The Best Overwatch Stadium Builds for All Heroes: Full Guide

Building the best hero kits in Stadium Mode can be befuddling. Here's a handy guide to help.

Gabby DeSena | Apr 25, 2025

Stadium Mode builds can make or break a game. / Activision Blizzard

Stadium Mode is shaking up Overwatch's competitive and esports meta. The format is bringing unconventional playstyles and abilities to the forefront: Moira can launch both orb types at once, Mei can turn into a boulder with knockback, Ashe can release B.O.B. in half the usual Ultimate time and Soldier 76's Biotic Field can move with him. Let's explore the best Stadium Mode builds for each Overwatch hero and why they work.

How Stadium Mode Builds Work
The Best Stadium Mode Builds for Each Overwatch Hero
Tanks
DPS
Supports

How Stadium Mode Builds Work

In Stadium Mode, introduced in Season 16, Heroes progressively add more Powers and Armory Items to their kit, fundamentally changing their performance. Powers are free and gained based on the player's Hero level. A player can have up to four Powers per game, and twelve options exist for each Hero. However, powers cannot be unequipped once selected, so players must carefully pick the ones that align with their intended build.

Armory Items are smaller adjustments than Powers, but they still significantly impact a player's game. They come in three categories:

Abilities: Enhances a Hero's surrounding kit.
Weapons: Enhances a Hero's weapons and damage output.
Survivability: Enhances a hero's health and ability to live through the match.

Within these three categories, three levels exist:

Common: Green icons, provide slight buffs, cost the least
Rare: Blue icons, provide medium buffs
Epic: Purple icons, provide significant buffs, cost the most

To buy Armory Items, players need Stadium Cash. Defeating enemies with bounties and impacting the game through damage, elims and heals grants this currency.

The Best Stadium Mode Builds for Each Overwatch Hero

How This List Works

The beautiful thing about Stadium Mode is that it broadens every Hero's potential and allows teams to test unconventional pathways to victory. Because of this, no one build is best for a Hero in every situation.

The most consistent path to victory in any team-based game is providing value to your allies and fulfilling your intended role. This list will focus on identifying the best Power and Abilities in each tier that serve that purpose. For example, a DPS may want to build toward high damage potential, while a Support would focus on abilities that improve team healing. Since Heroes can combine multiple items in Stadium Mode, it will also focus on which abilities to buy first in each tier rather than the best overall combinations.

If you're still struggling with these selections, there's no harm in trying something new. For example, a DPS struggling to stay alive in team fights might build toward a survivability kit. What's important is that you feel comfortable and can impact the match's outcome.

Tanks

D.Va players can pick from several unique paths, including one focusing on her Self-Destruct Ultimate. / Blizzard Entertainment

D.Va

Note: This build focuses on D.Va's Self-Destruct Ultimate, since many of her Stadium abilities build on it, and it is often a deciding factor in rounds. While this build is meta in higher ranks, traditional survival options may be better in lower ranks.

First Power: Party Protector. This grants allies within Self-Destruct's radius 250 overhealth for 8 seconds. Players should build it into Express Detonation, which reduces D.Va's Self-Destruct time by 15%.
(For a survival-focused build in low elo, use Ultrawide Matrix instead: Defense Matrix size increases by 50% and its duration increases by 20%. This is strong against ranged DPS, including Ashe, Cassidy and Soldier 76, who are thriving in the current meta.)
First Common Ability: Field Rations, which restores 8 health for every second on the objective.
First Rare Ability: Vesuvius Protocol. This drops lava in Self Destruct's explosion radius that deals 30 damage per second. It's huge for buying time and securing objectives.
First Epic Ability: Nano Cola Nitrous. This gives D.Va 25% more max health when de-meched and administers Nano Boost for 8 seconds. This is huge for improving her survivability, and players should usually pick it as their first Epic Ability regardless of build.
If you opt for the Ultimate-focused kit, pick Singijeon's Pulse Plating as your next Epic Ability.

