Overwatch Stadium: Best DPS builds

Stadium has introduced an entirely new way of playing Overwatch 2 with Powers, Items, currency, and builds. As damage dealers, DPS heroes carry a lot of responsibility on their backs, but going all in on weapon power is never the best strategy. A well-balanced kit, with spikes where it matters, is the best tool to win and rank up in this new mode.

So far, the best DPS characters are Soldier 76, Mei, and Cassidy. The first one is a must pick for taking one’s first steps into the Stadium mode, as he can have lots of survivability and damage in the same build. 

Mei is for more knowledgeable players who want to take a more front-line and space-taking approach that is guaranteed to win games in Overwatch. 

Cassidy, on the other hand, needs to play his own game, take flanks, and be precise, so some aim training is needed for him to succeed.

While there are no publicly available stats to prove which heroes are the best, this top list is based on extensive community testing as of May 2025, along with the author’s own experience and judgment. With over 2,000 hours in Overwatch and coverage of the game since its launch, the author’s picks draw from deep familiarity with its mechanics and meta and are thoroughly informed and tested.

Why Soldier: The best character for beginners. His build is very intuitive and generates a three-step game loop that adapts to every situation.

Soldier 76 is a forgiving and beginner-oriented character in Stadium. His primary way of remaining consistent is through Super Visor, a power that grants him Tactical Visor’s auto aim for 0.5 seconds after using Helix Rocket. The number of low health targets that this power can eliminate is astounding and should be the backbone of your strategy while playing. 

Then it’s time for Hunker Down, a power that creates a Biotic Field to heal the Soldier when he deals damage with the rocket. This is the baseline for the build, now it’s up to the player to decide if they want to invest in more rocket power (Double Helix and Cratered) or more healing with Frontliners or On Me!

The first item to be prioritised from round 2 onwards is Pulse Converter, so that in tense situations, you always have ammo after using Helix Rocket to take advantage of Super Visor. 

Then get Battery Pack to extend Biotic Field’s duration by 30% and Icy Coolant for weapon power and cooldown reduction. As far as purple items go, Ogundimu Reduction Field is great for survivability, Champion’s Kit is raw Ability Power, and Eye of the Spider is perfect to finish off with Super Visor those low health adversaries.

Why May: The best DPS hero for those players who like to brawl and control space. Her wall is excellent for isolating enemies, and transforming into a boulder is effective and fun.

Mei is great for taking space, disrupting enemy formations, separating tanks from healers (this should be your primary focus for your Ice Wall placement), and taking control of the objective. 

The obvious choice for her first Power is Coulder to transform Cryo-Freeze into a very annoying rolling ice ball that knocks back enemies (potentially off the map) while also dealing damage. When Round three comes around, it’s time to improve her Ice Wall with Iceberg so everyone standing near it is slowed in a mini Blizzard. 

Your main objective at this point is to isolate the enemy tank and hit it with your Ice Ball while the rest of the team finishes them off, or disrupt the backline separating the supports from the front line. Cyclone is great for making Cryo-Freeze even more annoying, and if the game gets to round 7, having more uptime with Twice as Ice is always a good thing.

Item-wise, prioritize Multi-Tool for reduced cooldowns and Meicicle for a longer Cryo-Freeze, then add Nano Cola, which, if you’re strapped for cash, you can sell to get to the purple items faster. 

Start by picking Icy Veins to boost the damage of each mini-Blizzard, making them more lethal. Then, choose Sturdy Snowfort for increased ability power and Ice Sheet to extend the duration of your Ice Wall. Always remember to take space with Mei, and that isolating the enemy tank is one of the best ways to win a fight.

Why Cassidy: The best character for experienced and aim-trained players. He can achieve unparalleled raw damage values in the role, but requires a lot of skill.

Cassidy is an aim-based character, so to get the best out of him, some technical skill is needed, as his primary source of damage is crit-shots. In the power department, it’s paramount to increase damage and survivability, so we chose Full House for a more powerful Peacekeeper and Just Roll With It to be invulnerable during Combat Roll and get some heals out of it. 

Then we chose Barrel Roll to get further away from or towards enemies and Easy Riders to get value out of the ultimate in the last round, where Cassidy is a sitting duck during Deadeye.

In the items department, we started with some basic Weapon Power with the Talon Modification Module and the Icy Coolant. Then we moved to Attack Speed and Max Ammo with Stockpile. The same principle applies to the purple items: Eye of the spider for power, The Closer for critical damage and more power, and lastly, Commander’s Clip for Attack Speed and Max Ammo.

Stadium is certainly a very novel and complex way to play Overwatch, which requires strategy, planning, and good reaction times even when buildcrafting. The DPS class of heroes is responsible for being the damage dealers in the squad, but focusing on boosting a hero’s weapon power only is never a good idea. 

With these builds for Soldier 76, Mei, and Cassidy, we’ve tried to enhance each character’s greatest strengths while mitigating their weaknesses. In a MOBA-style game mode, however, it is always important to know how to react to various situations. So, take your time, read each item and power’s description, and maybe that’s what is needed to bounce back from a losing streak of rounds.