Overwatch 2 has introduced a lot of changes to the gameplay mechanics that differentiate it from its popular predecessor, with small changes that make the game go by quicker, to larger changes, like the change to Orisa's character. Included with these reformations, is the introduction of more characters, like the support hero, Kiriko. New characters and updated mechanics mean that the game and the chemistry between different heroes (and villains...) are more varied than ever before. From more damage-reliant support characters to characters solely existing to keep teammates alive and kicking, there's a wide variety of styles within the choice of a support hero.
Tank characters are another class who've been met with various changes, and they're notably one of the key aspects to winning a game. They need to be a team-player, in making sure the rest of the team gets to where they need to go; they hold up shields and power their way through enemy lines. With that in mind, the dynamics between a tank and a support hero must go well together, and there are multiple duos with those classes that play off of each other better than others.
Updated May 31, 2023, by Kai Adler: Overwatch 2 has received up-and-down thoughts in the community since the revelation of the Tank Hero Ramattra, and the Support Hero Lifeweaver. Though Blizzard has gone on to say that PVE isn't in their line of sight at the moment, players can still jump into PVP with these new characters. Ramattra and Lifeweaver work great not only in combination with each other, but also with some other Tank and Support Heroes. These new combinations can give players and their teammates a powerful advantage in any game mode. Some other Heroes have also received buffs (or nerfs) that have changed the game's meta, so gamers will want to coordinate with these updates the best they can to achieve victory.
15 D.V.A & Mercy
D.V.A. is one of the most popularly known tanks in the game to be considered good in the meta. Though she's considerably well on her own, a good support hero raises her potential; this is where Mercy brings D.V.A a brighter spotlight.
Mercy can keep up with D.V.A.'s mobility with her own set of movement options and can help support D.V.A. in keeping her tank intact. With Mercy's ability to bring back a teammate from death, D.V.A. can use her mech once more to steadily hold objectives.
14 Sigma & Brigitte
Sigma is a powerful tank, holding the power to control gravity. He's one of the few remaining tanks that have a shield ability, so that makes him useful in many aspects with his teammates. If you add Brigitte to his team, the two make an extremely durable duo.
Brigitte is already known to be half-tank, and half-support, so if Sigma were to add his shield on top of Brigitte's shield, it would make her much more resilient to enemies. Not only that, but Brigitte can heal Sigma from afar, in case he's wandered off on his own.
13 Orisa & Mercy
Orisa has been met with some incredible changes to her gameplay, including the removal of her shield ability. She now has a staff that is considerably more focused to manage damage toward enemies.
With Mercy at her side, she can continue to stand strong as she puts out continuous amounts of damage on enemies attempting to defend or hold an objective. Mercy's other ability to boost an ally's damage will also help Orisa tank through the likes of Roadhog or keep Reinhardt from asserting a lead toward their objective.
12 Roadhog & Baptiste
In Overwatch 2, Roadhog is a fierce opponent, and can quickly mow down heroes who aren't careful. Putting Baptiste at Roadhog's side makes the two insufferable. Baptiste can throw up a device that keeps allies, within the device's range, from dying. If Baptiste can time this ability before Roadhog meets his end at an important game time, this can turn the tides very quickly.
Along with that, both heroes are good at dishing out damage to the opposing team, so when Baptiste doesn't have to worry about healing Roadhog (since he can heal himself) they both can simultaneously eliminate the other team in grand attack strategies.
11 Wrecking Ball & Kiriko
The small hamster known as Wrecking Ball seems to find himself all over the map the entire game. With his grappling ability that throws his robotic hamster ball through the air, he is known by fans to be everywhere and can catch enemies by surprise. Because of his mobility, Wrecking Ball needs an ally who can keep up with him; our newest support hero can now shine.
Kiriko can immediately teleport to an ally, even through walls, so when Wrecking Ball finds himself on his lonesome behind enemy lines, Kiriko can quickly teleport to him to keep him healed up and fighting. Better yet, she can also use him to get around the map on her own (teleporting to him in far-away places), finding perfect spots to throw her deadly kunai at unaware enemies.
10 Zarya & Moira
Moira is a simple character with unique abilities that oppose each other with healing and damage. This makes her a very dangerous attacker since her drain attack locks into enemies, and it can sometimes be hard to make out where Moira is. With Zarya on her team, it only makes the two harder to combat.
Zarya can shield Moira, making Moira an unstoppable force that drains away the enemy's health for a while. On the other hand, Moira is capable of efficiently healing allies, so when needed, she can throw out a healing orb as well as use her primary attack to quickly heal Zarya. With fully-charged Zarya and a shielded Moira on the offense, the two can rack up numbers on the leaderboard.
