As there are ten different DPS options (per common Meta definition) that compete for just two spots in most Overwatch lineups, there is general confusion as to which characters work best in different situations. The following guide is an attempt to help players select the right DPS picks based on your composition, enemy composition, and game mode.

A couple of quick notes about this:

• If you lack a DPS that can counter or at least hold their own against the primary threats of the other team, someone should probably switch.
• Supports should generally be picked around your comp instead of the other team’s comp.
• Almost all compositions will be based around either Reinhardt or Winston as your primary tank.
• “More DPS” is never the correct response. Rather, the culprits behind struggling teams are typically the team comp, a general lack of proper focus fire, or poor Ultimate management.
• You can play DPS into teams with a single, sometimes even two counters to your pick, but don’t force it! If the other team is running Winston, Mei, and McCree, your Genji is likely going to have a bad day.

This guide breaks the damage of these ten characters into three types: Burst, Bulk, and Cleanup.

• Burst: High amounts of targeted damage to single opponents at the expense of overall damage output.
• Bulk: Large amounts of damage, often to multiple targets, that is less focused and often requires followup from a cleanup character to secure kills.
• Cleanup: Smaller overall damage output placed on characters with high mobility so they can safely get to and finish off weakened targets.

Some characters will have a primary and secondary type assigned to them.

Genji

Effective on: Attack, Escort, Control

Damage type: Primary - Cleanup, Secondary – Burst

Best used for: Flanking/diving back lines, creating space

Strong against: Reaper, snipers, Bastion, Junkrat

Countered by: McCree, Zarya, Winston, D.Va, Roadhog, Symmetra

Works well with: Winston, Zarya, Zenyatta, Ana

• Best for bypassing front lines, cleaning up/finishing targets weakened by other damage, and using mobility to engage from unexpected angles while quickly disengaging.
• To create burst damage, he must commit his Swift Strike in combination with Fan of Blades, which can leave him vulnerable.
• Should operate on the edges of enemy space and should not engage the front-line unless everything else is dead.
• Don’t force kills. Creating disruption and space can be just as effective. Build up his Dragon Blade before committing to larger fights.
• The Genji-Winston combo is highly effective as Winston can wear targets down for Genji to finish off.
• Generally ill-advised to use him on Defense.

McCree

Effective on: All modes

Damage type: Burst

Best used for: Flanker defense, mid-range hitscan

Strong against: Pharah, Reaper, Tracer, Mei, Soldier 76, Torbjorn

Countered by: Winston, D.Va, Zarya, snipers

Works well with: Reinhardt, Mercy, Zenyatta

• Rarely a good idea to take him without a Reinhardt to shield.
• Never flank with McCree save for surprise High Noons as he lacks the tools to stay alive on his own.
• While he works in all modes, Reinhardt is often a bad pick on Control and thus McCree can suffer there.
• Relies on Flashbang to counter several characters such as Tracer. If he whiffs it, the matchup turns against him.
• Demands a high level accuracy and a high amount of headshots to be truly effective. Consider using Soldier 76 if you can’t hit roughly 45% of your shots.

Pharah

Effective on: All modes

Damage type: Primary - Bulk, Secondary - Burst

Best used for: Using vertical space to create three-dimensional flanks, countering lineups reliant on close-range damage

Strong against: Junkrat, Reaper, Mei, Reinhardt, Zarya, Bastion, Torbjorn, Symmetra

Countered by: McCree, Soldier 76, snipers (Widow moreso)

Works well with: Genji, Tracer, Winston, Zarya, Mercy

• Causes wider splash-damage at the expense of targeted damage (though can score direct hits against tanks), thus should be paired with a DPS/off-tank who can finish off weakened targets.
• Has a symbiotic relationship with Mercy, who can heal/boost Pharah while using Pharah to slingshot around the map.
• If the other team has a Roadhog, you must be cognizant of his hook range at all times.
• Can cause serious problems for a team without a hitscan character. Do not try to counter a good Pharah with “cute,” unreliable tactics.
• Requires a Zarya bubble or the element of surprise to get any value out of her Ultimate.
• You can often play Pharah into one hitscan, but generally not two.

