Overwatch’s playable characters are largely responsible for the franchise’s massive fanbase. Heroes of different genders, ethnicities, and even species are represented in the games, and ensure that each person has at least one Overwatch character that they find interesting. Add that to the wide array of abilities to master andOverwatch 2is a game that is as varied in its gameplay as it is diverse. There are many reasons why people choose to play certainOverwatch 2characters but one big factor is the Overwatch League. The Overwatch League, or OWL, is an esports league where some of the bestOverwatchplayers pit their skills against each other in attempts to become the Overwatch League champions.
Overwatch 1saw most teams adopt specific hero compositions for almost all Overwatch League matches. This tradition continues once more withOverwatch 2, as the current meta consists of an aggressive, high-mobility squad: Winston, Kiriko, Lucio, Sojourn, and Reaper. To get a better understanding of this meta, it is important to take a look at each hero and what they bring to the table.
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Winston
SinceOverwatch 2adopts a new 5v5 system, it’s the solo tank’s job to serve as an anchor point for the entire team. Winston’s ability to dive onto an enemy team and split them up with his Jump Pack is an invaluable tool that can allow his team to find openings. Barrier Projector can prevent enemy damage when he is diving, and Winston himself can serve as a makeshift shield by absorbing hits with his large body. These abilities to displace and block enemies are magnified once Winston activates his Primal Rage ultimate ability. Not only can he use his Jump Pack more often, but his large health pool and gigantic hitbox allow him to push enemies into disadvantageous positions.
When Primal Rage isn’t active, Winston mostly relies on his Tesla Cannon to deal damage. The weapon’s damage may seem mediocre at first, but players can eliminate foes much quicker when pairing the Tesla Cannon with alternating melee attacks.Winston’s Tesla Cannonalso has an alternate fire mode that allows him to hit enemies up to 30 meters away. It isn’t far considering the range of otherOverwatch 2heroes, but it at least gives Winston some damage options when it comes to mid-range fights.
Kiriko
The newest member of theOverwatch 2roster is quickly making a name for herself incompetitiveOverwatch. Kiriko’s Healing Ofuda may be her main method of healing, but it is her Protection Suzu that gives her the most utility. With it, Kiriko can heal allies, cleanse them of most negative effects, and make them briefly invulnerable. The multiple effects provided by Protection Suzu can quickly get Kiriko and her allies out of some sticky situations. For the current Overwatch League meta in particular, Protection Suzu is used for emergency healing and preventing team kills that can be caused by a Reaper’s Death Blossom.
Kiriko’s other abilities are no sloucheither. Her kunai deal a surprising amount of damage thanks to their increased headshot multiplier. Kitsune Rush allows her team to push the offensive with increased movement, attack, and reload speeds as well as reduced ability cooldowns. Should enemies get too close to her, she can use either Wall Climb or Swift Step to get out of a bind. Kiriko’s ability to get in and out of fights quickly makes her of the slipperiest support heroes, and can only be contested by Lucio.
Lucio
While Kiriko excels at cleansing debuffs,Lucio’s main roleis to provide his allies with some useful buffs of their own. Crossfade can give either health regeneration or extra movement speed, the latter of which Lucio can use to get teammates out of a bind or to push the offensive. Lucio can then magnify these effects with his Amp It Up ability, further bolstering his team. When the going gets tough and the enemy team starts pulling out their damaging ultimate abilities (Reaper’s Death Blossom and Sojourn’s Overclock being the current Overwatch League staples), Lucio’s Sound Barrier provides the team with a temporary massive health boost.
Outside of his role as a support, Lucio’s Sonic Amplifier deals some respectable burst fire damage. While Sonic Amplifier is made for peppering enemy health and barriers, his Soundwave ability that lets him get some sneaky picks on the enemy team. Not only can he force enemies away from him with Soundwave, buta good Lucio can push enemies off mapsor into his team’s line of fire.
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Sojourn
Just like Kiriko,Sojourn’sOverwatch 2debuthas been a resounding success. Her Railgun’s primary fire is projectile-based with very little recoil and spread, but it is the weapon’s secondary fire that makes her dangerous. By damaging enemies and barriers with the primary fire, Sojourn can charge up a powerful and precise hitscan beam that can eliminate foes at range. Sojourn’s ultimate ability, Overclock, allows her to bypass this charge time by automatically generating Railgun energy for a limited time. Overclock also grants Sojourn’s secondary fire with enemy-piercing capabilities, allowing for collateral shots on foes that are staying too close together.
Sojourn’s two remaining abilities help her line up her shots more easily. Power Slide effectively turns her into anApex Legendscharacter with the ability to slide and jump really high. This is great for getting away, repositioning to more advantageous positions, or getting some aerial shots on the enemy team. Her Disruptor Shot is also good, as it damages and slows enemies. When used in conjunction with Overclock,Sojourn can group up enemies by herselfand line up some easy collateral shots.
Reaper
While Sojourn is more for middle to long-range fights, Reaper is the king of close-range combat. His Hellfire Shotguns are easy to use and extremely powerful at close range. This makes Reaper ideal for destroying a diving Winston. When he isn’t on the front lines, Reaper should be flanking the enemy team with Shadow Step. His loud footsteps easily give away his position, so Reaper should immediately drop on his opponents, deal some good damage, and Wraith Form his way out.Wraith Form also gives Reaper multiple buffs, such as increasing his movement speed, rendering him invulnerable, reloading his Hellfire Shotguns, and cleansing him of negative effects.
Reaper’s Death Blossomis the most consistently damaging ultimate ability in the current Overwatch League meta. Unlike Sojourn’s Overclock which requires precise aim to work, all Reaper has to do is jump into the enemy team and go to town with a single button press. Provided the enemies don’t have Kiriko’s Protection Suzu or Lucio’s Sound Barrier, there is very little that can stop a Reaper from eliminating an entire team.
The current Overwatch League metais very straightforward when compared to past team compositions. The combat cycle revolves around displacing enemies, picking them off, and using increased movement and attack speeds to ensure that the team doesn’t lose too many members. The meta will no doubt change once more patches and heroes are introduced, but this shouldn’t dissuadeOverwatch 2fans from playing whichever heroes they want to play.
Overwatch 2is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.
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