Your All-In-One Guide To Every Overwatch Hero

If you're reading this then you're either: my friends & family (thanks guys) or more likely because you're as excited as I am for Blizzard Entertainment's gorgeous and highly anticipated venture into the realm of the FPS (First Person Shooter). Blizzard being most widely known for the Diablo, StarCraft and WarCraft series' but regardless of your interest in those games, Overwatch is a game you need in your life. Take a quick look at the game trailer below:

Before I get into the bulk of what you came here for, let's get a little background on the game for those who may have wandered in, simply curious about Overwatch. The game itself, as I stated earlier is a multiplayer FPS game that utilizes a plethora of 'heroes', each with their own unique abilities (powers) and roles within a team. The roles aspect is one of the elements that makes Overwatch unique when compared to other multiplayer FPS games like: Battlefield, Destiny, Homefront, Call of Duty and so many more that would take far too long to list. Overwatch focuses on squad-based combat with opposing teams of six facing off in several different game modes that you would expect with a squad based game. Each player chooses a hero to participate in the mission, and as I said each hero has a role to play (read class system).

There are 4 roles (Offense, Defense, Tank & Support) that all the characters fit into and the best way to describe them is to break it down and look at each role and how it can suit your specific play style.

OFFENSIVE CHARACTERS

These characters are quick and agile. They focus on speed and power as they can deal massive damage. The downside to these characters are their low health score (hit points).

Tracer's unique ability to control the speed of her passage through time thanks to 'Blink' and 'Recall' allows her to move about the battlefield in a sometimes confusing way. She is the best flanking hero in the game.

Ideal Player: Anyone who wants to go find enemies and get up close and personal.

McCree is the epitome of a solo gunner thanks to his weapon of choice and his ability to dodge in an instant. His 'Flashbang' will come in handy when trying to flank your enemies.

Ideal Player: The mid-range shooter who is quick on the draw.

Soldier 67 is a lock, stock and barrel rifle-master. He focuses on offense, but he's a bit of a hybrid as he can drop his 'Biotic Field' and aid in healing his fellow brothers in arms.

Ideal Player: Call of Duty gamers. Enough said.

Reaper is one of my favorite characters, as he is the closest thing to a character that feels like you're playing a single-player game. Reaper can fulfill a variety of purposes: attack, ambush and scout all, usually, without the need of the rest of your team.

Ideal Players: The lone wolf gamer who wants to challenge themselves.

Genji is one of the most difficult hero to master, but he comes with the greatest advantage (if you can master the precision required). Genji's primary weapon are his shurikens which in and of itself is totally badass! Yet they are difficult to consistently land on your enemy.

Ideal Player: The "I'm going to destroy the universe" gamer.

Pharah pretty much embodies mobility and power as she carries her rocket launcher and moves around the battlefield with her jump jets. Her strength lies in the fact that she is an aggressive assaulter and can usually overpower her enemies.

Ideal Player: The bash the door in and blow everything up player.

DEFENSIVE CHARACTERS

These characters have a knack for protection and creating traps for enemies, including a variety of field supports as well as creating choke points. They are fairly rounded characters but focus on sentry work and patrolling.

Bastion is a unique defensive character that has two configurations: a stationary powerhouse with an attached gattling gun and a walking shooter with a submachine gun.

Ideal Player: The sentry type of player.

Widowmaker is the absolute definition of sniper, with her 'Grappling Hook' she can rapidly move from one sniping location to the next to avoid detection. Her sniper rifle can also can also be charged for maximum damage.

Ideal Player: A sniper, as you can imagine.

Mei is a unique character to play, she focuses on slowing her enemies and causing damage. Her 'Ice Wall' is ideal for setting up a choke point and blocking line of sight towards a specific area. She is a hybrid support/defense character.

Ideal Player: The pain-in-the-ass player who enjoys making life difficult.

Junkrat is absolutely crazy, plain and simple. He is a self-made killing machine consisting of skin, bones and demolition material. He is a hybrid offense/defense type character as he has an incredible knack for doling out massive damage while also being able to halt enemies in their tracks with his 'Steel Trap'.

Ideal Player: Someone with suicidal tendencies.

Hanzo is another of the most difficult players to master. He is deadly accurate with his Storm Bow, but like Genji it takes practice and timing to master it, and with mastery comes some incredible perks. He is a mix between sniper and flanker thanks to his various arrow skills.

Ideal Player: The quiet character that you never saw coming.

Torbjorn is an engineer who specializes in building weapons and armor. He can create and upgrade turrets to build a strong defensive front. His main focus in on absolute defense thanks to his armor and turret creation.

Ideal Player: An overall defensive-focused player

TANK CHARACTERS

A tank is, as you would imagine, a character that can absorb enemy fire and draw enemies away from their teammates. They have the most health but are limited in other areas as they primarily act as a buffer for their allies.

Three words: Giant Mech Suit. D.va is a young woman who pilots the giant mech suit equipped with powerful fusion cannons that don't need reloading. D.va has power and mobility thanks to her 'Boosters' whick makes her a strong all-around Tank.

Ideal Player: Anyone who wants to plow through the front line.

Winston is another abnormally mobile Tank character thanks to his 'Jump Pack', and when you combine that with his easy to aim Tesla Cannon he becomes a very offensive character to have to deal with.

Ideal Player: A gamer who wants to support and charge into battle.

With the highest health score, Roadhog is not easily defeated, especially with the ability to 'Take A Breather' and restore half of hit hit points in an instant. He specializes in pulling his enemies out of formation and bringing them in close to finish them off.

Ideal Player: Anyone who is content with plodding across the battlefield.

Zarya is a hybrid Offensive/Tank character as she has the lowest health of all the Tanks, but has the greatest potential for damage with her Particle Cannon. Her Cannon is augmented by the barriers that she casts on enemies and allies making her a unique player to take to the front line.

Ideal Player: A player who is ready to fight at any instant.

Simply put, Reinhardt is a walking wall of defense. With a massive shield and a huge hammer it is able to decimate anything that comes at him. Although he has limited mobility, he has the largest melee range thanks to his 'Charge' and 'Fire Strike' abilities.

Ideal Player: The powerhouse aficionado.

SUPPORT CHARACTERS

These few characters are specifically suited to augment their team or weaken the opponents. Their attack is not where their power resides but the buffs and debuffs they use can turn the tables on the battle.

A mobile and agile performer, Lucio brings the ability to boost his allies speed and health regeneration as well as create shields to augment damage. His strength is in his auras and amplification as his primary weapon is one of the weakest in game weapons.

Ideal Player: Support, plain and simple, you won't be attacking much.

Zenyatta focuses on support in terms of healing allies and amplifying damage to enemies. His low health is made up for by the fact that he can act as a buffer when in 'Transcendence' and block incoming attacks to allies while also casting restorative energies.

Ideal Player: The healer, there's always a healer.

Mercy is a guardian angel, she brings both healing and resurrection to her team. Mercy can scan the battlefield from great heights and add buffs to any ally that she can link to. Her real power is in her ability to rapidly reach allies in need of help.

Ideal Player: The player who wants to heal and add augmentation.

Symmetra works differently than her fellow Support characters, she creates constructs and walls rather than healing her allies. She can create several small turrets as well as shields to allies that regenerate health quickly. Thanks to her 'Teleport' ultimate ability, Symmetra can bring allies directly to the fight or aid in a quick retreat.

Ideal Player: The game-changer who wants to be in the thick of battle.

As you can see, there are a vast number of possibilities from which you can choose to suit your specific play style, and as you play through the various game styles I'm sure you'll find various uses for each unique character.