Who Is D.Va?

D.Va is one of the most popular tanks in Overwatch 2. Thanks to her versatile kit and fast movement speed, D.Va is a deadly foe with lots of strategies for her hero. If you want to improve your D.Va gameplay, you need to experiment with your style and find what works for you. However, you also need to know the ins and outs of D.Va’s character.

The Basics

D.Va out of mech, nicknamed "Baby D.Va"

D.Va has a kit consisting of eject, fusion cannons, a light gun while outside her mech, a defense matrix, boosters, micro missiles, self-destruct, and call mech. Every ability and weapon has a different purpose. For example, her mech is the most powerful part of her kit, while the rest of her kit outside of her mech is basic. D.Va’s character revolves around her mech, which is why D.Va only has two abilities when outside of her mech: a light gun and the call mech ability.

D.Va is a tank hero with 650 total health in role queue. Her health consists of 350 health and 300 armor. In any other mode that does not have role queue, her health is reduced to 500 with 200 health and 300 armor. D.Va is meant to be played aggressively since she has an agile kit. Do not play passively with D.Va; she is not meant for passive play.

D.Va Abilities: Abilities

D.Va’s New Playstyle In Overwatch 2

D.Va calls her mech

Overwatch 2 saw the removal of one tank. That means D.Va, who is an off-tank, is now the only tank if she is chosen. The 5v5 format creates new challenges for D.Va, seeing as she used to be the tank that would peel, jump off on her own, and even flank. Now she's on the frontline, making for some unique situations that rarely occurred in Overwatch 1.

The biggest question is: who peels? While D.Va can and should peel when necessary, she should stick to the front now. DPS are closer to the back and are the better choices for peeling. As a D.Va player, you should stick with the frontline instead of peeling constantly. Peeling too often will leave the front exposed, meaning you and the rest of your team are vulnerable to attacks from multiple directions.

With Overwatch 2 being more aggressive, it’s also a good idea to amp up your aggressiveness on D.Va. D.Va has high damage and mobility, meaning you can afford to push in and be aggressive. As D.Va, you should be playing aggressively and going after high-priority targets (i.e., Mercy). Find a balance between flanking, peeling, and playing frontline. The more you practice, the more you will learn the situations where you need to flank, peel, or stay in the front.

Basic Tips And Tricks

D.Va blows bubble gum while laying on her mech

The best tip I can give you is to use your self-destruct wisely. Now that Overwatch 2 doesn’t have as many shields, self-destruct is a lot deadlier. You can get more kills, pick off enemy supports, and get a new mech if your old one is getting low. You need to play your bomb more strategically. By that, I mean, position it better.

Don’t go for the team wipes. Going for team wipes is only going to make you overly ambitious, therefore making you miss the smaller and more impactful opportunities. For example, don’t be scared to use bomb to get a new mech if your old one is destroyed. In mech, D.Va is insanely powerful, which means you should be in mech as much as possible. However, if you’re going to use your ult specifically for kills, keep an eye out for the enemy abilities.

Keep an eye out for Kiriko’s Suzu, Baptiste’s Immortality Field, and Reinhardt’s shield. When you see those abilities are on cooldown, use D.Va’s ult for maximum efficiency.

Along with that, when you’re out of mech, aim for as many headshots as possible. Aim up a bit more than you normally would for higher chances at headshots; headshots allow you to gain ult charge faster.

Here is a short list of basic tips for D.Va:

• Prioritize protecting the team from flankers/snipers
• Play aggressively to keep up with the pace of the game; no passive gameplay
• Use defense matrix while flying to protect yourself
• Eat as many Biotic Orbs and Firestrikes as possible

Advanced Tips And Tricks

D.Va confidently flies into battle

D.Va is a fun hero that is challenging to master due to her defense matrix. The most advanced part of her kit is her defense matrix, which means you need to practice as much as possible. Eating ults is one of the biggest advantages you have as D.Va, so my best advice to you would be to play as if everyone has their ults.

If you play like Zarya always has her ult, you’re better prepared for when she actually does. You’re actively putting yourself in the mindset to be ready for her ult.

You should also be playing against tanks. Tanks have high health and slow movement, which means the damage of D.Va’s cannons and missiles can chew through health rather quickly. Not only will you get your ult faster, but you’ll also put enough pressure on their frontline that your DPS can help take out the enemy’s backline.

Here are a few more advanced tips:

• Close the distance on low health targets using boosters and melee as soon as you’re close to them for quick burst damage
• Watch enemies with projectile ultimates closely (i.e., Mei and Zarya) and listen for audio cues so you can eat it
• Always jump on targets like Cassidy, Pharah, and Soldier 76 when they’re ulting

Best Combos For D.Va

D.Va takes a selfie in front of her self-destructing mech

D.Va works perfectly with a hero like Sombra. If you coordinate with your Sombra, you can throw your bomb in and then have your Sombra EMP at the last second to destroy all their defensive mechanisms. That almost guarantees at least one kill, if not a team wipe.

D.Va also works well with Lucio. D.Va is already extremely fast, but with Lucio, she becomes like a rocket. Thanks to Lucio’s speed boost, she can fly at insane speeds and hunt down enemies so quickly they won’t even see you coming.

Lastly, D.Va also works well with Ana since Ana can heal her at a distance or nano boost her. A nano boosted D.Va can tear through an enemy team thanks to the damage reduction and increased damage.

The Advantages D.Va Has

D.Va snaps in-sync with her mech blowing up

D.Va’s main advantage is her powerful kit. D.Va is so strong because she does high damage at close range and has the kit to back up her style of play. She’s aggressive, fast, and deadly. That means she fits the Overwatch 2 playstyle perfectly.

Thanks to these advantages, she excels against heroes like Widowmaker, Ashe, Hanzo, and Echo. These heroes are unable to damage her or run away, which means D.Va can eliminate them pretty quickly.

Any slow hero is weak to D.Va, like Zen. Her kit allows her to maneuver quickly and outpace most heroes around her. Use that to your advantage and hop on Zenyatta, Hanzo, Ashe, and other similar enemies.

The Counters D.Va Has

D.Va's Overwatch 2 look

D.Va is weak against the close-ranged heroes in the game and any hero that can bypass her defense matrix. Zarya is D.Va’s main counter since she can melt right through D.Va’s health bar, and there’s nothing D.Va can do about it except fly away. Junkrat is another counter since he does such high damage at close range that D.Va has to kill him as fast as possible to not be de-meched.

She is also vulnerable to Mei, Reaper, and Reinhardt. Mei slows her down and bypasses her matrix, making her weak to other attacks. Reaper gets all up close and personal and heals whenever he lands a successful shot. Reaper is meant to shred through tanks, and D.Va is no different. Reinhardt has a melee attack that can pound through D.Va if you don’t play her carefully.

Overall, D.Va has plenty of advantages, but keep in mind that any close-quarters hero is going to give her a challenge. Either play around them and ask for help from your team, or pick a different hero.

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