Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock lately, you probably know that Blizzard Games has released their newest gaming Juggernaut in the form of Overwatch. A unique, first person shooter (FPS) that has taken the gaming community by storm. Over 9 Million people downloaded the Open Beta this past spring, and in less than a month since its May release, Ovewatch has over 7 Million players enjoying the game.

While FPS fans have been flocking to this title, there might be some FPS newbies out there that are curious if Overwatch is the game for them. Fortunately, Blizzard has created a FPS that’s definitely friendly to new players. Today, we are going to look at our Top 10 Overwatch Characters for New Players. These are heroes that will allow someone who isn’t a hardcore FPS addict to jump in and contribute with relative ease. They won’t rely on player knowledge of maps and sniper points, or even fast-twitch controller accuracy when shooting that’s prevalent in so many other FPS games.

And while none of these characters will make you instantly good at Overwatch, they will make it for you to get your feet wet in this game and be a productive member of the team. So pick one, learn their powers, and after you’ve taken some time to get used to that character, you should be aiding your team in no time.

Top Ten Overwatch Characters for New Players

 

10. Mei

Mei is a character that freezes things as her special ability. She is easy enough to play with her freeze gun (which has a generous amount of ammo and a quick reload), wall of ice, and self heal. However she’s not higher on the list because a bad Mei on a team is really bad. If you use her wall of ice in bad spots for your team, you will get a lot of hate from them. Just something to think about when you choose Mei that, although she is easy to play, she’s also easy to play poorly. But if you concentrate on using your freeze powers to harass the enemy team, Mei can be a lot of fun to play.

 

9. Winston

This giant ape is one of the Tanks (characters that soak up damage) in Overwatch. With his dome shield and Tesla gun, Winston is pretty easy to use. Jump around, drop a shield on your teammates, and shoot with your gun. The nice thing about Winston is that his gun doesn’t even require aiming, it works in a spread and you just have to be near your enemy. Winston also has a generous amount of hit points (the number of damage you can take before you die) so even if you don’t have the best of tactics, he can soak up a lot of damage.

 

8. D.Va

This Tank is a bit more complex that Winston, however she is a bit easier to use on offense. While in her giant mech, her guns have unlimited ammo and a decent spread (although not great range). So just get near your enemies (her rocket boost will help with that) and squeeze the trigger. No reloading necessary. If you get into trouble, she also has a defensive shield that will block incoming fire while you back away.

 

7. Lúcio

A support character, Lúcio’s main ability is his auras. He can either project a healing or speed boost aura. Both of these can help your teammates greatly. His gun does require some decent aiming, but it has a great range, so feel free to spam choke points with shots from his gun even at a great distance. When in doubt, just concentrate on helping your allies with heals and speed boosts. Since you dont’ have to target with your heal, you can be helpful by just being near your allies.

 

6. Pharah

The only pure attacker of the list, Pharah makes an appearance because of the ease of use of her weapons. She packs a rocket gun which doesn’t require precision to be effective. If you aren’t very good at aiming yet, just aim at the ground or wall near your target and your splash damage should be quite effective. She also has a quick escape button and can fly up and away when she gets in trouble. And her Ultimate Ability lets you should a barrage of rockets over a large area, making taking out a group of enemies fairly easy.

 

5. Symmetra

Another support character, however Symmetra is unique from the others in that she doesn’t do any healing herself. Symmetra works great as a defensive hero. She can place sentry turrets, provide a small shield to her allies, and her ultimate power is a teleporter that can instantly get your allies back to the battlefield. Her gun can be a little tricky to use, but her other abilities more than make up for it for new players. Symmetra is great when your team is defending an objective. Her turrets can pack quite the punch, especially when in a group.

 

4. Reinhardt

Another Tank on the list, Reinhardt is an armored knight that carries around a large hammer. The main thing you should be doing with him is leading the charge for your allies. He has the ability to project a large shield in front of him that will protect your teammates from incoming damage and allow you to assault the objective much easier. And if an enemy happens to get too close, just smash them with your hammer.

 

3. Mercy

A pure support character, when you pick Mercy, you will be a vital member of the team. She has the ability to either heal a single character or give them a damage boost. She boosts the weakest weapon in the game, so chances are you’ll ignore her pistol and just focus on buffing or healing your teammates. While Mercy may not be glamorous, she can definitely turn the tide of the battle. Her Ultimate Ability allows you to bring recently fallen teammates back to life, which if used at the right moment, can help you win a match.

 

2. Torbjörn

A Builder, Torbjörn is a dwarf whose main ability allows him to build a canon turret. This turret is fairly powerful and can even be upgraded. Place it on the battle field and keep it healthy. Torbjörn can also craft armor for himself and his teammates. His gun does decent damage and it even has a spread shot options if you aren’t great at aiming yet.

 

1. Bastion

For new players who want to do lots of damage, look no further than Bastion. This robot can transform between his mobile sentry mode to a fixed turret mode. While in turret mode, you have a generous supply of ammo and a very high rate of fire. Plop yourself down in a corner and unload upon the enemy. The amount of damage bastion can dish out in a few seconds is pretty impressive. He also boasts a self-heal to help keep you in the battle even longer. And his Ultimate Ability, turns him into a tank that can drive around the battlefield, launching missiles at your enemies.