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Overwatch 2 has arrived, now free to play and pulling around 25 million players according to Blizzard at its launch. Although this launch hasn't been the smoothest and its new Battle Pass system has earned some criticism, it's hard to deny the game's popularity now that it has become available to a larger audience.
With 5v5 here and most heroes having gone through major reworks, players have a lot to sink their teeth into. Some heroes haven't quite received the appreciation that they deserve in this season one meta that favors fast-paced and dive-oriented heroes. Here's which Overwatch 2 heroes have underappreciated abilities.
10 Widowmaker's Venom Mine
In a strong dive meta such as this one, Widowmaker can be a bit hard to play on some maps. She thrives in longer-range maps such as Junkertown and Circuit Royale but can be a complete disaster pick on Push maps.
The Venom Mine in her kit is one of the most misunderstood abilities in the game. For new players, the important thing to remember is this: the Vernon Mine is a scouting tool. While holding an angle, players can throw it down near an entryway through which an enemy might flank them or their team, as when the mine breaks, Widowmaker gets notified. This is fantastic for gathering information and keeping an eye on those pesky flankers.
9 Mercy's Guardian Angel
Mercy is in an average spot in terms of utility in Overwatch 2 right now. She continues to be a favorite for many support players, despite her lack of raw utility compared to a few other picks. However, her movement abilities make her an unparalleled support, as does her Resurrection ability.
Another ability that players shouldn't overlook from her kit, in particular, is Guardian Angel. This is her basic movement ability, which is why players will be using it quite often, but most are likely not taking full advantage of what it can actually do. Pressing crouch or canceling the ability can allow Mercy to perform interesting backward jumps or high vertical super jumps that are super useful for evading enemy flankers or reaching high grounds without having to fly over to a teammate.
8 Pharah's Concussive Blast
Pharah is a powerful aerial DPS hero, but she's vulnerable without a Mercy pocketing her, especially if the enemy team decides to counter her with hitscan DPS heroes. It can take some time before players get used to her movement and stay in the air for as long as possible with her boosters.
Her Concussive Blast, however, is often overlooked by newer or less experienced players. It's a very powerful tool that can displace and push enemies, denying certain positions or even throwing them off the map. If Pharah is on the ground, Concussive Blast can be used to push her away from the enemy's face, should she end up in such an unfavorable situation.
7 Wrecking Ball's Piledriver
Without a doubt one of the weakest tanks as of right now, Wrecking Ball takes a lot of practice to get used to. He has a ton of cooldowns that players must consider, but once he's mastered, he becomes one of the most annoying and mobile tanks out there. He definitely needs his DPS to help him and go in with him to become a valuable pick.
That's why Piledriver is such an important cooldown, especially now that Overwatch 2 has done away with a lot of the game's stuns. Wrecking Ball can slam into a team and send the enemy flying upwards, which gives its own DPS and teammates a lot of time to target them and pick them off. When timed correctly, it's an incredibly powerful ability.
6 Hanzo's Lunge
Snipers like Hanzo and Widowmaker are known to be vulnerable against more mobile heroes, which is why any mobility abilities they have are valuable. Hanzo's Lunge ability might not come to mind as an important cooldown for players to keep in mind, hence why it's underappreciated, but it can be a real lifesaver.
Hanzo already benefits from his ability to wall climb to get to high places, but if he gets flanked or focused down, his ability to Lunge can make a difference. He can hop to a different high ground or close the distance between a friendly teammate that can protect him.
5 Zenyatta's Snap Kick
Zenyatta used to be one of the most vulnerable supports in the game, and he still is quite vulnerable in this season one dive meta. That's why Blizzard gave him his new Snap Kick ability, which is a melee that pushes enemies backward and away from him.
This push is nothing to scoff at. It has a pretty good push distance, and with the amount of damage Zenyatta can dish out with a Discord Orb, it can be a real menace in the right hands. Practice this Snap Kick a few times in the next games, and flankers will no longer be an issue when choosing him.
4 Doomfist's Power Block
Doomfist, like Wrecking Ball, is in a somewhat bad spot in the tank category. He recently made the jump from DPS to tank, and he hasn't fared incredibly well in this category. That said, he does have incredible mobility and a few of his cooldowns are interesting despite being underappreciated.
Power Block is his new ability, which allows him to block damage and makes him a bit more like a tank hero. While blocking and absorbing a lot of damage, it charges up his Rocket Punch, which pushes enemies back and deals extra damage if they are punched into a wall.
3 Cassidy's Combat Roll
Cassidy has gone through a few key changes now that many of the game's stuns have been done away with, but he retains his classic Combat Roll cooldown. Many players might use Combat Roll to get away or dodge something, but it does come in handy in other scenarios as well.
When Cassidy uses Combat Roll, his weapon gets reloaded. For a hitscan DPS that wants to keep on shooting as much as possible, especially during 1v1 engagements, this is a crucial detail to know.
2 Junkrat's Total Mayhem
Junkrat is an agent of chaos and mayhem in Overwatch 2 and hasn't changed dramatically from his first version. He can still dish out decent damage in the right hands but remains a somewhat situational and niche pick.
That said, in brawly compositions and against such teams, Junkrat can be an interesting pick if enemies stick together. One of his passives is called Total Mayhem, which spawns small bombs at his location when he dies. This can be deadly if low-health enemies are nearby in a chaotic team fight, and it's something others should watch out for when dueling him at close range.
1 Symmetra's Teleporter
Symmetra may not be an incredibly powerful meta-hero right now, but she can be deadly if players master her cooldowns. Namely, her teleporter. Symmetra's ability to teleport an entire team or a bunch of her turrets to another location is a massive boon on many long-range maps, and even in maps that are traditionally closer range, like Control maps.
The key here is to get creative. If players use her teleporter in a traditional way to simply get out of spawn quicker every time, they will miss out on this ability. Use it to get to high ground quickly to contest an oppressive, camping team composition, or simply teleport past a chokepoint to the point or payload itself to pressure the enemy. The options are endless.
Overwatch 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.