Vendetta, the newest hero coming to Overwatch 2 in Season 20, might seem like a tank at first glance. However, Blizzard chose to classify her as a damage-dealing (DPS) hero to offer players a completely new way to play. While this breaks an unwritten rule about how heroes are typically released in Overwatch 2, Vendetta is also the first character to truly innovate in gameplay like this.
Blizzard recently introduced Vendetta to Overwatch 2, a fast-moving fighter who uses a large, energy-based sword called Palatine Fang to control the battlefield. Because of her focus on close combat and the fact that a new damage-dealing hero, Freja, is already planned for 2025, many players thought Vendetta would be a tank.
Vendetta Fills a Unique Role As DPS in Overwatch 2
Players were surprised to learn that Vendetta, the newest hero coming to Overwatch 2, will be a damage-focused character specializing in close-range combat, rather than a tank. According to Alec Dawson, an associate game director, this decision was made to fulfill a playstyle currently missing from the game’s hero lineup. He explained that the team constantly strives to deliver exciting new content, and a melee damage hero was a frequently requested feature by fans. Vendetta provides the ideal way to finally bring that popular request to life.
We needed to add a hero that better supported a close-combat playstyle, something our team was missing. Our main goal is always to deliver what players want, and we consistently received requests for a hero focused on melee damage.
As a player, I’ve noticed something kinda weird in Overwatch 2. We have a bunch of heroes who can really get up close and personal, like Reaper, Torbjorn, and the new hero Venture, but none of them are officially classified as DPS who only fight in melee range. Doomfist used to be the closest thing we had in Overwatch 1, but they switched him to a tank in the sequel. And yeah, Genji goes full melee with his Dragonblade, but most of the time he’s still hitting people from a distance, so he doesn’t really count either. It’s strange – we don’t have a true melee DPS hero right now!
Releasing Vendetta as a damage-focused hero did change the typical pattern for new hero releases in Overwatch 2. Previously, the game hadn’t added more than one damage hero in a year – and in 2023, no damage heroes were released at all. According to senior character artist Bryan Bedford, many players expected hero 45 to be a tank, based on this past pattern. However, the team ultimately decided that making a fun hero was the most important thing. To make Vendetta happen, they had to break their own rules and release two damage heroes in 2025, but they felt it was worth it to finally deliver a melee damage hero players had been wanting.
All New Heroes Added in Overwatch 2
| Hero | Role | Season | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sojourn | Damage | 1 | October 2022 |
| Junker Queen | Tank | 1 | October 2022 |
| Kiriko | Support | 1 | October 2022 |
| Ramattra | Tank | 2 | December 2022 |
| Lifeweaver | Support | 4 | April 2023 |
| Illari | Support | 6 | August 2023 |
| Mauga | Tank | 8 | December 2023 |
| Venture | Damage | 10 | April 2024 |
| Juno | Support | 12 | August 2024 |
| Hazard | Tank | 14 | December 2024 |
| Freja | Damage | 16 | April 2025 |
| Wuyang | Support | 18 | August 2025 |
| Vendetta | Damage | 20 | December 2025 |
The newest season of Overwatch 2, Season 20, launches on December 9th, along with a brand-new damage-dealing hero. Players can actually try out this new hero, Vendetta, even earlier! A special extended Hero Trial will be available from November 26th to December 1st, including extra days to account for the Thanksgiving holiday. The developers are very enthusiastic about Vendetta; one of them, Bedford, said she had them “absolutely hooked” during testing, and described playing as her as “just jump[ing] in and start[ing] tearing through the sky.”
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2025-11-21 06:05