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).