Playing DPS in Overwatch 2 is high-risk, high-reward. This Overwatch 2 DPS Tier List 2025 highlights damage heroes, some of the toughest to play, given their singular focus on securing eliminations while managing relatively small health pools.
This Overwatch 2 DPS tier list ranks the damage roster, helping you identify the best DPS in Overwatch 2 for the current meta.
Understanding Damage Heroes
Of the 18 current damage heroes, there are a lot of play styles to choose from. Generally these playstyles are categorized as Poke, Dive and Brawl.
- Poke heroes keep their distance, firing damage at the front line. So this consists of snipers, alongside other heroes who thrive in medium to long range.
- Dive heroes aim to eliminate vulnerable backline targets, like support heroes, thanks to their mobility.
- Brawl heroes want to jump in at close range, locking down enemy targets in the middle of the team fight. Often facing off against tanks directly.
While these three categories are useful, it’s also worth noting that many heroes can fill in multiple roles. For example, Reaper could play a Dive or Brawl playstyle. While Junkrat can fill all three depending on his positioning.
Ultimately, while these hero types can be useful, knowing the best DPS heroes in Overwatch 2 from this list can give players an edge in adapting to the current meta. After all, to effectively play most heroes you also want to be out-witting your opponent to gain additional advantages. And switching up your playstyle is one of the best ways to gain that very advantage.
Decoding a Teir List
Before we dive into the tier list, it’s worth understanding what it actually means. After all, all Overwatch 2 heroes are powerful and viable, but this Overwatch 2 DPS tier list highlights the most effective picks for various situations. This tier list will simply rank heroes by who is most viable: that is, most generally effective and powerful across different comps, maps, and counters. For a broader perspective on hero rankings, you can also check out our Overwatch 2 Tier List, which covers the top-performing heroes in the game.
But let’s break down a few of the key considerations you should make when picking a hero, which go beyond the letters on the following tier list.
Meta Impact Factors
Even during a season, the meta can shift rapidly. The best damage picks will often strongly depend on the best tank picks – as tanks are the primary denier of damage heroes’ potential. Thus, if the tank meta changes, you may well find the most viable damage heros switching around.
Counter-Play
While meta can shift, so can the dynamics of a single game. Savvy players will switch hero to counter your effective play. And if they do that, the most viable damage hero will likely change.
Team Composition Considerations
Synergy is one of the largest parts of playing Overwatch, particularly competitively. For insights on maximizing synergy and mastering support roles, check out Overwatch 2 Support Guide, which provides strategies to enhance team compositions. Thus, the best damage hero will depend a lot on who YOUR tank is – as well as who the enemy has chosen.
Skill Requirements
While I’d love to say we can all play all damage heroes equally, damage is one of those roles where player skill really comes into focus. Specifically, most damage characters simply need to land their shots to be effective. So get ready for some aim training if you want to join the top tiers of competitive without needing Overwatch 2 boosting.
This Overwatch 2 DPS tier list ranks damage heroes based on their effectiveness in the current meta. Each hero’s placement reflects their strengths, weaknesses, and adaptability in different situations. While this list provides a quick overview, you’ll find detailed insights and strategies for every hero further below, helping you understand why they excel or struggle in today’s game.
S-Tier: Meta Defining
- Widowmaker: Dominates sightlines and provides game-changing one-shot potential.
- Sojourn: A versatile damage-dealer with strong mobility and one-shot potential.
- Tracer: Exceptional mobility, consistent damage, and the ability to disrupt enemy backlines.
- Ashe: Reliable poke damage and a strong ultimate (B.O.B.) that can turn fights.
A-Tier: Strong and Reliable
- Echo: Versatile with a high-impact ultimate; effective against poorly positioned enemies.
- Genji: Deadly flanker with high mobility and synergy with nano-boosted Dragonblade.
- Cassidy: Reliable mid-range damage but limited mobility in a dive-heavy meta.
- Soldier: 76: All-rounder with good poke and self-healing but lacks strong burst damage.
B-Tier: Situationally Strong
- Sombra: Effective for disrupting supports but struggles with low damage output.
- Pharah: High damage but heavily countered by hitscan heroes in the current meta.
- Hanzo: Strong one-shot potential but lacks escape tools against dive compositions.
