Yes. When Overwatch 2 Season 9 launched on February 13, 2024, Tanks and Damage heroes gained passive health regeneration alongside every other hero. The launch rule restored 20 health per second after five seconds without taking damage. It was meant to help heroes recover between fights—not replace Support healing during combat. Blizzard’s Season 9 overview and launch patch notes describe the change.
How Season 9 self-healing worked at launch
The Season 9 launch patch introduced a passive for all heroes: after going five seconds without taking damage, a hero regenerated 20 health per second. That included Tanks and Damage heroes; it was not a Tank-only or DPS-only benefit. Blizzard called it “Regenerative Passive for All Heroes.”
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The delay made the effect an out-of-combat recovery tool. Taking damage interrupted the countdown, so heroes could not rely on it as immediate healing while being hit. Blizzard said the larger health pools and reduced burst damage in Season 9 could make it take longer to heal from low health to full; passive regeneration was intended to ease that friction and give Supports more room to decide whom to heal. Blizzard’s explanation of the Season 9 changes
How it differed from the role passives
The new regeneration applied to every hero, while the Support and Damage role passives remained distinct effects:
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| Effect at Season 9 launch | Who received it | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Regenerative Passive for All Heroes | Every hero, including Tanks and Damage heroes | 20 health per second after five seconds without taking damage |
| Support passive adjustment | Support heroes | The existing Support passive began regenerating health after 2.5 seconds |
| Damage role passive | Damage heroes | Damage dealt reduced the target’s healing received by 20% for two seconds |
The Damage passive affected an enemy’s incoming healing; it was not the same thing as self-regeneration. Blizzard’s Season 9 patch notes list these as separate changes.
Did the Season 9 values stay the same?
No. The five-second trigger and the role-passive details above describe the February 2024 launch configuration, not a guaranteed current live value. Blizzard’s March 2024 patch reduced the Damage passive’s healing reduction from 20% to 15%. March 2024 patch notes
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Blizzard’s February 2026 notes describe a later system in which global regeneration still existed but started after six seconds, and the healing-reduction effect previously granted by the Damage passive was made baseline for all heroes. That later description is not a complete history of every intervening adjustment; check the latest official patch notes for the live rules. February 2026 patch notes
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What this meant for Tanks and Damage players
For the specific question of whether Tank and DPS heroes could heal themselves, Season 9’s answer was yes: they could recover health after disengaging and avoiding damage for the required delay. The passive did not make them immune to focused fire or remove the need for team healing. During a fight, Support healing and other healing sources still mattered; the new rule helped with recovery once combat pressure stopped.
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