Roadhog Mains Beware: Overwatch 2's Changes Spell Doom for Your Favorite Hero

Since its release, Overwatch 2 has undergone various hero changes. Some of these changes were difficult for players to adjust to, such as Doomfist joining the Tank lineup and Winston receiving a new secondary fire. Mei's freeze ability was also removed, while Bastion's new abilities were an attempt to make him less niche. However, no hero adjustment has garnered as much attention as the removal of Roadhog's one-shot kills.

In the early days of Overwatch 2, Roadhog was a dominant Tank, able to instantly eliminate most damage heroes due to the lack of stuns within the upgraded hero shooter. This caused outrage among gamers, leading to a guaranteed nerf by Blizzard. As a result, one-shot kills were removed from Roadhog's arsenal, and he has since become a character that players avoid rather than a must-play hero. Although a big rework has been promised to make him viable again, fans may have to wait until 2024 to see it happen.

Blizzard's announcement of the cancellation of Overwatch 2's hero mode may have disappointed fans, but the company did provide a roadmap for the next three seasons of content that includes some exciting updates. A new Tank hero will follow Season 6's recently added support character, and the introduction of a Questwatch mode and a release window for PvE story content were also confirmed. However, the news wasn't all positive, as fans of Roadhog learned that changes to the character won't be implemented until "Season 7 and beyond."

Unfortunately for Roadhog mains, it seems they will have to wait until Winter for any alterations to be made to the character. With Seasons 5 and 6 expected to last until the end of 2023, it's a long wait for those eagerly anticipating a Roadhog update.

Despite some minor buffs to his kit, Roadhog remains at the bottom of any Overwatch 2 hero ranking or tier list for Season 4. While Blizzard has emphasized his position as a survivor, he simply cannot compete with heroes like Orisa or Junkrat in terms of damage output or team protection. This renders him essentially useless in competitive play, leading many to avoid using him altogether.

In contrast, Sombra remains a viable and enjoyable hero in her current state, with a clear purpose and the ability to confirm kills on her own. Unfortunately, Roadhog's current state is far from fun, as landing a hook means little if the rest of the team cannot capitalize on the opportunity. As a result, players are unlikely to encounter him in their games, except for on the well on Ilios.

While the removal of one-shots in Overwatch 2 is a step in the right direction, it has caused some players to push for reworks of heroes like Widowmaker and Zenyatta. However, the hook-one-shot combo was Roadhog's defining characteristic, making a rework a difficult task that requires significant development time. Nevertheless, his current uselessness is difficult for dedicated Roadhog players to accept, and more buffs will be necessary in Seasons 5 and 6 to maintain their interest in the game.

Overwatch 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.