Overwatch 2 is all about team composition. Outside of just working well as a team, the heroes that you’re running also need to synergize well with each other. A good selection of heroes with tools that complement each other well can go a long way toward netting you a win.
At the same time, you certainly don’t want to feel like you’re limiting yourself to a handful of compositions. Sometimes playing with heroes you’re most comfortable with can be just as good. In that case, maybe you just want to play around with a specific hero or two to help carry your team. If that’s what you’re going for, think about some of these two-hero combos that may help you achieve the results you want.
Updated on July 4, 2023, by Stephen LaGioia: After six years, the original Overwatch is no more. With a free-to-play enhancement (and welcomed added PvE content), this appealing hero shooter has seen many updates. Many heroes now play differently while a handful of new ones were added into the mix — and with a team composition of 5v5, it's no longer possible to have multiple tanks (with quick play and ranked).
Even though most combos from this list still work on some level, balance changes and a shifting meta mean that there are new combo options as well. Time to see what they are as we wait for even newer ones in the future.
18 Mei And Cassidy
Cassidy may have lost some value as of the season five meta, but he can still be a deadly sharpshooter in the right hands, especially when paired with the icy disruptor Mei. The unique ice-wielding DPS can offer useful protection to the fairly vulnerable Cassidy. Meanwhile, the gun-slinging Cassidy can easily follow up on deadly shots or Deadeye after Mei freezes her opponents.
The distinct playstyle of both DPS heroes can really complement each other, as each offers their own distinct role in a firefight. Mei thrives better as a means of controlling a zone, being tactful, and disrupting the opposition, while Cassidy is more direct in picking off targets. Ironically, while both have received nerfs recently, Mei and Cassidy can still gel as a cohesive and complementary DPS duo.
17 Tracer And D.va
While this one is a bit more unorthodox, the Tracer and D.va combo makes sense for a few key reasons. These two heroes are distinct from one another — Tracer being highly mechanical and vulnerable while D.va is far tankier and more imprecise. Yet, they also can play off one another since they can both fly around the arena and serve as effective disruptors.
They can coordinate for some pretty effective dives as well, since D.va can fly right in while Tracer Blinks to zip quickly to her target. D.va can chip away at various targets while Tracer zips in and finishes them off. This one also demands a degree of communication to make it most effective, as you'll want to time the dives and positioning. Still, this is a highly effective dive unit if executed correctly.
D.va can be swapped out with Winston for a similar dynamic. However, be prepared for a bit more sluggishness and slower, less precise DPS on his part. The trade-off is a bit more protection by way of Winston's Barrier Projector.
16 Ramattra And Ana
The tanky Ramattra and sniper support Ana are about as separate as they can be with regards to mechanics and abilities. Yet, this is what makes them such a good complementary duo. Ramattra can effectively protect the vulnerable, slower Ana with his omnic form, while his Nemesis form can bring more of an offensive threat; which also benefits Ana.
Ramattra is made even more deadly when shifting to this offensive mode by Ana's Nano Boost. Ramattra is also effective at causing problems for the opposition at close and medium range, while Ana handles more precise, long-range firing (either through healing or damage/debuffs). This wide range of abilities can also provide a sturdy foundation from which DPS players can thrive.
15 Soldier 76 And Baptiste
These characters can help one another tremendously as they're both efficient in the frontline. Baptiste's damage is good even though he's a support character, and he can enable Soldier to make him more aggressive, as well as take care of him with healing and with Immortality Field.
Their ultimate abilities also work very well together; Soldier's aim-bot with augmented damage from Amplification Matrix can be a nightmare for your enemies. Though we're talking of duos, a well-positioned Reinhardt to protect them while using their ultimate attacks together can ensure they'll be safe during this time too.
14 Ana And Genji
These two make the infamous Nanoblade duo. Though this combo will require skill from both players, especially Genji, they can be a powerful duo. Through good positioning, Ana can take care of Genji when he's flanking, while at the same time staying in a safe position since she can heal from great distances.
