Overwatch is clearly one of the best games that got released for a few years, and many players were excited when it got announced. I was one of these people, and I played the game already when only pre-order customers could play it. Over the years, Overwatch received many updates that change the gameplay or add new things like game modes or heroes.
Currently, there are 31 different heroes in the game, divided into three categories: tank, damage, and support (hero 32 alias Echo, will release on the 14th April 2020). As there are so many heroes to pick from, I want to rank the hardest heroes to play (and learn), that are in the game.
Note: For this ranking, I will consider a few different factors, such as the hero’s skill requirements and abilities.
Nr. 8 Reinhardt
I spend a lot of time playing as Reinhardt (main hero), guarding my allies, and smashing opponents. Reinhardt may seem very easy and straightforward, which he is, but there is a lot more behind this character.
First of all, Reinhardt players have to adapt their position to their team, or lead them through thigh spots. I saw so many Reinhardt’s with a horrible positioning that caused the team to lose the match, which is even more painful in the ranked mode. Besides proper positioning, timing his barrier and other abilities needs a lot of practice too.
When the enemy team focuses on Rein’s shield, it goes down pretty quickly, despite having over 2000 hp points. So, taking the shield up and down at the right moments is critical. His charge and fire strike ability can be beneficial for a team too.
Despite tanks, charging an enemy will kill him most of the time, if you manage to ram an object. This makes this ability an excellent way to start a push; however, there is also a risk that you miss everyone, and thus get eliminated instead.
Reinhardt players need to keep an overview of the situation at all times, timing his own abilities and ultimate, while guarding his own allies. When you players as Reinhardt previously, you will see that there is more behind this character as just shielding and moving forward.
Nr. 7 Sigma
Sigma is one of the newest heroes in Overwatch, that also brought new mechanics into the game. Like Reinhardt, he also has a shield, but this works entirely differently as we know it. By pressing the right button, he will create a shield that moves straight forward into one direction, until you release the button.
He has a projectile absorb and stun ability too, which need to be timed correctly, like Reinhardt’s charge. I placed in on rank 7, as using the shield effectively, requires a lot of practice. In addition to that, he has no mobility at all, so if you get into a bad situation, it is probably over, while other heroes can still escape.
So, positioning and keeping an overview of the battle is also a requirement to get good as Sigma.
Nr. 6 Wrecking Ball (Hammond)
If not a Hammond player, as he is entirely different from most tanks. Wrecking Ball is extremely mobile and can get to a point super fast, and contest it for quite so time, thanks to its grappling hook. However, to roll around like a god, you need a lot of practice, as when you miss a hook or place it at an incorrect position, you’ll get caught and destroyed.
Being able to use different routes than your opponents expect you do is one of his biggest strengths, and makes him really annoying if you have to face an experienced Hammond player. But even if you manage to get behind all enemies, picking the right characters is also essential for the team’s success.
Hammond can deal some good damage when you’re close to the enemy, but it does not matter when you pick the wrong player. He is made to flank enemies from different sides, distracting them, and take out squishy targets, like healers or sometimes damage dealers like Solider 76, or Genji.
Fitting all these requirements to be able to complete your role makes this character so hard to learn and play.
Nr. 5 Ana
Ana was the first new hero that got introduced to the player base, and she is still one of the best healers in Overwatch at the time. However, she is quite different from the other healers that we can choose from. Unlike Mercy, Zenyatta, or Lucio, she has to hit her allies with her rifle to heal them, which sets a clear requirement to play as her effectively: proper aiming.
Not only that, but she also has no mobility at all, and she has only one ability, which could save her in bad situations: the sleep dart. If this dart hits a target, he will fall asleep for a few seconds, so Ana can escape, or eliminate the target herself. However, the sleep dart is not a hitscan weapon, but a projectile. This means you have to calculate the traveling time of the dart, and the movement of your enemy, to land a hit.
A decent Ana player has to hit his sleep dart most of the time, especially when the other team pushes with an ultimate, like Reapers death blossom, Genji’s dragon blade, or Soldier 76 tactical visor.
In addition to that, choosing the right moment when to use her heal grenade is also essential, as it is one of the best abilities in the game. If you use it on your allies, they can be healed much faster, and if it hits an enemy player, he can be healed for a few seconds.