Junker Queen

First Power: Soaring Stone. "Carnage becomes a leaping strike if you jump during its cast time." Builds perfectly into Chop Chop and Bloodcrazed.
First Common Ability: Shady Spectacles, 10% Ability Lifesteal. JQ thrives in Melee combat, so she has to endure ongoing damage. This makes lifesteal the best first-round choice. Plasma Converter, 10% Weapon Lifesteal, is also a safe bet.
First Rare Ability: Energized Bracers. Grants 10% Ability Power and 10% Ability Lifesteal.
First Epic Ability: Scav Scraps. This suits a Carnage-focused build, since it grants 40% Carnage and Rampage damage as Overhealth.

Additional Junker Queen Option (Added 4/29/25): Junker Queen's kit can also center on her Commanding Shout ability. This build can generally provide more value to the team.

First Power: Reckoner's Roar. Using Commanding Shout will wound nearby enemies within 10m for 30 damage over 3 seconds. This builds well into Let's Go Win (eliminations reset Commanding Shout cooldown) and Merciless Magnetism (Commanding Shout causes Jagged Blade to home to a target).
First Common Ability: Compensator; 5% additional Weapon Power.
First Rare Ability: Monarch's Decree. Adds 5% Weapon Power, and Commanding Shout will increase attack speed by 15%.
First Epic Ability: Undying Loyalty. Adds 50 health and 30% Commanding Shout overhealth. This also heals all allies affected by Commanding Shout for 5% of JQ's health every second. Builds extremely well into Booming Voice if needed.

Orisa

First Power: Restortify. This heals Orisa for 10% max health for each second Fortify is active, allowing her to take a traditionally tanky build route.
First Common Ability: Plasma Convertor, 10% Weapon Lifesteal.
First Rare Ability: Charged Chassis. "Fortify grants additional Overhealth equal to 10% of your max life." Combined with Restortify, this keeps Orisa alive and contesting point.
First Epic Ability: Efi's Theorem. This grants Orisa 20% Ability Lifesteal and a 50% longer Fortify duration, giving her more time to heal with Restortify.

Reinhardt

First Power: Wilhelmwagen, which heals Rein for 15% of mitigated shield damage and increases his move speed by 30%. Note: players should build into To Me, My Friends! (heals nearby allies while Rein's shield is up for 3% of his max life each second) next.
First Common Ability: Field Rations. Restores 8 life for every second on the objective.
First Rare Ability: Overclocked Barrier. Adds 20% to shield health and size.
First Epic Ability: Infusion Generator. "Increase Barrier Field health by 100% of your max life." This keeps Rein's shield active for longer, so allies get more healing from To Me, My Friends!.

Zarya

First Power: Volskaya Vortex. "After a barrier is cast, Particle Cannon's next secondary fire spawns a slowing vortex that deals 100 damage over 2 seconds." This is perfect for denying space on the point and dealing with squishy enemies.
First Common Ability: Compensator. Adds 5% Weapon Damage. Field Rations, which restores 8 health for every second on the objective, is also a safe pick.
First Rare Ability: Jumper Cables. Adds 25 Shields and 5% Ability Power. This allows Zarya to instantly start regenerating shields after using Barrier.
First Epic Ability: Superconductor. Adds 15% Ability Power and 40% longer Barrier duration.

DPS

Soldier 76 and Cassidy are dominating the Stadium Mode meta. /

Ashe

First Power: B.O.B. Jr. B.O.B. costs 50% less Ultimate Charge, but has 50% less Attack Speed. Amazing to stack with Partners in Crime, in which Ashe and B.O.B. heal each other for all damage dealt.
First Common Ability: Compensator. Adds 5% Weapon Power.
First Rare Ability: Greased Loader. Adds 25% more Weapon Power and reduces Reload Speed by 15%.
First Epic Ability: Sidewinder. Adds 10% Attack Speed and deals 15% more unscoped shot damage to enemies within 10m. (Note: This is best against dive comps. If you feel comfortable sniping far from the team, use Iron Sights, which grants 1% extra damage for each meter from the target past 10 meters, instead.)

