Roadhog gets new ability in Overwatch 2 rework

Overwatch 2 has confirmed the long-awaited Roadhog rework.

The switch to 5v5 in Overwatch 2 changed team dynamics and strategy, with only one tank per squad and a focus on aggressive gameplay. This change left a lot of heroes feeling underwhelming, including Roadhog, who became one of the weakest tank hero options.

Now, Blizzard is hoping to create some balance with a hero rework.

Overwatch 2 Season 7 Roadhog rework

Roadhog’s rework is now live, introducing a new ability called Pig Pen that sets a trap to damage nearby enemies. Here are all of the official changes to Roadhog, taken from the patch notes.

Explained developers: “The broad goal of the Roadhog rework was to improve his frontline presence on the battlefield as a tank hero and reduce the frustration enemy players had with how consistently deadly his hook combo has been in the past.”

Scrap Gun

• Previous secondary fire functionality has been removed
• Total damage per shot increased from 150 to 160
• Shotgun pellet count reduced from 25 to 16
• Shotgun pellet damage increased from 6 to 6.25
• Now fires a shrapnel volley of 4 large projectiles in the center of the shot
• Each shrapnel projectile deals 15 damage
• Critical damage multiplier reduced from 2x to 1.5x

Take a Breather

• Now activated by holding Secondary Fire
• Cooldown for each use decreased from 8 seconds to 1 second
• A new resource meter has been added. This meter will deplete while Take a Breather is active and then recharge when it’s not in use
• Take a Breather requires 12 seconds to reach full charge from empty
• At a full charge, Take a Breather can heal up to 450 health over 3 seconds
• Take a Breather will now remain active as long as its assigned hotkey is held
• An option to “Toggle Take a Breather” has been added under Options > Controls > Roadhog
• Damage reduction decreased from 50% to 30%
• No longer amplifies healing received upon ending

Pig Pen

• This is a new ability assigned to Ability 2 by default
• Launch a trap that slows and damages nearby enemies
• Deals 60 damage when triggered and 30 damage per second in an area
• 3-second duration once activated
• 40% movement speed slow
• Cooldown is 12 seconds

Roadhog and Junkrat were troublemakers in Junker Town so it’s interesting that both chaotic heroes now have trap-related abilities. Pig Pen will help teams further slow down the aggressive movement of incoming teams, allowing Roadhog to chase them down and damage them up close with his Scrap Gun. Meanwhile, he can heal himself with Take a Breather when the battle gets too heated, helping him tank damage for his team.