Ability

All heroes have abilities that are unique to them. Unlike weapons, abilities do not consume ammunition, but their use is limited by cooldowns and charge. Most abilities are disabled when a hero is hacked.

Overview

Abilities are split into three types:

• Normal abilities: These abilities usually have cooldowns, limiting their usage. All heroes have at least 2, keyed to Left [L] Shift and E, although some heroes have more.
• Ultimate abilities: These powerful abilities require to be charged in order to use, by healing or dealing damage.
• Passive abilities: These abilities are innate to the hero and apply automatically. Some passive abilities cannot be hacked.

Any damage from abilities is considered "ability damage," which is relevant for some abilities, such as Doomfist's The Best Defense... passive.

Effect types

Area of Effect

Area of effect abilities apply their effects to all heroes in their area. Area of effect abilities require an unobstructed line of sight to the targets, meaning that they can be blocked by terrain, terrain-like objects, such as Mei's Ice Wall, and in most cases also by barriers. Most area abilities are spherical, but they can also come in other shapes. Other effects may also generate an area of effect when colliding with a hero or terrain.

Projectile

Main article: Projectile

Projectile abilities fire a Projectile or Arcing projectile that apply their effect to the target they collide with. Projectiles have a size and travel time.

Hitscan

Main article: Hitscan

Hitscan abilities can be described as projectiles without travel time. They apply their effects to the first target in their path.

Targeted

Targeted abilities apply their effects directly to the selected target. To apply the effect, there must be an unobstructed line of sight to the target, similarly to area of effect. Enemy barriers usually block line of sight for targeted abilities.

Movement

Main article: Movement abilities

Movement abilities grant the hero using them a burst of movement in the forms of dashes, leaps and teleports. Abilities that only grant movement speed generally do not count as movement abilities. Movement abilities are disabled and interrupted if the hero becomes stunned, knocked down, hacked, rooted or hindered, with some exceptions.

Cast types

Channeled

Main article: Channeled

Channeled abilities are generally longer lasting effects that are interrupted if the hero using them is stunned, knocked down or hackedat any time while they are active. Generally, channeled abilities also prevent the hero from using their weapons or other abilities while they are active. Pharah's Barrage and Roadhog's Take a Breather, for example, are channeled abilities.

Some channeled abilities do, however, allow the hero to use certain abilities during them. For example, Moira can use Fade during Coalescence and Sigma can use his primary fire after the targets are lifted by Gravitic Flux. Additionally, some other mechanics may override the ability to interrupt channeled abilities, such as Terra Surge also making Orisa immune to stuns and knockdowns for its duration.

Transformation

Main article: Transformation

Transformation abilities are the opposite of channeled abilities and cannot be interrupted at all even if the user hit by crowd control effect. They only end when their duration runs out or their user is eliminated. Usually, transformation abilities modify or change the user's HP, weapon, other abilities, and/or provide other benefits (e.g. seeing through walls via Infra-Sight) for a period of time. Another difference between transformation abilities and channeled abilities is that transformation abilities do not restrict the use of weapons (potentially a different weapon) and/or abilities. For example, Winston's Primal Rage, Genji's Dragonblade and Ramattra's Nemesis Form are transformation abilities.

Cast time

Cast time abilities are a middle ground between channeled and transformation abilities. These abilities can be interrupted by crowd control effects during their startup time, but once the startup has finished, they can no longer be interrupted. Lúcio's Sound Barrier and Tracer's Pulse Bomb are examples of cast time abilities.

In general, "cast time" refers to a property most abilities, including channeled and transformation abilities, have which describes how long it takes to activate the ability. Cast time consists of two parts: startup and recovery. Startup refers to the time it takes for the ability to activate after the button is pressed – and during which the ability can be interrupted if it's a cast time ability – whereas recovery refers to the time before the player can use their weapon, quick melee or other abilities after the ability has finished applying its effects.

Confirmation input

Abilities that deploy a stationary object may first enter a targeting interface, previewing location, allow changing the orientation and require a confirmation (default: primary fire) before they are activated by the user. The targeting can be interrupted or manually cancelled, while the actual activation of the ability cannot. The ability is not activated and will not go on cooldown or consume ultimate charge until the cast is confirmed, meaning if the targeting is interrupted or cancelled, the player can attempt to use it again immediately. Symmetra's Photon Barrier and Mei's Ice Wall, for example, employ this targeting scheme.

List of normal hero abilities

See Ability/stats for tables with full statistics.

