In Overwatch 2, Doomfist has changed significantly. This beast isn’t simply a menacing DPS hero anymore, he’s now been promoted to a tank.
Unfortunately, with these changes has come a fist load of confusion. Doomfist has had a major overhaul to his abilities, role, and character to fit into the more dynamic fights that Blizzard is trying to promote in Overwatch 2. This means the Talon leader has a high skill ceiling thanks to his new abilities and roles.
It can be very hard to get to grips with the most agile tank in the roster but, when it comes down to it, the time spent mastering Doomfist can be well worth it. We’ve made this guide to try and help you figure out if Doomfist could be the tank for you.
Overwatch 2 Doomfist
Overwatch 2 Doomfist: story and background
Akande Ogundimu, otherwise known as Doomfist, is a highly trained fighter and a born leader. Joining Talon after losing his right arm in the Omnic Crisis, Akande quickly rose through the ranks, eventually killing his old boss and the former owner of the title ‘Doomfist’. Now he is determined to plunge the world into a new conflict.
In Overwatch 2, Doomfist’s reasons for spreading violence and chaos are largely unknown. Here’s hoping we get to know more about the Talon leader in the upcoming PVE storyline. However, we can decipher a few aspects of Doomfist’s character from his introduction animatic (which you can check out above).
The trailer depicts Doomfist fighting against Overwatch agents, Winston, Tracer, and Genji, after he broke out of prison. Throughout the fight, we can hear a monologue by Doomfist playing over it. “Conflict and war are the crucible to which we evolve” says Doomfist. “Every battle makes us stronger”. These small snippets are the only clues to Doomfist’s motives and morals we get, and may point towards a twisted sort of forced evolution of the human race.
Overwatch 2 Doomfist: Abilities breakdown
Primary Fire: Hand Cannon
Description: Short-range weapon with spread.
In Overwatch 2, Doomfist’s Hand Cannon is a shotgun projectile effect-type weapon. This means the closer you are to your enemy the more damage it will inflict. It does a total of 20 to 55 damage per shot, with a total of four shots available before reloading.
Some tips and tricks for this weapon:
- You can get a headshot using this weapon.
- The Hand Cannon automatically reloads.
- Using the melee attack does not interfere with the reload timer.
Ability: Seismic Slam
Description: Leap forward and smash the ground
This ability provides a buff to Doomfists mobility as he can cover 18 meters by using this skill. It’s a great way to enter or disengage from a fight quickly. It also provides the hero with a stun ability as when Doomfist hits the ground if there are enemy heroes nearby then they will be struck with 50 damage and thrown into the air.
Some tips and tricks for this ability:
- You can cancel this ability by reactivating the ability or activating any other ability.
- Use Seismic Slam consecutively with Rocket Punch to do some real damage.
Ability: Rocket Punch
Description: Charging his fist allows Doomfist to punch forward and knock enemies back.
Rocket Punch is one of Doomfist's most deadly assets. Thanks to this skill, in Overwatch 2, Doomfist is one of the only heroes still able to stun enemies. Due to Blizzard wanting to encourage more fluid fights, the developer has taken away abilities like Mei’s Freeze and Cassidy’s Flash Bang so stuns happen less often.
However, Doomfist is a special case as this ability is so intrinsic to his character. Hitting an enemy deals up to 50 damage and if you slam them against a wall that can deal another 30 damage on top of that.
Some tips and tricks for this ability:
- You can stop certain ultimates like Moria’s Coalescence by punching heroes.
- Rocket Punch can be empowered by Power Block.
- Rocket Punch can knock down Ashe’s B.O.B. for two seconds.
- Rocket Punch can be canceled by activating the ability again or using another one.
Ability: Power Block
Description: Block heavy damage and empowers Rocket Punch
In Overwatch 2, Doomfist’s Power Block is his answer to tanks having shields. While this ability won’t be much help to the rest of his team, unless you can hide behind him, it does provide Doomfist with some protection.
The plus side of the defensive attribute is that it can also be used offensively. If heroes decide to shoot the Power Block then it will charge up this ability and make Doomfist’s Power Punch more lethal.
Some tips and tricks for this ability:
- This ability is best used while backing away from fights.
- After mitigating 100 or more damage then the cool down of Power Punch is reduced.
- Power Block can be canceled by activating the ability of another one.
Passive ability: The Best Defense
Description: Doomfist generates temporary overhealth when he deals ability damage.
When used right in Overwatch 2, Doomfist can become unkillable. When you land a Rocket Punch or Seismic Slam you get an additional 35 health along with an additional 75 health if you kill an enemy with your ultimate Meteor Strike.
Some tips and tricks for this passive ability:
- After one second, overhealth starts to decay at three health per second, dealing more damage will reset this clock.
Ultimate: Meteor Strike
Description: Doomfist leaps into the sky and then crashes to the ground dealing significant damage.
Meteor Strike is a fast-paced and deadly addition to Doomfist’s skills. Activating in 0.5 seconds it’s one of the quickest ultimates in Overwatch 2. However, the duration of this ultimate lasts three seconds (or 1.5 if you manage to land on an enemy) meaning that it is usually quite easy to get out of its range.
Some tips and tricks for this ultimate:
- Doomfist cannot contest objectives while in this form, and cannot take damage.
- Meteor Strike cleanses most negative effects and unsticks abilities like Tracer’s Pulse Bomb.
- This ultimate empowers Rocket Punch on landing.
Overwatch 2 Doomfist: Gameplay Breakdown
In Overwatch 2, Doomfist has had a massive overhaul of his role and abilities. His character has shifted from a DPS hero in the original Overwatch to a tank hero in Overwatch 2. We haven’t seen a shift like this since Symettra moved from support to DPS. But, unlike that hero, Doomfist had most of his abilities changed along with the move.
For those who played Doomfist back when he was a DPS hero, you may want to return to old habits and use this hero as a poke character. This is a character that is best used to enter and disengage from fights quickly, separating the enemy team, and trying to pick off the supports in the backline.
However, in Overwatch 2, Doomfist’s role is much more complicated and team-oriented. Instead of running off to the far corners of the map, as the sole tank on your team you need to be sticking around the front lines as much as possible. While you’ll never be a Reinhardt who can be idle on the front lines, slowly pushing the enemy team away with your shield, Doomfist can still be front and center in fights distracting enemy heroes.
