Tank is arguably the most imperative role on a team in Overwatch 2, and now that there is only one tank on each team of five players, it has become one of the more intimidating roles to pick up. Furthermore, not all tanks are created equal, so it can be tough to know which hero is the right call. Well, fear not! We are going to be ranking each tank in the game so that you can comfortably go into your next match with confidence!
The new 5 vs. 5 game mode in Overwatch 2 has put quite a bit of pressure on tank players with the game’s release. Tank has become such a crucial role on a team because there is only one tank on a team when playing role queue in competitive or quick play. This means that once a team’s tank dies, the fight swings in the other team’s favor almost immediately. Knowing which tank heroes are powerful and which ones are not so great can help you swing games your team’s way. Here we are going to rank each tank hero so that you can have a better idea of whom to pick next time you queue up for the role!
Special thanks to the TierMaker website for the list provided!
Starting at the top of our list in the S tier we have Orisa, D.Va, and Winston. These characters have dominated this recent meta and for good reason, they are extremely strong when played correctly and along with a good team. What makes them great is all three of these characters have the survivability to work well in situations where you are down in a fight or by yourself, while also having the mobility to escape those unfavorable situations at any moment in time. In addition to this, all three of these characters are great on both attack and defense and work great with several team compositions.
Orisa’s new heat mechanic on her gun allows her to stay in an extended fight comfortably without having to reload and retreat where other characters otherwise would, making her great on both defense and offense. Her Energy Javelin is good for catching out the enemy DPS and Support heroes to pick off weak targets or split up fights. Javelin Spin has replaced Orisa’s barrier ability from Overwatch 1, giving her a more aggressive option at the cost of a flat defensive option, this also gives her a nice speed boost as well while being used. Speaking of defensive options, her Fortify ability is extremely good, giving her over-health for a short duration while also decreasing damage and crowd control taken. Finally, her new ultimate ability Terra Surge is solid but is only good when you have good communication with your team, so make sure you are synergizing this with your DPS heroes like Reaper and Pharah or using it with an Ana Nano-Boost.
Winston’s success in the meta comes from the fact that he is so mobile for a tank. He is great at picking squishy DPS characters like Tracer and Genji because his Tesla Cannon is not a projectile, so just holding down fire allows for him to consistently damage multiple targets at times which is not hard considering his Jump Pack gives him so much mobility. His Barrier is also very good in teamfights, forcing enemies to get closer to him and his team, which is what he wants since his Cannon has a shorter range to it. The new addition of his charged right-click, however, has also given him a decent long-range option. Primal Rage isn’t the strongest Ultimate by any means, but what it is good for is dividing up fights for your team, allowing you to separate enemy Tanks or Healers from a fight letting your team take care of the rest.
Finally, last but not least in the S tier, we have D.Va, who has been confirmed to receive nerfs to her Boosters and her Fusion Cannon’s bullet spread. However, as a whole, I still believe that she is still a very strong pick. Her Boosters still provide an insane amount of mobility for a tank, and while the damage is being decreased from 25 to 15, she can still separate fights and close distance with this ability, which still makes her a great choice despite her Bullet spread also being affected. Defense Matrix is remaining untouched, so she still provides great shutdown and frontline potential for her team. Micro Missiles are also staying the same, so she still has a solid burst option in that, and Self Destruct is still one of the best Ultimate in the game when used correctly, so she is still in a relatively good spot post nerfs.
In the A-tier, we have Zarya and Sigma. These two characters, while still very strong tanks to pick, just fall a bit short compared to the heroes in the S tier. They have great survivability and team synergy like the S-tier heroes but fall just a bit short when it comes to mobility, skill ceilings, or other areas.
It might be a bit bold putting Zarya in the A tier because of her nerfs but I feel like it is justifiable. Her Ultimate is still very strong and remains untouched, which is a plus, and her overall damage output for a tank with her Energy passive is still going to be very strong. However, the duration and cooldown of her bubble will be noticeable which is why I feel she will fall off just a tad bit. Her Barrier duration is being decreased from 2.5 seconds to 2 seconds, and her cooldown is getting increased from 10 to 11 seconds means you are going to be protected for less time and it will take more time in between your shields. Zarya only has 250 health and 225 shields, making her total hit points only 475, which is considerably low for a tank. Overall, Zarya is still a strong option to pick. She is just less oppressive than she once was, while also being a bit difficult to play at times.
