In a game of Overwatch 2, one of the most important roles on the team is the tank. As the tank of the team, it is the player’s duty to draw in enemy fire as well as provide protection. Their importance to the team cannot be understated as every time the tank is eliminated, teams would usually fallback to regroup. Because of this, it is important that the tank is able to balance damaging the opponents as well as using their defensive utility.

With Season 2 of Overwatch 2 finally settling in and the meta taking shape from all the buffs and nerfs that were implemented, the tank role has become more important than ever. This is because the meta has started to revolve around “one shotting” opponents. Because of this, it has become very important to tank heroes to have excellent defensive skills as well as skills that can keep up with this meta. With this in mind, let’s get to know this season’s top tier tanks.

Roadhog

When it comes to Roadhog, his skills are all centered around singling out opponents and dealing heavy damage to them. Because of the way his kit is designed, he has been terrorizing the Overwatch 2 servers since the start.

Roadhog’s main weapon is a short range Scrap Gun. This Scrap Gun becomes especially powerful the nearer the opponents are. To do this, Roadhog utilizes his Chain Hook utility skill to grab opponents from afar. When opponents get caught in the chain, they are pulled towards Roadhog and in combination with his main weapon, shoots them down mercilessly. This combination of the skill and weapon enables Roadhog to clear enemies in one combination. This also matches his nature as a tank since having one less guaranteed opponent means one less source of damage against the team.  In addition to this, his defensive skill “Take a Breather” regenerates his health and reduces the damage he takes for a short time. This skill is in line with the many tank skills that help them to sustain themselves against opponents.

“Whole Hog” is Roadhog’s ultimate skill and it knocks back opponents while also dealing damage. This is an especially useful Ultimate for a tank like Roadhog as it enables him to play both defensive and offensive. This is because it is able to stop oncoming pushes as well as get enemies out of a capture point. All in all, it greatly increases his effectiveness as a hyper offensive tank.

Doomfist

In the first season of Overwatch 2, a lot of people would play Doomfist as a tank if they planned to either troll with their teammates or they simply did not know how bad he was. Because of this, when Season 2 first came out, he was massively buffed in every aspect of his kit. These buffs given to him helped him to become one of the most dangerous tank heroes of season 2.

His main weapon is a short range spread hand cannon that reloads automatically. This is typically used when his other skills are on cooldown. Compared to the other weapons in his kit, this main weapon of his was not really touched on. However, when it comes to his Rocket Punch, this skill was buffed significantly and was made to be very dangerous. This is because when opponents are hit by this skill, they are stunned for a significant amount when they end up hitting a wall. This stun effect is what led Doomfist to rise in ranks among the tank heroes. Aside from that, his Seismic Slam allows him to move a large amount of distance while also being able to deal damage. His defensive skill, “Power Block”, also got a significant upgrade as it lets him use an empowered rocket punch if he absorbs enough damage. This combination of skills has allowed Doomfist to chain stun multiple opponents making them very vulnerable against one shot attacks.

His ultimate skill “Meteor Strike” contributes to his chain stun capabilities as it empowers his rocket fist instantly as well as slows opponents for a significant amount of time. This added slow allows him to execute the empowered rocket fist against opponents easily.

Orisa

When it comes to the current meta in Season 2 of Overwatch 2, there is a lot of focus on trying to counter what the current meta is. In this case, this is where Orisa comes into the meta. In a general sense, Orisa has become a counter pick against the top meta tanks such as Doomfist and Roadhog as she is able to effectively counter their strategies.

Orisa’s main weapon is an Augmented Fusion Driver that deals more damage the closer the player is to the opponent. Her main weapon is just a lot like other tanks where it is not the entire reason she is part of the meta. What makes her such a competitive choice in the meta is her other weapon which is the energy javelin. The energy javelin is thrown at opponents and when they are hit by it, they get stunned and knockback. This is a very effective crowd control weapon as it effectively keeps opponents away while slowing down their push. Her defensive skill “Fortify”, allows for her to make aggressive pushes at the cost of heat generated from her main weapon. This skill can counter the current meta as when this becomes active, she becomes unstoppable and just pushes forward. Another defensive skill of hers is her Javelin Spin which she can use to block enemy attacks as well as push enemies back. This is also an effective aggressive skill as she increases speed the longer she stays in that state.

Finally, her ultimate skill “Terra Surge” is one of the most effective crowd control skills in the game. When activated, she sweeps all enemies in an area and groups them together. She also gains the Fortify state while doing this. This is very effective as it allows for her team to mow down the opponents while she gathers them up while the opponents cannot do much against it.

D.Va

Back in the first season of Overwatch 2, D.Va was considered one of the best tanks in the game with how explosive she can get. With the great shift in the meta that came with Season 2, D.Va took a seat back from the top of the meta. However, this does not mean that she is less effective as a tank. Instead, she is still able to contribute the same amount of utility and damage as before albeit less effectively than the other previously mentioned tanks. Luckily enough, despite the previous season having her as a top tier tank, she was barely touched as she was pretty balanced all things considered.

Her main weapons are her mech’s Fusion Cannons that, like the other tanks, are short ranged. Her movement skill lets her fly towards the direction she is facing. This skill, although simple, works very well with her ultimate skill as it makes it safer while also more impactful. Her defensive skill is her Defense Matrix that when used, reflects projectiles that are fired towards her. This makes her a tough nut to crack as a lot of the hard hitting characters tend to use projectiles as their main ammo. There are also the Micro Missiles that she can use to provide added damage towards opponents.

Her ultimate skill, self-destructs her current mech and deals a lot of damage in a wide range. This is typically used in combination with her movement skill where she sends the mech flying towards the opponent. This makes it safer for her to unload herself from the mech as well as make it safe for her to call for a new one.

Sigma

While Sigma did not make much of an impact in the first season of Overwatch 2, players have started to see his value in season two to the point of him scooching into the choice of meta tanks.

His main weapons are simply two hyperspheres which implode after a while and deal damage in a small range. This is also quite similar to the other tank weapons but this has a delay when being used. He also has two defensive skills in Kinetic Grasp and Experimental Barrier. These two skills help to block damage from oncoming attacks and can also help to make aggressive pushes. His Accretion skill lets him throw a giant rock towards an opponent that displaces them.

Sigma’s ultimate skill is called Gravitic Influx. This is especially useful when trying to make a play as this has a high amount of crowd control compared to other ultimate skills from tank heroes.