LogFAQs > #892894262

I'd start by using characters in the training room so you can see what abilities they have and get a general feel for them. Soldier 76 is arguably the most newbie friendly character since he plays about the same as a standard fps character. Characters are split up by classes and they're all important with some of them sort of filling dual roles.

There are 3 types of maps. One of them is a payload style where you have to "escort" a vehicle to the end of the map. Enemy characters will try to prevent you from doing this and the payload only moves when no enemies are contesting. The second type of map is King of the Hill. There will be an objective point on the stage and the goal is to capture it and reach 100%. The third type is a hybrid of the two and involves capturing an objective first and then escorting the payload to the end of the stage. As for characters

Offense - these guys are your main source of team damage. They're almost all pretty straight forward aside from Doomfist who is considered very hard to use well and Sombra who also takes some decent strategy to use effectively. Some of them are flankers or good at stopping enemy flankers.

Defense - this class includes snipers and crowd control characters. They're generally good at holding an objective down or preventing enemies from easily getting there. Most people complain about the snipers because it can be fairly difficult to be effective with them to the extent that you couldn't have done just as good or better with a different character.

Tank - these guys are mostly designed to soak up damage and push an objective. Most of them have barriers to protect themselves and the team from damage.

Healers - these guys heal your team and keep them in the fight. You pretty much always want at least one of them on your team. Some of them are fairly good at defending themselves and others you'll want to do your best to keep protected.

If you have any questions about specific things you can ask in here and we'll answer them.