All Overwatch 2 characters: Heroes & abilities in OW2

Overwatch 2 has a large character roster full of heroes with unique abilities and playstyles. We’ve got a full breakdown of every character in the Blizzard FPS right here.

If you want to become skilled in Overwatch 2, it’s essential to learn about its big cast of characters. Every hero has a set of distinct skills that are tailored to help their team win, and it’s vital to familiarise yourself with these abilities if you want to succeed.

All characters & abilities

There are 41 heroes overall in Overwatch 2 as of the Season 12 update.

The last addition to the roster was support hero Juno, and you can find out about her abilities (as well as all the other heroes) below:

Hero	Abilities
Ana	SLEEP DART: Fires a dart that puts an enemy to sleep. BIOTIC GRENADE: Throws a grenade that heals and increases healing on allies, while damaging and preventing healing on enemies.  NANO BOOST: Increases an ally’s damage, while reducing damage taken.
Ashe	COACH GUN: Blast enemies in front of you and knock yourself backward. DYNAMITE: Throw an explosive that detonates after a short delay or immediately when shot. B.O.B: Deploy Bob. He charges forward and knocks enemies into the air, then attacks with his arm cannons.
Baptiste	REGENERATIVE BURST: Activate to heal yourself and nearby allies over time. IMMORTALITY FIELD: Toss a device that prevents allies from dying. The device can be destroyed. AMPLIFICATION MATRIX: Project a matrix that doubles the damage and healing effects of allied projectiles. EXO BOOTS: Hold crouch to jump higher.
Bastion	A-36 TACTICAL GRENADE: Grenade that can bounce off walls as well as stick to floors and enemies. CONFIGURATION RECON: Bastion can walk like a standard hero and fire his fully automatic machine gun. CONFIGURATION ASSAULT: Bastion can transform into a tank and fire his minigun while moving. IRONCLAD: 20% damage reduction while in Artillery and Assault mode. CONFIGURATION ARTILLERY: Bastion is rooted to the ground and can fire three shells anywhere on the map, dealing damage to opponents.
Brigitte	REPAIR PACK: Heals an ally for a short duration. WHIP SHOT: Launch your flail forward to knock an enemy away from you. BARRIER SHIELD: Hold right-click to deploy a frontal energy barrier. SHIELD BASH: Available when Barrier Shield is deployed. Dash forward to knock back an enemy. RALLY: Move faster and provide armor to nearby allies. INSPIRE: Striking enemies with your flail heals nearby allies.
Cassidy	COMBAT ROLL: Roll in the direction you’re moving and reload. MAGNETIC GRENADE: Grenade that’s attracted to enemies and can stick to them, dealing damage when it explodes. DEADEYE: Face off against your enemies, targeting all foes in your sightline. Can be activated again to deal damage to everyone you’ve targeted in your view.
D.VA	BOOSTERS: Fly in the direction you are facing. DEFENSE MATRIX: Block projectiles in an area in front of you. MICRO MISSILES: Launch a volley of explosive rockets. SELF-DESTRUCT: Eject and overload your mech, causing it to explode after a short time. CALL MECH: Call down a new mech. EJECT!: Eject out of your mech when it is destroyed.
Doomfist	of damage from enemies in front of you. If 100 damage is blocked, your next Rocket Punch will be supercharged. ROCKET PUNCH: Hold to charge then release to launch forward and knock an enemy back. Damage increases if the enemy hits a wall. METEOR STRIKE: Press Q to leap up into the air. Move the targeting circle, then press ABILITY 3 to strike the targeted area.
Echo	STICKY BOMBS: Fire a volley of sticky bombs that detonate after a delay. FLIGHT: Fly forward quickly and then free-fly briefly. FOCUSING BEAM: Channel a beam for a few seconds. Deals very high damage to targets under half health. DUPLICATE: Become a copy of the targeted enemy hero. They cannot swap heroes for the duration. GLIDE: Hold jump to glide while falling.