Reaper

Effective on: All modes

Damage type: Burst

Best used for: Tank busting, short-range flanking

Strong against: All tanks, Mei

Countered by: McCree, Pharah, Tracer, Genji, Soldier 76

Works well with: Zarya, Zenyatta, Ana

• High burst damage makes him especially effective at taking out targets before they can heal and depleting the large health pools of tanks.
• While capable of flanking, he should not flank beyond the range of where his Wraith Form can get him back to his team.
• Works in all modes, though is better on Control and Defense where maps are either fairly flat or your team controls the space around the engagement.
• Must use the element of surprise to take out many DPS characters.
• His ultimate can be nullified by any stun ability, so should be combined with a Zarya shield.

Soldier 76

Effective on: All modes

Damage type: Primary – Bulk, Secondary – Burst, Cleanup

Best used for: Multi-purpose hitscan, ease of use

Strong against: Pharah, Torbjorn, Reaper, Hanzo, Tracer

Countered by: McCree, Genji, Reinhardt (shield), Zarya

Works well with: Reinhardt, Tracer, Genji, Winston

• While not as effective as McCree in the hitscan role, he’s more forgiving, versatile, and has a better kit and Ultimate ability.
• Not an especially strong counter to most characters, but also does not have many especially unfavorable matchups.
• Like Pharah and Junkrat, his damage can be spammy and he can struggle to secure kills by himself without someone following up. At the same time, he can clean up weakened targets from a distance.
• Should not be used as a flanker despite his ability to run.
• While a good, neutral choice, there is typically a better, more specific DPS option for the situation.

Tracer

Effective on: Attack, Escort, Control

Damage type: Primary – Cleanup, Secondary - Burst

Best used for: Assassinating supports, harassing backlines, horizontal flanking

Strong against: Widowmaker, Mei, Junkrat, Reaper, Bastion, Hanzo, Symmetra

Countered by: McCree, D.Va, Winston, Torbjorn, Roadhog, Soldier 76

Works well with: Winston, Zarya

• Primary purpose at all times should be to take out enemy Supports or the greatest DPS threat.
• Avoid engaging tanks unless they are the only targets remaining.
• While she needs to be within close-range to do high burst damage, her low HP pool makes it risky to overcommit if a target is not near death.
• Shines on Control as most maps feature level, open areas.
• Tone down your aggression when Recall is on cooldown.
• Not a good option on Defense due to how fragile she is.
• Zarya’s Graviton when combined with Pulse Bomb is one of the game’s deadliest combinations.

Bastion

Effective on: Escort, Defense

Damage type: Primary - Bulk, Secondary - Burst

Best used for: Defending against tanks, area denial against slow-moving teams

Strong against: Reinhardt, Roadhog, Winston, Zarya, Torbjorn

Countered by: Genji, Tracer, Pharah, snipers, Junkrat, D.Va

Works well with: Reinhardt, Mercy

• Needs a Reinhardt to shield him and a Mercy to heal/boost and resurrect him in order to be effective.
• Strongly countered by D.Va as her Defense Matrix is time-based instead of damage-dependent.
• Best used to catch the other team off-guard. While he can be used to force a team off of a tank-heavy lineup, it is best to switch if the other team adjusts their tactics.
• Should reposition between successive attacks as he’s quite vulnerable when his location is known.
• While mostly effective on Defense, can find success on Escort by setting up on the Payload.

