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By Rhiannon Bevan

Published Feb 16, 2025, 10:28AM EST

Rhiannon (she/her) is the Deputy News Lead and Chief Reporter at TheGamer. You may have heard her on the BBC or read her words atTechRadar Gaming and TechRaptor. She won MCV's Journalism Impact for Women in Games in 2025.

At TheGamer, you will often find her chatting to game developers, writers, and actors about their crafts. This includes a deep dive into Cyberpunk 2077's narrative, and a series on the making of the Fable trilogy.

She also follows industrial action and existential threats to its workers, particularly the use of generative AI. As part of this, she's explored how AI Darth Vader sets a dangerous precedent, and was one of the first reporters to look into generative AI dating companions.

Summary

Overwatch 2 is introducing hero bans in competitive mode starting from Season 16.
Widowmaker is overwhelmingly the top pick to be banned in community discussions.
Other popular picks are Ana, Zarya, and Mercy.

Overwatch 2 is getting hero bans, as Blizzard makes the biggest changes to the hero shooter since the original game launched. Starting from Season 16, competitive mode will allow players to select a hero that no one will be able to pick for the entire match.

This has been a much-requested feature for years, and with Marvel Rivals implementing it in higher ranks, it seems that Blizzard has finally been convinced to try it out. Unsurprisingly, fans are already discussing which heroes they'll be banning, and it's bad news for Widowmaker mains.

Overwatch Players Prepare For Hero Bans

Widowmaker, Zarya, and Mercy are popular picks for hero bans

While Reddit user xalavine kicked the discussion off by expressing an interest in banning Zarya and Ana, the rest of the community is quick to rally around banning Widowmaker. Numerous fans in the replies are making the sniper their pick, and it's easy to see why.

"Every Circuit and Havana map is an auto Widow ban," says Adreme. "I want the experience of playing these Widow maps without Widow. I feel like it will be game changing."

Many, many other agree. "I dont want to play with a Widow and I dont want to play against one," says IronHeart1183. "You either get the amazing one or the bad one, and it just doesnt create good play for the match because you have to have one person focusing her till the player switches off."

While Widowmaker is the overwhelming favourite for bans, there are some other suggestions too. "Hot Take: Mercy," says Greenzombie04. "Can't stand rezzing."

"Im gonna say Ana," says samepersononline. "I think she has the most utility as support and Id want her out of the line up."

We'll have to wait and see if this is reflected in the actual hero bans when the system goes live in Season 16. First up, we have Season 15, which starts on February 18. This will bring back loot boxes and introduce a new hero, Freja.

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[Placeholder Image] OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 77/100 Critics Rec: 65%

Released: August 10, 2023
ESRB: Teen / Violence, Blood, Mild Language, Use of Tobacco, Users Interact, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)
Developer(s): Blizzard
Publisher(s): Blizzard