A series of balance changes hit Overwatch 2‘s live servers two days ago, mainly targeting Kiriko, Sojourn, and Roadhog.
The tank has been wreaking havoc since the release of Overwatch 2, bringing players to their doom with his hook.
But the last nerf he received with Jan. 24’s balance patch is expected to bring an end to his domination. Today, players have been discussing the changes, wondering whether they really affected him. The verdict is clear: Roadhog has returned to the category of niche picks in Overwatch 2.
He’ll remain efficient played in the right hands and in the most favorable situations—such as Ilios’ Well, but won’t be played on every map and on every level anymore.
“They’ll weed out the bad Hog players but he is still dangerous in the right hands,” one player commented on Reddit. “He’s still viable and dangerous by pulling enemies into hazards or toward teammates. He still has his health and self healing,” another said.
While his one-shot combo still exists, it’s more challenging to execute because the hooked players have now more time to dodge the tank’s full damage, unless he steps forward and performs a melee attack.
“I can do it, but I still think there is time and opportunity to the other team to prevent the Hog for making that play,” streamer Emongg said while testing out the balance changes.
It means Hog players need to master the combo to make the most out of their tank pick, or they won’t have a significant impact on the game, contrary to before the balance changes.
In short, it looks like Hog has been reverted to the way he was played a few years ago. While he’ll still be seen in games and will remain hated by enemy healers and flankers, he won’t be as threatening, making him more of a niche pick.
Indirectly, this also applies a buff to shield tanks, which means Ramattra might become more of a threat in response. It could also be highly beneficial to Reinhardt, which has struggled in Overwatch 2’s meta.
