Overwatch, the team-based first-person shooter that launched this month, features a grand total of 21 heroes, each with their unique skills and abilities.

While they’re all pretty cool, the following 7 heroes stand out as being the coolest (and weirdest).

1. Tracer

• Real name – Lena Oxton.
• Playing role – offense.
• Backstory – a time-jumping adventurer and former Overwatch agent.
• Abilities – Pulse Pistols, Blink, Recall, Pulse Bomb.

Tracer was the youngest person ever to be inducted into Overwatch's experimental flight program, handpicked to test a teleporting fighter. But things went wrong, the fighter’s teleportation matrix malfunctioned, and Tracer disappeared. She eventually reappeared months later, but she wasn’t the same. She kept slipping in and out of time without any control. That’s until a scientist named Winston created the chronal accelerator, a device that could keep Tracer anchored in the present and at the same time give her the ability to control time.

If you’re into speed and agility, you’ve made the right choice by picking Tracer. Her Blink ability allows her to zip horizontally through space, moving from point A to point B "in a blink". And her Recall ability allows her to go back in time, restoring her position on the map to a previous time and also restoring her health and ammo.

Tracer uses a couple of rapid-fire Pulse Pistols, the perfect choice for a character based on speed and agility. She also has a large Pulse Bomb that deals a lot of damage to anyone that gets caught in its blast radius.



Learn more about Tracer here.


2. Roadhog

• Real name – Mako Rutledge.
• Playing role – tank.
• Backstory – a ruthless killer with a reputation for cruelty and wanton destruction.
• Abilities – Scrap Gun, Take A Breather, Chain Hook, Whole Hog.

Mako lost his home after the Omnic Crisis, fought to get it back, but things went from bad to worse and the entire region turned into an irradiated, apocalyptic wasteland. That changed Mako, and as his humanity faded away, it gave rise to Roadhog, a mean-looking brute that wields a shrapnel-spewing scrap gun that’s best suited for close-range combat.

Should Roadhog take some damage during a close-range fight, his Take a Breather ability will restore part of his health. And if the opponent is too far away, Roadhog can use the Chain Hook ability to hurl a chain and drag the opponent into close range. And if there are too many enemies around, Roadhog can use the Whole Hog ability to fire lots of shrapnel and knock back the enemies..



Learn more about Roadhog here.


3. Bastion

• Real name – SST Laboratories Siege Automaton E54.
• Playing role – defense.
• Backstory – a Bastion unit that was once a frontline combatant in the Omnic Crisis, but now travels the world exploring its natural wonders.
• Abilities – Recon mode, Sentry mode, Reconfigure, Self-Repair, Tank.

Bastion is a robot – a robot that was designed for peacekeeping, but ended up fighting on the frontline of the devastating Omnic Crisis. Most Bastion units were destroyed after the Omnnic Crisis. This one was not. Severely damaged, it remained dormant for over a decade. When it reactivated, it had pretty much lost all of its combat programming.

Bastion is a good choice for any player that values defense more than offense. When this robot goes into Sentry Mode, it transforms into a huge Gatling gun that can unleash a hail of bullets on the enemies. When it’s time to move, Bastion switches to Recon mode and uses a submachine gun to fire steady bursts of bullets, which is great for medium-range combat. If you want something more long-rage, try the Tank Mode. In Tank Mode, Bastion uses a powerful cannon to blast explosive shells at the enemies.



Learn more about Bastion here.


4. Lúcio

• Real name – Lúcio Correia dos Santos.
• Playing role – support.
• Backstory – a freedom fighter and DJ that uses his fame to inspire social change.
• Abilities – Sonic Amplifier, Crossfade, Amp It Up, Sound Barrier.

Times were hard after the Omnic Crisis, especially in Brazil. Lúcio wanted to do something to make people feel better, forget their troubles, and lift their spirits. He found that music could do that. When the multinational Vishkar Corporation started to make life difficult again and suppress the people of Rio de Janeiro, Lúcio fought back. He stole Vishkar sonic technology, rallied the people, and drove Vishkar out. This turned him into a star, a symbol for positive social change, and it also boosted his music career.

Lúcio has a pair of awesome looking skates that he uses to quickly get around. Speed is important for this character, because he can’t take a lot of damage. He is, after all, a support character. With his Crossfade ability, he can energize nearby teammates and either boost their movement speed or regenerate their health. And with his Sound Barrier ability, he can protect teammates with a shield.



Learn more about Lúcio here.


5. D.Va

• Real name – Hana Song.
• Playing role – tank.
• Backstory – a former professional gamer and reigning world champion famous for her elite skills and for the fact that she shows enemies no mercy.
• Abilities – Fusion Canons, Light Gun, Boosters, Defense Matrix, Self-Destruct, Call Mech.

D.Va pilots a state-of-the-art mech – a pink suit of robot armor equipped with Fusion Cannons, which are twin short-range rotating cannons that do not need to be reloaded. D.Va’s mech is also equipped with Boosters that can launch it into the air and with a Defense Matrix that protects it against incoming missiles.

When D.Va gets out of her mech, she uses a Light Gun to fight enemies. If there are any left that is, because the mech can be triggered to Self-Destruct and deal massive damage. Once that's over, D.Va can use her Call Mech ability to summon a new robot and head back into battle.



Learn more about D.Va here.


6. Junkrat

• Real name – Jamison Fawkes.
• Playing role – defense.
• Backstory – an anarchist, thief, mercenary and scavenger with an obsession for explosives. A madman who wants to cause chaos and destruction.
• Abilities – Frag Launcher, Concussion Mine, Steel Trap, Total Mayhem, Rip-Tire.

Junkrat isn’t exactly sane. He’s a madman who loves dangerous explosives. He wields a Frag Launcher that shoots bouncing grenades which explode when they hit an enemy. He can throw a Concussion Mine at enemies or send a Rip-Tire motorized tire bomb their way and blow them up. Should one of the enemies take Junkrat out, he can use the Total Mayhem ability to drop several live grenades and make them regret that they ever messed with Junkrat.



Learn more about Junkrat here.


7. Torbjörn

• Real name – Torbjörn Lindholm.
• Playing role – defense.
• Backstory – an engineering genius and a skilled weapons designer that used to be part of the original Overwatch strike team.
• Abilities – Rivet Gun, Forge Hammer, Build Turret, Amor Pack, Molten Core.

This dwarven cyborg uses a Rivet Gun to either fire rivets at long range or eject molten metal in a short, close-range burst. With his Build Turret ability, he can build a cannon that automatically tracks and shoots enemies. If the cannon takes damage, he can repair it with his Forge Hammer. If the cannon kills an enemy, it earns scrap that can be used on upgrades that boost its damage.



Learn more about Torbjörn here.


Get into the fight

A staggering 9.7 million people played the Beta, reviewers have nothing but good things to say about this game, and it seems like it’s going to be the next big thing this season.

If you want to get in on the fun, go buy the game.