Hanzo

Effective on: Attack, Escort (while possessing spawn advantage)

Damage type: Burst

Best used for: Securing quick picks while on attack, mid-range sniping

Strong Against: Bastion, Torbjorn, Mei, Junkrat, Pharah, McCree

Countered by: Genji, Tracer, D.Va, Winston, Soldier 76

Works well with: Reinhardt, Tracer, Genji, Zarya

• More of a mid-range sniper option than Widowmaker.
• Scatter Arrow can be used to instantly kill many targets if properly aimed at the feet of an opponent. It is his most reliable defense in close-range battles.
• Sonic Arrow is especially effective when placed on the other team’s Reinhardt shield
• Best used at the point in a match where securing quick picks has more value, i.e. when you control spawn advantage.
• Not reliable enough to be effective on Defense.
• Dragonstrike is easy to dodge and only tends to secure a large number of kills when combined with Graviton or Blizzard. Otherwise, it’s more of a zoning Ultimate.

Junkrat

Effective on: Defense

Damage type: Bulk

Best used for: Defending chokepoints, making narrow pathways treacherous

Strong Against: Reinhardt, Bastion, Mei, Torbjorn, Roadhog

Countered by: Pharah, Genji, Tracer, Winston, Zarya, D.Va, snipers

Works well with: Reinhardt, Tracer, Genji, Winston, Mercy

• Does a high amount of less targeted area damage that needs to be followed up on to confirm kills.
• Spam damage is as likely to charge Zarya’s shield or enemy Support Ultimates if not properly targeted or followed up on, creating negative value for his team.
• RIP-tire is fairly easy to take out, so use it to zone out or target one key character.
• Do not use Junkrat outside of Defense, as his value comes from controlling space and not from countering specific characters.
• Steel Trap is his only real defense against flankers/divers, against who he is vulnerable.

Widowmaker

Effective on: Attack, Escort (while possessing spawn advantage)

Damage type: Burst

Best used for: Securing quick picks while on attack, long-range sniping

Strong against: Mei, Torbjorn, Bastion, Pharah, Junkrat, McCree

Countered by: Genji, Tracer, Winston, D.Va, Reinhardt (shield)

Works well with: Reinhardt

• Like Hanzo, best used at the point in a match where securing quick picks has more value, i.e. when you control spawn advantage.
• When deciding between her versus Hanzo, consider the range of the engagement and the geography of the map. She is better than Hanzo at longer range, but weaker than him in peek battles.
• Must score consistent headshots to find value.
• Not reliable enough to be effective on Defense.
• Switch immediately if you are being dived by a Winston, Genji, or D.Va.

Roadhog as a DPS Pick

This can be a bit of a controversial topic, but the truth is Roadhog is more of a DPS pick than a tank. Most of the time, he's slotted into the off-tank spot. However, a comp developed by the pro team Ninjas in Pyjamas emerged a few months ago known as the "Triple Tank" lineup. Despite the moniker, the truth was that it wasn't as much a lineup based on three tanks but that they just slotted their top tier Roadhog player, Hymzi, into a DPS slot. The comp has grown in popularity and now even sees use in all levels of competitive play.

When does it make sense to take Roadhog as a DPS pick instead of a tank pick?

• Your Roadhog player is good at consistently hitting his hooks.
• The other team is using several lower damage output DPS characters such as two of Tracer, Widowmaker, Hanzo, and Genji.
• On Control, especially maps like Nepal - Sanctum, where Roadhog can abuse narrow corridors.
• When you have an Ana, who can turn Reinhardt into a DPS with Nano Boost (after the next patch, this may no longer work as well).
• The Triple Tank is particularly effective at countering Winston-led comps not featuring a Reinhardt.

It is not suggested to run triple tank into a good Reaper or Pharah (unless you have a good McCree player in your other DPS slot, as he can counter both).

Surprised Roadhog isn't on here as you included the defense characters. He honestly outclasses most of the "real" DPS characters other than a good Mcree.

I'd also say D.Va is the one tank that can counter Reaper, because she can bully the hell out of him, especially with her reworked shield.

@alkusanagi: Yeah, I might have to add a small paragraph about Roadhog. I know that I consider him more DPS than tank, but some players slot him into the off-tank spot and some players slot him into a DPS slot. That whole topic requires a little more explanation in terms of team comp. I agree that, sadly, he kind of does outclass a lot of DPS options in that DPS slot since his hook is kind of broken.

