Overwatch 2 Mei [Complete Hero Guide]

In Overwatch 2, Mei is a damage class hero who slows and freezes her foes.

Mei is one of the BEST DPS characters in Overwatch 2. Her kit gives her the freedom to play an aggressive role or stay behind one of the Best Tanks in the game. Mei’s abilities, furthermore, allow you to play as a Support and help out your team. You can use her to block paths, so you should learn the Maps to get the most out of your ability. Mei may be locked when you first start the game, so you might have to unlock your characters first.


Key Takeaways

  • Mei belongs to the damage role in the game.
  • She is armed with abilities that allow her to make defensive and offensive plays, according to the situation.
  • Her weapons and technology help her slow or even freeze enemies.
  • She can change the terrain and build walls.
  • Mei is quite self-sufficient as she can help herself and escape using her wall.
  • She is easy to use and works well with most of the other characters.

Who Is Mei In Overwatch 2

Mei Damage Character
Damage Character Mei – [Image credit: eXputer]
The Snow Queen returns to Overwatch, and she is as cool as ever. Mei is a damage-class character who focuses on slowly freezing and eliminating the enemy. You can stop enemy pushes and finally catch the agile heroes that keep bouncing around your screen. Soon you will be the one running circles around the enemy team.

Her former profession reflects her character perfectly, being a climatologist who studies abnormal climate phenomena. She uses her weather-altering technology to change the terrain and block enemies. You can snipe enemies or get in their faces and dominate them according to your preference. Her Ultimate makes her a valuable asset to have in team fights.

Mei’s Abilities

Damage Character Mei's Abilities
Abilities Of Mei – [Image credit: eXputer]
Mei uses the cold for a tactical advantage over her enemies. She uses ice and a weather modification machine to manipulate the battlefield in her favor. She can build barriers or go into cryo-freeze while her health and ammo regenerate. Her frosty primary attack makes her a threat at close range, but she can also deal heavy damage at long range with her alternate fire. 

Endothermic Blaster (Primary)

Damage Character Mei's Endothermic Blaster
Endothermic Blaster Of Mei – [Image credit: eXputer]
The Endothermic Blaster is how Mei defends herself in the heat of battle. Her blaster has two fire modes, the primary attack is effective at close range, while the other delivers damage at a distance. You can use the blaster as a way to slow enemies’ advancements and escape a losing fight. Using your primary fire gives you an advantage over fast-moving agents who like to use their mobility for the upper hand.

The new and improved Endothermic Blaster delivers more DPS putting Mei in the best DPS character in Overwatch 2 category. Your bullets instantly give enemies a decreased movement speed making you the faster hero in the duel, so use that to your benefit. 

You can flank the enemies and catch their support off guard. They will be helpless to run away from you. Mei being a damage class hero, your top priority is to take out the enemy support characters rendering them defenseless against your assault. You can deal damage and focus on a single target or slow multiple enemy heroes, so your team has an easier time killing them.

  • Damage: 100 per second
  • Range: 10 meters max
  • Ammo: 150 ammo
  • Rounds per second: 20 
  • Slow: 50 percent
  • Reload 1.5 seconds

Endothermic Blaster (Secondary) 

Damage Character Mei's Endothermic Blaster (Secondary)
Endothermic Blaster (Secondary) Of Mei – [Image credit: eXputer]
Mei’s blaster is not only an exceptional weapon at close range but can snipe enemies across the map. She shoots an icicle after a brief delay that damages the enemy at any range and has no damage dropoff. The secondary fire makes her effective at sniping enemy supports or enemies running away at one hp. 

The secondary fire takes a moment to charge up. During that duration, if you melee, you lose the ammo you had charged, and the charge restarts. So be careful while using icicle and melee together you can lose all your ammo without shooting if you do this enough. However, there is some good news, if you only have one ammo, you can still use the icicle without losing any damage.

  • Damage: 75 per body shot
  • Headshot damage: 150
  • Fire Rate: 1 shot per 0.8 seconds
  • Delay: 0.4 second charge time, 0.4 recovery time.
  • Ammo cost: 10 per shot.

Cryo-Freeze

Cryo-Freeze Ability Of Damage Character Mei In Overwatch 2
Damage Character Mei’s Cryo-Freeze Ability – [Image credit: eXputer]
Cryo-Freeze is a significant ability in your arsenal and can aid you in multiple ways. When you active Cryo-Freeze, you are enclosed in ice instantly. While in the ice block, you become invulnerable and safe from all outside forces. While in your sleep state, your health and ammo regenerate so you can get back in the fight as soon as you wake up. Cryo-Freeze debuffs any adverse effects put on you by the enemy and can be left at any moment.  

You can use the debuffs to bait enemy abilities and then go into Cryo-Freeze to make them useless. You can cancel the skill to catch enemies who let their guard down or turned their back to retreat. Cryo-Freeze can help you avoid deadly enemy ultimates and render them ineffective against you. The cooldown of Cryo-Freeze starts once you leave the ice.