Tank

Hero	Ability	Description	Shot type	Cooldown	Details
D.Va	Defense Matrix Defense Matrix	Block projectiles in an area in front of you.		1 second
	Boosters Boosters	Fly in the direction you are facing.	Melee Movement	3.5 seconds
	Micro Missiles Micro Missiles	Launch a volley of explosive rockets.	Projectile Area of effect	7 seconds	11 missiles per second
Doomfist	Seismic Slam Seismic Slam	Leap forward and smash the ground.	Area of effect Movement	6 seconds	Passive: generates temporary overhealth when he deals ability damage.
	Power Block Power Block	Protect yourself from frontal attacks. Blocking heavy damage empowers Rocket Punch.		7 seconds
	Rocket Punch Rocket Punch	Hold to charge then release to launch forward and knock an enemy back. Damage increases if the enemy hits a wall.	Melee Movement	4 seconds	Passive: generates temporary overhealth when he deals ability damage.
Junker Queen	Jagged Blade Jagged Blade	Active: Throw the blade. Re-activate to pull it back with any impaled enemy. Passive: Wound enemies hit by Quick Melee or Throw, dealing damage over time.	Melee Arcing projectile	6 seconds	Passive: Quick Melee wounds enemies, dealing damage over time
	Commanding Shout Commanding Shout	Grants temporary health and movement speed to yourself and allies.	Area of effect	12 seconds
	Carnage Carnage	Wound all enemies in front of you, dealing damage over time and reducing the cooldown for each enemy hit.	Melee	8 seconds
Mauga	Overrun Overrun	Charge forward to stomp and launch enemies. You are unstoppable while charging.	Area of effect Movement	6 seconds
	Cardiac Overdrive Cardiac Overdrive	Nearby allies take reduced damage and heal by dealing damage.	Area of effect	12 seconds	Healing from Cardiac Overdrive does not generate ultimate charge.
Orisa	Energy Javelin Energy Javelin	Launch your javelin at an enemy to stun and knock them back. More effective if the enemy hits a wall.	Arcing projectile	6 seconds
	Fortify Fortify	Gain temporary health, reducing all damage taken and becoming unstoppable. While active, heat generated by your weapon is reduced.		15.5 seconds
	Javelin Spin Javelin Spin	Spin your javelin to destroy projectiles and block melee attacks, while also pushing enemies and increasing forward speed.	Area of effect	8 seconds
Ramattra	Void Barrier Void Barrier	Create a barrier at the targeted location.		13 seconds
	Nemesis Form Nemesis Form	Transform into Nemesis Form, changing your attacks and gaining bonus armor.		8 seconds	Primary fire switches from Void Accelerator to Pummel
	Block Block	Significantly reduces damage taken from the front and reduces movement speed.
	Ravenous Vortex Ravenous Vortex	Fire a sphere of energy that creates a slowing vortex on the ground, damaging enemies within and pulling them downward.	Projectile Area of effect	11 seconds
Reinhardt	Barrier Field Barrier Field	Hold to deploy a frontal energy barrier.		5 seconds if destroyed
	Charge Charge	Charge forward and smash an enemy against a wall.	Melee Movement	7 seconds
	Fire Strike Fire Strike	Launch a fiery projectile.	Projectile	6 seconds, 2 charges
Roadhog	Take a Breather Take a Breather	Heal yourself and reduce damage taken.		1.25 seconds
	Chain Hook Chain Hook	Drag a targeted enemy to you.	Projectile	6 seconds
	Pig Pen Pig Pen	Launch a trap that slows and damages nearby enemies.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	12 seconds
Sigma	Experimental Barrier Experimental Barrier	Hold to propel a floating barrier; release to stop. Press again to recall the barrier to you.		2 seconds (recalled) 5 seconds (destroyed)
	Kinetic Grasp Kinetic Grasp	Absorb projectiles in front of you and convert them into extra health.	Area of effect	12 seconds
	Accretion Accretion	Gather a mass of debris and throw it at an enemy to knock them down.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	10 seconds
Winston	Barrier Projector Barrier Projector	Deploy a protective energy dome.		12 seconds
	Jump Pack Jump Pack	Leap forward into the air. Landing on an enemy damages them.	Area of effect Movement	5 seconds
Wrecking Ball	Grappling Claw Grappling Claw	Launch a grappling claw to rapidly swing around the area. Enables high speed collisions to damage and knockback enemies.	Melee Movement	5 seconds (after fireball) 1 second (no fireball)
	Roll Roll	Transform into a ball and increase maximum movement speed.	Movement	0.4 seconds
	Adaptive Shield Adaptive Shield	Create temporary extra health that increase with more nearby enemies. Some of the health can be transferred to allies.	Area of effect	15 seconds
	Piledriver Piledriver	Slam into the ground below to damage and launch enemies upward.	Area of effect Movement	8 seconds
Zarya	Particle Barrier Particle Barrier	Create a damage barrier around you.	Self	11 seconds, 2 charges
	Projected Barrier Projected Barrier	Create a damage barrier around an ally.	Targeted (allies)	9 seconds, 2 charges

