Overwatch 2 has a large roster of different heroes split up across the Tank, DPS, & Support roles. While this offers more selections to keep players entertained, it can be rather daunting for newbies to try to figure out where to get started.
Thankfully, when it comes to Overwatch 2 Tank characters, there are a few that stand out as the most beginner-friendly choices, either due to their simple yet reliable kits, or their ability to blend into almost any team comp and get value.
Overwatch 2: Best Tanks For Beginners
If you’re getting started on the Tank role in Overwatch 2, the heroes listed below, while in no particular order, are a brilliant starting point.
Reinhardt
Reinhardt is one of the best all-rounder Tanks, and he has a simple yet reliable kit that makes him a brilliant option for beginners.
Rein thrives in close range due to his hammer, so as long as you familiarize yourself with using your shield at close distance, swing, then repositioning behind natural cover or free space, you’ll be able to continue improving your Rein skills and make plays over every new game. Oh, and remember not to charge in way ahead of your team, so they can continue to back you up.
Plus, Rein works relatively well in all game modes and can fit into a team comp alongside most DPS and Support choices. Your biggest hurdle will likely be overcoming certain enemy Tank picks, but when you’re just starting out, you don’t need to worry about the whole ‘Tank Diff’ thing anyway – just have fun and enjoy the big hammer man!
Orisa
Orisa has a very beginner-friendly kit, making her another great choice for Overwatch newbies. She has a primary fire that can shoot targets, a javelin spin to drive enemies back and survive certain projectiles or bullets, and a fortify to grant her increased survivability in the heat of combat.
Additionally, her spear throw is a hugely valuable asset that enables her to push enemies back, deal damage, and even stun them out of key cooldowns and abilities. Orisa also has the potential to fit into numerous team comps, and there aren’t many lineups in which she would struggle.
A good Orisa also has the potential to shut down enemy Tank picks. Reinhardt struggles to play into her spear, twirl, and fortify. Winston can be pushed out of his bubble and disrupted on dive with her twirl, and with the use of Orisa’s spear throw, Roadhog can be stunned out of healing with his breather, just to name a few.
Roadhog
Roadhog has a kit that is relatively simplistic and easy to learn. However, while his kit may be rather straightforward, there are a lot of little techniques and combos that players can learn as they gain experience on Roadhog to help him truly shine and even dominate some maps and matches.
Hog’s hook is very strong and versatile – you can hook enemies into traps for follow-up kills, hook them off the map for environmental kills (such as in Ilios Well), and use the hook to stun the enemies out of important cooldowns and Ultimate Abilities.
Where Hog tends to struggle is under heavy damage and status effects such as Anti, as this makes his huge self-heal much less efficient. If you manage to learn to work around these obstacles, he can be a powerhouse. Or, even if you don’t manage to overcome every obstacle as you learn the big ol’ guy, he’s still a very fun tank to play in general, which makes him a good introduction for newbies.
Sigma
Sigma’s kit is slightly more technical, but it has just such a solid assortment of tools that it makes for a brilliant beginner pick. Furthermore, Sigma has been in a relatively strong spot for almost the entirety of the seasonal OW2 meta, so players are setting themselves up for success if they manage to master this Talon agent Tank.
Firstly, he has an adaptive shield that allows for poke damage and helps to block important enemy abilities. His rock hard-stuns targets on hit, so it can be used with some very clever timing to clean up picks or shut down plays. His absorb is great for when you’re taking a bit of damage, as he then turns it into shields to keep him going in the active flow of combat. Lastly, and most importantly, his primary fire bounces off surfaces such as walls, rooftops, and floors.
This means that if you don’t have the best aim in the world, you can get creative with bouncing your primary around corners and walls to help you confirm those kills. While Sigma is not a flashy tank in comparison to others, he can be a crucial playmaker and leader on the battlefield. His kit is both forgiving and very powerful in the right hands, which makes him a perfect choice for new players to dedicate their matches to learning.
D.Va
D.Va, while not as simple as other Tanks on this list, is still quite beginner-friendly. She has a fun kit with high mobility and chase potential due to her rocket boosters and missiles, and her primary fire has infinite ammo, meaning new players can always just be clicking and shooting things without needing to worry too much. All around, she isn’t too hard for new players to get the basics down, and has an Ultimate Ability that tends to get rather good value in lobbies filled with newer players, as everyone is still learning how to react and counterplay/save themselves from different scenarios.
However, where D.Va really shines is with a proper understanding of her Defense Matrix and target priority. The good news is that these skills can be developed by simply playing the game over time. A strong D.Va has the potential to absorb not just general bullet damage from the enemy, but also vital ability cooldowns, and even ultimates. Zarya’s Grav, Moria’s Orbs, Ana’s Anti-Nade, Reaper’s Death Blossom, and Junkrat’s Death Mines are all examples of some of the many things Defense Matrix can absorb – all of which give D.Va Ult Charge!
Ramattra
Last on this list for now is none other than Null Sector’s leader, Ramattra. Much like D.Va, Ramattra has a few more complexities to his kit, but the basics can be picked up by new players, and then if they find they have a feel for his play style or they really enjoy his kit, they can develop their skills.
Ramattra has a shield that can be placed on cooldown, a projectile-based primary fire that deals solid damage, and a vortex that slows and even grounds flying enemies. Then, Ramattra can also shift into his secondary form for close-range combat.
In this form, his punches even go through shields to deal damage, which is a rather forgiving mechanic for newbies. Lastly, his Ultimate ability is pretty easy to gain value from once you learn the timing. Essentially, Ram is a solid tank for newbies to gain value from as an entry point, with a high skill ceiling to then grow into as they keep playing over time.
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