Types of heroes Overwatch Guide
Currently, there are 21 heroes available in the game, each of them featuring unique weapons and abilities. Each of them is also assigned a specific role on the battlefield. When selecting a hero, it is smart to keep the good of the team in mind rather than one's own whims, because success in Overwatch depends on cooperation and not on solo runs. It is worth mentioning that Blizzard introduced a unique feature to the game, allowing the gameplay to be even more dynamic - if you notice that your team loses because it lacks a, for example, Tank , there's absolutely no problem! You just press the right key (default "H") and change your character mid-game! At this point, you can completely change the tactics of your entire team, forcing the opposite team to match their strategy to yours.
Before you begin a match, take a look at the bio of the hero you're going to play as. You will find everything you need in the drop-down menu accessible from the hero selection screen. Here, you will learn what skills does the hero have and how they work; this is also where you get the information on the character's endurance and the difficulty level of playing with that particular character. Each character has also a set of advice that can help you during the game.
In the game there are 4 different types of heroes, and each of them serves an important, dedicated role on the team, so you might want to think twice on your choices before the game. The right combination of heroes is the key to success, as some of them are really powerful and can create devastating synergies.
Offense
The heroes in this group are the Damage Dealers - they are responsible for dishing out DPS and directly eliminating the opposition. While their offensive capabilities are top-notch, their defenses aren't; they have limited health and armor, which makes them rather easy to take out. Playing as an offensive hero requires timing and finding the right opportunity to strike, as well as good positioning as not to become an easy target. This group includes: Reaper, Soldier: 76, Pharah, McCree, Genji, and Tracer.
Defense
Heroes who are able to inflict considerable damage, but also have the skills to support their allies, such as the ability to lay down mines or traps, set up turrets or a powerful cannon defending access to the target, or sniping skills, which allow you to eliminate any danger from afar. Playing as one of the defensive characters requires imagination and anticipating opponent's moves to be able to quickly respond when needed. This group includes: Bastion, Hanzo, Mei, Torbjorn, Widowmaker, and Junkrat.
Tank
Here's a bunch of real tough guys! They have the largest amount health, as well as various kinds of shields. They are also able to heal themselves. The role of a Tank is to protect the most fragile elements of the team, which requires them to focus the enemy's attention on themselves while making the enemy team's lives as hard as possible. Tanks are also able to stun or grab their opponents, which makes it that much easier to eliminate them. As a Tank you have to be bold and lead the group. If your teammates notice that you do a good job and they do not have to worry about their health (at least not too much) they will gladly follow you. The heroes in this group are: Reinhardt, Roadhog, Winston, D.Va, and Zarya.
Support
As the name suggests, this group is responsible for supporting other team members. These characters, so-called Supports, have a wide arsenal of healing skills and shields, as well as auras that increase damage inflicted by allies, or, once casted at the enemy, increase the damage the enemy receives (VERY effective vs. Tanks!). Among other useful (and cools) skills, Supports are able to resurrect an ally or teleport themselves to a strategic point. While a Support can substantially increase the survival rate of other heroes, Support characters themselves are very fragile in general and can often become an easy prey for the enemy if not adequately protected. Playing as a Support requires you to be very careful not to draw unnecessary attention and try to do your job from behind a Tank. Support heroes are: Mercy, Lucio, Symmetra, and Zenyatta.