Overwatch 2: Director’s Take Details Information on Hero Bans

The Hero Ban system enters Overwatch 2 with the release of Season 16. This addition gives players the strategic agency to determine the heroes they do not want to see in their ranked games. However, players are not guaranteed to have their chosen heroes banned every game. Players can vote for up to three heroes per game for the banning phase. The position of the heroes is vital, and players should not choose randomly. The first slot indicates a priority ban, with the hero receiving the most votes towards a ban. The second slot gets fewer votes, while the third gets the least amount of votes. Four heroes get banned each game, two from each team.

How the Hero Ban System Functions

Players can select their ‘Preferred Hero’ when loading into the Hero Ban screen. Your ‘Preferred Hero‘ signals to your teammates that you want to play that hero in the match. You can change this at any time, and there is no requirement for you to select them during the game. Players can use the text and voice chat to communicate with their teammates.

Players select the three heroes they want to ban in order of priority. The first slot receives seven votes, the second slot five, and the third slot three. The system instantly tallies up all the votes and moves on to the next portion of the system.

There are key factors the system considers that players must understand:

• Once votes get counted, there will be a ‘first’ and ‘second’ team. The team with the most votes for a hero becomes the ‘first’ team. If there is a tie, it is assigned randomly.
• The hero with the most votes on the ‘first’ team is banned.
• The process then moves to the ‘second’ team. The two heroes on the team with the most votes are banned.
  • If one of the heroes matches the ‘first’ team’s hero ban, it will move to the next most-voted hero.
• Lastly, the hero with the second most votes on the ‘first’ team gets banned.
• The maximum limit per role is two heroes. If one of the bans exceeds that limit, it moves to the next hero with the most votes.
• If the number of votes for a hero is tied, the hero with the most players voting for them wins.
  • If there is still a tie, it gets decided randomly.

Players can skip any of their bans by hitting the ready button. If all players do not choose a hero to ban, all heroes will be selectable. The developers are tracking the stats across the board to understand which heroes are frustrating for players to play against. Let us know what you think about Hero Bans coming in Season 16!