Overwatch 2 will be introducing new tank and support heroes in the coming months. With the current state of the game, there is one strength that these new Overwatch 2 heroes could take advantage of that would make fights much more interesting.
Overwatch 2 developers revealed their roadmap for the next few seasons of the game, including a plan for releasing new heroes, namely new tanks and supports. With a confirmed new support hero for season 6 of Overwatch 2, and a tank coming not too long afterward, the hero shooter could spice up its gameplay by giving these new characters a feature that, so far, is missing from nearly every tank and support hero currently in the game.
Overwatch 2’s Upcoming Tank and Support Heroes Need Strong Ranged Attacks
Pharah and Echo, two of Overwatch 2’s DPS heroes, can put a lot of pressure on the opposing team. Their ability to maneuver through the sky while pouring out devastating damage is what makes these heroes so appealing to play and a huge problem for the enemy team. Unfortunately, the only role really capable of dealing with these select few heroes is DPS, meaning if a team’s DPS is having a hard time countering these characters, there’s pretty much nothing else they can do. That’s why introducing a new support or tank with a focus on ranged attacks would be crucial to creating a more balanced competition.
A support hero in Overwatch 2 with powerful ranged ability would be able to protect themself from immediate harm while providing support to heroes in the backlines. As it stands, most support heroes have to be largely in the middle of most fights in order to keep their teammates adequately healed and empowered. If a new support hero had strong ranged capabilities, they would be able to aid their teammates from afar, reducing their chance of being killed in the mix, while also being able to pick off high-flying characters like Pharah and Echo in a pinch.
As far as tanks go, there currently isn’t any tank that has significant ranged damage. Heroes like D.Va, Roadhog, and Junker Queen can do decent damage from mid-range, but when fighting against the aforementioned Pharah and Echo, the winner will almost always be the latter two. If Blizzard decides to make Overwatch 2’s new tank have powerful ranged attacks, it could change the way that teams approach fights against airborne characters. Instead of relying on characters like Soldier 76, Widowmaker, and Cassidy to take out those more agile long-ranged characters, the new tank could assist their team by taking out these characters in the sky while the DPS annihilates those on the ground.
Ranged Support and Tank Heroes Could Shake Up Firefights in Overwatch 2
Ranged heroes can be a major problem for teams in Overwatch 2, and not everyone knows how to deal with them. When that responsibility falls on only two members of the team, specifically a team’s DPS, it can be tough to overcome if the players on the DPS role don’t know how to play ranged counters well. Bringing in more options to counter airborne and ranged enemies can spice up Overwatch 2’s gameplay, making it feel more fresh and exciting for seasoned players.
Additionally, ranged tank and support heroes in Overwatch 2 could help change the state of a match from afar. If there’s a DPS team member on a control point that’s trying to fight off several enemies alone, with a ranged-sufficient support hero, the DPS could have the aid they need in order to survive long enough to let the rest of their team make it to the point. Meanwhile, the support would be at a distance that keeps them safer from enemy attacks than they would be if they were on the control point with their DPS team member. Tank and support heroes with strong ranged abilities could improve so many fights and make for a more fun and fresh gameplay experience.
Overwatch 2 is out now in early access for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