Sigma and Zarya are similar in a certain sense, they both have very solid damage output for tanks, and they have solid survivability and team synergy. They also have the same weaknesses, however, as they are both very one-dimensional characters and lack range. Sigma’s overall HP is 550 (350 bases health + 200 shield) meaning he is on the lower side for a tank but gains the benefit of regeneration from the shield. His Experimental Barrier and Kinetic Grasp are both very good survivability tools in team and solo situations, and Accretion and Gravitic Flux are both very good damage and crowd control abilities. Overall, Sigma is a good character, he just struggles in some situations due to his lack of mobility and streamlined playstyle.
Coming in at B-tier we are starting to get into the more situational category. These heroes are good in their own right and aren’t necessarily bad and they certainly could be played more often or not, but many times playing one of the heroes in the A or S tier might be a better idea depending on your situation. Without further delay, we have Reinhardt and Roadhog. These two are strong characters, but they do lack some things that the other tanks above have.
To start things off we have Reinhardt, and we all know that the best thing about Reinhardt is undoubtedly his Barrier Field. While it does have less health than its Overwatch 1 counterpart, it is still the best barrier in the game and can be extremely useful. He now has two charges of Fire Strike which is nice since at times it felt like a waste if you missed your shot. His Charge is still a very good move and can nuke squishy DPS and support characters or completely remove enemy tanks from fights. Lastly, his Earthshatter, while better than it was in Overwatch 1, can still be easily avoided and maneuvered around if it is read by the enemy. Overall, Reinhardt is a solid character that just struggles when it comes to range and being a bit too predictable.
Roadhog is a very polarized character, because, on offense and control point situations, he is very good when played correctly and can often solo carry teams, but on defense, he struggles to provide for his team at times. To start things off, Roadhog is an absolute behemoth with 700 HP, tied for the most health in the game with Wrecking Ball. Roadhog’s Hook is his bread and butter, hooking someone and then buffering a melee after you shoot will delete anyone under 200 health. His Take a Breather is his main survivability tool healing him for 350 HP and reducing incoming damage for a short time. Finally, Whole Hog got significantly buffed in Overwatch 2, allowing you to control when you are firing during the duration. Overall, Roadhog is a good character but generally is a lot more useful in aggressive and offensive situations rather than defensive ones.
Making our way down to the C-Tier, these characters are not horrible by any means, but require a lot more team coordination and are very situational or niche picks most of the time. Sometimes you can get away with picking these characters, but most of the time the characters in B through S tier would be a better option. However, in the C-Tier we have Junker Queen and Wrecking Ball.
When the game was first released, I thought Junker Queen was an absolute monster and she can be in some situations when she is in the right hands, there is no doubting that. However, Junker Queen can be very feast or famine, and she will starve if she is not surrounded by a good team. Her survivability is solid with her passive healing from her wound damage and her Commanding Shout can help extend fights for herself and her team. Carnage and Rampage are also really great abilities for racking up her wound passive and taking care of squishy targets. Overall, while her kit is very solid, Junker Queen relies on her teammates a bit too much to thrive.
Wrecking Ball also has the same struggles as Junker Queen and requires good team coordination and composition to see success. Wrecking Ball definitely can be a pain for the enemy. Roll paired with Grappling Claw can cause some trouble. Adaptive Shield is a very useful survivability tool. Minefield is very good for holding points and payload pushes, but one Reinhardt Shield or Sigma Barrier can delete the mines pretty quickly. Overall, Wrecking Ball needs a good surrounding cast and has a bit of a higher skill ceiling to play properly but can be useful in some situations.
Finally, the D-Tier. While people might find playing this character fun, is easily the worst tank in the game currently and essentially gets outclassed by every other tank in the game. Here in the D-Tier, we have Doomfist. Doomfist desperately needs some help from Blizzard in order to see more play.
Doomfist was converted from DPS to Tank in the transition from Overwatch 1 to Overwatch 2 and it feels like he was just released in the middle of that transition. His passive gives him temporary health with damage dealt, but he lacks any other survivability tools besides his Power Block. While this does charge his Rocket Punch damage, if you make a critical error while playing Doomfist, it can cost your entire team a fight. His ultimate is still Meteor Strike, and it still feels lackluster compared to the other tank heroes. Doomfist has not fit into the tank role well and needs help to find his footing in the Meta.
Tank has become a crucial role in Overwatch 2. Understanding which tanks are at the top and which ones need some help is important in winning fights and games. As a tank, make sure you are working with your team and picking one that fits well into your team’s composition! Hopefully, this article has helped some tanks fly onto your radar for your next match!
