How to unlock Mercy in Overwatch 2: Abilities, class, and more explained

With Overwatch 2 finally here, veterans as well as newbies are excited to dive into the latest iteration of the popular MOBA game. 'Similar but different' is a great phrase to use to describe the new title. Basically the second version of the original Overwatch, it retains most of the classic gameplay, but adds in new changes and heroes to spice things up.

Speaking of heroes in Overwatch 2, all of the ones from the previous game are present, so players will have a large selection of playable characters to choose from. One such character is Mercy, a highly popular hero from the original game, who has been slightly reworked for the new entry.

This Overwatch 2 guide will provide more details about Mercy, her primary abilities and role within the team, as well as how she is intended to be played. You may refer to this article for the changes that affect Mercy’s gameplay, or if you’re entirely new to Overwatch, and form your own gameplay style.

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How to unlock Mercy in Overwatch 2

Those looking to play as Mercy in Overwatch 2 will be happy to know that she is not a character that needs to be unlocked. Instead, Mercy is one of the 15 characters freely available for play from the very beginning, and you can test out her skills in the practice range at any time.

Putting in time to familiarize yourself with Mercy’s moveset and abilities is essential, as she is a complex character that plays a crucial role in any match. While her overall importance as a key support character is somewhat diminished in the new game due to its 5v5 setup, she is still an effective character that can be used to great results in the right hands.

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Mercy’s class and abilities

Mercy's abilities in Overwatch 2 (Image via Activision Blizzard)

As stated above, Mercy is a Support hero, which means that her primary role is not to attack, but assist the team through healing. However, this status quo has been altered as Overwatch 2 features a 5v5 format (in contrast to the old 6v6), requiring Mercy (and other support heroes) to be more active.

Mercy’s abilities have been tweaked accordingly to give her more of an edge in being an offensive character. Her abilities are listed below.

Caduceus Staff: This is Mercy’s primary weapon, which allows her to either heal her teammates and restore HP or buff their attack output, allowing them to deal more damage. When healing, Mercy can restore 55 HP per second, and while buffing damage, she can grant a teammate a 30% damage amplification buff.

Caduceus Blaster: Mercy is also equipped with a secondary weapon, an automatic weapon with a decent rate of fire. The Blaster does 20 damage per hit and is quite effective in one-on-one encounters (provided you have good aim).

Guardian Angel: Mercy’s popular ability allows her to fly to a nearby ally, either to quickly provide aid or hop out of dangerous situations quickly. During flight, a bar on the screen will indicate the distance you can launch yourself, either dashing forward or upwards. This ability has a short cooldown of 1.5 seconds.

Angelic Descent: This is basically a complementing ability to Guardian Angel, wherein you can use the jump button when descending to slow your fall. It is primarily used to keep Mercy afloat and above the action, surveying where she is needed most like a true guardian angel.

Resurrect: Possibly her most iconic skill, Mercy can use this ability to fully revive a fallen hero before they respawn. Casting this takes 1.75 seconds, and you’ll want to do this in relative safety, as it revives an eliminated hero to full health.

Regeneration and Role: Support: Mercy has two passives in Overwatch 2, her normal support class buff and one known as Regeneration. Both work to give Mercy passive health regeneration over time as long as she avoids enemy fire.

Valkyrie: This is Mercy’s ultimate, which is a great support ability that affects the entire team as long as they are nearby. With Valkyrie active, it allows Mercy to chain her healing and damage amplification abilities using her Caduceus Staff to affect multiple heroes. She can also fly in any direction, and her movement and passive healing are significantly increased.

These are all of Mercy’s abilities in the latest game. Given below is a section on tips and how to play as Mercy in a team and the best ways to implement her abilities in battle.

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Tips for Mercy

Mercy takes to the air (Image via Activision Blizzard)

While her role as a support hero has slightly diminished in Overwatch 2, Mercy is still a solid character choice if you enjoy playing support. Aside from her Caduceus Blaster, Mercy has no other offensive capabilities, so it’s best to use her alongside another hero to be effective.

Mercy works well with damage class heroes, especially Pharah, whose excellent offensive abilities pair well with being healed and buffed. Similarly, with Moira, Mercy has the potential to indirectly deal significant damage to the opposing team while not just being the squad’s healer.

The Valkyrie ultimate ability is a great one to use when the team is grouping up and going entirely on the offensive. By staying high up in the air, Mercy can remain out of the line of sight and buff her teammates accordingly to give them the best chances of coming out victorious.

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And that was all that you needed to know about Mercy in Overwatch 2. Did you find this guide helpful? If so, why not leave us a like on the article and a comment down below? You can let us know what other topics you’d like to see featured on the site.