I would definitely agree D.Va is the one tank that has a shot against Reaper (Zarya if she has a really high charge can also sometimes do some work against him). Reaper still should probably win, but D.Va can sometimes take it or stall out the fight long enough to force Reaper to retreat.

Great thread. Would like to see Symmetra and Roadhog on the list, as they are the most attack and defence heavy positions within their respective categories (Symmetra is way more of a defence character than a support), tho Symmetra is a lot more situational and weak as compared to Roadhog, who only has a handful of situations and comps where he is not ideal.

Also, no Torbjorn? Like Symmetra, he's really situational, but he's amazing on Volskaya, Temple of Anubis, and Gibraltar defence; first point defence on King's Row, Hanamura, Hollywood, and Eichenwalde; and last point defence on Route 66. Also a decent pick on first point defence, last point attack on payload on King's Row, and second point offence on Numbani (tho second point attack on Numbani is one of the easiest points in the game). Hell, I'd even consider him on Illios Ruins when you have the point, as there's a lot of nooks and crannies that can make it hard to kill, but effective at defending. Again, not a character I would play in all situations and has some hard counters, but a character I'm finding a lot of success with in mid-high Platinum rank (he's my highest win% character). I'd certainly consider him more useful in more situations than Bastion.

Or just by standing still. You can literally just sit behind something (like on top of a doorway or behind a wall) without the team knowing its there.

@devoureroftime: So I didn't include Symmetra and Torbjorn because they kind of fall into a weird area right now in Meta discussions. Even though you always hear the other characters classified as DPS, Tank, or Healer/Support, there's actually a fourth category called "Builder." And much like in the TF 2 competitive scene, the builders in this game are kind of considered non-optimal picks for competitive. Like you said, you can actually get away playing the two for quite a while. Heck, I still play Torb a bunch in QP because it's fun and disorganized teams are still bad at dealing with him. I even won a game on Control with him last night which was hilarious. Also, Symmetra is about to get a full kit rework, so it's probably not worth discussing her too much until we see what they do with her.

The other problem with the two is how to slot them into a comp. Symmetra can't take the spot of a healer. Torb can't target his DPS, so I wouldn't really call him that. You could take him over a tank, but he'd land in the same nebulous DPS/Tank middle ground that Roadhog does. We'll see what happens with the two after the next patch. I plan on updating this guide after each major patch to reflect any changes.

I have added a section to the guide explaining the theory behind Roadhog as a DPS pick and when to pick him in a DPS slot. Thanks to @alkusanagifor the suggestion!

I haven't played in a few months. Was Zenyatta nerfed recently? Especially on defense, he's been an incredibly effective dps choice when I played regularly

@shadow: Zen hasn't been touched since I think August where they rolled Discord Orb's effect back from 50% to 30%. He's still a really good DPS/healer hybrid. The reason he has seen a lot less play has more to do with everyone starting to figure out Ana and realizing how many borderline broken Nano combinations there are (Reinhardt, Nano Boost into Death Blossom, etc.). He'll probably come back in force after the coming Nano nerf (they're eliminating the speed boost portion of it).

I agree. Symmetra is being totally overhauled and both are weak picks who can be countered easily whose dps alone is both nothing to sneeze at in the right hands, but underwhelming versus the competition. With Blizzcon starting in less than an hour, both could see huge shifts in their style announced within the next few days. And with a two-tank two-support two-dps meta currently, you have a really hard time ever justifying their pick over a stronger character even within their niches.

I still think they have their uses, however small, and still should be put up in the discussion. Even if it's exactly what you're saying here. Basically: "hey, they have their uses, but they really, really do not fit in the meta right now."

@cav829: wonderful guide as usual Cav, definitely helps somebody like me who isn't the greatest shot figure out which character I should roll the dice with if I'm stuck on damage of some sort.

I'm sure you've heard the rumors about Sombra. If she really is a stealth character that can go invisible, how do you think that changes the games. And do you think it's a good change?

