Support heroes remain key for any Overwatch team. If you're tired of being the Best DPS or Best Tank on your team, you might decide to take up the support role for a period of time. Or maybe at least until the arrival of Overwatch 2. However, before you begin you may understandably be wonder who is best support hero in Overwatch right now. Honestly, that's not an easy question to answer. Each character has their individual strengths and weaknesses, sure, but this isn't an all-rounder situation usually.
Many heroes better suit particular maps, which then alters team strategy, and that's without accounting for potential future nerfs, either. As such, we're basing this on what hero abilities currently have wider applications. I don't doubt my decisions will be contested, but here's what you need to know about the Support role.
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What Is A Support Hero?
As a support hero, your primary goal is to support your allies at the frontlines. Though roles vary depending on which support hero you've chosen, the ultimate aim is to keep them alive. Whether that's by healing them, offering shielding where appropriate, boosting damage output or reviving fallen teammates, it all matters.
How Can I Be A Good Support Hero For My Team?
Ultimately, a good support needs to read the flow of battle, understand where a team needs backup. It's no good charging over as Mercy to a tank surrounded by five enemies, you'll be killed on arrival, and a dead support helps no one. However, you shouldn't fear being aggressive in helping out teammates, just try to understand your chosen character's limitations. Keeping your tanks upfront alive, back up DPS with a power boost and knowing a map's quirks can turn the tide of battle.
Who Are The Best Support Characters?
7 - Brigitte
Brigitte is one of Overwatch's more specialised heroes. Alongside targeted healing, she can offer passive healing to those around her through Inspire, letting her focus on taking out enemy heroes. That's done through a Rocket Flail, pushing enemies back with Whip Shot and stunning then via Shield Bash. She can pull out a Barrier Shield too, though it isn't nearly as strong as those used by Reinhardt or Orisa. Finally, her Rally ultimate ability adds up to 100 armour on herself and allies. She's useful, but all it takes to stop her is a Sombra hack.
6 - Baptiste
Baptiste has his benefits. Through a Biotic Launcher, Baptiste offers area-of-effect projectiles to keep your team healed, doubling up as a 3-burst shot Armalite Rifle for attacking. He can quickly reach higher ground with an exo boost, and his immortality field can protect teammates from dying, but that field generator is easily destroyed. Baptiste can also self-heal (and heal teammates) with a Regenerative Burst too and finally, his ultimate ability, the amplification matrix, boosts healing and damage that go through it.
5 - Lúcio
Lúcio is a tough one as he can't target a particular player, offering an Area of Effect healing field instead That's useful for covering the wider team, though admittedly rather slow. Unless you "Amp It Up" that is, but that only lasts for three seconds. While you shouldn't rely on him alone for healing, he's a good complimentary healer alongside Mercy or Ana and can swap healing for a speed boost. Elsewhere, he's packing useful abilities like wall-riding, Soundwave to knock enemies back and his ultimate ability, Sound Barrier, gives 750 temporary shielding to allies.
4 - Zenyatta
While Zenyatta's healing is comparatively low compared to other support characters, he makes up for it in other ways. Being able to throw his Orbs of Destruction with precision from long-range, his Orb of Discord crucially increases damage inflicted upon an enemy by 25%. Furthermore, his Ultimate Ability, Transcendence, heals other units at 300 health per second, making him extremely useful in a pinch if your team's grouped together.
3 - Mercy
If you're after a healing-oriented support hero, you can't go wrong with Mercy. While Moira offers greater healing in a short time, Mercy isn't hit by a cooldown and her Cauduceus Staff heals 55 health per second, alongside amplifying an ally's damage by 30%. Notably, she's the only support who can revive teammates too, which is subject to a 30 second cooldown. However, she's extremely vulnerable if separated from teammates and her Caduceus Blaster has poor damage output, so you can't rely on it.
2 - Moira
Moira can put out the most healing (70 health per second) in the most shortest amount of time but then is vulnerable for a while afterwards. She can throw a Biotic Orb to heal allies or damage enemies, but unlike Zenyatta, that doesn't stick to one particular person. She has her drawbacks but unlike other supports, her damage is more consistent, meaning she's got a better chance of surviving if left on her own. You can't heal your teammates if you've been killed, after all.
1 - Ana
Anna arguably offers the best mix between support and damage. Using a biotic rifle, she can support teammates from a distance and damage enemies too. In a pinch, her Biotic Grenade can offer quick healing/damage, depending on who's within the Area of Effect. Her Sleep Dart is also an effective weapon, temporarily putting targets to sleep. There's good reason why she remains popular in competitive play.