Overwatch 2 Tier List: The Best Heroes in Season 5 “Reign of Talon: A Grim Doctrine”
Overwatch 2 Tier List: The Best Heroes in Season 5 "Reign of Talon: A Grim Doctrine"
Overwatch 2’s current season, Season 5: “Reign of Talon — A Grim Doctrine,” went live on October 6, 2026, and Blizzard has already followed it with two rounds of changes: a balance-focused hotfix on October 13 and a smaller bug-fix patch on October 20. Between the new Talon storyline and the hero tuning, the meta has shifted noticeably since launch. Here’s how the tier list shakes out heading into November, based on Blizzard’s own official patch notes.
S-Tier: Build Around These Heroes
Roadhog (Tank) is the biggest winner of the October 13 hotfix. His Scrap Gun now deals 40 damage on a center-mass hit, up from 34, and Take a Breather was reworked across the board: its cooldown dropped from 2 seconds to 1.25, its damage reduction climbed from 35% to 40%, and its maximum duration was extended from 2 to 2.5 seconds. That combination makes Roadhog far harder to burst down while hitting noticeably harder himself, and it has pushed him into must-ban territory in competitive play.
Kiriko (Support) also came out ahead, with her base health raised from 225 to 250. The buff doesn’t sound huge on paper, but Kiriko’s kit already rewards aggressive positioning for cleanses and Suzu plays, and the extra cushion means she survives pokes that used to pick her off before she could use her utility. Expect her pick rate to keep climbing through the rest of Season 5.
A-Tier: Still Excellent, Just Not Busted
Zarya (Tank) remains one of the most consistent bubble tanks in the game and pairs well with Roadhog’s newly buffed brawl potential. Sojourn (Damage) continues to reward precise Disruptor Shot and railgun charge management and stays a top pick on open maps. On support, Juno and Illari both remain strong flex picks — Juno for her mobility and pick potential, Illari for solo-healing pressure and the threat of her ultimate turning a fight in an instant.
Reined In: Doctrine, Sombra, and D.Mon
The October 13 hotfix also took aim at a few heroes that were running too hot. Doctrine, the Talon-aligned hero central to this season’s story, had her Eternal Scepter’s damage and healing trimmed from 60 to 55, and her Invigorating Drones now last 5 seconds instead of 6 — she’s still viable, just no longer an automatic pick. Sombra took a heavier hit: Machine Pistol damage dropped from 7 to 6.5, and her Cyberspace explosion damage was more than halved, from 40 to 20, while its cooldown increased from 12 to 13 seconds. She can still disrupt a backline, but she’s no longer a free pick into every comp. D.Mon, meanwhile, saw base armor reduced from 275 to 250, making him slightly easier to punish in the opening seconds of a fight.
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Best Team Comp Right Now
If you want a comp that leans directly into this patch’s winners, pair Roadhog as your primary tank with Zarya for a secondary bubble and damage amplification, then run Kiriko alongside a second support like Juno or Illari. The idea is simple: Roadhog’s buffed Take a Breather lets him anchor fights longer than before, Zarya punishes anyone who dives him, and Kiriko’s extra health keeps her alive long enough to cleanse crowd control and set up Suzu at the exact moment your tank needs it. On the damage side, Sojourn remains the safest pick on open maps, while a hitscan flex like Ashe or Soldier: 76 covers tighter corridors where her railgun charge is harder to land.
Against teams still running Doctrine or Sombra, don’t panic — both heroes took real nerfs this patch, so focus your cooldowns on your own win conditions rather than overcommitting to shutting them down. Keep checking Blizzard’s patch notes through the rest of Season 5, since a hero sitting at S-tier in week one often gets a follow-up adjustment once ladder data comes in.
