Team-based action game Overwatch is now free-to-play, which means more gamers than ever before will be trying out the 35 available, playable heroes. Each character is designed carefully, with intriguing skill sets and backstories which help make this first-person shooter an immersive gaming experience.
With all the Overwatch heroes divided into the three subgroups of damage, tank, and support, players are encouraged to explore different play styles and unique strengths to create a successful team. That being said, some heroes just aren't as powerful as the rest, often doing more harm than good.
10 Tracer Is A Chaotic Time Jumper
Damage hero and infectious optimist Tracer possesses the ability to jump forward and backward in time. During battles, she's able to zip ahead and retrace her steps, even regaining her previous health. Unfortunately, these two abilities take up the majority of her skill set.
This leaves Tracer with only her pulse pistols and bombs as weapons. Moreover, her dual guns are only short-range, meaning players will need to rely on Tracer's often erratic teleporting to stay in the game. It's safe to say, Tracer isn't a hero for the button mashers.
9 Zarya Is A Target On The Frontline
Zarya is one of Overwatch's strongest women, with a backstory of being a champion weightlifter. As a tank hero, she's designed to be on the front lines. With her particle and projected barriers, Zarya can get stuck in with the team and destroy enemies with her short-range particle cannon.
However, once her barriers time out, it's difficult to keep Zarya out of the firing line without rendering her slightly useless. Players can use Zarya's graviton surge to ensnare fighters, but she usually becomes an easy target and gets swiftly eliminated.
8 Mei's Avoidant Style Brings The Whole Team Down
As a scientist, damage hero Mei uses weather-altering devices to fight evil, or just avoid it altogether. The majority of Mei's abilities are incredibly passive and can even get in the way during battles.
For example, Mei's ice wall ability is rarely helpful. It can often end up preventing teammates from actually damaging and eliminating enemies, stalling the battle. Mei's cryo-freeze move is much the same. It allows players to heal but signposts their location to the opponent.
7 Widowmaker Is An Unnecessary Character
Amélie Lacroix became known as Widowmaker after being brainwashed by Talon and murdering her husband. Widowmaker is a ruthless sniper, but if spotted, she's too easily eliminated. This is because Widowmaker's assault weapon isn't strong enough to protect her in close combat.
Compared to the other sniper hero in Overwatch, Ana, Widowmaker can seem rather unnecessary, especially since Ana's skill set is more versatile. Finally, Lacroix's Ultimate is rather anticlimactic and harmless, simply letting herself and her team see the enemy team's location.
6 Pharah Readily Falls Into Danger
Daughter of sniper Ana, Pharah is an aerial hero armed with a hefty rocket launcher. Her armored Raptora combat suit allows Pharah to leap into the air to get above the action, while her concussive blast knocks back enemies.
Unfortunately, players can often find themselves winding up in all the wrong positions, since Pharah's jump and hover jets quickly time out. This usually results in accidentally landing right in the firing line with no way quick way out.
5 Sombra Is Too Easily Caught Out
Sombra is an infamous hacker in Overwatch. These talents translate onto the battlefield as stealthy abilities, allowing Sombra to become invisible and move around the map rapidly. Sombra can even hack individual enemies, preventing them from using their abilities, but the effect is brief.
Sombra's skill set has the potential to be successful in the right hands. However, her controls can end up becoming complicated in high-intensity situations. Unfortunately, Sombra's hacking and stealthy methods can easily be prevented if she takes even the slightest amount of damage.
4 Winston Is A Prime Target With No Protection
Tank hero Winston is a genetically engineered, science-genius gorilla. All of Winston's abilities are his own inventions after fleeing the Horizon Lunar Colony. However, despite his super-intelligence, Winston's abilities can often fall short on the battlefield.
Winston's tesla cannon is a close combat weapon, meaning to be effective, he needs to be on the front line. Unfortunately, due to his large size, he's a prime target. To make matters worse, Winston's barrier projector is easily infiltrated, leaving him with no real protection from enemy bombardment.
3 Ashe Doesn't Stay Alive Long Enough To Make An Impact
Criminal mastermind Ashe wields a semi-automatic rifle she calls the Viper. Players will need to make sure they're in a hidden, yet relatively close, position to get the best out of this gunslinger. Ashe's coach gun ability can pack a punch, but it sadly throws her out of the action.
Even Ashe's dynamite can't be thrown far. Due to her lack of health, it's hard to keep Ashe alive in her preferred, precarious battle position. To top things off, Ashe's Ultimate, B.O.B., is surprisingly powerful, but short-lived.
2 Lucio's Tunes Can't Protect His Teammates
As a support hero, Lucio uses his love of dance and electronic music to support teammates during brawls. Players can switch between two songs as Lucio. Either Healing Boost or Speed Boost, affecting his and others' health and speed.
Lucio is yet another Overwatch character who almost has too many abilities to choose from, making gameplay overly complicated, especially during stressful encounters. Ultimately, Lucio's sonic amplifier isn't a powerful enough weapon to help prop up the team.
1 Mercy's Only Weapon Choice Is Pretty Weak
Angela Ziegler, otherwise known as Mercy, is a standout Overwatch hero due to her peaceful play style and skill set. Her caduceus staff is used for the sole purpose of healing allies. Her guardian angel ability allows players to fly, keeping close to teammates to maintain their health and even to resurrect them.
However, players can't always be in the most optional position to prevent Mercy from getting unexpectedly eliminated. It can be unnecessarily fiddly for gamers to switch to Mercy's caduceus blaster, which is a relatively weak automatic weapon compared to other support heroes.