D. Va Overwatch 2 – Everything you need to know

There are 35 total heroes in Overwatch 2, and each one of them brings their own unique abilities, weapons, and playstyle to the table. With so many different heroes to choose from, players will want to find one that they can be effective with and lead their team to victory. The first thing that players will need to know is that each hero belongs to one of 3 different roles. These roles are tanks that protect the player’s team, supports that heal their team, and DPS that can deal massive damage. D. Va is a tank character that can soak up enemy hits and dish out punishment from afar. Here is everything that players need to know about playing D. Va in Overwatch 2.

Who is D. Va in Overwatch 2?

When picking up D. Va, players will get 2 different characters in one. This is because D.Va consists of a mech and pilot combination. In mech form, players are armored up and capable of withstanding heavy punishment. However, in pilot form, players are very squishy, and will not last long against armored foes. They can still stay in the fight though, even in pilot form, using their blaster, until they can call down a replacement mech and get back in the fray.

Note: You can read about all of the Overwatch 2 characters here.

Tank characters were reworked in Overwatch 2

In Overwatch 2, the composition of matches was adjusted from 6v6 to 5v5. With this change, each team now has 1 less tank to work with. To compensate for these changes in teams, each role has received a special passive ability to help them excel in their role. For tanks, they have received a 30% resistance to knockback, and also grant players 50% less Ultimate Charge when they are struck. This means that tanks cannot be pushed around so easily, and makes it much harder for them to be farmed for ultimate charges.

D. Va’s abilities in Overwatch 2

As a tank, the role of D. Va in combat is to soak up damage for her team and she can use her blasters and missiles to strike and chip away at enemies from afar. Her boosters allow her to flank and get up close to enemies, where her weapons can decimate them in close-quarters combat. In Overwatch 2, D. Va has had her overall health increased, with her mech now having 650 HP and her pilot form having 350 (up from 600HP and 300HP). This makes her tankier and can help her soak even more hits for her team.

This all combined makes playing D. Va a truly unique experience and learning what her abilities do can help guide any team to victory. 

Fusion Cannons

The Fusion Cannons are the primary method of fire while in the mech form of D. Va. These close-range weapons can lay down a continuous stream of fire, and do not need to be reloaded. The Fusion Cannons can be fired while moving, however, doing so will slow D. Va down by 40% movement speed (down from 50% for Overwatch 2). Since these weapons can continuously fire and do not need to be reloaded, D. Va can be extremely deadly in close quarters and players will want to close the distance using her movement abilities to take out their foes with ease.

Defense Matrix

One of the reasons that D. Va is so tanky is because she can use her Defense Matrix ability. When used, it creates a matrix in front of her that will shoot projectiles down from the air. This can be channeled for a maximum of 2 seconds and has a 1-second cooldown after being used. This is a great ability for protecting D. Va and her team from any dangerous enemy fire. Used correctly, it can help her to stay alive for much longer periods of time.

Boosters

Boosters are one of the things that make D. Va so effective as a flanker and a tank. By using these boosters, she can rocket forwards or up into the air, quickly closing gaps and gaining high ground to take on her foes. Boosters can have D. Va travel a max distance of 23.98 meters, and can be boosted for 2 seconds, with a 4-second cooldown in between uses. Players can also use Boosters to ram into other players and cause 25 damage to any hostile player they strike, which is up from 10 damage from the original Overwatch.

Micro Missiles

One of the best tools in D. Va’s kit for harassing enemies at range is the Micro Missiles. When used, this ability fires a volley of rockets that explode, dealing 7 damage on a direct hit, as well as up to 4 for each missile with slash damage. Players should be careful not to take damage from the rockets themselves, as they will take up to 4 damage when shooting the missiles too close to their mech.

Eject

Getting into the abilities that will force D. Va into her pilot form, it all starts with the Eject ability. This is a passive ability that will cause D. Va to eject from her mech as it reaches 1 HP. When this happens, her mech will be destroyed, and she will fly up into the air in her pilot form. When in this form, she can still fight back and will need to fill up her gauge to be able to call another mech. However, when D. Va ejects, she is invulnerable while ejecting, but she can easily be defeated once she is on the ground. Players should take extra caution in this form.

Light Gun

The Light Gun is a small mid-range automatic blaster that can deal mild damage to enemies. The gun features a small ammo capacity of 20 in the magazine and fires quickly but will require time to recharge after use. While the gun is capable of defending D. Va, it should not be prioritized, and getting back into the mech should be of utmost importance.

Self Destruct/Call Mech

D.Va has two Ultimate Abilities depending on which form she is currently in. If she is inside of her mech, her ability is Self Destruct. When this is used, D. Va will cause her mech to count down to a large explosion, ejecting in the process. The mech will continue moving in the direction she was going if she uses the ability in motion. When the explosion goes off, it will cause massive damage to all enemies in the radius. In addition, when the explosion happens, her Call Mech ability is recharged and she can re-enter a brand new mech.

If D. Va is in her pilot form, her Ultimate Ability becomes Call Mech. This will call down a new mech for her to enter so that she can resume the fight as the durable tank she is known to be.

Tips for using D. Va in Overwatch 2

D.Va is a tank that can really succeed in closer ranges. Her Fusion Cannons can do powerful sustained damage while moving and her Boosters can let her close the gap to any enemy. She is able to use her ultimate to completely wipe enemy teams with careful placement, and she can protect her team using her Defense Matrix. Her weaknesses lie in her reliance on being in close range to deal damage, and her slow movement speed when she is not using boosters. Other faster heroes can outrange her or simply move around her when she is firing at them. Players should try to predict their enemy’s movements and keep them in a respectable range to be able to take them down.

Use D. Va to call down a victory in Overwatch 2

D.Va is a tank that can do a surprising amount of damage to anyone close to her. The ability to move and shoot without reloading can be very oppressive to the enemy team. In addition, her powerful ultimate ability can single handedly win a team fight. Players who are looking to protect their team and play an exciting tank that gets up close and personal while still having some ranged power can pick up D. Va and help guide their team to victory in Overwatch 2.