What Are DPS Heroes?

In Overwatch, DPS refers to the damage-dealing characters in the game. With 17 DPS heroes available to play, it’s difficult to choose which one is for you. Using this tier list, you can determine which DPS will contribute most to your team and which one fits your personal playstyle the best.

 

Tier Rankings

This list will contain S, A, B, and C tiers, with S being the strongest and C being the weakest. Each hero will get their own power level, which shows how much they impact a game. The higher the number, the more impactful they are.

 

S Tier

DPS heroes in the S tier are versatile and deadly. These heroes have the potential to eliminate an entire team with their ultimate, use their kits to counter other powerful heroes, and put high pressure on the enemy team.

 

Soldier 76 (S Tier DPS)

Soldier 76 staring at you from over his shoulder - you should start running now

Soldier 76 is a long-ranged (hitscan) DPS hero. He has a kit consisting of a heavy pulse rifle, helix rockets, a biotic field, sprint, and his tactical visor ultimate. The rifle is his primary weapon, and it can counter flying heroes like Pharah and Echo.

With his rifle, Soldier can shred through enemies. On top of that, his helix rockets can instantly kill heroes with low health. Using his primary fire and his helix rockets, you can make Soldier a deadly foe.

There’s also his biotic field that heals him and nearby allies. Soldier is very versatile since he can do damage at any range, can heal himself and others, and he can sprint infinitely (except he can’t use his weapon while sprinting).

Tactical visor, his ultimate (nicknamed “ult” by Overwatch players), locks onto targets and fires at them like an aimbot. This also works for helix rockets.

Soldier 76 is worthy of the S tier ranking since he’s so versatile in his surroundings. He can sprint to high ground, stay with the team, stay in the back - he can play almost anywhere. Not only that, but he also compliments Mercy, Baptiste, and Ana. Mercy’s damage boost, Ana’s nano boost, and Baptiste’s matrix increase damage. With increased damage, Soldier is unstoppable. 

Soldier 76’s Power Score: 95/100

What Makes Soldier 76 S Tier

• Counters lethal heroes such as other soldiers, Cassidy, Pharah, and others.
• Can shred a tank’s health
• Does a lot of damage to shields
• Biotic field heals himself and allies
• Very versatile kit that can adapt to most situations
• High damage capabilities

 

Cassidy (S Tier DPS)

Cassidy with Zenyatta on the map "Temple of Anubis"

Like Soldier 76, Cassidy is a hitscan hero that counters other long-ranged heroes. Cassidy’s kit consists of a peacekeeper revolver, a combat roll, a flashbang, and his deadeye ultimate. The peacekeeper revolver is a hitscan weapon with two firing modes: pinpoint, and fan the hammer (a spread attack that fires all 6 bullets in his gun).

His revolver has low ammo, but by using the combat roll, you can automatically get your ammo back. His flashbang temporarily stuns an enemy, and is a huge reason why he’s a S tier hero. The flashbang can interrupt enemy ultimates that require a cast time (like Lucio’s or Moira’s), and abilities like Reinhardt’s charge.

Cassidy also has his dead eye ultimate that locks onto targets and fires at them. He deals 550 damage to each target if he locks on for 1.5 seconds. This forces the enemy to hide, giving your team space to push in, or if they’re on defense, push the enemy back.

Although not as versatile as Soldier 76, Cassidy still has the power to turn the tide of the game. His high damage combined with his flashbang makes him difficult to kill. Flanking heroes, like Sombra and Tracer, are highly unlikely to kill him since all he has to do is flashbang them and hit a headshot while they’re stationary.

Cassidy’s Power Score: 90/100

What Makes Cassidy S Tier

• His flashbang is considered overpowered
• Low ammo but fast reloads, and his combat roll reloads his weapon automatically
• High noon forces enemies to reposition
• Can interrupt an enemy’s ult (like Moira’s) using flashbang
• High damage capabilities

 

A Tier

A tier heroes are not as powerful as S tier heroes, but they still have high damage capabilities, a versatile kit, and ultimates that can change the game. This means they’re difficult to kill, but also hard to play.

 

Ashe (A Tier DPS)

Ashe watches an explosion go off behind her

Ashe is a hitscan DPS hero with a kit consisting of her primary rifle (the viper), dynamite, a coach gun, and her ultimate B.O.B. The viper has two firing modes. Ashe can either use its scope for long-range targets or she can fire regularly at targets coming close to her.

Her dynamite ability lets her throw an explosive that does 20-50 direct damage, then 100 burn damage. Her coach gun knocks enemies back by 9.4 meters. It’s perfect for knocking enemies off the map, and it also forces enemies to reposition themselves.

