Overwatch 2 Tank Guide – Shield This

Tanks and an important part of Overwatch 2. Find out how to improve in our Overwatch 2 Tank Guide.

Overwatch 2 is going to be accessible worldwide around two months from now, which means people definitely want to know more about it. Those lucky enough to access the closed beta had the chance to test most of the new stuff. However, others have to wait until the game becomes available to try their favorite hero.

While we are talking about heroes, today’s guide will focus on tanks. Let’s face it, this was not the most exciting role in Overwatch, especially for people who played things like Orisa or Rein. Most people found them too boring, which is why they decided to focus on DPS and Supports.

Fortunately, Blizzard’s devs noticed this, which is why they’ve transformed Tanks in Overwatch 2. It is safe to say that this is probably the most exciting role right now, especially if you have the chance to play some heroes with new abilities. 

With that being said, this article will sum up everything you must know about this position in Overwatch 2 and how to use it properly.

Tanks do not have that strong barrier anymore, so you need to be more careful

One of the biggest changes to Overwatch 2 that you won’t notice right away is related to the barriers. Sadly, many teams used double-shield combos in Overwatch, which made the game look incredibly boring. DPS had to spend a lot of time going through them, which was annoying, the say the least.

Despite the fact that Barriers continue to be a thing in Overwatch 2, they are not as good as before. Some heroes like Orisa no longer have access to such abilities, whereas others like Rein have weaker shields. Besides having less HP, the barriers also have slower regeneration. 

Although these changes are good for the game and DPS players, this is not the case for most tanks. Since they no longer have such powerful shields, most of them have to be more careful when playing. For example, tanks have to move around more and not tank as much damage. The latter is critical because healers will have problems keeping them alive.

Tanks are harder to kill (duh…)

The fact that the barriers are not as good as before might upset some Tank players, but Blizzard wanted everyone to be happy. Consequently, most tanks have more HP and armor, which will make them a lot stronger. This probably does not come as a surprise because the devs wanted to ensure that Tank players would have fun. 

While it is true that this does not apply to every hero in Overwatch, some of them, such as D.Va are more robust than before. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can stay in the open like a training dummy because you will probably die in a couple of seconds.

Some tanks do a lot of damage

Another important thing you need to consider when you pick a tank or have to play against one is the damage output. Heroes in Overwatch 2 like Reinhardt are notorious for their high right-click damage, but it seems like other names also stand out. 

Of course, we have to point out the new Orisa because this tank quickly became one of the best damage-dealers in the game. The hero might not be as tanky as before due to the lack of a barrier, but it makes up for it by doing insane damage. In fact, Orisa has one of the strongest ults in the game that can deal up to 500 damage.

Another tank that deals a lot of damage is Junker Queen. The new hero in Overwatch was a blast to play during the closed beta because she was always among the top damage dealers. What makes her more special than the rest is that she lifesteales when she deals damage. In other words, she needs to be active and use her abilities offensively to survive.

Aside from JQ, Doomfirst is also a hero that deals significantly more damage than other tanks. In case you didn’t know, Blizzard decided to “convert” him from a DPS to a tank, which was interesting, to say the least. DF does not seem that impressive at first, but once you realize that his damage output increases when he gets attacked, you will see why he will have a key role for many teams.

Some tanks seem stronger because of the new global ability

One of the new things in Overwatch 2 that players have to get used to is a new class of passive abilities. DPS heroes have extra movement speed, healers will heal passively when they haven’t taken damage, whereas tanks have a 30%  knockback resistance. Furthermore, heroes will receive 50% less ultimate charge when attacking them while they are disabled.

The new changes are more than welcomed because there is nothing more annoying than being under CC. Unsurprisingly, it makes tanks more dangerous because they will have more time to deal damage and block shots than before. As you know, Reinhardt was among the few names in Overwatch with a passive ability called Steadfast, which offered the same effect.

Healers will find Overwatch 2 harder, so tanks need to be carful

The last important thing that tank players need to know about Overwatch 2 before they start playing is that they won’t be able to rely on their healers as much as before. As you probably know, each team will only have five players instead of six, which will impact healers and tanks. 

We expect most players to use a triple DPS setup with one tank and one healer. This means that the support will have to think of way more things to keep its allies alive. Needless to say, this will have a negative effect on tanks because they won’t be able to rely on a pocket healer.