This enables the potent Genji to be more daring as he flanks because he won't need to worry about a lack of healing. Dragonblade, combined with a Nano Boost, is almost guaranteed to kill a lot of people in the process, though this is the part that requires good control of the character. Watch out for someone like Zenyatta though; he can negate your ultimate, though a well-timed Anti-Heal grenade can prevent that.
13 Zarya And Reaper
Strike hard and leave no one alive. Both of these characters are extremely aggressive and, when combined, can enable one another in the process. Reaper can tag along or flank while Zarya takes charge; She can protect him with her shield, letting him go further than normal when attacking and, while the enemies try to stop him, Zarya's shield will absorb the damage and make her even stronger in the process, benefiting both.
Both their ultimate abilities also work well together, with Zarya trapping and Reaper killing. Other characters with area attacks in their ultimate abilities will also make a good pair, to ensure no one survives during the attack.
12 Roadhog And Ana (Or Mercy)
The unkillable hog brute can be a nightmare if someone is looking out for him. Granted, he's a very independent character and doesn't need too much care, but if he's constantly healed, there's a good chance he'll survive any encounter and kill the fools who tried taking him down.
Ana can heal him fast as well as boost his own healing. Also, if the enemy is playing Ana, or perhaps a Junker Queen, your grenade can save them from the Anti-Healing effects, all while being in a safe position. Mercy can do the same to some degree, but she can't stop Anti-Healing, and she has to be closer, which puts her in danger.
11 Ana And Reinhardt
This one follows a similar concept to the previous one; lots of health being constantly regenerated by powerful healing. A Reinhardt that doesn't need to keep his shield up is a very aggressive Reinhardt, one that can kill as much (if not more) as the DPS characters.
Enabling him into the enemy team is a wonderful tactic and one that has few ways of being stopped. He's also an amazing target for Nano Boost, being able to kill multiple people with a few swings of his hammer. That also makes his charge more powerful, since now more heroes can survive it.
10 Kiriko And Reinhardt
Another tactic to enable your tanker, Kiriko is very good at doing so. She can heal from a safe distance as well, fight if necessary, and accompany the team is a lot easier when teleporting to them is an option. Last-minute saves with the Protection Suzu can also make a lot of difference, preventing Reinhardt from being stunned.
Her ultimate, Kitsune Rush, can also give him (and everyone else) a powerful speed boost, and the speed of his swings during the Rush can turn him into a true beast. And since his weapon doesn't have to reload, he won't stop for anything. Oh, and since you can have two support characters on the team, this combo and the previous one can be used together.
9 Brigitte And Zenyatta
These two supports might not provide the biggest heals ever, but they are a powerful couple. Brigitte still remains an essential tool when it comes to protecting her backline and disabling powerful dive tanks like Wrecking Ball.
She pairs well with Zenyatta due to her ability to protect him and enable him. Zenyatta here is more of a damage-oriented support, who can apply his Discord Orbs on targets that his team will then go on. He's essentially the third DPS, enabled by his Brigitte, who will provide most of the healing when the enemy tries to pressure the Zenyatta or the DPS.
8 Hanzo And Echo
Since compositions are centered around doing a lot of high damage in spam, Hanzo and Echo are the most annoying couple to deal with for an unprepared enemy. Hanzo's latest buff allows him to shoot Storm Arrows very quickly, which can chip down enemy shields and tanks within seconds.
Similarly, Echo's ability to spam Tri-Shot and Sticky Bombs to deal immense amounts of damage can better help Hanzo in wearing down enemy tanks. Both DPS are also fairly mobile, with the ability to take high ground or with a strong aerial presence in Echo's case. With a Zen or Mercy, the two of them can take different angles to corner the enemy and burst them down within seconds.
7 Reinhardt And Lucio
Reinhardt strives by dealing damage at close range, which is why a support like Lucio who's mobile and can provide healing or speed boost is ideal for him. Having a Reinhardt sped into your face is a pretty terrifying experience. With Lucio's speed, Reinhardt can easily walk in and use his shatter or swing without worrying about being blocked.