As soon as I said this, I notice she just went official

https://playoverwatch.com/en-us/heroes/sombra

For a long time, I played Roadhog when I wasn't a healer but I started playing Phara a lot more in the last few weeks and since then, my aim with Roadhog's hook gone to shit. My avarage used to be 54.7% in competitive (not a good percentage I know), now I barely reach 30% in quick play. Did Phara broke me?

@slag: Well, we now actually know what her abilities will be.

She'll be on the PTR on Tuesday, but I really like the sound of her. Like the ability to use her on a team engagement to shut down a team's ability to Graviton or Rez would be pretty huge. It sounds like she'll be a pretty strong counter to the likes of Zarya who have a high amount of shields (as well as Zen, sadly). I'll have to wait until then to get my hands on her and be able to give any real feedback, though.

Good guide. One tip for Solider players, never lead with your rocket. Always, always use it to finish the enemy off. Otherwise you will spend most of the match dealing decent damage but not securing any kills.

@cav829: Reaper sounded a lot like Snake in this one. Right?

This list is more focused on competitive play and current meta, in which zenyatta is heals first, dps second. Same with the likes of ana.

But for supports, Zenyatta is still up there with Ana for best offensive output. Just know that's a secondary concern.

In quick play, whatever. Go attack mercy for all I care, as long as you communicate that and we have an actual healer.

As for him being nerfed, Discord was nerfed significantly, but that was more to do with team wide damage than personal damage. His orbs now do more damage actually, making him just slightly less of a threat against discorded enemies and more of a threat against multiple enemies in a cluster. His right click also got buffed, I believe...

I find the best way to keep your aim with each character is not to focus too much on them, but don't let them fall on the wayside completely. If you only play pharah for example, you'll get really good at playing around her splash damage and travel time that it will unconsciously affect how you use other abilities, like hook or junkrat's bombs or s:76's missiles. It's all about finding the groove you need to be in for each character and being able to switch to it easily.

I liken it a lot to playing multiple characters in a fighting game. If you play one character a lot, your hands will start moving on their own to do combos, even when you're not playing that character. If you're playing multiple characters, you really have to work hard at being able to snap into a different headspace, where muscle memory adjusts to your character and doesn't just take over.

Fun Fact: sonic arrow shot into a Reinhart shield can fall on a character when the shield breaks, doing damage, and is usually a headshot considering the angle.

@slag: So I watched Stylosa stream about an hour of Sombra gameplay, and here are some notes and speculation:

• She plays movement wise a lot like Tracer. Using a combination of invisibility and its speed boost and her teleporter, she can flank and harass.
• Hacking health packs locks them out from enemy flankers using them as well as causes them to rapidy regenerate for you and your teammates (this seemed potentially OP while I was watching it tbqh).
• EMP will be the death of the Death Ball. She can throw her teleport beacon above a Rein shield, teleport in, hit Q, and your team is done for.
• She has a passive ability to see anyone on the map below half health
• Her SMG feels a lot like 76's rifle, but has a much larger spread in a shorter time.
• 12 seconds cooldown on teleporter, 6 seconds on invisibility.
• Abilities like Widow's ult, High Noon, and Tactical Visor can spot her even when she's invisible.
• Hack does not stop Ults already deployed, but shuts down some that have continued activation (this needs to be workshopped a bit. So far, I saw it shut down Whole Hog and Sound Barrier, but doesn't shut down Blizzard).

Speculated characters she counters: Genji, Reinhardt, Zarya, Mei, Symmetra (hard to tell until we see the rework), Torbjorn, Lucio (her ult knocks him out of Sound Barrier), Zen (hack knocks him immediatley to 50 health, could be a light counter to Pharah with her ability to ground her

Speculated characters she is countered by: Soldier 76, McCree, Tracer, Widowmaker, Winston (heaviest counter as noted by a Blizzard rep), D.Va, potentially Reaper

@whatshisface: Reaper is basically Snake's voice on Cobra Commander.

