Very much like Overwatch before it, Overwatch 2 characters look set to define Blizzard’s first-person hero shooter sequel perhaps more so than any other aspect of its design. Certainly, the character roster looks set to be generously stuffed full with a varied range of all manner of new characters and familiar, returning faces to fill out its varied cast of esoteric heroes and antiheroes. Though Overwatch 2 is still many months, if not a couple of years out from release at this point and many new characters are yet to be officially announced, we are nonetheless already starting to put together an impression of how the character roster is shaping up.
Who Can We Expect To See?
Given the tremendous amount of tweaking, balancing and overall development that each of the characters in the first Overwatch went through over the years, it would be a shame to not see all of that hard work brought forward into Overwatch 2. As such, I can happily report that every single one of the characters from Overwatch will join the Overwatch 2 cast of characters, though it’s also likely that some of these characters will see varying levels of rework in Overwatch 2 to keep things balanced with the new additions to the roster. In keeping everything warmly familiar, much like the first game, the characters essentially fall into one of three distinct class types – Tank, Support and DPS. So without further ado, these are the characters that you can expect to see and the classes that they will inhabit as things currently stand.
Overwatch 2 Tank Characters
The reliable bulwark of any decent Overwatch team worth its salt, the Overwatch 2 tank characters are all about re-focusing the damage output of the opposition away from the more vulnerable support and DPS characters on their team, using their high health and defensive abilities to soak up all of that damage themselves instead. A crucial part of any Overwatch 2 team and providing the key to victory in any battle, these are the eight Overwatch 2 tank characters that have been revealed so far.
- D.Va
- Doomfist
- Junker Queen
- Orisa
- Reinhardt
- Roadhog
- Sigma
- Winston
- Wrecking Ball
- Zarya
Overwatch 2 Support Characters
With their range of buff and debuff abilities, the Overwatch 2 support characters are very often the unsung heroes of any given battle. Able to bolster both the offensive and defensive capabilities of their team, in addition to providing a whole heap of much needed healing goodness while also downgrading the effectiveness of characters on the opposing team, here are the seven Overwatch 2 support characters that have been unveiled as of right now.
- Ana
- Baptiste
- Brigitte
- Kiriko
- Lucio
- Mercy
- Moira
- Zenyatta
Overwatch 2 DPS Characters
Front and center of every team and arguably the most popular of all the classes in Overwatch 2, DPS (Damage Per Second) characters do exactly what it says on the tin – they get out there and provide an overwhelming amount of damage to the enemy until victory is achieved. Wielding everything from deadly katana blades through to wild west style six-shooters, plasma cannons and just about anything else you can think of in between, these are the seventeen DPS characters that form the bulk of Overwatch 2’s character roster.
- Ashe
- Bastion
- Echo
- Genji
- Hanzo
- Junkrat
- McCree
- Mei
- Phara
- Reaper
- Sojourn
- Soldier: 76
- Sombra
- Symmetra
- Torbjorn
- Tracer
- Widowmaker
Introducing Sojourn
Revealed alongside the announcement of Overwatch 2 all the way back in November 2019, Sojourn is a former Overwatch captain that has augmented her body with all manner of cybernetic upgrades to make her a more than formidable presence on the battlefield. Hailing from Canada, Sojourn’s main weapon of choice is an energy based repeater cannon with alternate fire modes that allow her to switch between a high damage single shot and a stream of automatic laser fire.
Beyond her primary weapon, Sojourn’s cybernetic enhancements come into play with a robotic arm that seemingly conjures an orb-like projectile that inflicts a devastating amount of AoE (Area of Effect) damage on her enemies, not to mention rocket boosted legs that allow her to slide along the ground and launch herself into the air at such speed that the lads in Vanquish would likely blush themselves into an early grave. Though neither her class or ultimate ability has been officially confirmed yet, certainly based on what we know so far it seems a pretty safe bet that Sojourn will join Overwatch 2’s increasingly crowded group of damage dealing heroes.
Introducing Junker Queen
Announced as part of 2022’s Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Junker Queen is the second all-new character to be introduced into Overwatch 2 – and she’s bringing some meaty tank action to the table.
Eagle-eyed fans will have seen her before in a poster in Junkertown. Now, we’re going to be able to play as her when she makes her way from Junkertown’s Thunderdome-adjacent combat arena to the main roster of heroes included in Overwatch 2. We don’t know much yet – gameplay details will be revealed later, but we do know her hefty axe will be making mincemeat of the opposition.
Introducing Kiriko
Kiriko is the latest hero added to the Overwatch 2 roster and is on the face of is a Support character. That said, Kiriko’s able to deal tons of critical damage when aiming correctly making them much more a hybrid than they first appear.
This ninja-healer can climb walls, send out Healing Ofuda that will home in on friendly targets to heal them, toss out throwing knives, teleport, and make their teammates invulnerable for a brief duration. This Protection Suzu effect also clears most negative effects, making it both useful for your team and intensely frustrating for the opposing team.
Her ultimate is Kitsune Rush where she summons a fox spirit that runs ahead, increasing movement speed, attack speed, and reducing cooldowns for any allies that follow its path.
How Many New Characters Are In Overwatch 2?
As we’re likely many months, if not a good couple years away from the Overwatch 2 release date, Activision-Blizzard has only been able to show us just one new character that wasn’t in the first game – namely the aforementioned cybernetic warrior known as Sojourn.
However, as we inch closer to the release of Overwatch 2, we can probably expect the number of new characters in Overwatch 2 to steadily increase though not necessarily overtake the number of returning characters that will be featured in Overwatch 2. Likewise, we should also expect that additional new characters will be released in the months and years after the release of Overwatch 2, in a similar fashion to how new characters were added to the first Overwatch in a post-launch capacity.
Which Characters Are In The Overwatch 2 Beta?
In its current state, the Overwatch 2 beta not only allows players full access to the thirty-two returning heroes from the first Overwatch, but also Overwatch 2 newcomer Sojourn as well. Further afield, Activision-Blizzard has also hinted that as well as new modes, maps, balance tweaks and features being added to the Overwatch 2 beta, players could also see entirely new characters being implemented as the Overwatch 2 release date starts to come into focus.
Given that the number of Overwatch 2 tank and support characters are smaller combined than the number of DPS characters on the roster, it seems likely that Activision-Blizzard would want to bolster those two categories a little more rather than just stuffing an already filled to the brim DPS class with yet more characters of that same discipline. Here’s hoping at least.
