Overwatch 2 is finally here, bringing with it some sweeping changes to the battlefield, including adjustments to almost every role--except supports. That doesn’t mean everything is the same for support heroes, though. These stalwart medics and helpers might play the same as they always have, but Overwatch 2’s faster pace and one-less-tank approach to combat mean that some support heroes aren’t quite as useful as they once were. Unlike with tank heroes, you’ll have a much more difficult time making some support heroes work.

For others, though, these changes make their unique abilities stand out even more and give them an expanded role to play in matches. At the launch of Overwatch 2, there's just one new support-class hero, but as you'll see, she's immediately staking her claim to the game's meta as one of the best heroes in her class. Other fan-favorites may have risen or fallen according to some subtle changes in their kits--and the game itself--but what's worth remembering here is that, most of the time, the right team comp can make any hero a stellar addition. Some are just better-suited for general-purpose use, while others might serve rarer occasions. From near-mascots like Mercy and Lucio to the all-new Kiriko and beloved Ana, here’s how all eight support heroes stack up in Overwatch 2.

8. Mercy

Mercy is the support hero who would have benefited the most from adjustments to help her fit in with Overwatch 2’s new structure. Alas, she’s the same Mercy as always, and in a setup with just one tank and an opposing team where even other healers tend to have more DPS abilities, there’s not much she can do.

Mercy still excels at actually healing, and her attack buff comes in handy at times. The problem is keeping her alive long enough to make use of either ability. Mercy’s trusty automatic pistol is her only means of defense, and her dash ability is slow and predictable. However, in the right team comps--especially with friends you can coordinate with--you can tuck Mercy away behind a sturdy tank or reliable DPS and still help push them to victory.

7. Zenyatta

Zenyatta is another support who would’ve done well with more than just a fancy new kick. Their setup lends itself well to strategic play, and Zenyatta can help wear down enemy teams quickly with Orb of Destruction. In the original Overwatch, this ability was vital to sapping a tank’s health, and Zen could still support allies with healing and a decent attack. They still can, though not as effectively as they used to.

Overwatch 2 is a much faster game than its predecessor, though. Maintaining the line of sight necessary to keep healing or debuff applied is more difficult, and if you’re close enough to debuff a foe, you should probably be attacking them instead. Like with Mercy, Zenyatta needs a strong tank to stay near--and a dedicated healer to make up for Zen’s own lack of healing options. If you want to pick Zenyatta, make sure to wait and see who else your teammates choose first.

6. Moira

Moira occupies a strange space in Overwatch 2. In theory, she’s one of the more beginner-friendly heroes, with better healing abilities than Zenyatta and enough DPS potential to hold her own even without someone to take the brunt of an attack. Moira’s biotic power lets her heal others with one ability and attack enemies while restoring her health with another. If you find yourself alone with a foe, you can hold them off with Biotic Grasp and an unpredictable movement pattern to avoid getting hit…

Until they figure out your pattern. Moira moves slowly, and Biotic Grasp’s short range requires her to be near an enemy, which makes her easy to defeat. Her Biotic Orb ability has strong healing and DPS potential--if it makes contact, which is particularly difficult on Overwatch 2’s larger, more open maps.

5. Brigitte

Brigitte functions well in the new Overwatch, with a diverse range of abilities that lets her damage, protect, and heal, sometimes simultaneously. Brigitte’s flail attack can heal nearby allies for small amounts of HP, which can make a substantial difference when you’re trying to survive a fierce fight, but her dedicated healing ability is even better. It has impressive range, heals a significant amount of HP, and even has three charges. Factor in Brigitte’s defensive shield and bash attacks, and you have one of the best on-field medics in the game.

What holds Brigitte back is her speed and weapon choice. The flail is powerful. However, Brigitte has slow attack speed, and she’s open to counter attacks even while she launches her own assault. Movement is slow at the best of times, but it gets even worse when she deploys her shield, which makes it easy for enemies to flank and defeat her. While Blizzard built Brigitte with DPS capabilities, she should never be far away from a proper DPS unit or a tank.