Genji	DEFLECT: Deflect incoming projectiles towards the direction you are aiming and block melee attacks. SWIFT STRIKE: Rapidly dash forward and inflict damage on enemies. Eliminations reset the cooldown. DRAGONBLADE: Unsheathe a deadly melee weapon. CYBER-AGILITY: Climb on walls and double jump.
Hanzo	STORM ARROWS: The next 5 arrows fire instantly at reduced damage. SONIC ARROW: Reveals enemies for a short time upon impact. LUNGE: Double Jump. DRAGONSTRIKE: Launch a deadly Dragon Spirit that devastates enemies it passes through. WALL CLIMB: Jump at walls to climb up them.
Illari	SOLAR RIFLE (Primary): Long-range auto-charging rifle. SOLAR RIFLE (Alt): Medium-range healing beam that consumes solar energy. OUTBURST: Launches you in the direction you are moving, knocking back enemies. Hold jump to go higher. HEALING PYLON: Deploy a pylon that heals allies. CAPTIVE SUN: Fire an explosive ball of solar energy. Enemies hit are slowed and explode after taking significant damage.
Kiriko	HEALING OFUDA: Fire up to ten healing talismans at a time toward allies. KUNAI: Throw small knives one at a time that deal damage to enemies. WALL CLIMB: Jump at walls to climb up them. PROTECTION SUZU: Throw a bell-shaped projectile that makes allies briefly invulnerable and cleanses negative status effects. KITSUNE RUSH: Summons a loyal fox spirit that leaves a path of gateways that provide Kiriko and her teammates a buff that increases movement speed, rate of fire, and cooldowns.
Junker Queen	SCATTERGUN: Pump-action Shotgun JAGGED BLADE: Passive: Quick Melee wounds enemies, dealing damage over time. Active: Throw your blade. Can re-activate to return it. ADRENALINE RUSH: Heal from all damage over time dealt by wounds. COMMANDING SHOUT: Increase health by 200 and nearby allies health by 100. Increase movement speed by 30%. CARNAGE: Swing your axe to wound all enemies in front of you, dealing damage over time. RAMPAGE: Charge forward. Wound enemies, dealing damage over time and preventing them from being healed.
Junkrat	CONCUSSION MINE: Throw a knockback mine with LSHIFT then detonate it with ABILITY 1. STEEL TRAP: Place an immobilizing trap. RIP-TIRE: Drive and detonate an exploding tire. TOTAL MAYHEM: Deals no damage to self with explosives. Drop bombs on death.
Juno	PULSAR TORPEDOS: shoot homing projectiles that will lock onto your target. Either heals allies over time or damage enemies. GLIDE BOOST: Lets Juno glide horizontally with increased movement speed HYPER RING: Juno put down a big ring that allies can pass through to gain an increase in movement speed ORBITAL RAY: A massive ray that moves forward while healing allies and increasing their damage
Lifeweaver	PETAL PLATFORM: Throw a platform that springs upwards when stepped on. REJUVENATING DASH: Dash towards your traveling direction and lightly heal yourself. LIFE GRIP: Pull an ally to your location, protecting them as they travel. TREE OF LIFE: Place a tree that instantly heals allies upon sprouting and continues healing periodically as it lives.
Lúcio	CROSSFADE: Switches between two songs: Healing Boost heals nearby allies, and Speed Boost makes nearby allies move faster. AMP IT UP: Increase the effectiveness of your current song. SOUNDWAVE: Create a short-range blast wave to knock enemies away from you. SOUND BARRIER: Create temporary shields for nearby allies. WALL RIDE: Jump onto a wall to ride along it.
Mauga	BERSERKER: Gain temporary health when dealing critical damage. INCENDIARY CHAINGUN: Automatic weapon that ignites enemies on repeated impacts. VOLATILE CHAINGUN: Automatic weapon that deals critical damage to burning enemies. OVERRUN: Charge foward to stomp and launch enemies. You are unsotppable while charging. CARDIAC OVERDRIVE: Nearby allies take reduced damage and heal by dealing damage. CAGE FIGHT: Deploy a barrier that traps yourself and enemies. Gain unlimited ammo while inside.
Mei	ENDOTHERMIC BLASTER: Spray enemies with frost, slowing them and dealing damage. No longer freezes opponents. CRYO-FREEZE: Become invulnerable and heal yourself. ICE WALL: Create a wall in front of you. BLIZZARD: Launch a weather control drone that freezes enemies in a wide area.