9 Reinhardt & Lucio
Being slow yet very defensively capable, Reinhardt is known to have one of the best shields in the game. He puts up a wide shield capable of taking a lot of damage before it breaks, and he moves with it. This makes it easier for allies to advance behind Reinhardt safely. Putting Lucio on Reinhardt's team can create a much quicker way to take over objectives or simply get Reinhardt to power through an enemy team a lot faster.
With Lucio's ability to make Reinhardt move quicker, Reinhardt can devastate enemies with his hammer, and charge into battle as an opposing hero won't expect him to move so quickly. Lucio, with Reinhardt's defense, can also deal his damage while boosting and healing Reinhardt at the same time. Because of his movement capabilities, Lucio is a speedy force to be fought against.
8 Junker Queen & Brigitte
Overwatch's newest tank brings a very aggressive combat style to the 5v5 game. With her highly-effective shotgun and abilities that heal her as well as deal wounding damage to enemies, she can be a monstrous threat. What better than to add another character that can only drive Junker Queen's aggressiveness to greater heights?
Brigitte, being very attack-efficient on her own, can be devastating to pair up with Junker Queen. The two can easily split up to act on the offense and still individually be fine. Brigitte can even heal Junker Queen if she needs to regain health, as well as closely support her with a defensive shield when needed to escape. With this pair on the attack, eliminations are sure to follow.
7 Doomfist & Zenyatta
Having been moved from being a DPS hero to a tank hero, Doomfist has gained changes that make him more spongy than his damaged counterpart. Similar to Junker Queen, he can be played aggressively, but with a focus on interrupting groups of enemies and moving around a lot more rapidly than other tanks.
A good Zenyatta can use his orbs to heal a Doomfist that is continuously moving around the map, and at the same time, meet with Doomfist to interrupt the enemy's defenses or even attacks. The two make an efficient duo when attacking multiple enemies.
6 Winston & Ana
Canonically, and in-game, Winston and Ana make for a pair that pushes the enemy back. Winston is good at interrupting enemies that focus on dealing out damage from further away places, or higher places like rooftops. Widowmaker is an easy example of a hero that Winston easily counters. With his leaping ability, he gets around a lot.
Ana, being a sniper that can also heal enemies from far away, can easily make sure Winston remains on his feet while keeping enemies at bay. She can also put down unfortunate foes to sleep. This makes it possible for Winston to quickly pounce on the likes of a sleeping Reaper, who's known to take down tanks easily.
5 Ramattra & Lifeweaver
Ramattra and Lifeweaver are both new characters that Overwatch 2 included a while after the game's initial release. Ramattra was available for purchase before Lifeweaver and became an instant hit with fans, as his health and damage both overpowered many other heroes.
Lifeweaver, on the other hand, is fairly brittle in terms of health, but deals decent damage and has good HPS as a support hero. With the combination of Ramattra's ability to take on other teams and Lifeweaver's great abilities, the two can perform wonderfully.
4 Lifeweaver & Roadhog
Lifeweaver is in between being a great DPS support hero, and a good mobility support hero, making him a decent ally with aggressive DPS heroes. Roadhog is a tank hero that excels with DPS at close range and is one of the best heroes for taking on one enemy at a time.
Lifeweaver not only helps with slight DPS, but can keep consistent heals on Roadhog, making the two a force to be reckoned with in any mode. Lifeweaver can also help Roadhog reach places he wouldn't be able to reach alone, allowing for more strategic interaction with the tank hero.
3 Ramattra & Baptiste
Ramattra needs to be played aggressively on objectives or in enemy groups due to how his character works, meaning the tank hero will need consistent heals as well as good backup in terms of damage. That makes Baptiste one of the best choices when playing with a Ramattra player.
With a Baptiste and Ramattra duo, the friendly team will easily overpower the enemy team. While Ramattra hammers in on enemy lines or an objective, Baptiste canconsistently heal Ramattra, keep him alive with Baptiste's immortality field, or help defeat enemies with Baptiste's great DPS weapon.
2 Ana & Ramattra
Ramattra is an aggressive tank character that players can choose in Overwatch 2, meaning that there is only a small selection of support heroes who can pair with the tank character in an exceptional way. Ana is another support hero who works beautifully with Ramattra.
Ana is usually played far from the battlefield with her sniper, and silently takes out opponents who aren't paying attention to their surroundings. Ramattra can take advantage of Ana's playstyle by targeting the same opponent that Ana is attacking or sleeping.
1 Lifeweaver & D.V.A
Lifeweaver has become famous for his ability to lift other players up with his Petal Platform, which can also be damaged. Though some Lifeweaver players spread toxicity in the community by foiling team plans with the flower platform, the ability can be a blessing in many situations.
One such situation is when paired with another ultimate. D.V.A's ultimate, specifically, is great with Petal Platform. When D.V.A's ultimate has been initiated, the Petal Platform can lift the explosive mech into a highly populated area with no cover, devastating the opposing team.
Overwatch 2 is available to play for free on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.