4. Baptiste

Baptiste seems like a plain, unassuming healer at first, just your average medic with a gun, and that’s true to an extent. While his kit includes none of the flashier support elements of some of the best support heroes, it does provide one of the most reliable sources of healing and lets Baptiste hold his own in most encounters.

Baptiste’s main attack is a powerful biotic blast that deals a surprising amount of damage with each hit, and he can change the gun’s setting so it fires a healing round instead. His healing rounds fly far and have a short cooldown timer, so keeping even distant allies alive is easy. It’s even easier with his Immortality Field, which literally prevents allies from dying while they remain inside the field. He also has an ultimate ability that boosts the power of healing and damage projectiles that pass through it. Combine that with Immortality Field, and your entire party can dig in and fight for ages.

The downside is none of the healing skills actually heal Baptiste, so despite being an excellent healer himself, he really needs someone else to keep him in good shape.

3. Ana

Ana may not have the healing prowess of Baptiste, but she does have a much more interesting range of abilities that caters to a diverse playstyle and offers more than just healing for support. Ana excels at ranged, well, everything. She’s an adept sniper who can deal serious damage when her shots hit their target. Her healing ability flings a med grenade at allies, but it does more than just heal. Ana’s grenade boost healing for those affected, damages nearby enemies, and prevents them from being healed for a short time. Instead of a sprint, Ana gets a sleeping dart that also functions at long range.

The downsides might seem evident. Ana is slow, doesn’t function well in close-range combat, and requires a bit more precision than you might expect from a support character. Her strengths vastly outweigh her shortcomings, though, not least because she can stun most nearby enemies and escape to a safe place even if she’s temporarily cornered. Just make sure to stay aware of the battlefield. If a foe uncovers your hiding place and sneaks up on Ana, there’s not much you can do.

2. Kiriko

Kiriko has a bit of everything, and it’s best to think of her as tied with Lucio for the top support hero in Overwatch 2. Kirko’s basic setup is similar to Mercy’s, only it’s fine-tuned for Overwatch 2. Kiriko uses kunai to damage foes and deal critical hits. Her healing onafuda have no cooldown timer and can even target foes at a short distance, though they function more effectively at close range where less chance exists of them being deflected or destroyed.

She can climb walls like Genji, which means you can keep up with speedy DPS units such as Tracer and Genji himself. If your target gets a bit too far away, Kiriko can use Quick Step to instantly teleport to their side. This skill is a faster, more reliable version of Mercy’s dash and can also double as an escape mechanism.

Kiriko’s ultimate creates a wave of spiritual energy that increases ally movement and attack speed, while decreasing their cooldown times, though you need to actually be near allies for this to be of any use. Her Protection Suzu ability creates a small zone of protection similar to Baptiste’s. The protection is useful on its own, but depending on how prominent Junker Queen becomes in the Overwatch 2 meta, it may be one of the most useful abilities. Protection Suzu is currently the only way to heal the wounds Junker Queen inflicts, and it negates Ana’s anti-heal effect as well.

1. Lucio

Finally is Lucio, still reigning supreme as best support character in Overwatch 2 as he did in the original Overwatch, and even a quick glance at his setup shows why. Lucio provides continuous healing to any ally in range, so long as he maintains a line of sight with them, and he can swap between songs at will, changing the healing song to one that increases movement speed. Lucio is essentially an all-purpose support character in this regard, helping your team reach their target fast and then keeping them alive while they dig in and fight.

Lucio’s ability amplifies the effect of whichever song he’s currently playing by a significant amount, and while it has a comparatively lengthy cooldown timer, Lucio isn’t without means to protect himself and his team. Lucio has a sound gun that sends concetrated blasts toward enemies and deals a decent amount of damage, and his alt-fire mode knocks them back with a powerful wave.

Lucio’s ultimate is basic, but also one of the most useful in the game, as it provides health to all nearby allies beyond their usual limits. He’s one of just a handful of characters, including Junker Queen, who can do this.