  • Heal: 50 per second
  • Total Heal: 200
  • Min Duration: 0.44 seconds
  • Max Duration: 4 seconds
  • Cooldown: 12 seconds

Ice Wall

Ice Wall Ability Of Damage Character Mei
Damage Character Mei’s Ice wall Ability – [Image credit: eXputer]
Ice wall divides the terrain to your will and lets you block off pathways. With the Ice wall ability, you can place a wall with five pillars. You can create a wall vertically and horizontally in front of you, letting you block off entrances from any angle. Placing the wall under you allows you to stand on the wall, giving you a unique platform. Mei also has the ability to demolish her wall by pressing the hotkey again. The cooldown starts once the wall is placed, not broken.

Mei can use the Ice wall to not only block enemies from accessing parts of the map but she can also use it to separate the enemy from their team or stop them from escaping. As previously mentioned, the Ice wall can be used as a platform to peek over and snipe them from unexpected spots. You can break the wall instantly if it is a disadvantage to your team. The wall can be destroyed by opponents’ attacks, so keep your guard up.

  • Pillar Health: 250
  • Max Range: 20 meters
  • Min Duration: 0.5 seconds
  • Max Duration: 5 seconds
  • Cooldown: 12 seconds

Blizzard

Blizzard Ultimate Of Mei In Overwatch 2
Damage Character Mei’s Blizzard Ultimate – [Image credit: eXputer]
Blizzard is Mei’s Ultimate ability and allows her to damage, slow, and freeze enemies, stopping them dead in their tracks. Mei sends out a weather-controlling device that drops the temperature in the surrounding area. Enemies in its radius instantly receive a movement decrease and are eventually frozen if they stand in the affected area for too long. Be careful where you use it because it can be destroyed before it goes into effect.

Pairing up your ultimate with your primary fire further slows the opposite side while it speeds up the freeze delay. By cooperatively using these two abilities, you can rapidly immobilize everyone in the area and gets some easy kills. The freeze effect goes through enemy shields and even the payload, so they have nowhere to hide. 

  • Damage: 20 per second
  • Min Speed Reduction: 50 percent
  • Max Speed Reduction: 70 percent
  • Radius: 10 meters
  • Freeze Delay: 2.5
  • Freeze duration: 4 seconds  

Mei’s Playstyle 

Damage Character Mei's Playstyle
The Playstyle Of Mei – [Image credit: eXputer]
Mei is a self-sufficient hero, and she can heal, hold points and stop enemy pushes. You can play Mei as a solo duelist and flank enemies and fight them head-on, or you can use your abilities for your team and play more of a supporting role in the fight. There are a few things you have to know about her playstyle to get the most out of character. 

1v1

You are a damage class character, so your main objective is eliminating the opponent’s support character. So the most efficient method to accomplish your goal is by the rule of divide and conquer. Force the enemy supports into a 1v1 situation, giving you the upper hand and disabling their healing. Due to her health being more than most support and damage heroes, you are at an advantage in a 1v1 situation. 

Block And Trap

Mei uses the Ice wall to block off enemies, stop them from getting points, and escape the enemy. But instead of using it defensively, you can also use it aggressively. Ice walls can trap an enemy character in a room with you and separate them from the rest of the team. You can stop enemies from running away and even use it to dodge attacks by placing it beneath yourself. 

Play With Your Team

Even though you are more than capable of playing alone, Overwatch 2 is a team game. Work with your team and communicate with them before placing Walls. If your wall is negatively affecting your allies, destroy it to help them. Cryo-Freeze fixes you in place so enemies can be waiting for you when you get out. Playing with your team will provide you with protection and help you survive.

Cut Your Losses

If you are alone and about to die, do not panic and waste Cryo-Freeze just to die when you get out of it. Enemies gain ultimate points the more damage they do, so you are charging up their ultimate faster due to the extra health you gain. This delays your respawn time to get back into the fight and help your team. So cut your losses and die for the greater good. 

Cancel Abilities

Another ability you can cancel at any time, Similar to the Ice wall, is the Cryo-Freeze. You can use the Cryo-Freeze to receive debuffs, cleansing you of any disadvantage you might have in a fight, and instantly get back into the duel. The canceling feature allows you to regain footing without missing a beat in the heat of the moment. Your Cryo-Freeze can bait the enemy into turning their back or reloading, allowing you to can catch them by surprise. 

Combos With Other Heroes

Playing with your team in a 5v5 game would be the wisest strategy to execute. Working together towards your common goal of winning is easier to accomplish with friends. So here are the best combos you can use to demolish the enemy team. 

