What Overwatch character should you play? Well, that’s a difficult question. Normally the answer would come down to a complex consideration of the current state of the game, the objectives you are going for, the relative skill levels of the opposing team…

But we thought we would make this easier for you and tie it to a personality test; the most popular personality test actually, the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, or MBTI.

For those of you who don’t know what the MBTI is, it’s a personality test that rates you on four different spectrums: (E)xtroverted-(I)ntroverted, (S)ensing-I(n)tuitive, (T)hinking-(F)eeling, and (J)udging-(P)ercieving. If you don’t know your personality type, you can head over to 16 Personalities to take a quick test and find out.

We did our best to tie Overwatch’s characters to the different MBTI types, but note that this isn’t an exact science. Many MBTI personality types aren’t even good fits for team-based shooters (and you can read about what the best video game for your personality type is here).

We also restricted ourselves to recommending each character only once. In reality, more aggressive personality types would probably do ok with most of the attacking heroes, and more supportive personality types would fare just fine with half the defense heroes and all of the support heroes.

It’s also worth noting that we made these decisions based on how characters play, not based on their own in-fiction personalities, although Blizzard did a good job matching playstyles to personalities anyway.

Finally, any good Overwatch game will include a lot of hero switching and adapting, so don’t take these recommendations as written in stone (or do, but don't blame us when your team gets mad). But if you are new to the game and have no idea which character you should try, this list should help you find one that meshes with your personality.

INFP – The Idealist, The Mediator, The Healer

INFPs want everyone to get along. They are idealists. They see good and potential in everyone. They want everyone working toward a common goal, but they also need to stay true to their own ideals.

One of the alternative titles for INFP is “healer”, so obviously we had to look at the support classes. Zenyatta seems like he would be the best fit. Zenyatta is a boon to his team, able to heal teammates, debuff opponents, and turn everyone in an AOE invincible for a short while. However, unlike other support characters he spends very little time actually healing. Once he decides where he is needed, he launches his orbs and spends the rest of the time either resetting these orbs or going on the offensive. This might be appealing to the INFP who wants to feel like they are actively contributing but also wants to feel like they are assisting at the same time.

INFJ – The Counselor, the Advocate

INFJs also have a strong sense of personal integrity and a drive to help others. They are noted for their ability to intuit other’s emotions and motivations. They see helping people as their purpose in life, but also have a strong desire to solve problems at their root such that people no longer need help.

We picked Soldier 76 for the INFJ. He’s kind of a multi-purpose patch character that can solve whatever problem you need. If you need offensive power, he has a decently powerful pulse rifle. If you need long range disruption, he has rockets. If you need healing, he has biotic field. Soldier 76 loves to keep his teammates alive, but also loves to take out opponents that are harassing them. INFJs playing Soldier 76 will be those members of your team that routinely get the play of the game, but say absolutely nothing on voice chat.

ENFP – The Champion, The Campaigner

ENFPs love novelty and hate repetition. They love seeking out new experiences and get bored by the details. They prize individuality and want to follow their inspirations and whims, placing great importance on personal expression and the pursuit of happiness.

ENFP’s are into video games for the fun of it, so it’s kind of hard to tie them down to just one character. To have the best experience playing Overwatch, ENFPS should probably just keep switching characters to whatever seems fun at the time. But if we had to choose one character for you to try out, we would suggest Mei. Mei doesn’t really play like other shooter characters. Her freeze mechanics are totally new and different and will have you playing the game in ways you haven’t experienced in similar shooters. Her ability to alter the map by building walls is also fairly new and unique. She’s the most novel character in terms of mechanics that the game has to offer, so if you are looking for a new experience she is your girl.

ENFJ – The Teacher, The Giver

ENFJs are natural born leaders. They are attuned to other people’s feelings and get enjoyment from uplifting other people and being an asset to the team. If there was anyone to “take one for the team” it would be an ENFJ.

