Best DPS Heroes for Solo Queue
Damage picks that do not need a coordinated team to work. Self-sufficient heroes that let you take over a solo-queue game on your own.
By OWMAUK Staff
Solo queue is chaos. Your team will not fall in line, your tank will over-extend, and your other support will play Mercy into a dive. The DPS heroes that climb here are the ones that generate their own value: self-heal, an escape, and a kit that does not need a five-stack setup to land. Flashy team-dependent heroes look great in tournaments and feed in ranked.
The best solo-queue DPS is not always the best DPS. Sombra can be S-tier with a coordinated dive and C-tier with randoms who will not follow the hack. Pick for self-sufficiency.
Do-it-yourself carries
Soldier: 76
Hitscan that answers dive and pharah alike, a self-heal that keeps you topped up, and a sprint to reposition. The purest self-sufficient pick.
S-tier
Cassidy
Reliable hitscan burst, a roll to reset, and a grenade that shuts down dive tanks and Genji. Consistent value at every rank.
S-tier
Ashe
Long-range damage, dynamite for chip and anti-heal, and B.O.B. as a free extra body that pushes chokes on his own.
S-tierStrong picks with a catch
| Hero | Carries because | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Sojourn | Railgun bursts squishies; slide is a great escape | Needs consistent tracking to charge the shot |
| Reaper | Self-heal on damage, shreds tanks up close | Slow, no vertical, dies if caught out of position |
| Echo | Flight, burst combo, and a game-ending ult | Fragile and demands strong target priority |
| Tracer | Constant backline pressure, hard to catch | Very low HP, punishing floor for new players |
| Pharah | Owns the air vs teams with no hitscan | Hard-countered the moment a Soldier swaps in |
Sojourn
A-tier - the highest carry ceiling of the reliable hitscans. Charged railgun deletes 200 HP heroes and the slide keeps you slippery.
A-tier
Reaper
A-tier - the tank-buster. Self-heal on damage means you can brawl the frontline solo, and Wraith gets you out when it goes wrong.
A-tierSolo-queue DPS rules
- Play for picks, not for team wipes you cannot coordinate. One kill before the fight wins most solo-queue rounds.
- Match the lobby. If there is a Pharah wrecking you, swapping to a hitscan is not tilting - it is the correct read.
- Do not int for value. A flashy flank that fails hands the enemy a free 5v4. Take the fight you can actually win.
- Save your ult for confirmed value. A blind Deadeye or Tactical Visor into a full enemy team dies for nothing.
Struggling to hit shots on the harder picks? Read every hero ranked by skill floor and start on Soldier before you touch Widowmaker. For the rest of the team, see the best tank heroes and the best supports to climb with. And if a sniper keeps ending you, read how to counter Widowmaker and every sniper.
In solo queue, consistency beats highlight reels. Pick the hero that gives value every fight, not the one that pops off once a game.