Overwatch 2: Best Heroes to Play in Season 19

The 14th marked another new Season in Overwatch 2, bringing the Halloween event with new game modes, as well as exclusive skins with the Battle Pass update and several balance changes! You can check out other updates in our full overview of Season 19.

A patch note packed with changes is obviously capable of affecting the meta. That's why we at UmGamer have created this article to keep you updated on which heroes are on top. Check it out!

Zarya

Zarya is one of the most consistent tanks in Overwatch 2. Appearing in several of our traditional articles, it's no surprise that she's considered one of the strongest in her class in the game.

The latest patch notes didn't include any nerfs for the hero, which is enough to put her back on the list—so much so that most community tier lists consider her an S-Tier hero.

Her abilities alone will draw attention in battles: her shields are flexible, great for both advancing and defending, and they control the tempo of the fight very well. Finally, her Ultimate continues to be a plus; if played well, it’ll easily result in several kills.

D.Va

D.Va is a similar case, standing out last Season and not undergoing any negative changes in this update. The South Korean is considered one of, if not the, best hero in the game! In fact, her perks are considered by many to be the best in Overwatch 2!

Another predominant factor for mentioning this tank here is the fact that heroes that D.Va is good against, such as Ana and Widowmaker, have received relevant buffs. This leads some players to use these Poke characters, with low mobility and focused on long-range projectiles, more frequently.

The South Korean character handles them well. By using Defense Matrix along with her flight, you'll not only block a large portion of enemy fire but also threaten them with close-range combat—the biggest nightmare for Poke heroes!

Mauga

Mauga is a tank that's extremely focused on Brawl compositions. The big guy is already effective in fights, dealing a lot of damage and providing area control. However, this type of hero's biggest weakness is survivability—without the mobility of a Dive character or the range of a Poke-specialized one, Mauga could die more easily.

Season 19 arrived to address this problem for the hero. Now, the Major Combat Fuel perk will grant greater healing with each critical hit, and the maximum bonus health has also been increased from 100 to 150. An adjustment made to Mauga's greatest potential weakness was exactly what was needed to make him meta!

On top of that, the character also received a 6% reduction in the cost of his Ultimate, which isn't something to ignore.

Tracer

Tracer has been a constant presence in our lists for several seasons now, demonstrating her above-average strength. It’s essential to have this context to understand that the nerf given to her wasn’t enough to knock her off the podium. She’s another player who has appeared in several S-tier rosters.

The change is that the Flashback perk no longer grants 2 Teleport charges, but instead increases Blink’s cooldown recovery rate by 150% for 3 seconds after Recall. Despite removing the instant escape, the character still possesses great mobility and an extremely strong kit of abilities on her own.

Additionally, it is effective against Poke characters that have received buffs this season.

Reaper

There's a controversial choice here: Reaper was significantly affected—negatively—in the update, and many other damage heroes could complement our article. His Wraith Form lost 10% of its movement bonus, and the Minor Perk that makes Shadow Step faster became a Major Perk, requiring more XP during the match to activate—and offering no additional gains.

However, Reaper's main role hasn't changed; the ghost is still a deadly machine in matches! A good player with the hero will be able to take advantage of his best features in the same way.

However, he's become more situational and is especially recommended for those who already master him. It won't be so easy to get kills and survive with Reaper if you're just starting out.

Cassidy

Cassidy finds himself on the podium of best damage heroes because he's very effective against characters who make fast and aggressive advances, such as Tracer and Reaper—he acts as an anti-dive thanks to his grenade combined with explosive damage! Of course, this alone might not be enough to guarantee him a spot on today's list, but it's worth mentioning that Cassidy received a 50% boost to his Minor Healing Perk.

In a scenario where his role is to inhibit Tracer's advances, for example, this increased survivability will be crucial to winning the fight and defending his team.

Lúcio

Lúcio is one of the privileged heroes in the current meta. Even without buffs, the Brazilian is a great choice for Brawl compositions that are on the rise! Heroes like Zarya were already strong, Mauga received a great buff, and Reaper is still capable of annihilating opponents with ease.

He's known for distributing healing or speed stats in a small area nearby. You'll benefit in scenarios where all your allies want to fight at close range—you'll be the best support for this type of strategy.

The large area-of-effect shield provided by his Ultimate is also effective for this specific team, and it will even be a way to protect Reaper to the point of mitigating the damage he suffered in the patch notes.

Wuyang

Like Reaper, Wuyang is another hero hit by several negative changes. The support, already considered relatively difficult to play, now requires more attention to avoid being easily eliminated, given that he got a 25 health reduction.

However, his direct damage and one of his Minor Perks were significantly buffed. In short, Wuyang will start to be punished for poor positioning, but he still offers excellent healing and damage output. We don't recommend him for beginners.

Kiriko

Kiriko couldn't be left out; she's been on most UmGamer's podiums since we started this type of content. This is due to her own kit, the Japanese is the only one who has an ability where, almost instantly, she removes any negative effect from her allies. If you're still too far away from the team to provide this support, you still have Swift Step to arrive at the right time.

The support received minor adjustments to the major perks, but nothing that affected her abilities.

Another highlight for Kiriko is her flexibility, with great movement capacity, an Ultimate that grants huge buffs - including movement speed - in an area, in addition to above-average damage and healing potential, even at long distances, making her a viable option for all three main types of compositions: Brawl, Dive and Poke!

Overwatch 2 finds itself in a seemingly well-balanced meta when it comes to compositions. Of course, some heroes stand out from others, but it's unusual to see such diverse strategies present in a single Season's meta.

It will be interesting to follow the competitive matches in the coming weeks. Poke compositions may lag behind, but Brawl and Dive teams promise to bring incredible fights to Overwatch 2!

I hope you enjoyed this article. I'm available if you have any questions or suggestions.