Who are the best tank heroes to play in Overwatch 2 Season 12? We’ve listed the absolute best of the best all the way through to the weakest options in the current season. Here’s what you need to know.
When Season 11 came around, there weren’t a lot of tank buffs to speak of. But come the mid-season update, the entire role saw massive buffs as the devs sought to make some sweeping changes to the entire role.
Now in Season 12, we’re still feeling its effects, with Tanks still being as oppressive as ever. To that end, we look to Overbuff and our read on the meta to help us determine which heroes are thriving.
Overwatch 2 Tank tier list
| Tier | Heroes |
|---|---|
| S | Mauga, Zarya, Sigma |
| A | Ramattra, D.Va, Winston, Junker Queen, Orisa |
| B | Reinhardt, Doomfist, Roadhog |
| C | Wrecking Ball |
Our tiers explained
Here’s a full explanation of what qualifies each character for their respective placement on the Overwatch 2 support tier list:
- S: The strongest Tanks you can play right now and generally a good pick in most matchups.
- A: Very strong and is usually a good pick, however, is not always right for every single situation and can be easily countered.
- B: Although they are very good picks, they can be easily countered and can only work with specific comps.
- C: Can be useful in niche scenarios but can be easily countered by other heroes.
S Tier
Mauga
The demon lord that is the Mauga meta is back with Season 11’s midseason patch, and he’s tankier than ever. Thanks to the massive buffs to the role in the update and his buffs to his Cardiac Overdrive, and still in Season 12 is in the meta. However, he still has very obvious counters like Ana, Zenyatta, Sombra, and Reaper, and still isn’t very good in high verticality maps like Watchpoint Gibraltar, so beware.
Zarya
Thanks to the mid-season 11 tank buffs and an increased uptime to Zarya’s bubbles, she was back on top, and now in Season 12 with even more buffs, she’s on top. Thanks to her shield buffs, building energy and consistently keeping it at 100 is very easy, meaning you’ll be able to melt enemies very easily, and with the survivability buffs, she’s also very tanky.
Sigma
Ever since the past few season’s shakeups around Tanks, it has been very iffy which Tanks are truly the best, but if you don’t know what to pick, choose Sigma. What he lacks in mobility he makes up for in poke damage, utility for your team, and a great ult. Generally, he is a good match-up against all other Tanks, so if you truly are stumped in Season 12’s meta, you can trust in Sigma.
A Tier
Ramattra
Ramattra was one of the biggest winners for Season 11’s mid-season tank shakeups, as his brawl kit has seen him become one of the best heroes, and in Season 12 he still is. With fantastic CC which counters Lucio (the best main support right now) and great sustain, while being able to slot in as part of a rush comp, Ramattra is generally a great pick right now.
D.Va
If you need a Dive tank, D.Va is one of the best choices right now. Thanks to a significant buff to her Micro Missiles, she packs a lot of punch, and with her Defense Matrix getting a buff and the overall role buff in the mid-season 11 update, and despite Season 12’s slight nerf, she’s still great. But her nerf has made Winston viable as well.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates on Esports, Gaming and more.
Winston
Thanks to some of D.Va’s nerfs in Season 12, it sees Winston go up in the tier list. Although he doesn’t completely outclass D.Va, the update essentially puts the gorilla on par with D.Va. So if you need a dive tank, you’ll need to choose between Winston and D.Va.
Junker Queen
Junker Queen was a major winner from Season 11’s Tank shake-ups, and in Season 12 we are still feeling her buffs. Boasting great survivability, CC, damage output, and a self-healing passive, she is still a great pick when it comes to brawl comps.
Orisa
Orisa got a buff in Season 12 to her Javelin with a damage increase, which means although she may not be the brick wall she once was, the horse is back. Still not the greatest survivability-wise, she still dishes out insane damage and can easily cancel ults with her Javelin.
B Tier
Reinhardt
Right now, Reinhardt is in a good position. Although not the best, thanks to the mid-season 11 patch he certainly can hang with the other brawl heroes in the cast. However, with the relevance of the Mauga, it can be quite hard to do much due to Rein being countered so hard by him.
Doomfist
Doomfist has always had a rocky place in the meta, with his impact being non-existent in some Seasons, while being a top pick in others, and in Season 12, he’s just ok. Although at one point being one of the better dive tanks, Doomfist just isn’t tanky enough to keep up. However, that’s not to say he’s bad, as Doom can be one of the best tanks if you are a dedicated one-trick, so if you’re confident in your Doom abilities, go for it.
Roadhog
Roadhog sits in a similar place to Doomfist. Although he has some issues, particularly that he is easily countered, if you are a dedicated Hog player, and have an innate understanding of his timing, he can absolutely work. Especially in a Tank meta so focused on survivability, he can be a good pick.
C Tier
Wrecking Ball
Season 10’s rework of Wrecking Ball brought some hope for Hammond believers, but now into the new Season, Hammond still feels like a bullet sponge, barely getting value. Sure he’s a particularly beefy bullet sponge and can work if the enemy team is clueless, but the moment they switch to Sombra and Bastion it becomes a problem. Especially when Hammond is easily outclassed by other dive Tanks like Winston and D.Va.
