Overwatch 2 – Roadhog Hero Guide

Overwatch 2 is now available and its vast stable of heroes are now available in this free-to-play release. While not every hero is immediately available for new players, it’s important for new players to check out a variety of heroes. One of those is the tank Roadhog, who specializes in taking down squishy enemies and taking an absurd amount of damage. Here’s everything you need to know about Roadhog.

Roadhog overview

Roadhog is a tank hero with a large health pool and the ability to keep himself alive. Armed with a close-range shotgun that can shoot a ranged blast as well, Roadhog deals a high amount of damage for a tank. His kit encourages an aggressive play-style, not just because his attacks work best in close range. He also doesn’t have any abilities that let him directly mitigate damage, instead relying entirely on his large frame to block damage for his teammates. The big man also excels at killing opponents, especially squishy healers and damage heroes.

Roadhog abilities

Scrap Gun: Short-range shotgun, with an alt-fire that has a longer range.

Chain Hook: Throw a hook forward and drag an enemy towards you if you hit them with it.

Take a Breather: Use a breathing device to heal a large quantity of heal and decrease damage taken for a short period.

Whole Hog ultimate: Use a rapid fire attachment for the scrap gun, dealing damage and knocking enemies back.

Be a tank, but play like damage hero

One of the more appealing aspects of Roadhog is his ability to deal damage quickly. His scrap gun deals a ton of damage, especially in close range. The combination of hooking in an enemy and shooting them in the face can fully kill most non-tanks. If it doesn’t kill, most heroes won’t have time to escape before you get another shot off. The hook combo is especially good for slowing down heroes that rely on movement, like Tracer and Genji. It also lets you close the gap on heroes that thrive at range, like Ashe, Bastion, or Soldier 76. While other tanks like Reinhardt can protect their teammates by sitting back with a big shield, Roadhog needs to be in the fight.

Menace to society

Since Roadhog doesn’t have a mitigation ability outside of his personal heal, the best way to get the attention off your teammates is to be aggressive. Even if you aren’t landing every chain hook and scrap gun combination, being up in the enemy team’s faces means they are going to spend time shooting you instead of your healers or damage dealers. Roadhog also has his own sustain built in with his healing ability. This heals roughly 50% of his health and reduces the amount of damage Roadhog takes while it’s in use, so it pays to use this ability while in the middle of a fight, instead of disengaging to heal. The best way to keep the heat off your teammates is to make it hard for the enemy team to ignore your presence.

Clearing the objective

While Roadhog’s main attacks and abilities deal a ton of damage, his ultimate ability actually deals less damage than you might expect. That’s fine, since it’s far more useful as a zoning ability. When Roadhog’s ultimate ability, the gunfire knocks enemies far back, further than even a Lucio boop. The ultimate also lasts for a few seconds, so it can keep the enemies at distance for a moment, allowing time for your team to regroup or start a counter-push. This ultimate is also great if the game is in overtime and all you need to do to win is get the other team off the objective for a few seconds.

Other Roadhog tips

• Roadhog’s Take a Breather has a relatively short cooldown, so it’s best to use it as frequently as possible. It takes some pressure off your healers.
• The Chain Hook does have a limited range, but it is much further than you might expect.
• On the topic of the Chain Hook, be careful when it comes to grabbing the opposing tank, as you might be doing them a favor bringing them closer. It’s much more effective to grab a squishy character.
• Take a Breather has a very short animation before it starts working, so you can typically get it off as long as you have above 75 health.
• The Chain Hook is considered a projectile, so it can’t pierce shields or abilities that deflect projectiles.