Arguably one of the biggest changes to Overwatch as a result of Overwatch 2 is Doomfist moving to the tank role.
Though Doomfist was once a part of the DPS hero lineup, moving him to tank won’t alter his playstyle too much. He is still fast-paced, has a ton of mobility, and is very deadly to those he hits.
The first big change players will notice is to Doomfist’s health. His base health is increasing from 250 to 450, which reflects a health pool similar to his tank counterparts. Doomfist is also receiving some tweaks to his kit that will allow him to peel, make space for his team, and initiate fights.
Doomfist’s primary weapon, his Hand Cannon, now shoots a little faster but does slightly less damage. Rocket Punch is also quicker but does less damage, and he keeps his Seismic Slam, but it now launches him in the direction he is aiming, similar to Winston’s jump.
Power Block is a new core addition to his kit. Once Power Block is initiated, Doomfist enters a defensive stance that reduces damage taken from the front. If he takes enough damage, his gauntlet becomes charged. The charged gauntlet makes his next Rocket Punch cover more distance quickly, increases the knockback radius, stuns enemies if they hit a wall, and does more damage.
Developers compare this ability to Zarya’s bubble, which charges up her gun the more enemies hit her bubble. “When you block a hard-hitting attack [as Doomfist], you get powered up instantly. It almost feels like a parry,” said Geoff Goodman, lead hero designer for Overwatch.
A key component to playing Doomfist will be positional awareness. He only blocks attacks with his Power Block from the front, leaving him susceptible to attacks coming from other directions. Being able to charge his gauntlet and execute a successful Rocket Punch with it will be devastating to the enemy on the other side.
For those who want to main Doomfist in his new role, they’ll have some adjusting to do. Doomfist is not your typical run-of-the-mill tank that has a bunch of health and has the raw ability to survive a bunch of damage when he jumps behind the front line. Players will need to use his skills to gain positional advantages, as well as know when to get out of a situation and return to his own back line for healing.
While Doomfist won’t seem like a tank to many players at first, mostly because of his connection to his DPS roots, the hero does have good potential to be a disruptor. If players can think of him less like a typical tank with a lot of health and a shield, they’ll have an advantage over those who aren’t expecting such a disruptive enemy in their back line.
“For a lot of comps in Overwatch, you actually don’t necessarily want a tank who has a big shield and blocks for people, you actually want a hero who is more mobile and individualistic,” Houston Outlaws coach Jake Lyon told Dot Esports. “For those types of comps, I think Doomfist could do really well.”
For those wishing to try out the new reworked Doomfist, players can sign up for Overwatch 2 beta access on the Overwatch website.
