soldier: 76
With a pick rate of 3.49%,Soldier: 76has been a popular hero since the release of the first game. This vigilante is not only one of the game’s mosteasy to playand easy to learn characters, and for that reason is a great pick for those who play casually or just starting out, but he’s also one of the more skillful heroes with kit that can be utilized extremely well in higher ranks.
With good damage per second, a great ultimate and his ability to be self-sufficient (thanks to hisbiotic field), there is no wonder why this damage character has such a high pick rate.
9Widowmaker
Widowmaker, one of the first characters to be introduced within the announcement of the original game’s release, is a hugely popular character among fans. She’s anincredibly high skill, high reward hero with the capability to one shot unsuspecting squishies.
This sniper and her ability to scare enemies out of position and target those most valuable to an opposing team, not to mention her high mobility, is unmatched; her high pick rate of 3.64% only confirms that fact.
8Moira
Moirais a support character added to the roster back in November 2017, making her the 26th hero introduced to the game. Despite her support title, Moira has some incredible damage capabilities, especially if a combination ofbiotic orbandgraspare used right; the damage potential she has is devastating.
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Her healing, of course, is just as great. She can heal 70 HP per second with herbiotic graspand 65 HP per second with herorb. She can also heal an additional 140 HP per second with her ultimate ability. If that isn’t enough, this hero also has great mobility; she can get out of sticky situations with herfadeevery 6 seconds.
All in all, Moira makes apowerful addition to a teamwhich is perhaps the reason for her high pick rate of 3.94%.
7Hanzo
Hanzo, another character introduced alongside the announcement ofOverwatch, is an extremely popular character players will find in alot of team compositions, with a pick rate of 4.04%.
Like Widowmaker, Hanzo is a highly skilled, high damage character with the ability to one shot enemies and scare them out of position, putting his opponents at a disadvantage. Hiswall climballows him to be mobile, and his ultimate ability charges fast and creates a lot of space.
6Reinhardt
Reinhardt, also a part of the original roster, is a fan favorite character forhis wholesome naturealone but aside from that fact, he is also a fantastic tank with a high pick rate of 4.15%. His primary attack has a damage output of 85, he gets 2fire strikesevery 6 seconds which do a whopping 100 damage each and hischargeis lethal with its low cooldown of 7 seconds and high damage of 225 (if pinned to a wall) allowing him to one shot a majority of characters.
This hero also has one of the best CC abilities within the game, hisearthshatterleaves enemies stunned and vulnerable for a huge 2.75 seconds. He also has the capability of protecting both himself and his teammates from incoming damage with his 1200 HP shield.
5Kiriko
The only character introduced duringOverwatch 2to make it on this list isKiriko, with a pick rate of 4.16%. This hero has a great healing capability, with hertalismanhealing 13 HP each, or 26 HP on burst, equating to 130 HP replenished per second. Herkunaideals incredible damage with it doing 40 damage upon hit or a huge 120 damage to the head.
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One of the best things about Kiriko is her high mobility, both herwall climbandswift stepallow her to escape trouble with ease. Herprotection suzuability makes her a game changing addition to any team, granting teammates invulnerability to all damage for a short 0.85 seconds; whilst this window is short, with a lot of practice this can be an incredible tool to use and often determines the success of team fights.
4Cassidy
A huge jump from Kiriko,Cassidyhas an incredibly high pick rate of 4.7%. This beloved cowboy can do a devastating 140 damage per second and has the ability to play both close range and long range.
His newmagnetic grenade, introduced inOverwatch 2, proves lethal in game with the way it attaches itself to enemies and deals a whopping 120 damage; this alone allows him to very quickly eliminate both support and other damage characters from a team fight. Like Hanzo, his ultimate ability also allows him to create a lot of space.
3Genji
Genji, one of the more obvious fan favorite characters of the franchise, has a pick rate of 4.96% and a play style that fits in with most team compositions. Despite his recent chain of nerfs, Genji’s abilities allow him to remain as one of the best heroes in the game. Whilst he does little damage with his primary fire, his alt fire allows him to throw afan of blades, dealing 119 damage per second.
He is highly mobile meaning players are able to easily escape danger. Hisdeflectis one of the best abilities in the game, allowing him to not only block enemy projectiles but also return the damage. This ability can also block several ultimates: Dead Eye, Whole Hog and Death Blossom are just to name a few. When paired with Ana’s Nano Boost,his ultimate abilityis perhaps one of the most devastating in the entire game, being able to wipe entire teams in a matter of seconds.
2Mercy
Often referred to by players as a ‘fly’,Mercyis somehow both one of the most loved and hated characters withinOverwatch 2. This is partly a result of her incredibly high mobility which often makes it extremely difficult for enemies to kill her. Another factor that makes Mercy so great is herdamage boostability, hercaduceus staffallows her to amplify a teammates damage by30%meaning players will often see Mercy’s pocketing high damage characters to completely wipe out an enemy team.
Mercy also has an ability toresurrecta teammate every 30 seconds, which can often be game changing (if used correctly). With all that in mind, Mercy is one of best support characters in the game, particularly if paired with a main support and high damage DPS, which is perhaps the reason for her huge pick rate of 7.16%.
1Ana
Anais currently the most popular character in the game with an incredible pick rate of 8.47%. This sniper requires a lot of skill but once learned, can dominate matches. Everything about this hero is powerful, she has a high healing output as well as deals a good amount of damage. Herbiotic grenadesnot only replenish 100 HP but allows affected allies to receive 50% additional healing from other health sources and prevents affected enemies from being healed entirely.
Whilst she is one of the least mobile characters in game, hersleep dartoffers her protection whilst also taking enemies out of fights for seconds at a time.Her ultimate ability,nano boost, is one of the best inOverwatch 2; used well, this one ability can determine the result of a team fight.
Overwatch 2is available to play for free on PC, Xbox One, Xbox X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch.