- Reaper: Excellent brawler but struggles against mobile tanks and snipers.
- Venture: Powerful in close-quarters combat, particularly on capture point maps, but struggles against mobile tanks and snipers.
C-Tier: Challenging Meta Position
- Junkrat: High damage in enclosed spaces but struggles in open maps and against mobile enemies.
- Mei: Utility-focused but lacks damage and mobility, making her less effective in the current meta.
- Symmetra: Strong in lower ranks, but her limited range and ramp-up time make her weak in higher tiers.
- Torbjörn: Can hold his own with turret setups, but his playstyle is predictable in high-level games.
- Bastion: High damage potential but held back by poor mobility and a large hitbox.
S-Tier: Meta Defining
As you’ll be able to see from these picks, the most reliable damage heroes come in one main type – snipers. This is simple. If a sniper can hit their shots, they are always a serious threat to the other team. Forcing your opponents to carefully hide from sightlines at the risk of being picked off in one hit.
Widowmaker
While it may be a tough pill to swallow for players who don’t have the best aim (like myself), Widowmaker has been dominating competitive play for a few seasons now. The current support and tank metas mean that Widowmaker often gets clear sightlines, giving her not only the ability to one-shot squishies, but also the chance to control serious space on the map.
And since Sombra has been reworked, Widow has become even harder to counter when played correctly. The only tough bit is hitting your shots…
Sojourn
With one of the most enjoyable play styles for those who can land their shots, Sojourn combines the kit of Widowmaker and Soldier 76 to create a deadly and mobile soldier. While this makes her tough to master, it means her potential is almost untapped.
Not to mention that Sojourn has received some serious buffs this season – with her Railgun secondary fire getting a 20% damage increase. Giving her the increased one-shot potential she needed to shine.
Ashe
Ashe has been dominating for a while now. Not only does she offer excellent poke damage with her dynamite and rifle, but Bob is one of the most disruptive ults in the game when used correctly. Not to mention that when played correctly, Bob can be one of the fastest ults to charge.
Again, you simply need to land your shots with Ashe to get the most out of her. But if you can do that, her potential is huge.
Tracer
Since release day of the original Overwatch, Tracer consistently ranks among the top-rated damage hero choices in Overwatch 2, thanks to her mobility and high burst potential. Her ability to pick of squishies, dish out formidable flanking damage and remain self-sufficient are almost unmatched. Not to mention her ult’s penitential to secure tricky eliminations on squishies.
Last season Tracer received a recall buff, which let her continue to dominate. And since the current meta is really driven by tanks being enabled by their support, Tracer is a game-changer with the potential to take away those lifelines.
A-Tier: Strong and Reliable
Echo
While Echo’s versatile kit keeps her among Overwatch 2’s most reliable DPS options, even when countered by certain picks. Notably her ability to eliminate poorly positioned squishies alongside her totally game-changing ultimate – which is guaranteed to shift the tides of battle, especially when used to copy a tank.
Genji
Genji’s high mobility skill ceiling can be tough to master, but it’s most certainly worth it. His fast flank playstyle makes him a support player’s worst nightmare. Not to mention the fact that nano-blade remains one of the best ult combos in the entire game.
That said, it’s important to remember your role when you pick Genji. Avoid poking the tanks, and spend your time taking out the supports. Then you’ll truly unlock his potential.
Cassidy
If you can hit your shots, Cassidy can dish out some serious damage to everyone on the enemy team. While Cassidy’s brawling and poke playstyle may not seem to position him as the best hero to take out supports in this meta – think again. This isn’t a shield meta. So if you pick your targets wisely you Cassidy is actually great at picking off supports and damage heroes alike through the team fight.
Cassidy’s main weakness is his lack of mobility, which can often be the death of him when playing with or against too many dive heroes.
Soldier: 76
Somewhat of an all-rounder Soldier: 76 is one of the most reliable poke/flank heroes out there, offering a very low skill floor thanks to his forgiving rifle, ultimate and potential for self-healing. What holds Soldier back at the higher levels of play is the lack of burst damage (apart from Helix rockets), which can make it difficult to secure elims in amongst the teamfight.
