Overwatch is a team-based shooter, with 25 characters as of right now. Because it’s a team-based shooter, you’ll need a well-rounded group to get the upper hand on opponents. This guide will highlight the support-minded heroes in Overwatch, noting each character’s strengths and weaknesses. Try all of the characters to find the one that is perfect for your play style!

Support Heroes

The support heroes in Overwatch are the following:

• Lucio

• Mercy

• Symmetra

• Zenyatta

Lucio

Lucio is a great all-around support character. This means he can heal, buff others and can hold his own in a fight. When using Lucio, be sure to take advantage of his Wall Ride ability. If you hold the jump button while near any wall, Lucio will start running on it.

Lucio’s main attack is his Sonic Amplifier. The weapon is slow, but shoots out three bursts that do a decent amount of damage. The secondary firing function of the Sonic Amplifier releases one big burst capable of pushing enemies out of the way.

The Crossfade ability can grant allies one of two different buffs. The first allows Lucio to heal teammates. If players switch modes, the buff will instead increase movement speed of allies. If players pair Crossfade with the Amp It Up ability, the buffs are improved, allowing players to heal faster and move even quicker. Watch out though, because the Amp It Up ability takes a whopping 12 seconds to cool down.

Lucio’s ultimate ability is Sound Barrier. Using this move will create a large shield for your teammates to hide behind and rally to start an attack. Sound Barrier lasts for six seconds, so use it wisely.

Mercy

Mercy is the best medic in Overwatch, and should be a staple on any team. Her main objective in any match should be to find allies and follow them from a close distance using her Caduceus Staff. The main fire mode will create a tether between Mercy and the hero and send over health for as long as the tether remains intact. The secondary fire mode of the Staff increases damage output for the person getting hit with the tether.

If Mercy ever needs to heal herself, she can use her Angelic Descent move. This will slow down your movement speed, potentially throwing off the aiming of enemies. While doing this, Mercy will also give herself some health points.

As for attacks, Mercy has the Caduceus Blaster. This gun is only really effective at close range, so use it wisely. Mercy can use this in tandem with her Guardian Angel move, which sends her flying up to whatever character is currently targeted. Guardian Angel can also be used defensively, allowing Mercy to fly quickly to a weak ally or to get out of range from an incoming attack.

Mercy’s ultimate ability is Resurrect. Like it sounds, Mercy can bring back allies from the dead that are within the radius of the ability. This works on allies who are waiting to respawn, so coordinating with teammates is crucial to get the most out of Resurrect.

Symmetra

Symmetra is an incredibly unique support character, using a weird light gun thingy to deal damage to enemies. She’s also a good buff character, with some versatility.

The main weapon Symmetra uses is the Photon Projector. This weapon shoots a beam of light which, when connected to an enemy, deals out more and more damage the longer the beam is connected. There is also a secondary firing mode for the Photon Projector, shooting out a slow ball of energy.

Symmetra can also set up multiple turrets around a level. These turrets will not damage enemies, but it will slow them down to be easier targets for others. These turrets can be used to dissuade people from going a certain route, or placed right in combat to slow the opposing team to a crawl.

The Photon Shield is a great support move for Symmetra, granting a shield to an ally for the duration of that character’s entire life.

Symmetra’s ultimate ability is a Teleporter. By setting one end up at the respawn zone and a second on the front lines, allies can use Symmetra’s teleporter to get right back to the fight once they get brought back.

Zenyatta

Zenyatta is a bit of a glass cannon in Overwatch. He’s capable of dealing large amounts of damage and can heal allies, but is also the slowest and weakest hero offered. There are great rewards to mastering Zenyatta, but some big risks as well.

Zenyatta’s basic attack is the Orbs of Destruction. These can either be fired off one at a time, or they can be charged up, allowing five shots to be sent out in quick succession. Hitting an enemy with five charged orbs is pretty much a death sentence for any enemy.

Zenyatta can also use the Orbs of Harmony. These orbs attach to an ally and will heal them over time. The player must remain within eyesight of Zenyatta, or the orb will leave.

The last Orb-based ability Zenyatta has is the Orb of Discord. Fire this bad boy at an enemy and all incoming damage will be increased by 50 percent. The Orb of Discord happens to auto-target the nearest enemy, so Zenyatta doesn’t even have to aim much for this move.

Zenyatta’s ultimate ability is called Transcendence. This move creates a bubble around Zenyatta and nearby allies, and heals all those inside the bubble. Zenyatta cannot deal or take any damage while using Transcendence, which lasts for six seconds.

So what do you think? Are you a true teammate, picking a support character when you play Overwatch? Do you find yourself more on the offensive, tank or defensive side of the combat zone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.