Additional Anti-Dive Ashe Option (Added 4/29/25): As the meta has settled in, Ashe's most common Stadium Mode problem is her vulnerability to dives. Building to maximize her Burning status effect can help ease this issue.

First Power: Molten Munitions, which spawns lava that Burns enemies when Dynamite explodes. This is crucial for surviving dives and can build into Incendiary Blast, which allows Ashe's Coach Gun to inflict Burning on enemies as well.
First Common Ability: Compensator, which grants 5% Weapon Power.
First Rare Ability: Silver Lighter. This adds 20% Ability Power and grants 20% more Ultimate charge for damage to Burning targets.
First Epic Ability: Infrared Lenses. Adds 15% Ability Power and deals 15% increased damage to Burning enemies.

Cassidy

First Power: Quick Draw. This allows Peacekeeper to auto-aim after using Combat Roll. It's great for finishing off low-health enemies; it can also build into Bullseye and Full House well.
First Common Ability: Compensator. Adds 5% Weapon Power.
First Rare Ability: Icy Coolant. 10% Weapon Power, 5% Cooldown Reduction. Will slightly increase Quick Draw's roll frequency for more effectiveness.
First Epic Ability: Improvised Dynamite. Includes 20% Ability Power, a further 10% cooldown reduction and a 50% larger Flashbang radius.

Genji

First Power: Iaido Strike. Quickly swings Dragonblade after Deflect; this is strong for melee builds but can also translate into a well-rounded setup.
First Common Ability: Plasma Converter. Gives 10% Weapon Lifesteal; this is great for a melee Genji build and necessary overall.
First Rare Ability: Anti-Beam Coating: adds 25 Armor and 5% Attack Speed, allows Deflect to block beam attacks. (Note: Equilibrium Gear (heals Genji while climbing) is better for non-melee builds.)
First Epic Ability: Phantasmic Flux. Adds 10% Weapon and Ability Power each, adds 15% Weapon and Ability lifesteal each and grants up to 100% Lifesteal overhealth while at full health.

Mei

First Power: Coulder. Allows Mei to turn into a boulder and roll around the map, dealing AOE damage, increasing survivability and knocking back enemies. Useful throughout all rounds.
First Common Ability: Power Playbook. Gives 10% Ability Power.
First Rare Ability: Meicicle. Increases Cryo-Freeze duration by 25%. Great for staying alive and buying important time since Stadium Mode point captures are shorter.
First Epic Ability: Martian Mender. 25 Health, 10% Cooldown reduction and restores 3% of life every second. Mei's abilities are her primary draw, so she builds a bit differently than other DPS and a shorter cooldown is highly beneficial.

Reaper

First Power: Wraith Renewal. This restores Reaper's health 10%/second while he fades, reaching 20%/second if he is under half health. It keeps him survivable and lets him roam while freeing up healers to care for other teammates.
First Common Ability: Compensator, which grants 5% Weapon Power.
First Rare Ability: Icy Coolant. Grants 10% Weapon Power and 5% Cooldown Reduction. Works nicely with Reaper's Wraith Renewal build by letting him heal more frequently.
First Epic Ability: Dauntless Draught. Adds 50 health, 15% move speed in fade and 33% longer fade duration. Great to stack with Wraith Renewal and Icy Coolant; turns Reaper into a self-sufficient killing machine.

Soldier: 76

First Power: Super Visor. After using Helix Rocket, it activates Tactical Visor for 0.75 seconds. This builds well into Double Helix or Peripheral Pulse.
First Common Ability: Compensator. 5% extra Weapon Power; essential for Soldier 76's kit.
First Rare Ability: Pulse Converter. This ability builds into the overall Double Helix build, adding 5% Attack Speed, 5% cooldown reduction and 20% restored ammo upon each Helix Rocket use.
First Epic Ability: Hardlight Accelerator. This adds 10% Weapon Damage and 10% Cooldown Reduction.