B-Tier: Situationally Strong
Sombra
Always a controversial pick, Sombra’s effect on the battlefield is rarely seen through her stats. After all, Sombra is a pure flanker. With her time best spent bursting down single supports – which causes a knock-on effect leading to your team winning the teamfight.
While hack and EMP are nowhere near as powerful as they were in Overwatch 1, Sombra’s single-target damage is significant in Overwatch 2. Leading to some game-changing plays if used correctly.
However, when you pick Sombra, you must submit yourself to the heckles of your teammates who will demand you switch due to your low damage numbers.
Pharah
With one of the highest raw damage outputs, particularly for non hitscan heroes, Pharah can shift the tide of battle with a few well placed rockets. Her effectiveness is discussed in Pocket Tactics’ Overwatch 2 Tier List. And phar-mercy pocket is still incredibly powerful.
However, due to the strength of snipers and hitscans in this meta, Pharah can be very hard to play effectively. Dropping her down the ranks. That said, if you notice your opponents are without a hitscan, Pharah can be one of the hardest heroes to shut down in the game.
Hanzo
With one-shot potential, Hanzo can dominate lobbies. However, the current meta sees him fall behind a little without the support of a strong front line. After all, Hanzo’s biggest weakness has always been his ability to escape a dive.
Reaper
Perhaps the best brawler in the game, as he can take on most tanks and win, Reaper can be a menace if left unchecked. However, like Hanzo, the current meta has him more or less locked down. The presence of snipers and highly mobile tanks can greatly reduce reaper’s effectiveness.
Venture
Another powerful brawler, Venture’s kit is powerful – given the right environment. Her close-quarters playstyle makes her effective on capture point maps. But her potential in the current meta is kept in check by the snipers and mobile tanks who Venture struggles to hold her own against.
C-Tier: Challenging Meta Position
Junkrat
With perhaps the highest damage output of all easy-to-play heroes, Junkrat is surprisingly hard to use well in the current meta. His ability to burst down squishies reduced by their mobility and his lack of escape options when behind enemy lines. Thus, Junkrat’s poke and brawler playstyle places him lower in Overwatch 2 damage rankings compared to more versatile options.
Mei
Frozen at the bottom, Mei has rarely been at the top of the damage tier list. The reason is simple: her damage potential isn’t high enough. If anything, Mei is better off thought of as an offensive support than a dps. Given her ability to freeze the enemy, shut off sightlines and hold capture points.
Mei particularly suffers in the current meta due to her lack of mobility. Making her an easy headshot for most snipers.
Symmetra
Symmetra is incredibly powerful in the lower ranks of Overwatch 2, where the raw damage of her gun’s ever-growing beam will melt entire teams as they panic. This observation aligns with GosuGamers’ Overwatch 2 Tier List, which ranks Symmetra accordingly. However, as you rise up the ranks Symmetra quickly loses her edge.
Why? Well, her gun only becomes formidable after a few seconds of engagement. And in high-ranking competitive, that amount of time is enough to see any damage hero get focused down. Ultimately, Symmetra takes too long to deliver her value, making her weak at high ranks where headshots are the norm, not the exception.
Torbjörn
Another builder, Torb similarly can be very hard to shut down at low tiers of play. But his locked-down playstyle and unfavourable hitbox makes him incredibly easy to deal with for higher ranks.
That said, turret, molten core and overload can find powerful uses in the right hands.
Bastion
Ah Bastion. Despite his many changes over the years, Bastion’s raw damage output has never been enough for his huge hitbox, lack of mobility and lack of range. While he can be used effectively in the right hands to dish out huge amounts of damage, most players are going to struggle to find the space to do so.
After all, Bastion requires a coordinated team to use his potential, which limits his position in Overwatch 2 damage hero rankings for most players. And in the current meta, that’s simply not happening for most.
Picking Your Damage Hero
Picking which damage hero to master from the entire roster is no easy feat. Some require pinpoint accuracy. Some require careful ability usage. And some only work in specific situations. While all this is true, your best bet is to pick at least 2-3 damage heroes to learn.
The best choices would be one poke, one flank and one brawler. Picking ones which suit your mechanical abilities and – most of all – you enjoy playing. After all, all heroes are viable when played well. That’s the beauty of Overwatch.