Ever since the announcement of Overwatch 2 switching to 5v5 on May 20th, 2022, tank players have been worrying about the change to their role in the new version of Overwatch. As the final beta has come to an end, and the release of the long-awaited game is right around the corner, even more questions have arisen about what will happen with meta/role shifts for each character. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at what off-tanks in the first Overwatch look in the newest iteration of the game, and how to play those heroes in the new game.

What is an Off-Tank?

In Overwatch, there are different roles for each category. For example, for tanks, there are main tanks and off-tanks, for damage, there is hitscan and projectile, and for support there is main support and flex support. Off-tanks are the supportive tank role that have the abilities and capability to carry a fight. These are heroes like Zarya and D.Va that can peel for the team and be able to help their main tank tank.

What characters were considered off-tanks in Overwatch 1, and what are their new roles with no other tanks alongside them? Starting alphabetically, we’ll answer these questions.

D.Va

D.Va has been arguably the most consistent off-tank in Overwatch for the past 3-4 years. She was the best option for off-tank in dive, rush, and brawl compositions because she was able to use her defense matrix and her 600hp to help the other tank. But now, in Overwatch 2, she is no longer a support to another tank but she enables her damage characters to carry the fight, and she can enable many different characters with her abilities.

For example, you can play D.Va with a Genji and Tracer to become a dive composition, feasting on the backline of the enemy team. Or she can be used with an Ashe (most likely Mercy pocketed) and a Tracer/Sombra to form a poke composition, where her role would be to help out her own backline and enable them to deal as much damage as possible. Although D.Va is very good at enabling her team to deal damage and get picks, she also is great at disabling enemies’ flanks and dives to keep her teammates alive.

Roadhog

Roadhog is a bit of an odd character regarding being listed as an off-tank because his abilities make him a lone wolf, able to go off by himself and flank. In Overwatch, Roadhog was meant to be taking the high ground in the middle of fights, lurking around every corner to catch rotations of the enemy team to put his team into a 6v5 while his team played safe. Now with Overwatch 2 and 5v5 with one tank coming into play, he is forced to play with the team and be the brunt of the damage.

So far, Roadhog is at the bottom of the meta due to his lack of team-oriented abilities in a game with no other tank to fill that role, and he gets countered by so many other characters that are good in the sequel. Playing as Roadhog in Overwatch 2 means that you have to find the perfect rotation timing, and punish your enemies for using their abilities incorrectly. For example, Hog gets countered heavily by Ana’s bio-nade, so if you are playing him then you need to wait for her to use that ability or try and bait it out so that you and your team can advance into a better position to take a teamfight.

Sigma

Sigma has always been a very passive character since his release in 2019. His role in Overwatch 1 was to play safe and off-angle from high grounds, while assisting his main tank and teammates by keeping them alive and giving them cover to hide behind. Sigma hasn’t changed much by the deletion of a second tank in Overwatch 2, because he still sits behind his shield on high grounds with long ranged damage heroes behind him.

However, because there isn’t an Orisa to cover the main lane of a map, a Wrecking Ball to pick off enemies in their backline and disrupt their pushes, or a Roadhog on the lurk to punish enemies out of position, Sigma players need to be more aware of where they put themselves in a teamfight.

Zarya

With the addition of her having two bubbles on the same cooldown, rather than a teammate bubble and a personal bubble, Zarya is more self-sufficient with gaining charge than she used to be, which allows her to be more aggressive with her second rotation of them. In Overwatch 1, Zarya’s job in a team fight was broken down into this:

Use your personal bubble and your friendly bubble to get as much charge as possible, trying to get 60 minimum

Wait for both of your bubbles to come off of cooldown

Use your friendly bubble on your main tank then take an off angle with your personal bubble online to keep your charge high and deal damage in the side/back of the enemy team

But now in the second version of the game, you can use both bubbles on yourself to maximize the charge you’re able to obtain. Also, with the lack of a second tank, the off-angling ability of Zarya is very limited because she needs to be able to bubble her teammates and be the frontline that the team needs. Although, there are some similarities between the start of a fight in both games, because you still need to focus on gaining that charge and using your bubbles correctly to do so. Compared to the first game, this is Zarya’s job in a teamfight in Overwatch 2:

Use both bubbles to gain charge, trying to get 60 minimum

Wait for at least one bubble to come off cooldown, then snowball your charge while focusing on position to deal as much damage as possible to the enemy team

Conclusion

As you can see, the role of off-tanks and how you play them have been changed heavily, to the point where the role of individual characters have been changed. Whether you are just starting to play the role of off-tank or are a seasoned veteran with those characters, the changes to the tank role itself force you to change how you play.

To be more consistent with your performance, make sure to focus on punishing your enemies for their mistakes, as well as enabling your teammates to maximize your value as an only tank.