Ana has a high learning curve, which differs excellent and bad players. She can be used for many different combinations and is a strong healer, but if we consider every aspect that needs to be considered, Ana is a hard hero to play.
Nr. 4 McCree
Not every hero in Overwatch requires God aiming to play effectively. But when it comes to dealing as much damage as possible, we can say that it gets a requirement. McCree is one of the best damage dealers if the player manages to get a lot of headshot, and overall high precision.
Thanks to its straightforward kit, he looks fairly easy in the beginning, but when we play him for the first time, we can see that there is more behind this character.
A good McCree player has to hit his target, even if the enemy is flying around, or teleporting to another location. His ultimate is very situational, so it doesn’t help him to win a 1v1 more comfortable.
There is not much to say about this hero, as everything comes to hitting a target as often as possible.
Nr. 3 Tracer
Everyone wants to become good at playing as Tracer, as she is one of the most fun heroes to play in Overwatch. However, we don’t see that many outstanding Tracer players, because she is tough to play.
With Zenyatta, she has he lowest base HP, with only 150 HP (Zenyatta has 200 HP). There are a lot of abilities that can end her life in just one hit, so alone, this fact makes it harder to succeed. She is extremely mobile and can deal a lot of damage in close range; however, it is quite difficult to time her abilities correctly.
If you use all blinks instantly, there is no more option to escape, besides your recall. Tracers biggest strength is the mobility that enables her to change position every few seconds. When we use too many blinks (and our recall) on one enemy, there is a high chance that we are an easy target for the next few seconds.
Her ability to recall can be a life savior, but we should make sure to time it correctly, as there are heroes that can stop you (McCree, Sombra, Roadhog, Ana). Besides this, you also should have decent aim at close range, to melt your opponents.
Nr. 2 Widowmaker
Snipers are super cool and can take out many enemies with one hit each, so there has to be one in Overwatch too. Widowmaker has high kill potential when she manages to make headshots frequently. However, her kit does not offer a lot to fight at close range, which makes her a free target for mobile heroes or tanks.
When you decide to play as Widowmaker, you have to be able to hit these tiny heads of Tracer, Soldier 76, Genji, D.VA, Zenyatta, and Co. Body’s hits still deal quite some damage, but when you want to play at a higher skill level, headshots are essential.
There are some Widow players out there that can destroy whole teams in just a few seconds (in the right moment) to make an opening for her own team to win the match. Healers and other squishy targets are your primary target, as they only require one headshot to kiss the ground. But most of them are quite mobile, which makes it harder to hit your shots.
When I played her for the first time, I saw the high skill cap that she requires, so I switched back to my main heroes.
Nr. 1 Genji
Genji is just cool, and we have to admit that. Throw shuriken, deflect entire ultimates, and finish your target through a precise dash, ending a colossal killstreak. However, to dash around like a true green ninja boy, we need to be able to choose our target very fast.
It’s worth noting that the performance of Genji, like all heroes, can be significantly influenced by the processing power of your gaming rig. For a deeper understanding of how the number of cores in your CPU can impact your gaming experience, you might want to check out our comprehensive guide on CPU cores and gaming.
Genji is one of the most mobile heroes, which is also his biggest strength, besides his massive kill potential with his dragon blade. His primary is a projectile weapon, like Hanzo’s arrows or Ana’s sleep dart, so we have to calculate the movement of our opponents, to hit them accurately.
When it comes to his ultimate, choosing the right moment when to use it is very important. Dragon blade lasts for a few seconds and enables you to deal a lot of damage with each strike. And every time you kill an enemy, the dash ability resets, so we can get to our next target super fast. To wipe an entire team, you need to be able to choose the right target in the middle of a fight, and use your dashes at the right moment.
Beginner Genji’s struggle to get a lot of kills with the dragon blade, as they can’t find a suitable target fast enough before the ultimate runs out. This ultimate is also the least forgiving one, as you waste a potential team wipe if you fail to find targets quick enough.
Honorable mentions:
These were the hardest heroes in Overwatch, and I’m looking forward to see how Echo changes the current meta and gameplay. But as there are still some that are not that easy to learn too, here are my Honorable mentions:
McCree’s old friend – Ashe
Ashe is a mix of Widowmaker and McCree as her rifle has two different fire modes: fast shooting as hip fire, and precise shooting by aiming downsight. Her kit offers a lot of opportunities, and an option to save herself. Her coach gun enables her to knock back opponents and can be used to reach higher positions.
