The Persistent Issue with Overwatch 2's Season 8 Tank Role

Highlights

Tanks in Overwatch 2 are currently struggling due to strong damage heroes and extreme survivability of supports, leading to a lack of impact in matches and quick deaths.

Tanks could become more enjoyable to play through health adjustments, ability reworks, and passive changes. However, they will continue to face difficulties against ranged and flying characters, unless a ranged Tank is introduced. It is expected that Mauga, the Season 8 Tank, won't be a ranged character considering his combat style, which leaves Tank players anticipating the addition of a ranged hero to the lineup.

Tanks in Overwatch 2 are facing a difficult time. The power of damage heroes like Bastion makes it challenging for tanks like Reinhardt to be effective, and the survivability of supports limits the impact tank players can have. It's frustrating for tank players to feel like they have little influence in the game, especially considering there is only one tank on each team in Overwatch 2. Tanks often die quickly and struggle to make a significant impact on the match due to the current state of the game. While there is hope for improvements in Season 8, it's doubtful that the long-standing tank problem will be solved.

To make tanks more enjoyable to play, there needs to be adjustments to health, reworks of abilities for heroes like Roadhog, changes to passive abilities, and more. It is essential that Blizzard considers these factors, as currently, Overwatch 2 is only enjoyable for two out of the three roles. Even with these potential fixes, tanks will still struggle against ranged characters until a tank hero that excels in ranged fights is added to the game. Unfortunately, it appears that the new character in Season 8 will be a brawler, making it unlikely that tank players will have relief anytime soon.

Overwatch 2 Needs a Ranged Tank, But Mauga Likely Won’t Be That

Currently, all signs indicate that Mauga will be the Tank for Season 8. In Season 7, a Samoa map was released, which happens to be Mauga's place of origin. Furthermore, there was a noticeable hint towards the character's arrival on the map in the form of a large piece of clothing. Additionally, Blizzard developers have made a promise to eventually introduce Baptiste's former friend, and it was originally intended for Mauga to have Sigma's kit. Interestingly, Sigma was created because Blizzard felt that the abilities designed for Mauga did not match his personality. Considering that Sigma is a ranged Tank, it is unlikely that Mauga's gameplay will heavily rely on long-range attacks.

Simply by observing the artwork released by Blizzard for Mauga, it is evident that this character prefers close-quarters combat. His gun appears to be more effective at short distances. Mauga, being a larger-than-life figure with an intense personality, would likely engage his enemies up close, utilizing his size as an advantage and willingly facing incoming attacks. It would not make sense for someone as formidable as Mauga to sit back and snipe enemies. Instead, a more fitting style of combat for this long-awaited hero would be brawling. While there is a possibility that Blizzard may challenge expectations, it seems probable that Tank fans will have to continue waiting for a ranged character to be added to their roster.

A close-range, brawling fighting style is not inherently wrong, particularly with heroes like Junker Queen succeeding in Overwatch 2. However, the necessity for a ranged Tank has become increasingly clear. Heroes such as Illari, Sojourn, and Kiriko excel from a distance, while Lifeweaver can create platforms to elevate allies to unreachable positions for many Tanks. At lower competitive ranks, Pharah and Mercy remain troublesome, with Widowmaker, Ashe, and Hanzo also capable of dealing damage from afar. The current tools available for Tanks to combat this are limited, with Orisa's challenging-to-land Javelin, Winston's relatively weak alt-fire, and unpredictable dive attacks from heroes like D.Va. The primary attacks of Ramattra and Sigma are not dependable enough to eliminate airborne characters like Echo, amplifying the urgent need for a competitive solution against ranged adversaries.

The introduction of a ranged powerhouse like Illari to the Support role, where dealing damage is not a main priority, appears perplexing. While Support players have undoubtedly benefited from having a character that can effectively retaliate against flying and distant foes, Tanks who are consistently engaged in combat require this type of character even more, yet they continue to wait for it. Although nothing is officially confirmed, it seems likely that this problem will persist in the foreseeable future unless Blizzard surprises players with a different Tank or equips Mauga with a ranged kit. Hopefully, a Tank that excels at a distance rather than in close quarters will be added in due course.

Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.