Damage

Hero	Ability	Description	Shot type	Cooldown	Details
Ashe	Dynamite Dynamite	Throw an explosive that detonates after a short delay or immediately when shot.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	12 seconds
	Coach Gun Coach Gun	Blast enemies in front of you and knock yourself backwards.	Shotgun (hitscan)	10 seconds	15 pellets
Bastion	Reconfigure Reconfigure	Switch between weapon configurations.		12 seconds
	A-36 Tactical Grenade A-36 Tactical Grenade	Fire a bomb that bounces off walls and explodes when it hits enemies or the ground.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	8 seconds
Cassidy	Combat Roll Combat Roll	Roll in the direction you're moving to take reduced damage and reload.	Movement	6 seconds
	Flashbang Flashbang	Hinder enemies in front of you, slowing them and preventing them from using movement abilities.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	12 seconds
Echo	Sticky Bombs Sticky Bombs	Fire a volley of sticky bombs that detonate after a delay.	Projectile Area of effect	6 seconds
	Flight Flight	Fly forward quickly and then free-fly briefly.	Movement	6 seconds
	Focusing Beam Focusing Beam	Channel a beam for a few seconds. Deals very high damage to targets under half health.	Beam (hitscan)	8 seconds
Genji	Swift Strike Swift Strike	Rapidly dash forward and inflict damage on enemies. Eliminations reset the cooldown.	Melee Movement	8 seconds
	Deflect Deflect	Deflect incoming projectiles towards the direction you are aiming and block melee attacks.		8 seconds
Hanzo	Sonic Arrow Sonic Arrow	Reveals enemies for a short time upon impact.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	12 seconds
	Storm Arrows Storm Arrows	The next 5 arrows ricochet and fire instantly at reduced damage.	Arcing projectile	8 seconds	5 ammo, each arrow bounces once.
	Lunge Lunge	Double Jump.	Movement	4 seconds
Junkrat	Concussion Mine Concussion Mine	Throw a knockback mine with LSHIFT then detonate it with .	Arcing projectile Area of effect	7 seconds, 2 charges	2 charges
	Steel Trap Steel Trap	Place an immobilizing trap.	Arcing projectile	10 seconds
Mei	Cryo-Freeze Cryo-Freeze	Become invulnerable and heal yourself.		12 seconds
	Ice Wall Ice Wall	Create a wall in front of you.		12 seconds
Pharah	Jet Dash Jet Dash	Boost horizontally.	Movement	8 seconds
	Jump Jet Jump Jet	Fly rapidly upwards. Grants some fuel.	Movement	14 seconds
	Concussive Blast Concussive Blast	Launch an explosive blast to knock back enemies.	Projectile Area of effect	7 seconds
Reaper	Wraith Form Wraith Form	Move faster and become invulnerable, but you cannot shoot.	Movement	8 seconds
	Shadow Step Shadow Step	Teleport to a targeted location.	Movement	10 seconds
Sojourn	Railgun Alt Fire Railgun Alt Fire	High impact shot that consumes stored energy and pierces enemies.	Hitscan	None
	Power Slide Power Slide	Ground slide that can cancel into a high jump.	Movement	7 seconds
	Disruptor Shot Disruptor Shot	Launch an energy burst that deals damage to enemies within it.	Projectile Area of effect	15 seconds
Soldier: 76	Helix Rockets Helix Rockets	Launch a volley of explosive rockets.	Projectile Area of effect	6 seconds
	Sprint Sprint	Run faster while moving forward.	Movement
	Biotic Field Biotic Field	Deploy a field that heals you and your allies.	Area of effect	18 seconds
Sombra	Hack Hack	Hold to hack. Hacked enemies cannot use abilities and can be seen through walls. Hacked health packs spawn faster and can't be used by enemies. Taking damage interrupts the hack attempt.	Targeted	6 seconds (heroes) 3 seconds (non-heroes)
	Translocator Translocator	Throw a beacon and teleport to it. Stealth cooldown is reduced after teleporting.	Arcing projectile Movement	5 seconds
	Virus Virus	Infect enemies with a projectile that deals damage over time. Virus damages hacked targets at a faster rate.	Projectile	6 seconds
Symmetra	Sentry Turret Sentry Turret	Deploy a small turret that damages and slows enemies.	Projectile (before deployment) Beam (turret beam)	10 seconds, 3 charges
	Teleporter Teleporter	Create two temporary teleporters that enable instance travel between them.		12 seconds
Torbjörn	Deploy Turret Deploy Turret	Deploy a self-building turret.	Arcing projectile (deploying turret) Hitscan (turret fire)	5 seconds 12 seconds (in combat)
	Overload Overload	Gain additional extra health as well as improved attack, movement, and reload speed.		10 seconds
Tracer	Blink Blink	Teleport in the direction you are moving.	Movement	3 seconds, 3 charges	3 charges
	Recall Recall	Travel back in time to your previous location and health.	Movement	13 seconds
Venture	Drill Dash Drill Dash	Dash forward while above or underground, pushing enemies back. The cooldown is accelerated while underground.	Melee Movement	8 seconds
	Burrow Burrow	Move underground and become invulnerable. Emerge to deal damage.	Movement Area of effect	8 seconds
Widowmaker	Grappling Hook Grappling Hook	Launch a hook that pulls you towards a ledge.	Projectile Movement	12 seconds
	Venom Mine Venom Mine	Launch a poison trap.	Arcing projectile	15 seconds

