Given the complex gameplay ofOverwatch 2and the ever-expanding roster of playable heroes that the title boasts, it is no wonder that nerfs and buffs to characters are a common occurrence. Especially when considering the new combat roles that all heroes now play with the more intimate smaller-team gameplay of the new title, it is unsurprising that many heroes have already received some comprehensive balancing changes.
Usually, these tweaks to the heroes ofOverwatch 2are precipitated by a shared opinion from the game’s player base, in which certain heroes are identified by the community as desperately requiring changes thanks to their viability in-game. With this in mind, it is surprising that Blizzard is seemingly set to nerf the tank hero Roadhog, with these planned changes undoubtedly having quite a few pros as well as cons.
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The Pros of Nerfing Overwatch 2’s Roadhog
Roadhog is a longstanding tank hero in theOverwatchfranchise, with the character originally being announced alongsidethe damage hero Junkratin 2015. As a tank, Roadhog can be said to play a less traditional role, offering little in the way of protecting teammates in favor of being able to deal huge amounts of offensive damage.
This style of gameplay has always characterized Roadhog, with the main ethos behind the character being to pull enemies in with a throwable chain hook, which then opens them up to devastating close range damage. This offensive output is made even bolder behind the fact that Roadhog can heal himself quite significantly via one of his abilities, allowing for more bombastic plays and a lower reliance on healing from support classes.
Many class Roadhog as overpowered because of this, with many heroes lacking the mobility or health to escape his deadly hook combo. A nerf to Roadhog’s healing ability would be a benefit in ensuring that a Roadhog has to be accompanied by a dedicated healer when making offensive plays, opening up other members of his team to less support. On the other hand, an increase in cooldown forRoadhog’s hook abilitywould make the character much more readable for the opposition, with a failed hook attempt leaving a Roadhog open for more close-ranged attacks for a longer period of time.
The Cons of Nerfing Overwatch 2’s Roadhog
While Roadhog can be an overpowered tank when left unchecked, it remains that there are several characters who can significantly counter the hero to great effect. For example,the support hero Anahas a perfect kit for countering Roadhog, being able to prevent the tank from healing with her biotic grenade and being able to temporarily put the tank to sleep in dangerous situations with her sleep dart ability.
As well as this, fast-movingDPS characters like Tracerand Sombra are already perfect for escaping Roadhog’s grasp, with Sombra even being able to prevent the tank from hooking or healing with her hack ability. Given how most heroes inOverwatch 2require a certain opposition team selection to be countered properly, Roadhog already has a selection of heroes that significantly hamper his combat effectiveness.
A nerf would only further increase the efficacy of these counters, while making Roadhog even less viable when fighting most other heroes. Given how Roadhog already has the inherent disadvantage of not having a shield or a high defensive output, a nerf could quite easily tip the hero into a very underpowered state. While a case can certianly be made to slightly reducethe offensive output of Roadhog, a significant nerf or rework to the character could have massive implications that severely decrease the hero’s in-game viability.
Overwatch 2is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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