@cav829: thanks man! When I wrote my comment I forgot Blizzcon was today, hah didn't mean for it to be so timely!

Hopefully you didn't spend that hour on my account!

Yeah her tool kit sounds maybe too complete to me. It is nice to have a counter character, just wish there was more than 1. I think that's biggest issue I have with the game atm, is that there are some characters who are perhaps too unique which means they end up in a ton of comps (like reinhardt)

AS someone who plays lots of reinhardt I am TERRIFIED OF SOMBRA

@cav829, you're the best. Love these blogs. Thanks!

@slag: I'm going to wait until I play around with her a bit on Tuesday before deciding if she's balanced or not. Like, let's sit here and reason things out a bit:

• She will compete for a DPS slot for most teams, meaning she has to dislodge one of already several really strong picks in just two spots.
• Her damage output looks to be low compared to other DPSs, and none of her actual abilities help provide additional damage.
• Her kit overall sounds like it might not have value on Defense, as when her Ultimate is on Cooldown, she's a weaker version of Tracer. And Tracer (and Genji for that matter) are already weak on Defense. We'll have to see how many Ults Hack actually counters and how easy/hard it is to pull off a Hack.
• She'll be a poor pick against Winston-led dive comps as Winston counters her, and dive comps aren't conveniently grouped together to maximize the value of EMP.
• On Control, she's going to be competing for a spot against Tracer, who is probably the best DPS option there (it's her or Reaper).
• Her kit seems focused on countering tanks and the DPS options in the Defense category. Outside Genji, I think she'll struggle against most of the other attackers (Whether she can hack through Reaper's Wraith Form is one big question I have for Tuesday).
• A lot of people are super excited about her way to cancel out Lucio's Sound Barrier, but it's still a trade of Ultimates. That will still be pretty big, but let's not jump the gun on that driving Lucio from the Meta or something as Sound Barrier isn't the reason every team has a Lucio right now. It doesn't shut down Speed Boost (just his ability to switch between songs).
• She can't Hack through shields (EMP of course overrides this). I suspect there are a lot of things she won't be able to Hack through either.

She seems to be very targeted at countering (as @frostyryan rightfully fears) Reinhardt-led Death Balls and teams that like to sit in chokes. And that's why, in theory at least, I'm really in love with her design. "Poking at the choke" drives me up a wall, and this may finally help the community at large learn how to break through chokes. What I think (or maybe just hope) is this will finally convince more players to learn how to operate in a Winston-led comp. Even though the pro scene has long since seen Winston as a top 5 character (watch some Milo gameplay from Lunatic-Hai if you want to see what Winston can do to a team), the larger player base still seems convinced Winston is a garbage character with a bad Ultimate. Also, it along with the PTR buffs might cause people to start incorporating D.Va into more comps.

@onionknight14:Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback!

This guide is really good and outlines a more advanced understanding of the dps heroes that I wish more people would learn sooner rather than later. I'm a bit tired of having to argue with solo q randoms that roadhog is the worst at actually "tanking" and is fine in a dps slot, while Hanzo is more viable on first point attack than any kind of defense. Honestly think the entire way heroes are classed together in Overwatch needs to be reworked because it leads to a bad understanding of how the game works, but that's a different topic.

One thing I would just like to add to Reaper is he is especially good on defense for setting up ambushes. Because of his short range it can sometimes be difficult when attacking to get good positioning, but on defense you just hide around corners or on ledges and let them walk into you. Traditionally he was used more on defense than offense at pro level until people fell in love with the beyblade and it kind of evened out.

@games_dot_cool: I agree about the current categorization being distracting. Pharah is actually a surprisingly good character on defense. Just keep firing at the choke point.

Roadhog's massive health plus the ability to heal makes him a tank and DPS hybrid though. Oh and I don't even need to address Symmetra. She is defense. I think the "there are ways to support other than heal" argument is dumb. With that logic, every character in the game is "support"