Overwatch 2 is a very different game from the original Overwatch. How different? You can see exactly how much has changed with the new Overwatch Classic limited-time mode.
In Overwatch Classic, it’s like stepping into a time machine and coming out in 2016. The original maps, heroes, and all of their abilities are back in 2024 for a dose of nostalgia for OG players and a chance to experience the beginnings for new ones.
Before you play, make sure to check out all of the hero abilities in Overwatch Classic below so you know exactly what you’re getting into.
All hero changes in Overwatch Classic
In 2016, Overwatch had 21 heroes that were split into four roles: Offense, Defense, Tank, and Support. Some of them had different roles or different abilities, while others have since been reworked entirely. Check out the full list below to see what each hero’s ability set is in Overwatch Classic.
Overwatch Classic: Offense heroes
| Hero | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Cassidy | Peacekeeper – Accurate, powerful revolver (primary fire) Peacekeeper – Wildly fire remaining rounds (secondary fire) Combat Roll – Roll in the direction you’re moving and reload Flashbang – Stun enemies in front of you Deadeye (Ultimate) – Face off against your enemies. Press your Ultimate to lock on, then Primary Fire to fire. |
| Genji | Cyber-Agility (Passive) – Climb on walls and double jump Shuriken – Throw an accurate burst of 3 projectiles (primary fire) Shuriken – Throw a fan of 3 projectiles in an arc (secondary fire) Swift Strike – Rapidly dash forward and inflict damage on enemies. Eliminations reset the cooldown Deflect – Deflect incoming projectiles towards the direction you are aiming and block melee attacks Dragonblade (Ultimate) – Unsheathe a deadly melee weapon |
| Pharah | Rocket Launcher – Long-range explosive projectile weapon Jump Jet – Fly rapidly upwards Concussive Blast – Launch an explosive blast to knock back enemies Barrage (Ultimate) – Launch a continuous volley of mini-rockets Hover Jets (Passive) – Hold Jump to hover |
| Reaper | Hellfire Shotguns – Short-range spread weapons Wraith Form – Move faster and become invulnerable, but you cannot shoot Shadow Step – Teleport to a targeted location Death Blossom (Ultimate) – Damage all nearby enemies The Reaping (Passive) – Collect Soul Globes to restore health |
| Soldier: 76 | Heavy Pulse Rifle – Automatic assault weapon (primary fire) Helix Rockets – Launch a volley of explosive rockets (secondary fire) Sprint – Run faster while moving forward Biotic Field – Deploy a field that heals you and your allies Tactical Visor (Ultimate) – Automatically aims your weapon at targets in view |
| Tracer | Pulse Pistols – Short-range automatic weapons (primary fire) Blink – Teleport in the direction you are moving Recall – Travel back in time to your previous location and health Pulse Bomb – Throw out a powerful sticky explosive |
Overwatch Classic: Defense heroes
| Hero | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Bastion | Configuration: Recon – Mobile with a light automatic weapon (primary fire) Configuration: Sentry – Immobile with a powerful rotary cannon Configure – Switch between weapon configurations Self-Repair – Heals yourself Configuration: Tank (Ultimate) – Mobile with a powerful cannon |
| Hanzo | Storm Bow – Hold to charge then release to launch arrows further (primary fire) Sonic Arrow – Reveals enemies for a short time upon impact Scatter Arrow – Splits into multiple ricochet arrows on impact Dragonstrike (Ultimate) – Launch a deadly Dragon Spirit that devastated enemies it passes through Wall Climb (Passive) – Jump at wall to climb up them |
| Junkrat | Frag Launcher – Bouncing explosive projectile weapon (primary fire) Concussion Mine – Throw a knockback mine with Ability 1 then detonate it with Alternate Fire Steel Trap – Place an immobilizing trap Rip-tire (Ultimate) – Drive and detonate an exploding tire Total Mayhem (Passive) – Drop bombs on death |