Our pick for the ENFJ might seem a little weird, but bear with us. We suggest that ENFJs play Mercy. “But wait a minute” we hear you shouting at your monitors, “Mercy is a healer. I thought you said ENFJs were leaders?” You are correct good sir, but think about the difference between good and bad Overwatch play.

Good play sees damaged heroes falling back to Mercy when they need to heal. Bad play sees Mercy scrambling to catch up with the team and heal the psychos who decided to fight bullets with their face. A good Mercy will inform people when she is buffing them on team speak, coordinating the assault while still playing an assisting role. For a leader role who primarily uplifts others, Mercy is the perfect choice.

ISFP – The Artist, The Adventurer

ISFPs love to think outside the box. They want to break conventions, upset patterns, and be creative, and they don’t like to be criticized.

ISFPs are a bit problematic in co-op games because, as we said, they don’t like to be criticized. But their desire to do things differently and break the norm usually ends up killing them, hence provoking criticism. Nevertheless, it’s ISFPs that come up with weird plans like, “everyone go Reinhardt and just slowly alternate shields until the payload gets to where it needs to be.”

We chose Symmetra for the INFP. Her ability to place turrets on any surface allows for quite a bit of creativity with minimal chance of failure. Her two mode weapon is unique and allows her to do creative things like fire a long range buster shot, bait the opponent into their turret, and finish them off with a close range beam. She can also grant teammates shields, just in case she wants one of them to go off and do something crazy. But most importantly, no one is ever mad at the Symmetra. As long as she is dropping turrets and shielding teammates, people are going to focus their anger on that one Tracer who keeps teleporting into enemy groups and dying.

ISFJ – The Defender, The Protector

ISFJs are loyal, practical, compassionate, and motivated to provide for others. They want to work hard, get along in the roles they are given, and do what is expected of them to the best of their ability. They rarely call attention to themselves and offer assistance to others in a modest, understated way.

ISFJs are routinely called defenders, and we couldn’t think of any defender better than Reinhardt. Reinhardt doesn’t take center stage. Instead, he is best planted right in front of a team member with his shield up. He goes where he is needed and doesn’t mind not having a huge kill count. Playing Reinhardt well means keeping an eye out for people in need of protection, and the ISFJ’s strong sense of personal responsibility toward other’s aids this strategy. Their conscientious and methodical nature will keep them shielding till their last HP, only charging in when needed, and never pulling a Leeroy Jenkins to try and get the play of the game.

ESFP – The Entertainer, The Experience Lover

ESFPs are fun loving types that love to live in the moment. They love staying active and living spontaneously. They are also especially aware of their environment and the needs of those around them.

We focused on the ESFPs need for spontaneity and came up with two possible characters to play. If they have some twitch skills, they may love Tracer. Her ability to teleport into battle, shoot up some baddies, and then rewind time to safety keeps her constantly moving. She cannot plan her attacks. She is made out of paper so she has to take opportunities to do damage where she finds them.

The other selection we came up with was Junkrat. Junkrat’s personality fits the ESFP archetype, as does his playstyle. He loves to come up with interesting tactics in the spur of the moment, bouncing his bombs off walls to get opponents crouching on a point, suiciding his bomb tire into enemy groups, and generally just doing cool things over the course of the battle.

Both Junkrat and Tracer have some of the most entertaining highlight reels to watch, and we figure this is more than fitting for a personality type called the Entertainer.

ESFJ – The Provider, The Caregiver

ESFJs are helpers. They are cooperative, conscientious, and seek out harmony. They notice what other people need, and seek to provide it. ESFJs have been called caregivers and “motherly types”, which doesn’t quite translate over to shooters all that well.

We originally thought about giving this personality type one of the medics. It seems like a good fit, but medics provide a very tactical role in online shooters. An ESFJs desire to protect is less tactical, more emotional. They want to be appreciated for who they are and what they contribute. Therefore we chose Zarya as their optimal character.

