There are all sorts of vastly distinct heroes to play around with in Activision-Blizzard’s MOBA-tinged FPS, Overwatch. Indeed, much of the appeal of the game is trying out a brand new hero and playing around with their unique abilities and skillsets.
When it comes to the three major categories - DPS, tank, and support - the tank role can a huge game-changer for players that know what they’re doing. A good tank can really help dictate the pace and even outcome of a game in Overwatch, given their array of skills and ability to take the brunt of attacks. These are the titans of the game; most of whom can take a wallop.
Heroes have been ordered by recent win percentage across all skill levels. Some work better at lower tiers and some work better for the pros, but all are viable depending on the team composition.
8 Winston
Among all tank heroes, none of them have a lower win rate than Winston and it’s not hard to see why. Most tanks are responsible for defending their teammates. Winston does have a shield that defends large groups, but it’s limited to those around him.
And therein lies the issue; for him to do anything, he has to be in melee combat, so his protection is extended only to melee targets. Finally, his strategy of rushing into combat makes him hard to heal. The next game will need a new style of support hero if Winston is going to remain even close to relevant.
7 Orisa
When this list first debuted, Orisa was the undisputed top of the charts. That tends to happen with new heroes. Now, she’s one of only two tank heroes with a negative win rate. What happened that took her from the top of the leaderboards to making embarrassing plays?
Patches have seen her shield amount reduced and the range of her Halt! bubble reduced to almost nothing. This punished the two things that made her notable. Now, in addition to being a poor tank, she’s not even that much fun to play. Even Winston can be a good time.
6 Wrecking Ball
Going forward, all tanks from Wrecking Ball and above have winning records. Since Wrecking Ball is a dive tank, like Winston, players might rightfully wonder how this little hamster that inspires real-life hamster cosplays of Wrecking Ball, has so much more success than his counterpart.
Aside from more survivability, Wrecking Ball can also regularly smack opponents off of the point and into danger. He’s also unquestionably the fastest hero in the game, so if players need to get on the point to prevent a loss, Wrecking Ball can get there quickly and survive a walloping before the rest of the team arrives to secure the area.
5 Roadhog
Despite some nerfs since Roadhog’s inception, he remains a viable option at every level. He doesn’t have a shield and “tanks” by absorbing damage that he can heal. This sounds like bad news but his core mechanic is all he needs to dominate most DPS and support classes.
In a professional game, getting hooked by Roadhog is nearly a guaranteed fatality. He’ll get a freebie headshot and teammates will immediately recognize the hook and join in on the damage. If they aren’t killed outright, they still have to make the long journey back to safety.
4 D.Va
D.Va has been all over the place on this list and has seen more reworks and adjustments than any other tank. Luckily, she finds herself at a healthy “above-average” after all was said and done. Well-placed ultimates are tough to time and take a while to charge up, but if they go off right, they can single-handedly win games.
Although D.Va is something of a dive tank and lacks the ability to protect the bulk of her team, she gets an extra life when her mech is destroyed, extending her longevity. She can also push enemies off of ledges or into harm’s way. As long as Mei sacrificing her doesn’t happen, she’s good to withstand waves of damage.
3 Sigma
Sigma’s greatest strength is a fairly wide shield that can be cast and recast immediately. Unlike many tanks that place a shield and wait for a cooldown, Sigma only experiences a cooldown if that shield is destroyed. But this isn’t the only weapon in his toolbox.
Sigma has a self-heal that absorbs attacks (including many ultimates) and converts the damage to a shield. His regular attacks bounce off of walls and burst in a radius, so he’s got some ability on the DPS charts as well. His ultimate requires a coordinated team to take advantage of, but those who do communicate find that wiping out squads isn’t so tough.
2 Zarya
At pro levels, Zarya is incredibly enraging to go against. She’ll protect her allies at key moments and prevent all damage. She can also protect herself and this move is on a separate cooldown. The absorbed damage makes her deal more damage. In a few seconds, she can become the most dangerous damage dealer on the field.
Her ultimate ability is likely the best in the game, not just among tanks, but among all classes. Teams wait for it to charge, then use it to gather groups and kill them en masse. She’s frequently selected in professional groups that just need one moment to seize a win.
1 Reinhardt
The guy with the big shield has endured a long journey. Reinhardt has always been one of the most winning characters in the game, somewhat near the top, but he finishes the original Overwatch as the winningest tank hero in the game.
The shield that protects allies as he moves is an obvious benefit. His charge gives him speed, an instant-death move, and an obscure way to save his healer. Oh, and that ultimate that stuns everyone in a huge cone, that’s just the cherry on top.
Overwatch is available now for Pc, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