Lastly, her ultimate B.O.B. (Bob) is Ashe’s robot sidekick with 1200 health. When she calls him, he goes in the direction she points and shoots at enemies in his line of sight. He does 112 damage per second, and since he’s her companion, that means Ashe can still use all her abilities while he’s active.

Ashe is perfect for countering other hitscan heroes, and she packs a powerful punch to flying heroes as well. Her kit isn’t amazingly versatile, but it’s great on maps like Route 66. If you’re looking for a hero that’ll counter S tier heroes, Ashe is a solid pick.

Ashe Power Score: 85/100

What Makes Ashe A Tier

• Long-range rifle that can out-snipe snipers
• High damage capabilities
• Dynamite can kill low-health heroes easily
• Her coach gun gives her an advantage on maps with cliffs or edges
• B.O.B. is a powerful ultimate, especially when combined with Ashe’s primary fire

 

Doomfist (A Tier DPS)

Doomfist stares down his foes, preparing to eliminate them with his powerful kit

Doomfist is one of the most hated heroes in the game because of how overpowered his kit is. His kit consists of shields, a hand cannon, a rising uppercut, a seismic slam, a rocket punch, and his meteor strike ultimate.

His hand cannon is his primary weapon, and it recharges one shot every 0.65 seconds. Along with that, his combo moves with his rising uppercut, seismic slam, and rocket punch are what makes him so overpowered. His uppercut sends enemies into the air, his seismic slam brings them closer to him, and his rocket punch can hit an enemy and launch them toward a wall.

Meteor strike, his ultimate, is when Doomfist goes into the air out of enemy sight. He can land down on a group of enemies and kill low-health heroes in the inner ring of the outline. On the outside of the ring, he does 15-200 damage.

Although he’s hated for being so powerful, he’s not the best pick for every map. To counter him, run hitscan heroes or flying heroes. That way, you can kill him before he gets the chance to hurt you. Despite that, Doomfist is still extremely powerful and amazing at killing supports.

Doomfist Power Score: 85/100

What Makes Doomfist A Tier

• Powerful combinations that are difficult to block
• High damage capabilities
• His mobility allows him to play in whatever position he wants
• High health and shields
• Counters slower heroes like Zenyatta
• His ultimate forces enemies to retreat or die

 

Echo (A Tier DPS)

Echo awakening in one of her highlight intros

Echo has high mobility since she’s a flying DPS hero. Her kit consists of a tri-shot primary weapon, sticky bombs, flight, a focusing beam, and her duplicate ultimate. The tri-shot fires three shots and does 51 damage per full shot, and 17 per pellet.

Her sticky bombs can attach to people and damage any targets nearby. The explosion does 25 damage for each bomb, and she has 6 total. After firing her tri-shot and using sticky bombs, Echo can finish her target by using her focusing beam. It does 50 damage per second or 200 damage per second to targets with less than 50% of their health.

Duplicate, her ultimate, lets her copy a player on the enemy team. For example, if the enemy has a Reinhardt, Echo can copy that Reinhardt for 15 seconds. She also gets the ultimate of the hero she copied 6.5 times faster. Using flight, Echo can soar into the air to get a bird’s-eye view, then copy any target on the enemy team.

Echo is an effective hero who can copy an enemy and provide her team with an offensive or defensive boost depending on who she picks. Although she’s easy to counter with the S tier heroes, she’s still powerful enough that she can do major damage.

Echo Power Score: 81/100

What Makes Echo A Tier

• Can take the high ground and flank enemies
• Works perfectly with popular support heroes like Mercy, Zen, and Ana
• Her combos are deadly and can instantly kill low-health heroes
• Her ultimate gives her team a huge advantage
• High damage capabilities

 

Genji (A Tier DPS)

Genji in his famous carbon fiber skin

Genji is a cyborg DPS hero. His kit is extremely versatile, consisting of cyber agility, shuriken, swift strike, deflect, and dragonblade. His primary weapon is three throwing stars called shuriken, and they have two firing modes: pinpoint and spread. Pinpoint is best used for an individual target, and spread is best for multiple targets.

His agility allows him to double jump and climb walls. Swift strike, another ability good for agility, sends Genji forward 15 meters. If he kills an enemy with any ability, the swift strike will reset. That means the player doesn’t have to deal with the 8-second cooldown.

Deflect is one of the core reasons why Genji is an A tier hero. Not only does it counter heroes like Bastion, but it also deflects projectile ultimates like graviton surge. This ability can turn the tide of the game in your favor.

Dragonblade is Genji’s ult. It does 110 damage per swing, and it gives him a 30% speed buff. It’s best when paired with other hero abilities, like Mercy’s damage boost, Ana’s nano boost, or Lucio’s speed boost.

