The latest season of Overwatch 2 has laid the foundations for the biggest shake-up yet for the hero-shooter sequel. And Perks are by far the most impactful change, with each hero able to choose two out of four upgrades throughout a match. We’ve already broken down the best minor and major Perks for Tank heroes, and now we’re doing the same for the Damage class.
- Ashe
- Bastion
- Cassidy
- Echo
- Genji
- Hanzo
- Junkrat
- Mei
- Pharah
- Reaper
- Sojourn
- Soldier: 76
- Sombra
- Symmetra
- Torbjorn
- Tracer
- Venture
- Widowmaker
Ashe
- The Rapid Fire minor Perk impacts your gun in hip fire by trading off 15-percent damage for 30-percent increased attack speed. I’d typically avoid a decrease to damage, but the improved attack speed is worth it.
- With the Viper’s Sting major Perk, hitting two consecutive scoped shots on a target will deal an extra 25 damage and reload two ammo. Keep your aim true and you’ll just keep getting your ammo back.
Bastion
- The biggest drawback to Bastion’s ultimate is that he’s left to be a sitting duck during it. Armored Artillery provides some flexibility by giving 300 temporary overhealth.
- Self-Repair brings back the identically-named ability from the original Overwatch, only now without a resource meter.
Cassidy
- Quick Draw changes Cassidy’s Fan the Hammer ability from an automatic technique to a manually controlled one that can now land critical hits. This is the preferred Perk simply for being less situational than the other choice.
- The Gun Slingin’ major Perk reduces Combat Roll’s cooldown by three seconds for every critical hit you land with your primary fire. Reducing the cooldown by a minimum of half is a fantastic reward for landing a headshot.
Echo
- Both of Echo’s minor Perks buff her ultimate, but Enhanced Duplication takes the cake by extending Duplicate’s duration by three seconds for the first clone ultimate you use.
- Full Salvo upgrades Sticky Bombs with 50-percent more projectiles at the cost of 15-percent less damage. It’s an overall damage increase and is arguably more useful than the other Perk.
Genji
- Dragon’s Thirst adds a 30-percent lifesteal ability to Genji’s ultimate, which greatly boosts your chances of survival.
- Meditation is another Perk that increases Genji’s sustainability. It regenerates 25 health per second while using Deflect.
Hanzo
- Scatter Arrows enhances Hanzo’s Storm Arrows so that when they ricochet, they split into three new projectiles with two extra bounces each. This melds his original Scatter Arrow ability with Storm Arrows, and it’s awesome.
- With Dragon Fury, hitting an enemy with your primary fire will increase your attack speed by 25-percent for one second. Keep getting hits and you can keep shooting fast.
Junkrat
- Nitro Boost adds an optional boost ability for Junkrat’s RIP-Tire ultimate, albeit at the cost of 50-percent damage when used. Aside from reaching enemies faster, it’s much more useful than his other minor Perk.
- Frag Cannon is another handy Perk centered around speed, increasing Frag Launcher’s attack speed by 40-percent in exchange for one less ammo. Mid-range and closer fights are much easier when you don’t need to lead enemies as much.
Mei
- Chilling Reach increases Mei’s primary fire range by 30-percent, but more importantly, it has more impact than the Permafrost Perk.
- Nothing is worse than being surrounded while using the Cryo-Freeze ability. With the Cryo-Storm Perk, nearby enemies will be slowed and take a whopping 70 damage per second. Adding an offensive element to a healing ability that leaves you invulnerable is a must-pick.
Pharah
- Nothing encapsulates my time playing Pharah more than getting killed midway through her ultimate. Drift Thrusters immensely improve her ultimate with the simple addition of being able to move.
- Fuel Stores modifies Jet Dash to grant 50-percent fuel and increase maximum overfuel by 100-percent. This provides another handy choice for keeping your fuel reserves up.
Reaper
- Soul Reaving is another powerful Perk that brings back an older character mechanic. More specifically, eliminated enemies drop Soul Globes that restore 50 health.
- Dire Triggers gives Reaper a long-range option for his shotguns, letting you contribute from a distance or finish off any fleeing enemies.
Sojourn
- Sojourn’s ammo cap adds 15 more bullets with the Extended Mag Perk. Having a full second more of shooting is great for your damage.
- Dissruptor Shot can inflict 320 total damage if an enemy stays within its area-of-effect (AoE). Adhesive Siphon practically guarantees that damage by letting it stick to enemies and generating Railgun energy too.
Soldier: 76
- Field Emergency is perfect for intense moments as it doubles Biotic Field’s healing for critical health allies. Yes, that includes yourself as well.
- Agility Training is the ideal Perk if repositioning and diving into firefights is your game. It increases Sprint’s speed by 20-percent and also lets you reload while sprinting.
Sombra
- Translocator is often used when your health is low during a dicey fight. CTRL ALT ESC is ideal for those moments, initiating health regeneration when teleporting at critical health.
- White Hat lets you hack allies to restore 100 health over two seconds. This is a great use of Hack during non-combative moments or if you notice someone in dire need of healing.
Symmetra
- Sentry Capacity gives Symmetra an extra Sentry Turret to place. It’s not as bad as the six-sentry “car wash” from many years ago, but the enemy team certainly won’t be happy.
- Perfect Alignment increases the primary fire range by 15-percent with each charge level, making it easy to finish off fleeing targets.
Torbjorn
- Fully Loaded maxes out your ammo upon activating Overload, so you’re always ready to dish out damage. This has much more consistent use than the other Perk.
- Anchor Bolts lets you deploy your turret 50-percent farther and, more importantly, attach it to walls and ceilings. The creative opportunities alone make this the better choice.
Tracer
- Zipping around the map for healing can be a common Tracer occurrence. With Blink Packs, you’ll gain a Blink charge from health packs for your troubles.
- Keeping up with the Blink-related Perks to help you stay alive and elusive, the Flashback Perk upgrades Recall to restore all three Blink charges.
Venture
- Excavation Exhilaration makes it so that your ability cooldowns are three times quicker while using Venture’s ultimate.
- SMART-R Excavator buffs the range of Venture’s primary fire by 25-percent, allowing for longer shots to be made.
Widowmaker
- With the Scoped Efficiency Perk, a scoped shot only costs three ammo instead of five. Needing to reload less is a major help.
- Deadly Deux increases Venom Mine damage by 50-percent and lets you throw out two of them. An enemy triggering both at once would take the same amount of damage, but this lets you cover multiple exits and be generally more aggressive with the mines.
While these are the most consistently helpful choices, the alternatives are plenty viable for the right situations. Try being familiar with all of them so you’re ready to adapt for the team.