Mercy	GUARDIAN ANGEL: Fly towards an ally. RESURRECT: Revive a dead teammate. ANGELIC DESCENT: Fall very slowly. VALKYRIE: Gain the ability to fly. Abilities are enhanced. REGENERATION: Automatically heal over time.
Moira	BIOTIC ORB: Launch a bouncing sphere that either heals nearby allies or damages nearby enemies. FADE: Disappear, move faster, and become invulnerable, but you cannot shoot. COALESCENCE: Fire a beam that heals allies and damages enemies.
Orisa	FORTIFY: Slow your movement by 20%, gain 125 extra health, reduce weapon heat generation by 50%, reduce damage taken, and become immune to immobilizing effects. JAVELIN SPIN: Spin your javelin destroying all incoming projectiles and increasing your movement speed. This spin also deals damage to enemies and knocks them back. TERRA SURGE: Pull enemies towards you and gain Fortify effects. Enemies pulled in are slowed and take damage. The Ultimate can be reactivated to release a charge of damage to enemies in her vicinity.
Pharah	JUMP JET: Fly rapidly upwards. CONCUSSIVE BLAST: Launch an explosive blast to knock back enemies. BARRAGE: Launch a continuous volley of mini-rockets. HOVER JETS: Hold to hover.
Ramattra	VOID ACCELERATOR (OMNIC FORM): Fire a stream of projectiles in a fixed pattern. VOID BARRIER (OMNIC FORM): Create a barrier at the targeted location. PUMMEL (NEMESIS FORM): Punch forward, creating a wave of piercing energy with every swing. RAVENOUS VORTEX: Fire a nano ball, which explodes when it hits the ground, spreading a damaging field. Affected enemies are slowed and pulled downward. ANNIHILATION: Enter Nemesis Form and create a deadly swarm that lashes out at nearby enemies, persisting longer when damaging enemies.
Reaper	SHADOW STEP: Teleport to a targeted location. WRAITH FORM: Move faster and become invulnerable, but you cannot shoot. DEATH BLOSSOM: Damage all nearby enemies. THE REAPING: Dealing damage heals you.
Reinhardt	CHARGE: Charge forward and smash an enemy against a wall. FIRE STRIKE: Launch a fiery projectile. BARRIER FIELD: Hold right-click to deploy a frontal energy barrier. EARTHSHATTER: Knock down all enemies in front of you. STEADFAST: Resistant to knockback effects.
Roadhog	CHAIN HOOK: Drag a targeted enemy to you. TAKE A BREATHER: Heal yourself and reduce damage taken. PIG PEN: Launch a trap that slows and damages nearby enemies.  WHOLE HOG: Damage and knock back enemies in front of you.
Sigma	KINETIC GRASP: Absorb projectiles in front of you and convert them into shields. ACCRETION: Gather a mass of debris and throw it at an enemy to knock them down. EXPERIMENTAL BARRIER: Hold to propel a floating barrier; release to stop. Press again to recall the barrier to you. GRAVITIC FLUX: Manipulate gravity to lift enemies into the air and slam them back down.
Sojourn	RAILGUN: Accurate fully automatic weapon that grants Sojourn energy after enough shots have been landed. Also has a secondary fire mode that requires energy and sends out a deadly single shot. DISRUPTOR SHOT: Slows and deals damage to enemies, works well in conjunction with Railgun. POWER SLIDE: Quickly slide on the ground and leap higher. OVERCLOCK: Buffs Sojourn’s Railgun, dealing more damage, and automatically charges her secondary fire mode.
Soldier 76	SPRINT: Run faster while moving forward. BIOTIC FIELD: Deploy a field that heals you and your allies. HELIX ROCKETS: Launch a volley of explosive rockets. TACTICAL VISOR: Automatically aims your weapon at targets in view.
Sombra	STEALTH: When out of combat, become invisible and move faster HACK: Hold to hack. Hacked enemies cannot use abilities and can be seen through walls. Hacked health packs spawn faster and can’t be used by enemies. Taking damage interrupts the hack attempt. VIRUS: Infect enemies with a projectile that deals damage over time. Virus damages hacked targets at a faster rate. TRANSLOCATOR: Throw a beacon and teleport to it. Stealth cooldown is reduced after teleporting. EMP: Deal damage to all nearby enemies based on their current health, hacking them and destroying barriers around you.