Versatility and damage make Genji so powerful. Although he can be countered easily by someone like Symmetra or Zarya, he still packs a powerful punch that earns him the A tier. On top of that, he has a strong deflect. The deflect isn’t even an ultimate, yet it’s a game-changing ability.

Genji Power Score: 80/100

What Makes Genji A Tier

• High mobility
• Versatile kit
• His ultimate works well with damage boosts like Ana’s nano boost
• Counters slow enemies such as Zenyatta
• High damage capabilities
• Deflect counters projectile ultimates

 

Reaper (A Tier DPS)

Reaper getting ready for a close-quarter battle

Reaper is a close-quarters DPS hero known for killing tanks. His kit consists of a passive “the reaping” ability, hellfire shotguns, wraith form, shadow step, and his death blossom ultimate. His reaping ability allows him to self-heal. He steals health from enemies by dealing damage. Overall, he heals 35% of the damage he deals.

His hellfire shotguns are insanely powerful and amazing for close-quarter battles. They have a damage output of up to 120 per shot. Along with that, he has the kit to get him behind enemy lines. His shadow step ability teleports him where he chooses to go, and the wraith form makes him invulnerable to enemy attacks at the cost of not being able to use the rest of his kit.

Reaper can sneak behind the enemy, kill a support, then use his wraith form to leave. Or, he can teleport behind them and use death blossom. Death blossom, his ult, does 170 damage per second, and he fires his shotguns in all directions for 3 seconds. All nearby enemies will be damaged.

Since tanks soak up damage for the supports, if you can kill them, the supports are weaker: that’s what Reaper’s there for. Reaper is in the A tier because of his strength. His main weaknesses are long-ranged heroes. Since Reaper doesn’t have the range to combat Pharah, she’s a counter to him. Otherwise, he’s a solid pick.

Reaper Power Score: 85/100

What Makes Reaper A Tier

• Amazing for close-quarters maps
• Can flank easily
• Shreds tanks
• High damage capabilities
• He can escape ultimates like graviton surge by using wraith.
• His ultimate can wipe out an entire team

 

Tracer (A Tier DPS)

Tracer giving a salute, one of her signature moves

Tracer is a flanking DPS hero with an agile kit. It consists of pulse pistols, blinks, recall, and her pulse bomb ultimate. Her primary weapons are twin pulse pistols, and using her 3 rechargeable blinks, she can flank the enemy and take out their support heroes.

Her blinks zap her in the direction she’s moving by 7.5 meters. She gets 3 charges, and each one takes 3 seconds to charge, so 9 seconds total. This means she can get in and out of a fight at high speeds, making her useful for picking off low-health heroes.

Tracer’s recall is a self-healing ability that sends only Tracer back in time by 3 seconds. This can regain her health, and it automatically refills her ammo. Tracer can go into a fight, kill a support, then recall out. 

Pulse bomb is her ultimate, and when attached to someone, it does 350 damage. Any enemies who are not stuck but are close to it will take 70-350 damage depending on their proximity. It’s best when used with stun abilities, such as Brig’s shield bash.

Although Tracer isn’t a hero that’s known for wiping out entire teams, she’s useful for getting small picks that add up. Her ultimate is great when combined with Zarya’s graviton surge, and it’s also effective at killing supports. The kills on smaller heroes will give your team a great advantage, which is why Tracer is in the A tier.

Tracer Power Score: 80/100

What Makes Tracer A Tier

• High mobility
• Can zip in and out of fights
• Good for stalling
• Her blinks give her a boost in speed
• Her ultimate is great for getting small kills, or big ones when combined with other ults
• Counters slow heroes

 

B Tier

These B tier DPS are powerful, but not more so than the A and S tier DPS. The B tier heroes are here because their kits are somewhat versatile, they have decent damage output, and they can counter other strong heroes.

 

Bastion (B Tier DPS)

Bastion in sentry mode on the map "Rialto"

Bastion isn’t a bad hero, but he’s very situational. He isn’t versatile and can’t adapt to any environment. He’s slow and bulky, making it obvious to the enemy if he tries to flank. That means he mostly stays with his team and sets up in his sentry mode.

He has his pros and cons. The damage he does is a massive pro to having him on your team, but since he’s so bulky, it’s best to use him sparingly. Like on defense. He’s great for defense, or offense on a payload map. Otherwise, there are much better picks.

Bastion Power Score: 75/100

 

Hanzo (B Tier DPS)

Hanzo in Hanamura in the cinematic "Dragons"

Hanzo is a long-ranged DPS hero who uses a bow to deal damage. He has high agility and is overall a solid pick. There’s not much wrong with choosing Hanzo, but you’ll need to have good aim to make the most out of his kit.

