Overwatch: Which Popular Heroes Will Be Viable in Overwatch 2

A sequel to one of the most popular shooters will open up a number of questions. Like, what Heroes will be viable as we move into Overwatch 2?

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In October 2022, Blizzard will release Overwatch 2. After it was announced, some players had the chance to participate in the open beta, where they experienced one of the newest heroes. Some players received invitations to the closed beta after the open beta ended, while others had to purchase it.

The second brand-new hero – Junker Queen – was also available during the closed beta. There is no doubt that Overwatch fans used the brand-new heroes a lot more often than the rest. It does not mean, however, that all the heroes from Overwatch weren’t worthwhile. They have a lot of unique features that make them very popular.

Although we might see a lot of changes in the future, we already know most of the big changes to the heroes in Overwatch 2. Some of them were very popular in the game’s first version and will continue to play a key role in the upcoming game. In fact, let’s learn more about some of the names that will be viable in Overwatch 2.

Cassidy

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Overwatch 2’s first viable hero is Cassidy. It isn’t easy to master this hero, but he has always played an important role in Overwatch. He made an excellent DPS for both pro and casual games due to his insane damage output and survivability.

In Overwatch 2, Cassidy will remain relatively unchanged. There is one major change, however, since the hero now has a new ability. A Magnetic Grenade replaces Cassidy’s Flashbang. It is capable of sticking to and exploding enemies, as its name implies.

If the numbers do not change in the future, Cassidy can easily one-shot a target with his grenade. As far as one-shotting goes, Cassidy’s Fan the Hammer fire rate has increased by 7.5%. Additionally, Combat Roll now reduces damage by 50%.

A few small changes have also been made to the ult, such as granting a 40% damage reduction. In the beta, McCree appeared a lot because of these factors.

D.Va

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Overwatch has a lot of tans, but a few of them were always above the rest, no matter the patch or the meta. D.Va is one of the names that stand out because this tank appeared all the time. Aside from professional players, even people who play for fun used D.Va in pretty much every game.

Overwatch 2 is going to be very interesting for every tank player because the developers made a lot of changes. To make a long story short, they’ve buffed most tanks’ HP and Armor and weakened the shields. Luckily. D.Va did not have any barriers anyway, meaning the hero feels even stronger than before.

People who decide to pick this tank in Overwatch 2 will have 650 HP instead of 600. Furthermore, the primary fire movement speed will be reduced by 40% instead of 50%. If that’s not enough, Fusion Cannons’ weapon spread will be 3.5 instead of 4. All those changes make the hero even better.

Hanzo

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Also known as one of the strongest and most challenging DPS heroes to master, Hanzo will continue to be one of the go-to options for players. Despite his high skill cap, this can be one of the most rewarding heroes in the game. His damage output, movement speed, and elusiveness make him a deadly weapon in the hands of those who know how to make the most of him.

Hanzo is one of the names in Overwatch 2 that will remain relatively untouched. That said, the hero’s Storm Arrow deals 5 less damage, meaning he needs one extra shot to kill a target with 200 HP. This will be disappointing for some players, but those who know how to use Hanzo can easily land at least one headshot.

It is important to remember that Overwatch 2 brought a lot of game changes, such as a 10% bonus movement speed for all DPS heroes. Mid-range monsters like Hanzo will benefit a lot from it because they will become even harder to kill.

Junkrat

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Junkrat is probably not the first name that comes to mind when talking about popular Overwatch heroes. Despite his high damage and decent mobility, he never became that popular among pro players. However, it seems like this could change because Junkrat received a couple of buffs in Overwatch 2.

The most significant thing about him in Overwatch 2 is that his Frag Launcher will have a larger projectile size. In other words, people will be able to do much more damage because it should be easier to hit opponents.

Another thing that’s new to Junkrat in OW 2 is his Steel Trap’s damage and projectile speed. This ability now deals 100 damage, Junkrat can throw it much faster than before. This should be enough to make Steel Trap more dangerous, especially when it comes down to killing low HP targets.

Orisa

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The next hero that will be as popular in Overwatch 2 as it was in the game’s original version is Orisa. Many people underestimate this hero, but there is no arguing that Orisa is one of the best tanks in the game.

Her role in Overwatch was to be the team’s main tank. That’s why it offered a strong barrier and was able to reduce the incoming damage. As for the ult, Orisa provided a solid damage boost to all allies.

Even though she had a lot of fans in Overwatch, it seems like Blizzard’s developers decided that Orisa was not that fun to play. That’s why Overwatch 2 changed pretty much everything about the gank.

Instead of having a barrier, Orisa uses a spear that allows the hero to do damage and deflect incoming attacks. What’s more, this tank has one of the most powerful ultimates in the game that can easily do more than 500 damage.

Speaking of ultimates, we’ve already covered the combos between Orisa and Symmetra in our article, so definitely check it out. These two heroes can be highly efficient.

Winston

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The last spot on our list is for a hero that everyone loves. Winston has always been one of the heroes that symbolize Overwatch because he is entertaining and easy to play. However, his inability to do any damage from a distance made him very weak in some scenarios.

While it is true that lack of range damage did not prevent Winston from becoming one of the go-to tanks in the game, he is even better in Overwatch 2. Starting with his base armor, the hero now has 50 more than before, which means he is even harder to kill.  

Even though Overwatch 2 nerfed most barriers, this was not the case for Winston. His Barrier Projector now has 700 HP and has 12 seconds cooldown. However, its duration is down to 8 seconds.

Aside from all that, Winston finally can do damage from a distance. His Tesla Cannon can be used to release a jolt of electricity that can deal up to 50 damage. This is not that impressive, but it can be enough to score a kill on a target that’s trying to run away.