Reinhardt

Playing behind the safety of your tank without any fear is always a comforting feeling, so sniping from behind Reinhardt’s shield will come naturally to you. However, do you know what’s better than moving targets? Frozen one. Combing your ultimate with Reinhardt’s means the enemies are not going anywhere. Anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in the combo is doomed.

With the Reinhardt and Mei combo, you both are can play offensive and defensive strategies together. Reinhardt makes for a great shield, but his slow attack speed and short range make catching enemy characters quite a hassle. But with Mei slowing his prey  Reinhardt is free to hunt to his heart’s content. 

D.va

There’s no doubt that D.va has one of the most powerful ultimates in the game, and the only way to survive it is Reinhardt’s shield or escaping the blast radius. Mei’s ultimate counters both of these problems. This makes their combo even more deadly, and Mei freezes the enemy, and D.va puts them to rest.   

D.va deals explosive damage at close range, so the opposite team tries to get some distance when they see her approaching. Mei shuts down their attempts to get away from her friendly tank. With Mei and D.va working together, it is hard for the enemy to do their job or get to the objective.

Zarya

Zarya complements Mei’s ultimate and aids in making her ultimate as effective as possible. Her ultimates pull people into her gravity surge while dealing damage, and merging it with Blizzard makes for easy team wipes. You can use these two abilities to turn the tide in a losing game. These two ultimates go hand and hand, creating a dangerous duo. 

One of the reasons Mei works so well with her tanks is that most tanks in the game deal excessive damage at close range. Zarya is one of these close-range powerhouses, and her weapon is close ranged, so she has to be in the enemy’s face. Mei’s tanks help keep her safe and draw the fire away from her, allowing her to help her tanks in return. 

Widowmaker

It’s no surprise Widowmaker is the best sniper in the game; the only real counter you have against her when you’re a low-hp agent is to keep moving. Mei can slow down the enemy just enough that they become easy picks for widowmaker’s sniper. Using them together makes them a threat, and the enemy will want to stay clear. 

You can use your Ice wall to create an unexpected platform, allowing Widowmaker to peek over walls and snipe enemies who thought they were safe. If close-range combat is not your cup of tea, Widowmaker and you can snipe from afar to get instant two-shot kills. 

Pharah

Predicting the opponent’s movement is always a challenge when you are soaring through the skies. Pharah delivers a heavy punch if she directly hits a target, but that’s hard to do when they are far and always moving. That is where Mei comes in handy, and Mei works as Pharah’s little helper on the ground. Her slowing ability and freeze help Pharah easily eliminate them from afar without breaking a sweat. 

Their ultimates also go together well, making a massacre on the field. Pharah rains hellfire down on her enemies. Mei makes sure that the enemies aren’t going anywhere but straight to hell. Their combo works exceptionally well if you want to mow the enemy team.

All Changes To Mei From Overwatch To Overwatch 2

Damage Character Mei Changes In Overwatch 2
Changes To Mei – [Image credit: eXputer]
Mei was one of the most overpowered characters in Overwatch, so it’s not surprising that her rework included a lot of nerfs. However, her buffs make her a damage-class character and help her fit the role more accurately. The nerfs were pretty balanced and still make her a great pick.  

Some of Mei’s fans were disappointed to learn that the rework stripped Mei of her most powerful ability. The ability to freeze has been removed from her primary attack. The nerf was a relief for players who were harassed by this ability. However, it is not all bad; Mei’s primary attack got a huge increase in damage. The slow effect of her frost was altered to give a flat 50% slow per bullet instead of the built-up mechanic in Overwatch. 

Due to her new and improved damage and movement debuff, her slow duration was decreased from 1 second to 0.5 to keep her balance and give her enemies a fighting chance. Her ammo count has increased, so she can deal more damage consecutively, making her a not force to be reckoned with.

Mei’s Ice wall got a significant nerf to encourage more close combat battles and get her more involved in the fight. Her pillar health decreased to 250 from 400, which makes it easier to get through, so you have to use it carefully. The cast range of the Ice wall has lessened, so she has to be closer to the target. The nerf forces her to be near the action. 

Finally, her ultimate cost was increased by 15 percent, meaning you have to do more damage while it takes longer to charge up. The changes to her damage per second make the nerfs an easier pill to swallow since you are doing more damage now. 

At first glance, these changes might seem excessive or that Mei is unplayable now, but all things considered, these make her more of a damaged character. So give them a try and see.

Final Words

After learning all the playstyles, abilities, and combinations, you are ready to use Mei to her full potential. Mei is one of our top picks for the damage role and is a worthy addition to your team. Work as your team’s cold-hearted assassin or as their cool assistant. So give her a try; maybe she is your new main character.

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Kashaf Ul Khair


Kashaf has a knack for CRPGs, and she is always on the hunt for creating content after exploring dungeons, defeating waves of enemies of crushing down bosses with flawless strategies. When not writing at eXputer, Kashaf can be seen playing King Arthur: Knight's Tale.

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