| Mei | Endothermic Blaster – Short-range spray weapon that freezes enemies (primary fire) Endothermic Blaster – Long-range icicle launcher (secondary fire) Cryo-freeze – Become invulnerable and heal yourself Ice Wall – Create a wall in front of you Blizzard (Ultimate) – Launch a weather control drone that freezes enemies in a wide area |
| Torbjorn | Rivet Gun – Slow-firing long-ranged weapon (primary fire) Forge Hammer – Swing to improve your turret or damage an enemy Rivet Gun – Inaccurate but powerful short-range weapon (secondary fire) Build Turret – Build an upgradeable turret Armor Pack – Build an armor power up Molten Core (Ultimate) – Increase your weapon attack speed, gain additional armor, and temporarily upgrade a level 2 turret to level 3 Scrap Collector (Passive) – Collect scrap to gain resources |
| Widowmaker | Widow’s Kiss – Automatic assault weapon (primary fire) Widow’s Kiss – Hold for long-ranged sniper weapon (secondary fire) Grappling Hook – Launch a hook that pulls you towards a ledge Venom Mine – Launch a poison trap Infra-sight (Ultimate) – Provide your team with a view of the enemy’s location |
Overwatch Classic: Tank heroes
| Hero | Abilities |
|---|---|
| D.Va | Fusion Cannons – Automatic short-range spread weapons (primary fire in mech) Light Gun – Automatic weapon (primary fire out of mech) Boosters – Fly in the direction you are facing Defense Matrix – Block projectiles in an area in front of you Self-Destruct (Ultimate – in mech) – Eject and overload your mech, causing it to explode after a short time Call Mech (Ultimate – out of mech) – Call down a new mech Eject! (Passive) – Eject out of your mech when it is destroyed |
| Reinhardt | Rocket Hammer – Devastating melee weapon (primary fire) Barrier Field – Deploy a frontal energy barrier (secondary fire) Charge – Charge forward and smash an enemy against a wall Fire Strike – Launch a fiery projectile Earthshatter (Ultimate) – Knock down all enemies in front of you |
| Roadhog | Scrap Gun – Short-range spread weapon (primary fire) Scrap Gun – Medium-range spread weapon (secondary fire) Chain Hook – Drag a targeted enemy to you Take a Breather – Heal yourself over a short time Whole Hog (Ultimate) – Damage and knock back enemies in front of you |
| Winston | Tesla Cannon – Electric frontal-cone weapon (primary fire) Jump Pack – Leap forward into the air. Landing on an enemy damages them Barrier Projector – Deploy a protective energy dome Primal Rage (Ultimate) – Gain immense health, but you can only leap and punch enemies |
| Zarya | Particle Cannon – Short-range linear beam weapon (primary fire) Particle Cannon – Energy grenade launcher (secondary fire) Particle Barrier – Create a damage barrier around you Projected Barrier – Create a damage barrier around an ally Graviton Surge (Ultimate) – Launch a gravity well that pulls enemies to it |
Overwatch Classic: Support heroes
| Hero | Abilities |
|---|---|
| Lucio | Sonic Amplifier – Sonic projectile launcher (primary fire) Soundwave – Create a short-range blast wave to knock enemies away from you (secondary fire) Crossfade – Increases the effectiveness of your current song Sound Barrier (Ultimate) – Create temporary extra health for nearby allies |
| Mercy | Caduceus Staff – Hold to heal an ally (secondary fire) Caduceus Blaster – Automatic weapon Caduceus Staff – Hold to increase an ally’s damage inflicted (secondary fire) Guardian Angel – Fly towards an ally Resurrect (Ultimate) – Revive dead teammates Angelic Descent (Passive) – Fall very slowly Regeneration (Passive) – Restore your own health after not taking any damage |
| Symmetra | Photon Projector – Short-range beam weapon with increasing damage (primary fire) Photon Projector – Hold to charge, release to fire orb (secondary fire) Sentry Turret – Deploy a small turret that damages and slows enemies Photon Shield – Give shields to an ally Teleporter (Ultimate) – Deploy a teleporter that connects to the spawn room |
| Zenyatta | Orb Of Destruction – Energy projectile weapon (primary fire) Orb Of Destruction – Charge to release more projectiles (secondary fire) Orb of Harmony – Launch this orb at an ally to heal them Orb Of Discord – Launch this orb at an enemy to increase the damage they take Transcendence (Ultimate) – Become invulnerable and heal nearby allies |