Zarya’s entire gameplay mechanic revolves around shields. She can shield herself, and shield others. As her shields absorb damage, her beam weapon gets stronger and stronger. Meaning, she literally has a greater impact on the game the more she helps others. Her ultimate doesn’t do a lot of damage, but does force enemies to cluster together, allowing them to easily be picked off by other members of the team. She seems designed to be recognized for her supportive contributions, more so than medics who, let’s face it, tend to get screamed at for not healing the right person.

INTP – The Logician

INTPs look at the world as a problem to be solved. They pride themselves on their inventiveness, creativity, and intellect. They love patterns and spotting contradictions, making Phoenix Wright their perfect game. But we aren’t playing Phoenix Wright. We are playing Overwatch! What sort of bullets should INTPs shoot?

Being that INTPs love problem solving and sensing patterns, we chose Torbjörn and Bastion as their heroes of choice. These heroes don’t move much. Instead, they set up on an area of the map and wait. Torbjörn’s turret does the aiming and shooting for him, while Bastion’s immobile gatling gun vomits damage faster than almost anything else in the game. Both of these characters succeed when their player has a keen knowledge of the map, and how the opponent moves through it. By placing themselves at choke points that simultaneously cannot be easily attacked, they can dish out an incredible amount of damage, denying point captures for days. They play this shooter more like a tower defense, which is a genre based on problem solving. That’s why we think they will enjoy these characters so much.

INTJ – The Architect, The Mastermind

INTJs are schemers. They look at the entire world as a chess game. It’s less of a problem to be solved and more of a situation to be manipulated. They are loner types that don’t always understand social conventions. When they play well with a group, it’s because everything was going according to their plan.

We needed another passive hero to fit this archetype, someone who plays with positioning more than with twitch reflexes. We settled on Widowmaker, the sniper. Widowmaker requires the same pattern-seeking mind that Bastion and Torbjorn do in order to find safe spaces on the maps to snipe from. But unlike the turrets that stay in place and wait for the opponents to run into their line of fire, Widowmaker is active, taking out targets and then moving to another position in order to keep the opponents scattered. Widowmaker’s entire purpose is to manipulate the other team into a position that will let you succeed. McCree hassling your team on point? Headshot. Bastion camped out in the distance? Headshot. Pharah raining justice from above? Headshot. Her goal is to make the opponents change classes in order to deal with her, and by then she is long gone.

ENTP –The Debator, The Troll

ENTPs are the ultimate devil’s advocate. If they see a pattern, belief, or strategy, they want to pick it apart piece by piece? Why? Because it’s fun of course! They like disrupting and breaking things, sowing a little bit of chaos in order to get things done.

An ENTP is going to want to break up groups of enemies every time they see one, so we already knew that they had to play a tank. In fact, we gave them two tanks, Winston and Roadhog. Winston can do very well simply by launching himself via his leap ability into the middle of enemy controlled points. The damage he does on landing is significant, and his auto aim electric gatling gun will make people scatter.

Roadhog does the same thing, but in reverse. His hook allows him to pull people out of groups and very quickly dispatch them with his shotgun. When his ultimate is ready, he vomits bullets in a wide spread in front of him that push enemies back, possibly off cliffs.

Both of these characters love to cause a party wide disruption, which is perfect for a personality type whose moniker is “the troll.”

ENTJ – The Commander, The Leader

ENTJs lead by example. They are aggressive, rational, and have a laser focus on motivating people around them to solve problems. They are the commander who leads the army, mounted and carrying a banner, and thirsty to get the first kill.

Just about anyone can take a commander role in Overwatch, and you are very likely to hear ENTJs constantly barking orders to their team through teamspeak. But ENTJs also want to be hands on with their problem solving, so we chose a character who can lay on damage, and has abilities that help her read the state of the game at once: Pharah. Pharah’s rocket launcher is a powerful tool in short or long range combat, and her concussive blast can disrupt enemies. However, the best Pharahs use their jetpacks to get high above the battle and rain down fire from above. This vantage point allows them to see where turrets, snipers, and enemy units are set up. They can then relate this information to their team, filling in their natural leadership position.