Support

Hero	Ability	Description	Shot type	Cooldown	Details
Ana	Sleep Dart Sleep Dart	Fires a dart that puts an enemy to sleep.	Projectile	14 seconds
	Biotic Grenade Biotic Grenade	Throws a grenade that heals and increases healing on allies, while damaging and preventing healing on enemies.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	12 seconds
Baptiste	Regenerative Burst Regenerative Burst	Activate to heal yourself and nearby allies instantly, with additional healing over time. Instant heal is doubled for targets less than half health.	Area of effect	15 seconds
	Immortality Field Immortality Field	Toss a device that prevents allies from dying. The device can be destroyed.	Arcing projectile Area of effect (field)	25 seconds
Brigitte	Repair Pack Repair Pack	Heals an ally for a short duration.	Targeted (allies)	5 seconds, 3 charges
	Whip Shot Whip Shot	Launch your flail forward to knock an enemy away from you.	Projectile	4 seconds
	Barrier Shield Barrier Shield	Hold to deploy a frontal energy barrier.		5 seconds (destroyed)
	Shield Bash Shield Bash	Available when Barrier Shield is deployed. Dash forward to knock back an enemy.	Melee Movement	5 seconds
Illari	Healing Pylon Healing Pylon	Deploy a pylon that heals allies.	Arcing projectile (deploy) Projectile (heal)	7 seconds (default) 14 seconds (under attack)
	Outburst Outburst	Launches you in the direction you are moving. Knocking back enemies. Hold jump to go higher.	Area of effect Movement	7 seconds
Juno	Pulsar Torpedoes Pulsar Torpedoes	Press Secondary Fire to lock on, then Primary Fire to fire homing projectiles. Heals allies over time and damages enemies.	Projectile Targeted	10 seconds
	Glide Boost Glide Boost	Glide horizontally with increased movement speed.	Movement	6 seconds
	Hyper Ring Hyper Ring	Deploy a ring that increases movement speed of allies that pass through it.	Projectile Area of effect	14 seconds
Kiriko	Swift Step Swift Step	Teleport directly to an ally.	Targeted (ally) Movement	8 seconds
	Protection Suzu Protection Suzu	Throw a protective charm to make allies become briefly invulnerable and cleansed of most negative effects.	Arcing projectile Area of effect	15 seconds
Lifeweaver	Petal Platform Petal Platform	Throw a platform that springs upwards when stepped on. Resets when not in use.	Arcing projectile	12 seconds
	Rejuvenating Dash Rejuvenating Dash	Dash towards your traveling direction and lightly heal yourself.	Movement	5 seconds
	Life Grip Life Grip	Pull an ally to your location, protecting them as they travel.	Targeted (ally)	19 seconds
Lúcio	Soundwave Soundwave	Create a short-range blast wave to knock enemies away from you.	Area of effect	4 seconds
	Crossfade Crossfade	Switches between two songs: Healing Boost heals nearby allies, and Speed Boost makes nearby allies move faster.	Area of effect	0.38 seconds
	Amp It Up Amp It Up	Increase the effectiveness of your current song.	Area of effect	12 seconds
Mercy	Guardian Angel Guardian Angel	Fly towards an ally. While in flight, Jump launches you forward, and and Crouch launches you upward.	Targeted (ally) Movement	1.5 seconds
	Resurrect Resurrect	Revive a dead teammate.	Targeted (fallen ally)	30 seconds	Does not generate ultimate charge.
Moira	Biotic Orb Biotic Orb	Launch a bouncing sphere that either heals nearby allies or damages nearby enemies.	Projectile	8 seconds
	Fade Fade	Disappear, move faster, and become invulnerable, but you cannot shoot.	Movement	6 seconds
Zenyatta	Orb of Harmony Orb of Harmony	Launch this orb at an ally to heal them.	Targeted		One Orb of Harmony may be active at a time.
	Orb of Discord Orb of Discord	Launch this orb at an enemy to increase the damage they take.	Targeted		One Orb of Discord may be active at a time.