Symmetra	SENTRY TURRET: Deploy a small turret that damages and slows enemies. TELEPORTER: Create two teleporters that enable instant travel between them. PHOTON BARRIER: Deploy a massive energy barrier.
Torbjörn	DEPLOY TURRET: Deploy a self-building turret. OVERLOAD: Gain additional armor as well as improved attack, movement, and reload speed. MOLTEN CORE: Create pools of molten slag that damage enemies. Deals additional damage to armor.
Tracer	BLINK: Teleport in the direction you are moving. RECALL: Travel back in time to your previous location and health. PULSE BOMB: Throw out a powerful sticky explosive.
Venture	SMART EXCAVATOR: Launch a seismic charge that bursts after a short distance. DRILL DASH: Dash forward while above or underground, pushing enemies back. The cooldown is accelerated while underground. BURROW: Move underground and become invulnerable. Press or hold LSHIFT to emerge and damage enemies. TECTONIC SHOCK: Send out damaging shockwaves.
Widowmaker	GRAPPLING HOOK: Launch a hook that pulls you towards a ledge. VENOM MINE: Launch a poison trap. INFRA-SIGHT: Provide your team with a view of the enemy’s location.
Winston	TESLA CANNON: Fire out electricity towards a foe dealing damage. Alternate fire charges a single longer-range lightning bolt. JUMP PACK: Leap forward into the air. Landing on an enemy staggers and damages them. BARRIER PROJECTOR: Deploy a protective energy dome. Allies can shoot through barrier. PRIMAL RAGE: Gain immense health and a melee attack buff, but you can only leap and punch enemies. Jump Pack cooldown is reduced while Primal Rage is active.
Wrecking Ball	GRAPPLING CLAW: Launch a grappling claw to rapidly swing around the area. Enables high-speed collisions to damage and knock back enemies. ROLL: Transform into a ball and increase maximum movement speed. PILEDRIVER: Slam into the ground below to damage and launch enemies upward. ADAPTIVE SHIELD: Create temporary personal shields. Amount increases with more enemies nearby. MINEFIELD: Deploy a massive field of proximity mines.
Zarya	PARTICLE BARRIER: Create a damage barrier around you that absorbs damage and cleanses crowd control abilities. PROJECTED BARRIER: Create a damage barrier around an ally similar to Particle Barrier. Shares cooldown with Particle Barrier. GRAVITON SURGE: Launch a gravity bomb that draws in enemies and explodes for a small amount of damage. ENERGY: Damage blocked by barriers increases Particle Cannon damage.
Zenyatta	ORB OF DISCORD: Launch this orb at an enemy to increase the damage they take. ORB OF HARMONY: Launch this orb at an ally to heal them. TRANSCENDENCE: Become invulnerable, move faster, and heal nearby allies. SNAP KICK: Melee attacks push enemies back and deal 50% more damage.

Overwatch 2 role passives

One of the most significant additions that arrived with Overwatch 2 was the new role passives for tanks, DPS characters, and healers.

These have added a new dynamic to each class and given them extra strengths to utilize in their skirmishes. You can check each of them out below:

• All characters: Instead of losing your full Ultimate charge when you switch heroes, you’ll now carry over up to 15%.
• DPS: DPS heroes gain a 35% reload speed buff for 2.5 seconds after an elimination.
• Tank: Tank heroes now have 30% knockback resistance against crowd control abilities and provide 50% less Ultimate charge when damaged.
• Support: Support heroes now heal 15 hitpoints per second when out of combat for 1.5 seconds.

Knowing what every hero is capable of doing in your matches will significantly increase your chances of winning, as you’ll be able to synergize with your teammates and understand your foes.

Don’t forget, you can test out all the Overwatch 2 characters in the Practice Range while in queue or directly from the menus to get hands on experience with their abilities before using them in a real match.

For even more Overwatch 2 content, check out our guides for all Mythic skins, ranks explained, how many people play Overwatch 2, and how to earn Legacy competitive points.