Blizzard is finally getting around to releasing a rework for Roadhog after multiple seasons of being one of the least picked heroes in Overwatch 2, complete with one of the worst win rates on the competitive ladder.
Roadhog was effectively nerfed into the ground when the developers took away his one-shot capabilities in January 2023, and since then, he’s largely been a niche tank selection that players often only choose to use on maps where environmental kills are prominent, like the Well control point on Ilios.
While there aren’t many details regarding the specifics of Roadhog’s rework, Blizzard has repeatedly teased that it is coming in season seven, which begins Oct. 10. However, don’t expect to see the rework right away.
Roadhog Rework official release date in Overwatch 2
According to Aaron Keller, Roadhog’s Overwatch 2 rework will be arriving on Nov. 14. Blizzard’s game director told OW2 fans Roadhog’s update would be live and playable roughly mid-way through Season seven.
While we’ve finally received our Roadhog rework due date, the gravity of his changes is still unknown. There’s always a chance he could return to his early 2023 glory days, and one-shot gamers once again.
All Roadhog rework abilities and changes
Blizzard hasn’t yet detailed the changes coming with Roadhog’s rework next month, but they’ve given us some vague ideas about what to expect. For starters, Roadhog will be getting a brand new ability with the rework.
Meanwhile, the game’s lead hero designer Alec Dawson gave players a short list of philosophies the team has for the changes in a developer blog post last month:
- Increase his ability to protect his team and claim space
- Maintain his overall identity and playstyle
- Move some of his power around so that his effectiveness isn’t so tied to his one-shot potential
Perhaps the biggest challenge here will be with his ability to protect teammates, and that is likely where his new ability will come into play. As one of the few tanks with no shielding, Roadhog also suffers from not having movement abilities either, making him the least team-oriented tank in the game. So when Blizzard nerfed his one-shot capability, he lost practically all of the value that he previously had.
I’m still really not sure what to expect from this rework, but as someone who mained Roadhog for a period of time back when Overwatch came out in 2016, I’m hopeful that he can find a space in the meta again. It’s been way too long since he’s been viable.
This piece will be updated as we get more information on Roadhog’s upcoming rework in season seven.