By aiming downsides, she does massive damage, which can take out some heroes with only one shot. However, to play her successfully, the player needs to be able to hit his target frequently.
I wouldn’t consider her as tricky as McCree or Widowmaker, as her kit is very decent, and she can deal good damage on close and far ranges.
The omnik monk – Zenyatta
As already mentioned, Zenyatta and Tracer share the lowest base Hp in the game, with only 200 points. However, this nice guy offers a lot of potentials if he gets used correctly.
This primary ability is to throw two types of orbs, one that heals an ally over time, and one that increases the received damage on one opponent (+25%). But to use the orb of discord effectively, Zenyatta has to communicate with his own team, which enemy he wants to discord, which can be difficult sometimes.
But even if Zenyatta has to face an opponent by himself alone, there is still a chance to win, as he can deal massive damage. Unfortunately, he is a projectile hero, so being able to hit a target consistently is required.
But remember, he only has 200 hp, so he gets killed quite fast.
Mr. I’m gonna punch you – Doomfist
Doomfist is a hero that can deal a lot of damage and can fight multiple opponents at once. Thanks to his abilities, he is very mobile and can reach higher positions very quickly. His punch knocks back enemies (increases damage if they hit an object), and an uppercut throws them into the air.
He is a close combat hero, which strongly relies on his combos. These are his biggest strengths, but they need a lot of practice. If the combo gets broken, and he can’t use one of his abilities to escape the fight, he will die most of the time.
Doomfist players also need to choose a suitable target quite fast, but not as quickly as Genji in his ultimate. But making good decision making is required, as he has to face opponents directly.
The annoying fly – Pharah
The last hero on my list is Pharah. Why do I call her an annoying fly? Well, a decent Pharah player is super annoying to play against, especially when he has a mercy behind him.
Positioning is key when you want to play as her, as she can fly up in the sky, and thus, reach positions other heroes can reach so easily. But being able to fly high up in the air is not only an advantage but also a disadvantage, as there is almost no cover to hide.
Hitscan and some projectile heroes are Pharaoh’s biggest nightmare, as they can pick her from the sky pretty easily. Activating her ultimate is also very risky, as she stands still until it runs out. Learning how her rockets fly is also necessary to hit even mobile targets like Lucio or Tracer.
FAQs
What is the hardest role to play in Overwatch?
While the difficulty of a role in Overwatch can vary depending on the player’s personal skills and playstyle, many players find the Damage role to be the most challenging. This is due to the high skill ceiling and the need for precision aim and quick decision-making.
Who is considered the strongest character in Overwatch?
The “strongest” character in Overwatch can vary depending on the context. If we’re talking about raw damage output, heroes like Reaper or Bastion might come to mind. However, if we’re considering overall utility and versatility, heroes like Zarya or Ana could be seen as the strongest. It ultimately depends on the player’s skill and the team’s composition.
Which is the hardest DPS hero to master in Overwatch?
Genji is often considered one of the hardest DPS heroes to master in Overwatch. His high mobility and precision-based skills require a great deal of practice to use effectively. Additionally, his ultimate ability, Dragonblade, can be incredibly powerful but also leaves him vulnerable, requiring careful timing and positioning.
Who is the easiest hero to play in Overwatch?
For beginners, Soldier: 76 is often recommended as the easiest hero to play. His abilities are straightforward and he has a self-healing ability, which can be forgiving for new players. However, mastering Soldier: 76, like all heroes, can still take time and practice.
Remember, while some heroes may be harder to learn than others, every hero in Overwatch has the potential to be powerful in the right hands. So don’t be discouraged if your favorite hero is on the “hardest” list. With practice and perseverance, you can master any hero and become a formidable player on any Overwatch battlefield.
Last things to mention:
Before you destroy me in the comments about why Genji is so easy to play or why this hero isn’t on this list, please remember: it depends on your own skill level. For some people, learning Genji or McCree is easy as heck, but they struggle with Roadhog or Zarya. It depends on yourself.
For me, it was effortless to learn Reinhardt and Ana, as they fit my overall playstyle very well. However, what do you think about this list, and which heroes would you swap out? Let me know down in the comments!