He has his uses and does decent damage, but compared to the S and A tier heroes, he isn’t as strong. His kit isn’t as versatile, and his ult takes amazing game sense. Hanzo is a good hero who’s fun to play, but in terms of strategy, most of the time it’s wiser to choose another character.

Hanzo Power Score: 75/100

 

Junkrat (B Tier DPS)

Junkrat on the map "Temple of Anubis" firing his frag grenades

Junkrat is a high damage hero who can break barriers with ease. If you’re looking for more damage, Junkrat is a great pick. His main weakness is that he’s super easy to counter with enemies like Pharah, who can kill him from a long distance. Since he has no weapons that can do damage to her, he’s defenseless against her.

Junk has a powerful ultimate ability called RIP tire. It can pick off individual targets like supports or go for multi-target kills. It also combines well with abilities that slow, stun, or stop enemies. These abilities can be Orisa’s halt, Zarya’s graviton surge, and Cassidy’s flashbang.

Junkrat Power Score: 75/100

 

Pharah (B Tier DPS)

Pharah standing at attention, waiting for the player to choose her

Pharah is a flying hero who excels in the air. Her range makes her a dangerous foe, and she can knock enemies off the map. Her damage is extremely high and makes her an amazing asset to any team she’s on.

The only reason she’s not an A tier is because she’s so easy to counter with the S tier heroes. Unless she’s paired with a Mercy, Pharah is easy to kill with Soldier 76, Cassidy, Widowmaker, Ashe, and more. However, she’s great for breaking barriers and laying down pressure on her enemies.

Pharah Power Score: 70/100

 

Sombra (B Tier DPS)

Sombra getting ready to enact her plan to steal Russian information

Sombra is a hated Overwatch hero because of her hacking ability. She can even double hack people by using her EMP and then hacking another target right after. She’s hated but powerful because of her kit. She’s a flanker who can easily kill slow-moving heroes, and she can teleport to high ground too.

The reason she’s not in the A tier is because she can be countered by the countless stun abilities in the game. All Cassidy has to do is hit her with a flashbang, then headshot her. She’s powerful, but not great at countering long-ranged heroes, and she’s also easy to kill with stun abilities.

Sombra Power Score: 75/100

 

Widowmaker (B Tier DPS)

Widow taunts Tracer in the cinematic short "Alive"

Widowmaker (also called ‘Widow’) is a sniper who can be a game-changer if you know how to play her. A good Widow can solo carry a team. So why isn’t she in the A or S tier? The reason why is because she’s difficult to play, and even harder to master. If you haven't mastered Widow, you'll be frustrated by the enemies diving on you.

The enemies will try to kill Widow first, and if you’re not a seasoned Widow player, you’ll die quickly even with help from your supports. Yes, she’s a powerful and deadly foe, but without training, it’s difficult to make use of her.

Widowmaker Power Score: 70/100

 

C Tier

Although this is the lowest tier, that doesn’t mean these DPS aren’t useful. C tier DPS heroes are either only good in specific situations, are easily countered by A and S tier heroes, or are not overall that powerful and versatile.

 

Mei (C Tier DPS)

Mei waving to the camera while making a research log

Mei is a hero who can freeze her enemies. Although this is very useful, she’s not as useful as other DPS heroes. That doesn’t mean she’s powerless, though. For starters, she can self-heal, which makes her great for team fights. She’s also great for stalling and is someone you should choose when the pressure is high.

She doesn’t do enough damage to overpower the S, A, and even B tier DPS. She has her uses, especially on defense, but she doesn’t have enough offensive power to justify picking her over someone else.

Mei Power Score: 65/100

 

Symmetra (C Tier DPS)

Symmetra makes an orb of light in one of her highlight intros

Symmetra (nicknamed “Sym” by Overwatch players) is a pretty solid hero despite being in the C tier. She’s amazing on defense, but not as great on offense. She can place her turrets around and do a lot of damage on close-quarters maps. Her turrets are especially useful on control maps.

She counters heroes like Genji and D.Va, but she’s not as strong as other DPS heroes. She doesn’t have a versatile kit, which makes her weak in certain situations. Although she’s useful, be advised that there are stronger heroes than her.

Symmetra Power Score: 60/100

 

Torbjörn (C Tier DPS)

Torb runs into action on the map "Hanamura"

Torb, like Sym, is useful in certain situations. He’s great on defense since his turret does suppressive fire. However, other than that, he’s outmatched by other DPS. Heroes like Soldier can counter his turret, but Torb does have high health to combat Soldier’s damage.

Torb has his uses, especially on maps with choke points, but he’s no match for the other DPS. His kit isn’t versatile enough to combat the necessary environment changes present on most maps. However, you should still consider using him when you’re on defense.

Torb Power Score: 60/100

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