Supports

Mercy is great for pocketing Soldier 76 and Cassidy in Stadium Mode, who are both strong picks in the current meta. / Activision Blizzard via YouTube

Ana

First Power: Your Full Potential adds 20% Ultimate Charge and 100 overhealth to a nano'd ally. Note: Dreamy (allows Ana to heal allies with Sleep Dart) is better in the early game, but this is a huge boost for Ana's kit, and players should generally build it next with Our Turn (nanos other allies in Ana's LOS) in every match.
First Common Ability: Power Playbook. Adds 10% Ability Power.
First Rare Ability: Multi-Tool. Grants 5% Ability Power and 10% Cooldown Reduction.
First Epic Ability: Grenadius Pin. Adds 20% Ability Power and 30% Biotic Grenade Radius.

Juno

First Power: Cosmic Coolant. Pulsar Torpedoes' cooldown reduces by 1 second per hit target. This is great throughout the game and can build into Pulsar Plus later, which gives Pulsar torpedoes another charge.
First Common Ability: Power Playbook. Adds 10% Ability Power; crucial for healing and Pulsar Torpedoes.
First Rare Ability: Lock-on Shield. Juno gains 50% of her max Shields as overhealth while aiming Pulsar Torpedoes.
First Epic Ability: Pulstar Destroyers. Causes Pulsar Torpedoes to deal 20 damage on hit and adds 15% Ability Power. Builds well into Cosmic Coolant and Pulsar Plus.

Kiriko

First Power: Leaf on the Wind. Allows Healing Ofuda to bounce to 2 other allies for 20% its normal healing.
First Common Ability: Power Playbook. This adds 10% Ability Power and remains the best for most supports.
First Rare Ability: Farsight Focus Sash. Adds 10% Weapon Power and increases Healing Ofuda speed by 200% for 6 seconds after damaging enemies.
First Epic Ability: Spirits' Guidance. This adds 15% Weapon Power, but is best for its 100% overall Healing Ofuda speed increase. This build maintains Kiriko's damage potential while setting her up to fulfill a traditional healing role.

Lúcio

First Power: Mixtape. This adds 50% of Healing Boost heals for every second Speed Boost was active upon switching.
First Common Ability: Power Playbook, aka. Ol' Reliable. Grants 10% Ability Power.
First Rare Ability: #1 Single. "When allies leave your Crossfade area, the effects linger for 1 second."
First Epic Ability: All-Out Auditiva. Grants 20% ability power and 33% longer Amp It Up duration.

Mercy

First Power: Renaissance. After successfully using Resurrect, it activates Valkyrie for 5 seconds. This is best built into Crepuscular Circle, which automatically applies healing and damage boosts to allies during Valkyrie.
First Common Ability: Power Playbook. 10% Ability Power; Ol' Reliable strikes again!
First Rare Ability: Long Distance Wings. Adds 10% Ability Power and 33% Guardian Angel range. Mercy can struggle in Stadium Mode, so this helps keep her survivable.
First Epic Ability: Resurrection Rangefinder, which grants 10% cooldown reduction and 75% Resurrection Range. This aligns with Renaissance and Crepuscular Circle.

Moira

First Power: Deconstruction. This ability allows Moira to deal 20% more damage after using abilities. It's highly efficient and useful as her damage scales. (Note: Cross-Orbal can be better, but Genji is hugely popular in Stadium and can counter with deflect. It can also unintentionally charge Zarya, so Deconstruction is generally safer to start.)
First Common Ability: 10% Ability Power. This will best help Moira heal her teammates.
First Rare Ability: Vital-E-Tee. As DPS on the enemy team gain ability-specific upgrades in Round 2 and above, it's important to become more survivable.
First Epic Ability: Extendrils. Grants 15 Ability Power and a 30% longer Biotic Orb range. This item fits nicely into many builds.

Published Apr 25, 2025|Modified Apr 25, 2025

GABBY DESENA