ISTP – The Technician, The Mechanic, The Maker

ISTPs love taking on new projects and roles. They love exploring and learning from their environment. They are naturally curious and inquisitive. When they see a problem, they tend to solve it in the most creative way possible. Either that or they build some sort of robot…

No, we aren’t picking D.Va for this personality type. The problem with the ISTP is that they jump at the chance to solve a problem in a creative way. This means that ISTPs are largely going to be the players who character switch on every death in order to get the right party for the right situation. If we had to limit them to one character, we needed to choose a character that can solve problems in many different ways. Thus we chose Lucio, who many call the best character in the game, and for good reason.

Lucio provides an aura effect to his party, either to speed them up or to heal them. He can also activate one-time bursts to increase his aura’s effectiveness. He’s one of the more offensive minded support characters. None of his auras require active attention and his sonic gun does quite a bit of damage. He can also wall run, making him one of the more mobile support units as well. Every team does better with a Lucio on it, and every Lucio player can aid just about any situation. Enemies on a point? Use speed up to get your team there quicker. Defending a point yourself? Use healing and his ultimate to keep your team alive. Tracer teleported behind you? You are almost as fast and can definitely lay some damage on her fragile body. Lucio is adaptable, which fits with the ISTP’s engineer-like mindset. You won’t need to switch characters to fit many different roles.

ISTJ – The Logistician, The Inspector

ISTJs are logical and practical. They love upholding traditions and rules and they don’t like change. In fact, they have a keen eye for noticing anything out of place in their worldview. They love dedicating themselves to a single task and seeing it through to the best of their ability.

Because of their laser-focus take on problem solving, we tried to give ISTJ’s characters that A) are always welcome on the team, B) rarely have to be switched out, and C) do only one thing and do it well. Thus we picked Reaper and McCree, the damage dumps of the game. Both of these characters have one goal and one goal only, find the enemy and kill them. They don’t heal, they don’t provide barriers, they don’t control choke points. All they do is kill. You need these characters on your team in order to dish out damage and keep the enemy respawning. To an ISTJ, the point of a shooter is to shoot, which is why they are perfect for these roles.

ESTP – The Entrepreneur, The Center of Attention

ESTPs love to be the center of attention. They thrive on having an impact on their immediate surroundings. They are the loud volunteers at magic shows, the kid in school who raises his hand and has all the answers. They love to dive in head first, fixing mistakes as they go rather than planning ahead.

Once again, we needed a tank class for this personality type, as they are prone to going LEEROY JENKINS. We took the ESTP’s tendency to act first and fix problems later and settled on D. Va, who is appropriate for someone who likes to be the center of attention. The fact that she gets to survive after her mech blows up is perfect for this personality type. In addition, her mostly armored HP gives ESTPs a little bit more leeway to head into battle and make a scene.

ESTJ – The Organizer, The Supervisor

ESTJs are representatives of tradition and order. They bring communities together as organizers. They lead by example and pave the way for others to follow.

When selecting characters for the ESTJ, we thought about what it means to pave the way for others to follow in a shooter. We eventually chose Hanzo and Genji as our choices for their ability to quickly clear an area of enemies. Hanzo’s quick firing arrows and Genji’s swift sword strikes will easily cut a path through enemy troops if guided by an effective player. This will allow the rest of the party to flood in, and fulfill their roles. It was also impossible to avoid choosing Hanzo and Genji for this personality type because ESTJs love tradition and honor and that’s everything the two brothers’ story line is about.

As we said, these class choices weren’t an exact science. Overwatch was designed so that anyone can pick up almost any class and have fun with them. What is your personality type and what are your favorite characters? Let us know in the comments.