This allows you (and the team) to rush into objectives with extreme force, with Lucio focusing on the matter of speed while the other support focuses on healing — though Lucio should still be on the lookout to see if he needs to swap speed for healing as well. Stopping a Reinhardt with speed boosts can be very complicated, so embrace that as much as possible.
6 Mercy And Pharah
Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way. Pharah/Mercy (or Phamercy, if you will) has been a solid and fun combo to run since day one. They’re still the only two characters in Overwatch with any sort of persistent flying abilities. That can be an incredible advantage in the right hands.
A Pharah with a Mercy constantly boosting her damage is hard to stop. Since she’s also constantly getting healed, she can play more aggressively, even if she’s receiving a fair amount of damage in return. You also give your Mercy an eye in the sky. She can watch all of her teammates when they get low and quickly top them up before rejoining the Pharah. Echo can replace Pharah to some extent, but she won't fly as efficiently.
5 Mercy And Zenyatta
Definitely one of the best two-support combos in the game, Zen/Mercy brings a handful of offensive tools and survivability to the table. This combo is essentially able to peel for each other in the right situations, which means fewer resources need to be committed to protecting your back line if they get pressured.
In addition, a damage boost and a Discord orb can really put pressure on opponents and change momentum. If your team has great target selection and focus, this can lead to some lightning-fast picks. It also enables the Zen to be a bit more aggressive since the Mercy can clean up minor mistakes.
4 Sombra And Tracer
Health pack control is the name of the game here. If your Sombra and Tracer are on the same page, they can be an annoyingly deadly duo. The trick is to know which targets to go for at which times. Tracer comes in and initiates the distraction, while Sombra gets a sneaky hack, and you burst them down in the ensuing panic. Then they both regroup back to the hacked health pack to heal up. It’s the type of combo that can really frustrate the other team when done right.
The slight downside is the amount of coordination required to pull it off and the fact that both heroes won’t always be a part of the main fights (at least not until the Sombra gets EMP). On the upside, this combo means that your healers won’t have to babysit the Sombra or the Tracer, and they can dump more resources into other teammates.
3 Brigitte And Reinhardt
Brigitte gives most tanks agency to be more aggressive. Naturally, Reinhardt benefits from this the most. With his squire by his side, you’re going to have a tough time moving these two off of the objective.
Brigitte makes Rein harder to flank. She has a good crowd control tool with Whip Shot. Meanwhile, Reinhardt can control people in front of him with his own tools. As long as these two are sticking together, your frontline will be pretty hard to crack. The combined protection and support from the shields allow for solid defense and survivability.
2 Bastion And Symmetra
This one is a pretty static combo, but still great when facing the right opposition. If you’re dealing with a lot of flanking enemies, a Bastion plus the highly effective Symmetra might solve your problems. Even after all of her tweaks, one thing has stayed constant about Sym: she can easily capitalize off the enemy’s mistakes. The trick is actually baiting the enemy into making them. Bastion can help with this.
It’s always better to try to sneak up on a Bastion than it is to face him head-on. That’s when Sym’s turrets come into play. Any flanking character can be easily caught off-guard by them and either be forced to back off or just accept death when the set-up is right. On top of that, Sym is average at both long-range and close-range with her slow-moving projectile and beam that does more damage over time. So, she can put pressure out in front of her as well as watch the Bastion’s back.
1 Hanzo And Widowmaker
Even if the former has lost some stock for season five, Hanzo plus Widowmaker is a pretty lethal combo when both of them are in the zone with each other. These two can create a lot of uncomfortable crossfire for the other team, as well as bring a lot of one-shot potential.
They also provide a ton of tracking too, between the Sonic Arrow and Infra-Sight. Relaying the type of information they give each other can really punish a team that’s not working as a group. Hanzo also slightly makes up for Widow’s up-close defensive shortcomings with the Storm Arrows. They’re good for putting pressure on shields as well as scaring away most flankers. Opponents will need to keep their heads on a swivel when dealing with this sharpshooting duo.