Heroes are what make Overwatch as fun as it is. The game may be a first-person shooter, but trying to pick someone to play as is more akin to a fighting game than anything else: with all of the unique movement and combat abilities, picking the right Hero can make the difference between winning a game and heading back to respawn in shame.

That being said, Overwatch doesn't really spell things out for new players. It's more of a "jump in the deep end" method: players are encouraged to simply experiment and find out what works with their playstyle. While it's nice that the game doesn't hold players' hands the entire time, it'd be nice if it at least explained how each Hero's powers work.

If you've been having trouble wrapping your head around a certain hero (or just the game in general), you're in luck: our comprehensive guide covers every character in the game, complete with weapons, abilities and general strategies. For simplicity's sake, we've split the 21 different characters into three separate categories: Beginner-Friendly, Advanced Heroes and Expert Players Required.

So, without any further adieu, we present the ultimate Overwatch character guide:

Beginner-Friendly

If you don’t like micromanaging or keeping an eye on an entire team at once, don’t bother playing as Lucio. You’ll need to constantly switch between his speed and healing buffs, as well as watch out for all of your allies at the same time. His healing abilities only last for a few seconds per charge, so timing is critical ... but once you have it down, Lucio can be one of the most effective healers in the game. Plus, there's really no feeling quite like saving your entire team from an enemy Ultimate attack with the shield provided by Sound Barrier (better luck next time, Hanzo).

There you have it — a basic guide of every character in Overwatch! Of course, the only true way to learn how each character works is to go out and start playing, so hurry up and jump into a match!

For more on Blizzard's latest, make sure to check out our full Overwatch review and our Beginner's Guide for new players.